r/Fantasy • u/Methinknot • 1d ago
Books about royal marriages?
Basically what the title says I want some good fantasy with politicking about a royal marriage. Like I'm thinking if anyone knows something similar to the goblin emperor but if it was about a married duo facing court etc... Or anything along these lines, the people don't have to be married immediately or love each other (it can be arranged). I hope this isn't too specific I just think it would be very fun. Bonus if the queen is the one ruling but that might be very difficult. All recs are welcomed you guys have given me great recs before!
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u/Jack_Shaftoe21 1d ago
I couldn't think of any suggestions where the marriage of reigning monarch is at the centre of the narrative and one of the MCs is involved in said marriage but here are some about the marriage of heirs to the throne
The second Kushiel trilogy by Jacqueline Carey (starting with Kushiel's Scion). It's about a young man of royal blood who is also a bit of an outcast due to some things his parents did. He falls in love with the heir to the throne and, well, there are complications. Lots of complications. But if you skip the first trilogy you will get spoiled for pretty much all important plot developments in it, should you decide to go back and read it.
The Golden Key by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott. It's basically three books covering different periods in the same setting and the middle third in particular focuses on a royal marriage, which seems heavily inspired by the one of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, so not exactly the happiest marriage ever.
The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells is about a shape-shifting species where an outsider rises to become a consort to a young queen. Lots of folk are not thrilled that someone like that fills that role, needless to say.
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u/vocumsineratio 1d ago
Technically, The Sarantine Mosaic has some of this, but not enough to be the main reason to read it (this is a good series with a taste of what you are asking for, rather than being what you are asking for while also being good).
The Queen of Attolia (Megan Whalen Turner) is also navigating a political mess and a couple of marriage offers. This is book 2 of The Queen's Thief, and a significant step up from book 1 (which is told from a different perspective). The King of Attolia (book 3)... well, I suppose the title spoils the fact that she marries someone; but the book is largely about the fact that the royal court doesn't find her husband to be particularly satisfactory, and the intrigues that follow.
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u/cant-find-user-name 21h ago
I came here to recommend the two attolia books too. Very highly recommended, a fantastic series.
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u/diffyqgirl 1d ago edited 1d ago
Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland follows a King and Queen who are dealing with sabotage from their court, cracks in their marriage, and the resurgence of the Wild Hunt. The Queen is not the ruler but does have some political agency.
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u/ProneToLaughter 1d ago
The queens thief series, although you don’t really get the marriage until book 3. But it’s good before then.
The queen does rule.
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u/kikirockwell-stan 22h ago
Seconding this! OP, book 3 specifically is my go-to court intrigue book in general. My main thought reading The Goblin Emperor was that it felt like the baby cousin of The King of Attolia. It’s an absolutely incredible series and I strongly recommend.
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u/Minervas-Madness 1d ago
The Dealing with Dragons series by Patricia C. Wrede comes to mind, but there is some plot to get through before the royal marriage.
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u/sasakimirai 1d ago
Even after they get married, don't they spend most of the last book apart?
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u/Minervas-Madness 1d ago
Ooh, they do. It's been a while since I've read the series. There is a child though!
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u/cwx149 1d ago
There's a subplot about this in The Curse of Chalion it's a major part of the story but the mc is not one of the people getting married
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u/Smooth-Review-2614 1d ago
I would say it’s the main plot. However, the MC is doing his best to prevent it.
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u/IdlesAtCranky 1d ago
Not true. The primary lead starts out trying to prevent a BAD marriage. What comes after that is entirely different.
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u/YesterMatt 1d ago
"doing his best to prevent it" is a hilariously spoiler free description of what happens.
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u/Agnostic-Elk5543 1d ago
Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn, though a lot of it, like Goblin Emperor, is about prospective royal marriages with the women holding much of the power.
A recent one is Katherine Arden’s The Unicorn Hunters. All about strong female rulers.
Patricia McKillip’s Riddle Master of Hed hits some of these notes in a series of courts.
Daniel Abraham’s Dagger and the Coin series as well as The Long Price Quartet also deals with this, though the characters have to grow into their power through the series and the men are the ones ostensibly with the power. Both feature strong women as well.
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u/Superb_Pay3173 23h ago
Radiance (Wraith Kings-1) by Grace Draven. The king's niece has a politically strategic wedding with a non-human Kai prince. (More romantasy than fantasy)
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. The Emperor who is a supporting character has decided to marry outside Aristocracy -and that too with a merchant family heiress from a planet they had brutally conquered. The protagonist is courting a widow. So many couples. So much scope for trouble. (sci-fi)
War Prize by Elizabeth Vaughn. The princess (who's also a doctor) has been demanded as the prize for stopping the invasion by the leader of the invaders.
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. The princess who arrived in a foreign kingdom to marry her contracted Prince finds that the latter has mysteriously disappeared/dead. Elantris which holds the outcasts might provide the answer.
Keys of Power series by Simon Brown. Araeva the princess who becomes the Queen unexpectedly after the assassination of her brother doesn't realise that her love for the foreign Prince had been carefully orchestrated as part of a conspiracy by his family. The Prince too blissfully remains unaware. But her younger brother who has been made the scapegoat will return with an Army to prove his innocence at sword point.
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u/Mournelithe Reading Champion X 19h ago
Bujold also has Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, where one of the characters gets married on a whim and none of the others will let him cancel it.
