Cold Nights, Hot Reads

Burning Pages Bookstore shares romantasy favorites for winter

By Jessica Tobin

I opened Burning Pages Bookstore on Jan. 11, 2025, as Wilmington’s first romantasy-only bookstore. As a lifelong romantasy reader and creative entrepreneur, I wanted to build a brand — and a welcoming community — where fans of the genre could gather, feel supported and share their love for stories that blend romance and fantasy.

Today, Burning Pages® is known for its 100-plus-member book club, curated bookish and branded merchandise, extensive selection of well-known, hard-to-find, and special-edition romantasy titles, author conversations and signings, an annual Halloween fantasy ball, and close relationships with romantasy authors, both traditionally and independently published.

My goal has always been to bring the magic, lasting experiences, knowledge, and love of romantasy to Wilmington readers and beyond. Here are my top recs to spice up your winter:

A Vow in Vengeance by Jaclyn Rodriguez
Each year, humans are forced to journey into the Immortal Realms, but 20-year-old Rune orchestrates her own selection, determined to find her family and destroy anyone who stands in her way. Rune is used to doing whatever it takes to survive, and now she must endure the Forge, a cutthroat college for the Immortal druids’ elusive tarot magic. When Rune’s magic reveals itself to be the rarest and most powerful, she must live with its only other wielder, Prince Draven. As arrogant as he is ruthlessly ambitious, he’s the last person she can trust.

Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen
Meryn Cooper has always hated the Bonded, elite warriors who form mental links with the massive, vicious dire wolves they ride. While they live in luxury, Meryn struggles to keep her family out of poverty. When her little sister, Saela, is kidnapped—stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting—Meryn’s world falls apart. Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army and is thrown into the deadly Bonding Trials, where any mistake will cost her life.

Vows Forged in Blood by K.D. Miller (local indie author)
At the 247th Choosing, a prince of the Montclare clan must select a consort — and fate thrusts an unlikely candidate into the spotlight. The daughter of a humble blacksmith, she never expected to stand among nobles, yet a sudden rise in her family’s status places her in contention. When Prince Alaric Montclare, a feared warlord, calls her name as his chosen human blood donor, her life changes forever. Bound to him and forced to leave her home behind, she travels to his war camp in the Northlands, where he battles the dark creatures threatening their realm. Though neither wanted this bond, an undeniable connection — and dangerous attraction — grows between them. She must decide whether they are tied by duty and blood alone, or by something far deeper.

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman
Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage arranged for her. But the night before her wedding, at a dogfight where captured werewolves are forced to battle for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf — catching the attention of the powerful alpha who meant to kill him. And it changes everything.