Enchanting Fairytale Retelling Romance From Sweet to Spicy
There’s something delicious about revisiting the stories we grew up with, only this time, the stakes are higher, the tension is steamier, and the happily-ever-after comes with sharper edges. Fairytale retelling romances let us return to familiar stories while exploring deeper emotions, richer worldbuilding, and romantic dynamics that feel very adult.
Below is a curated, streamlined guide to some of the best fairytale retelling romances, organized by the most popular foundations (Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella), followed by standout other retellings, and ending with why dark fairytale retellings have such a powerful hold on romance readers.
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What counts as a “fairytale retelling romance”?
A fairytale retelling can be a close adaptation (Beauty and the Beast with magic and curses intact) or a looser reinterpretation that borrows themes, character archetypes, or emotional beats. Many modern retellings blend romance with fantasy, romantasy, YA, or contemporary settings and range from cozy and sweet to unapologetically dark and spicy.
A familiar example: A Court of Thorns and Roses began as a Beauty and the Beast retelling before evolving into a sprawling romantasy epic and incorporating other fairytale elements and folklore.
Why Beauty and the Beast Is the Ultimate Romance Retelling Blueprint
Beauty and the Beast is arguably the ultimate romance blueprint. Long before we named tropes like enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, or grumpy/sunshine, this story was already doing the work. At its heart, it’s about perception, power, and choice, which is why it adapts so seamlessly across fantasy, contemporary, and dark romance.
The Irresistible Built-in Tension
Beauty doesn’t fall in love at first sight. In most versions of the tale, she’s afraid, angry, trapped, or deeply unsettled by the Beast. That initial imbalance creates the perfect breeding ground for tension. Romance thrives on friction, and Beauty and the Beast delivers it immediately.
This is why the story translates so seamlessly into:
Dark romance, where danger, fear, and moral ambiguity heighten emotional stakes
Fantasy romance, where curses and magic externalize inner wounds
Contemporary romance, where the “Beast” becomes emotionally closed-off, gruff, traumatized, or misunderstood rather than literally monstrous
The story asks a compelling question romance readers love to explore: Who is someone beneath the armor they wear and who are you when you choose to see them fully?
Beauty and the Beast Retellings
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
By Brigid Kemmerer
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, cursed prince, found family
Spice: 1/5 (low)
A modern YA twist on Beauty and the Beast that blends urban grit with courtly fantasy. Prince Rhen is trapped in a cyclical curse, while Harper, a fiercely practical heroine pulled from Washington, DC, refuses to be anyone’s savior without accountability.
Bonded by Thorns
By Elizabeth Helen
Tropes: Why choose, cursed fae princes, forced proximity
Spice: 3/5
A spicy romantasy that replaces one cursed beast with four fae princes and a bookish heroine who becomes central to breaking their curse. This why-choose retelling leans hard into magic, tension, and indulgent romance.
A Curse of Shadows and Ice
by Catharina Maura
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, forced marriage, cursed ruler
Spice: 3/5
A romantasy-forward Beauty and the Beast retelling centered on a political marriage of convenience. Princess Arabella marries the cursed Shadow Emperor to save her kingdom and discovers power, desire, and vulnerability along the way.
Cruel Beauty
By Rosamund Hodge
Tropes: Dark fairytale, fated lovers, court intrigue
Spice: 2/5
A prose-driven, emotionally rich retelling where Nyx is raised to marry and kill the ruler who holds her kingdom hostage. Atmospheric and morally complex, this is perfect for readers who value depth over spice.
Cursed King
By Julie Saman
Tropes: Nanny romance, forced proximity, brooding king
Spice: 4/5
A dark contemporary spin where a nanny bargain replaces the enchanted castle. This is an adult-only retelling with high heat, power imbalance, and emotional walls.
Beauty’s Beast
By Lee Savino & Stasia Black
Tropes: Dark billionaire, captive heroine, revenge plot
Spice: 4/5 High
A billionaire revenge romance that fully commits to dark romance territory. Captivity, power, and possession redefine the Beast in this intense modern retelling.
Curse of the Wolf King
By Tessonja Odette
Tropes: Beauty and the Beast retelling, fae romance, cursed king, forced proximity, slow-burn romance
Spice: 2/5
A romantic, fae-filled Beauty and the Beast retelling where a cursed wolf king and a scandal-worn heroine strike a dangerous bargain. With slow-burn tension, forced proximity, and lush fairy-tale intrigue, this story leans into yearning, duty, and the risk of loving someone you might lose forever.
Cinderella Retellings
Cinderella retellings resonate because they’re not about rescue—they’re about recognition. These stories center heroines stepping out of invisibility and choosing themselves, whether through magic, grit, or ambition.
The Heart of the Raven Prince
By Tessonja Odette
Tropes: Fake engagement, fae royalty, slow burn
Spice: 2/5
A fae-filled Cinderella retelling with glamours, fake engagement, and slow-burn romance. Ember impersonates a noblewoman to escape her stepfamily and finds unexpected connection with a reluctant prince.
