If you have been looking for the best Laura Thalassa books to read, you are in the right place! Although, I should start with this disclaimer: this is my personal view.
I have read several of Laura Thalassa’s books over the years, and while a few didn’t work for me, the ones that did? I really loved them.
These are my top Laura Thalassa books I’ve read so far.
And if (like me) you love dark romance, fantasy romance, obsessive heroes, and supernatural worlds, there’s a good chance you’ll find your next read here.
Table of Contents
My Favorite Laura Thalassa Books
Rhapsodic (The Bargainer #1)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Available on Kindle Unlimited
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa was sitting on my TBR for the longest time before I finally picked it up, and I’m so glad I did. The mysterious Bargainer — a dark fae who collects debts and favors — immediately pulled me in.
The story follows Callie, a young siren who makes a deal with Desmond Flynn, the infamous Bargainer, when she’s sixteen. Des disappears from her life after a point, only to return several years later, with the hundreds of favors she owes him and a lot of unfinished business between them.
What I loved most was Callie and Des. Their relationship has that perfect friends-to-almost-lovers, second-chance feel, with years of history and unresolved feelings between them. Des is dark, dangerous, vindictive, and terrifying to everyone else, but incredibly protective and loyal toward Callie.
Add in a mystery involving missing fae women, disappearing children, magic, and secrets from Des’s past, and you get a romance that is as emotional as it is suspenseful.
Desmond Flynn also easily became one of my favorite book boyfriends. The Bargainer is dark, charismatic, powerful, and just the right amount of dangerous.
Read Rhapsodic if you love: Fae romance, siren, slow burn, second chances, friends-to-lovers, morally gray heroes, obsessive/protective heroes, and magical mysteries.
Bewitched (Bewitched, #1)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Available on Kindle Unlimited
I had Bewitched hyped up in my head long before I actually read it. The moment I saw the blurb and some quotes, I knew I wanted it, and considering how much I’d enjoyed Laura Thalassa’s The Bargainer series, my expectations were pretty high – and it pretty much delivered.
You have Selene, a young witch whose magic comes at the cost of her memories, and Memnon, an ancient, incredibly powerful being she accidentally frees from a curse. The problem? He believes Selene is his wife, the woman who betrayed and cursed him, and he’s determined to make her pay.
What really makes this book work for me is Selene and Memnon. Selene is strong despite her vulnerability, and Memnon is completely unhinged, obsessive, and impossible to ignore. Their dynamic is packed with tension, fear, attraction, and that delicious boy-obsessed-with-the-heroine energy I love.
The mystery of Selene’s missing memories and Memnon’s past kept me hooked, and the twists made it an addictive read.
Read Bewitched if you love: Dark PNR romance, powerful witches/sorcerers, amnesia, obsessive possessive anti-heroes, enemies to lovers, and angsty romances.
War (The Four Horsemen #2)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Available on Kindle Unlimited
War is my favorite book from Laura Thalassa’s Four Horsemen series, and I actually enjoyed it much more than Pestilence.
If you’ve watched Game of Thrones, the setup might feel familiar. War invades a new city, where Miriam attempts to kill him. Instead of killing her, he declares her his wife and takes her with him.
What really made this book work for me was War himself. He’s violent, ruthless, and thrives on the chaos of war, but with Miriam, he’s surprisingly gentle and almost obsessively devoted. He wants to spend time with her, understand her, and convince her to accept him as her husband, while Miriam absolutely wants nothing to do with him.
Their enemies-to-lovers journey was my favorite part. The more time they spend together, the more War begins to understand Miriam’s perspective and question what he’s doing to humanity. And I loved watching that shift happen without losing the essence of who he is.
The setting, emotional turmoil, and romance all came together beautifully, and as always, Laura Thalassa’s writing kept me hooked.
Read War if you love: Dark romance, apocalyptic romance, enemies-to-lovers, forced marriage, possessive heroes, strong heroines, and powerful anti-heroes.
Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #3)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Available on Kindle Unlimited
Famine was another fun read in the Four Horsemen series, although War still ranks higher for me.
What I enjoyed most here was the dynamic between Famine and Ana. Famine is brash, violent, and has a deep hatred for humanity, but his snarky personality gives him a different feel from his brothers. Ana is strong, feisty, and absolutely not intimidated by him. She even has a talent for throwing punny jokes at him just to get a reaction.
As they travel from city to city, with Famine destroying humanity, they slowly get to know each other, and eventually, those feelings start to change both of them.
I enjoyed their banter and the character development, and the book also sets up the final Horseman, Death, which definitely made me want to see where the series would end.
Read Famine if you love: Dark romance, apocalyptic romance, enemies-to-lovers, snarky heroes, feisty heroines, and unconventional romances.
What About Laura Thalassa's Other Books?
I have read some of Laura Thalassa’s other books as well, but they didn’t make my top list. Currently, as I write this list, Laura has a relatively small catalogue.
The Fallen World
Unfortunately, The Fallen World wasn’t a series I particularly enjoyed.
What stood out to me, however, was how similar its core premise felt to Bewitched. Selene and Memnon vs. Serenity and Montes (even the names are similar!). They are warring entities as well, with Montes obsessed with making Serenity his. Instead of the hero, it’s the heroine who ends up in an enchanted sleep for years. It’s also a dark paranormal political romance.
On paper, I should have loved it, especially because I enjoy this kind of dark, fated, high-stakes romance setup.
But in execution, it just didn’t land for me the way I hoped it would. I struggled to connect with the characters and the emotional depth I was looking for, and the story didn’t hold my attention in the same way other books in this trope do.
I re-read this series after The Curse That Binds, and I couldn’t help but compare the two while reading. It honestly felt like Bewitched took a similar idea and delivered it in a way that was more emotionally engaging and compelling for me personally.
That said, this doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy The Fallen World if the premise appeals to you.
Unearthly
I haven’t read Unearthly yet, so I can’t really include it in my ranking.
It’s one of the Laura Thalassa books still sitting on my TBR, and I’ll update this post if I eventually get around to it.
Which Laura Thalassa Book Should You Read First?
If you’re completely new to Laura Thalassa, I’d recommend starting with Rhapsodic.
It is the book I’d pick to get a feel for the kind of dark, addictive fantasy romance she does so well.
If you’ve already read Rhapsodic, go for Bewitched next — especially if you like powerful supernatural heroes and obsessive romances.
Note: Bewitched is set in the same world as Rhapsodic, and there’s a crossover in the third book.
And if you’re specifically looking for something darker and more apocalyptic, War is my pick.
Honestly, I can’t pick between Rhapsodic and Bewitched; they’re tied for my top recommendation. But Rhapsodic was the book that started my journey in the Laura-verse and will always have a special place in my heart.