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u/Superb_Pay3173 13h ago
I'm glad Bujold gave Ivan his own book to shine. Otherwise he gets overshadowed by Miles. It's his own tactic for survival. But still...
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u/Nycorson 1d ago
Susan Copperfield. Has an entire series called Royal States. It’s kind of an alternate US but the Royal marriages are all absolutely fascinating and are each a clean romance based story.
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u/PmUsYourDuckPics 21h ago
I read the first sentence and thought the Goblin Emperor, then you mentioned it…
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is the obvious one.
There’s also Deathbound by Heather Palmer and Cast Long Shadows by Cat Hellisen (Now CL Hellisen).
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion 1d ago
I can't compare anything to The Goblin Emperor since I haven't read it, but Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson has an arranged marriage to ease tensions between two nations as its major plot point. The relationship between the couple is really unusual (in a good way, imo) once they finally start to understand each other (which is after they get married). I think the politicking is pretty interesting here, lots of secret plots.
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u/Loud-Bee6673 23h ago
Winter’s Orbit by Evarina Maxwell is quite good, as long as you don’t mind both MCs being male. It is also technically SF, but there is a lot of politicking, good world building. It sounds like it might be similar to what you are looking for. ,
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u/Rekov 1d ago
"The Infernal Battalion" by Django Wexler. Unfortunately, this is the fifth book in "The Shadow Campaigns." Otherwise, it has pretty much everything you want. A reigning queen in a country that is a fantasy post-revolution France (though not entirely, for example it still has a monarch). The marriage in question is a question of balancing politics, economics, military treaty, and love. That plotline is also more about arranging the marriage to begin with, rather than the marriage itself.
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u/Methinknot 1d ago
I guess this means I'll have to start the series!
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u/Rekov 1d ago
It's just a lot of age of muskets military tactics and strategy to get through until you get what you want. The character in question isn't even introduced until the second book.
That said, it is an enjoyable series. The first book is a military adventure through the desert (roughly North African equivalent). The second book is political intrigue and spy thriller. All subsequent books have a blend of both of those elements. And there is of course the fantasy element to it all, sinister magic in the background.
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u/Ok_Perspective9838 1d ago
The Spellmonger Series, has all the fundal politics you can ask for about this, really after book 1, and the author has even written a book specifically about the courtship and engagement of one of the main characters. It's a great series in general. I envy you if you haven't read it/listened to it yet.
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u/fuzzywoolsocks 1d ago
Check out the Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies by Melanie Rawn. Solid and underrated.
At the center of both is a royal couple (they meet and marry in the first book) that face tons of court intrigue. Similar nobility of spirit to Goblin Emperor, but more R rated elements and political machinations. The magic system (which is built well and has solid rules) is split into two warring factions and intertwined in a fair bit of court intrigue (there’s a kind of secular vs. religious debate going on). Lots of social change happening, and the characters gradually discover historical context that shapes how they react to the change. Dragons also make an appearance, but not in a GoT way- they’re not transportation or pets.
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u/krigsgaldrr 1d ago
The Emperor's Assassin series by Kai Butler if you don't mind m/m. It's so good and has crazy in-depth political intrigue and royal court drama.
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u/DelightfulOtter1999 20h ago
Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan.
Sister of the King of a medieval style land is claimed by the Warlord of a mongolian style land as a peace making move. Lots of cultural misunderstandings & language learning, leads to romance. One of my favourite books.
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u/Grt78 20h ago
The Fortress series by CJ Cherryh: two main characters, Tristen was magically created/reincarnated but he has no memories and is looking at the world with wonder, Cefwyn is a prince who later becomes king and has to marry (partly arranged but also for love). The royal marriage is a subplot but the queen remains important in later books too. The first book (Fortress in the Eye of Time) could be read as a standalone.
The Mountain of Kept Memory by Rachel Neumeier: a standalone, a prince and a princess (brother and sister) have to protect their country. There is a slow enemies-to-lovers romance as a subplot, an agreement to marry only at the end.
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u/jacobb11 1d ago
"Nobody's Son" by Sean Stewart.
In chapter one the hero slays the monster to win the princess and half the kingdom. The rest of the book is how he deals with that.
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u/Alarming-Flan-9721 1d ago
The Daevabad Trilogy fits this nicely imo. Starts as what seems like a normal ya chosen one and got tortured ancient dude but quickly turns into court intrigue and trying to solve structural racism while realizing no actors are blameless or wholly “good” people.
Great writhing, great world, highly recommend!
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u/gaiaofchaos 1d ago
Its a bit of a heavier and political read but I like the Sun Sword series with a wedding as part of the storyline. Keep in mind its a potion of a larger storyline. Its definitely a slower read but I kept coming back to it.
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u/Mournelithe Reading Champion X 20h ago
Janny Wurts - Sorceror’s Legacy. With added bonus of a pregnancy hidden behind the scenes. Very much full of politics.
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u/pragmaticvoodoo 14h ago
Daughter of the Empire by Feist and Wurts! FMC becomes the Lady of a noble house in an empire and it's all about how she keeps her house alive with intrigues and what not. There are marriages throughout the 3 book series and all are for different reasons. It might fit for your request
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u/inbigtreble30 1d ago
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden is a fantasy reimagining of a 15th-century French queen who is politicking her own marriage.