Tainted Saints
by Rosa Lee
Tropes: Dark romance, reverse harem, why-choose, mafia romance, fairytale retelling
Spice: 5/5
A dark, mafia-infused fairytale retelling that pulls no punches. Expect morally grey characters, intense reverse-harem romance, and themes of control, trauma, and survival. Not for the faint of heart.
The Blood Spell
By CJ Redwine
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, dark magic, forced partnership
Spice: 1/5 Low
A darker YA Cinderella retelling infused with blood magic and political intrigue. Childhood rivals are forced into uneasy alliance as danger and forbidden feelings rise.
Never Ever After
Sue Lynn Tan
Tropes: Court intrigue, hidden identity, slow-burn tension
Spice: 1/5 Low
A defiant Cinderella reimagining where survival comes before romance. Court politics, ambition, and morally gray alliances replace fairy godmothers and easy endings.
The Glass Slipper
K. Webster
Tropes: Dark contemporary, enemies-to-lovers, power dynamics
Spice: 5/5 High
A modern, dark Cinderella trilogy finale where the glass slipper becomes a metaphor for obsession, power, and dangerous devotion.
Other Fairytale Retellings
The Wrath & the Dawn
By Renée Ahdieh
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, arranged/forced marriage, fairytale retelling, slow-burn romance, coming-of-age
Spice: 2/5
A lush retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, blending revenge, redemption, and slow-burn romance against a richly imagined palace backdrop.
Hemlock & Silver
By T. Kingfisher
Tropes: Dark fantasy, fairytale retelling, parallel realm, slow‑burn romance, talking animal sidekick
Spice: 0–1/5
A sharp, intelligent Snow White reimagining focused on poison, politics, and survival. Romance is subtle, secondary, and beautifully restrained.
Hooked
By Emily McIntire
Tropes: Dark fairy tale retelling, enemies‑to‑lovers, villain‑gets‑girl vibes, revenge plot, kidnapping, morally grey
Spice: 5/5
A dark, contemporary Peter Pan retelling that reimagines Captain Hook as a ruthless antihero who always gets what he wants. When Wendy, now an adult and the daughter of Hook’s enemy, enters his world, she becomes both his weapon and his obsession. This is a villain-gets-the-girl romance with explicit spice, heavy power imbalance, and morally black choices.
Kept
by Evelyn Flood
Tropes: Dark romance, reverse harem, why-choose, fairytale retelling, morally gray heroes
Spice: 5/5
A dark, contemporary Rapunzel retelling where the tower is a cage, the heroes are morally gray, and freedom comes at a cost. This why-choose reverse-harem romance leans hard into captivity, control, and high-stakes intensity.
Gild
By Raven Kenney
Tropes: Dark romance, reverse harem, why-choose, fairytale retelling, morally gray heroes
Spice: 5/5
A dark, modern fairytale retelling where danger, obsession, and morally gray heroes dominate. This reverse-harem, why-choose romance explores power, desire, and control in a story that is intense, seductive, and unapologetically dark.
Spotlight: Tessonja Odette
If you love fairytale retellings with fae magic, slow-burn romance, and standalone accessibility, Tessonja Odette is essential reading. Her Entangled with Fae series reimagines Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and more within a shared fae world, each with its own HEA.
Kiss of the Selkie — Little Mermaid Retelling
A retelling of The Little Mermaid with a fae twist, this adventure blends land and sea magic, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a heroine desperate to save a life she never expected to matter. While reviews and summaries vary, fans highlight its unique tone and whimsical romance.
A Taste of Poison — Snow White Retelling
This Snow White reinterpretation features a runaway princess accused of murder and a gruff bear-shifter huntsman tasked with finding her only to be pulled into danger and desire. With humor, peril, and slow-burn chemistry, it brings fresh stakes to a classic tale.
A Dream So Wicked — Sleeping Beauty Retelling
A cursed sleep isn’t the only danger here, this Sleeping Beauty retelling blends revenge, destiny, and enemies-to-lovers sparks as two former enemies form an uneasy alliance to undo an enchanted slumber that threatens kingdoms.
The Appeal of Dark Fairytale Retellings
Not all fairytale retellings are meant to comfort. Dark retellings lean into obsession, power imbalance, captivity, and moral grayness, elements that were always present in original folklore.
Books like Raven Kennedy’s Gild, Emily McIntire’s Never After series, Tainted Saints by Rosa Lee, and Kept by Evelyn Flood strip away whimsy and sharpen the teeth. These stories ask harder questions:
What if the villain doesn’t soften?
What if love is dangerous?
What if survival matters more than happily-ever-after?
While these weren’t my personal favorites, they’re wildly popular for a reason. Dark fairytale retellings offer catharsis, intensity, and emotional extremes that many readers crave.
Fairy tales were never meant to be gentle. Modern dark retellings simply honor that legacy by letting the magic cut.
Final Thoughts
Whether you gravitate toward sweet enchantment, romantic angst, or stories that venture deep into the shadows, fairytale retelling romance offers something uniquely satisfying, familiarity paired with surprise. From cozy to scorching, these stories remind us why we fell in love with fairy tales in the first place—and why we’re still rewriting them today.
