I grew up on books by Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss, William Gibson, Philip K. Dick and other Sci-fi greats. This time, I delve into a cross genre blend of Sci-fi and Fantasy Romance. Fantasy Romance is still as strong as ever, so much so, Amazon added a new category Young Adult (YA) Romance Fantasy in 2026.
World Building
By embracing Fantasy elements to their Sci-fi Romances, authors make their world building so much richer. It’s not as much as a stretch for readers to suspend disbelief as in pure fantasy, as the reader can imagine the world existing on a planet far away and it expands the concept of the Sci Fi world in the author’s mind. An added bonus is that it brings other possibilities than war and beefy battle-hardened warriors as the main male character (MMC).
Victoria Aveline
My favourite authors in creating Sci-fi Fantasy worlds are Victoria Aveline with her Clecanian Series (8 books), of which my favourite books are Resisting Maxu and Ruling Sikthand which has a Goth theme running through it, but they’re all good, above all, Choosing Theo is the first book of the series and introduces the Clecanian world and the main characters. It’s a delight to step into.
Demelza Carlton
Another author I want to mention in Sci-fi Fantasy Romance is Demelza Carlton with her Nyx Colony series (8 books). The world and characters are different enough to break out of pure Sci Fi and enter the realm of Fantasy. Also, the series is called Intergalactic Dating Agency and there are other series named that by other authors, so I want to be clear I’m talking about the Nyx Colony series here.
The MMCs are different fantasy creatures. Clever. For example, in Wings (Book 5), the MMC is a gargoyle and he has difficulty staying awake in…. Well, no spoilers. They’re employed in the colony in jobs we’d recognise on earth. In each book the MMC has different professions or jobs. In Book 1 Dr. Fang is a dentist, in Book 3 Claw (a pun on the word croissant) is a baker and so on.
Grace Goodwin
The Beast’s Bride is my all-time fave of hers. It’s a standalone and the world building is distinctive and original. Basically it’s a send up of the tacky speed dating shows on telly (they’re so cringe-making you have to keep your eyes glued to the screen) but with aliens. She punches through the ‘beast’s’ dilemma and out the other side by sending him up too, but both him and the female main character (FMC) are sensitively drawn, plausible and likeable. Where he’s OTT*, which is often, GG sends him up.
All three are witty writers. Looking for Sci-fi Fantasy Romance that’ll have you laughing out loud? Look for these three authors. I normally read in Kindle Unlimited (KU) to try a concept of an author or a new author to me, but GG doesn’t have that many books in KU.
Trigger Warning: these books range from steamy to scorching. If you don’t want to read these scenes, check out the sales page or front matter, or go to the author’s website for more information. If any theme doesn’t sit right with you, you can pass. Nobody is forcing you to read it.
More Sci-fi Fantasy Romance
I enjoyed the Brides of the Kylorr (3 books) series by Zoey Draven. Humour doesn’t lighten her writing style, and the stakes for the main characters are high. This is serious stuff, but the world was beautifully drawn and detailed with fantasy and vampiric elements. I may read more of her series in the future.
Sci-fi Romance in Reality… Almost
Contact by Susan Grant
Contact is a RITA award winner amongst a cluster of awards. (I forget what the acronym stands for, but it was a prestigious Romance novelist’s award. It doesn’t exist any more. The book was published in 2013 and the award organisation was disbanded in 2020.)
On Amazon, it numbers reviews in the hundreds in contrast to the thousands that other books are awarded. The detail is incredible in this slow burn romance, and we’re right inside the main characters’ heads throughout the story, but I assume readers don’t want to work that hard.
As a pilot flying Boeing 747s, the author clearly knows her stuff. The world is immersive and believable; the reality of the inside of a commercial aircraft contrasts well with the giant spaceship that swallows the plane.
At the time of writing, I haven’t finished the book so I don’t know how it pans out, nor do I know whether there’s steamy content included, but the main characters (and supporting characters) are believable and sympathetic so I’ll keep reading.
Hard Sci-fi
Sci-fi Thriller: When The Pattern Breaks by C J Hale
Hale was a U.S. military officer and the world he draws us into is fascinating. Just read his bio. A main theme of When the Pattern Breaks is ‘UFOs are real’ except they’re called UAPs** now. The world of government and the reactions of military worldwide are real, setting a firm basis for the ‘aliens’ theme. The Pattern series is 3 books. I can’t wait to read the next two.
Space Opera: The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks
I picked The Algebraist up an airport many years ago, and it blew my mind, the first book by Banks I had read. He is so out there, so skilled in imagination and prose, he’s one of the all time great Sci Fi Space Opera writers. He died in 2013.
More Sci-fi Romance
Lero, Book 2 in the Harmonious Mates Agency series, is up for pre-order now, at 99c. Released on December 1, 2026. Check out Book 1, Darren, also.
If the ebook isn’t available in your country, a paperback is an alternative. The paperback of Book 1 Darren is available now, Book 2, Lero, will be released in December 2026. Both titles are in KU.
* OTT Over The Top
** UFO Unidentified Flying Object, UAP Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
Credits:
Lero and Darren covers by Carol Marques.
Header Image by the mighty picjumbo.com
No AI was used in the planning or writing of the post (I can’t speak for the header image)
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