February 2026 SFFKit - A Little Romance

I love both Science Fiction and Fantasy books and I am very appreciative if the author includes a little romance to engage me. The romance doesn’t have to be a burning passion or even too graphic, I prefer a light or even humorous romance. This month for the SFFKit I am looking for a little romance to be included in our read.

If you are a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold you will know that she is a master at including a touch of romance in her stories. Authors Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are well known for the lovely romances that are part of the Liaden universe books. Pretty much any fantasy book will include a romance of some sort, the trick is to find a good one. The time travelling Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is an excellent choice as many of have fallen under the spell of Claire and Jamie. Other highly rated “romantasy” novels are Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry and When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker. If you like your science fiction to be of the Apocalyptic type, there are many that include romances, author Sarah Fleming Lyons comes to mind.

What ever you choose to read in February, have fun with both the searching and the reading. Don’t forget to let us know what you are going to read. And if you use the Wiki, it can be found here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2026_SFFKit

I am going to give Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose a try.

I'm planning to read A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle.

>2 DeltaQueen50: I read that last year. It was a bit of fun.

I have either The Enchanted Greenhouse or The Geographer's Map to Romance.

>4 JayneCM: I admit to bring a little leery about it being too "cute-sy", but you have reassured me.

I just got Mate, the second book in the Bride series by Ali Hazelwood from the library. That should fit nicely here.

>6 DeltaQueen50: In my review, I wrote that the fight scenes were well crafted but the romance was somewhat distanced and didn't draw the reader in emotionally. Which is fine by me - I'm not really a romancy romance reader! It is definitely more YA and can be a bit silly and not the best writing. But I wasn't expecting much going in.

I have Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger on my virtual TBR shelf. The genres noted are SF, Fantasy, and Romance, so it should fit here.

>8 JayneCM: Thanks Jayne, it sounds like it will fit the theme nicely.

I'm planning to read Time Loops & Meet Cutes which definitely leans heavily toward the romance side.

My plan is to read Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas.

>3 KeithChaffee: This looks intriguing! I think I'll read this one as well.

>13 beccac220: I finished it last night, and I thought it was delightful. ("It" being A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle.)

>14 KeithChaffee: Nice! If these darn winter storms will let me leave my house, I just might be able to get a copy from the library in time to read it this month.

I read The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold, a really enjoyable stand-alone fantasy set in Renaissance Italy. The main plot involves thwarting evil sorcery, but there's a prominent romantic storyline as well.

I read Shiftless by Aimee Easterling, paranormal urban fantasy featuring werewolves. Not my typical read, but I was able to get a free audio from Chirp so figures I would give it a try.

I finished Time Loops & Meet Cutes, which was like the author's non-SFF romances in making me like the characters and really want to travel to Toronto to eat and eat. She also handled how time worked outside the main character's time loop in a way I wasn't expecting, though I haven't read enough of the trope to know if it's actually unusual.

Thank heavens Jayne warned me about the YA silliness of Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose as this was not the read for me.

The March SFFKIT is now open for business: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378650

>19 DeltaQueen50: That was my first book by that author and people seem to rave about her books. But I won't be reading any more!

I read The Enchanted Greenhouse, which was cosy and full of sentient plants.

COMPLETED Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger but DNF-ed the same author's Defy or Defend.

I've found the author's other works set in a steampunk urban fantasy world very entertaining but although I still appreciate the humour, I found moving the romance to the foreground made this trilogy set in the same universe something of a chore to get through. I managed the first in the trilogy but gave up about a third of the way through the second.

I just finished Outcrossing by Celia Lake, a cozy historical fantasy romance set in a magical version of 1920s England. Lightweight but charming!

I finished reading Apprentice to the Villain this morning, and I'm even more in love with this series than I was after reading the first book.

Finished Mate, the follow-up to Bride - in classic romance fashion, the supporting characters of one love story gets their own happily ever after together in another.
I admit I did skip over a few chapters when the sex scenes became a bit much.
As with most romantasy, I found the worldbuilding to be pretty weak. Vampires and werewolves and humans are three different species that may interbreed under certain circumstances, although their biology vary widely.
They co-exist uneasily, in a modern day serting, where each species has their own territories interspersed with each other. Not very convincing, or interesting for that matter.
Where this shines, is in the characters and their interactions. If this is enough for you, it might be a good read.

>25 amberwitch: Thank you for this honest follow-up. I read Bride last year and it almost had to figure out how the vampires, werewolves, and humans lived and interacted as an afterthought to the plot. Glad this book is also good and I'll put it on my wishlist.

I read Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune.

At the end of February I finished Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis, an enemies-to-lovers "romantasy" novel.