Best Royal Romance Series to Binge in 2026
If you are searching for a royal romance series to binge that actually delivers — real stakes, layered characters, fake marriages that become devastatingly real, and heroes who wear crowns like weapons — you are in exactly the right place. I am USA Today Bestselling Author Victoria Pinder, and after writing over 100 novels across multiple series, royal romance is one of the tropes closest to my heart. This guide will walk you through the best series to devour right now, starting with my own and branching into the broader world of royal reads that are lighting up BookTok in 2026.
Whether you want displaced royals fighting back against a conspiracy, princes in fictional kingdoms navigating forbidden love, or Italian marquises offering contract marriages to women who just fled the altar — this list has your next obsession. And for the definitive series hub, check out my royal romance series to binge page for the full reading orders, buy links, and series guides all in one place.
New Video: He Warned Her on a Candlelit Caribbean Balcony
Before we get into the full guide, I have to share my newest YouTube video because it is directly connected to everything we are talking about today. In it, I break down one of the most emotionally charged scenes I have ever written — Jake Bentley warning Eva on a candlelit Caribbean balcony that he is dangerous, and her choosing to stay anyway. That moment is the spine of the entire Brothers in Revenge saga and I could not stop talking about it. You can watch the full take on YouTube — and if you want the deeper written breakdown, that is exactly what this post is for.
What Makes a Royal Romance Series Worth Bingeing?
Honestly, I get asked this all the time — what separates a royal romance you devour in a weekend from one you abandon after chapter three? Here is my answer after writing over 100 novels and reading just as many.
The crown has to cost something. When a royal romance is just aesthetics — pretty palaces, beautiful outfits, a prince who is secretly kind — it does not hit the way a story does when being royal means danger, duty, sacrifice, and impossible choices. The best royal romance series put real pressure on the title. What does it mean to be heir to a stolen throne? What does it cost to marry for alliance instead of love? What happens when your royal identity is the thing keeping you from the person you want?
That pressure is what creates the bingeability. You are not just reading for the love story — you are reading to find out if the world will let these two people actually be together. And that is a completely different kind of page-turner.
The Core Tropes That Make Royal Romance Irresistible
- Fake marriage with real feelings — the contract that becomes the realest thing either character has ever experienced
- Forbidden love across power lines — the commoner who sees the royal as a person, not a title
- Displaced royals — stripped of everything, having to earn back not just a throne but themselves
- Forced proximity in palatial settings — trapped together by duty, protocol, or survival
- Counter-espionage and royal intrigue — the spy who falls for the mark, the conspiracy that threatens everything
Every series on this list delivers at least three of these. The best ones deliver all five.
The Irresistibly Series: Displaced Royals, Stolen Thrones, and the Woman Who Came to Destroy Them
This is the series I am pushing hardest right now and I am going to tell you exactly why — because it is gaining serious organic traction and readers who find it are immediately buying every book in the saga. The Brothers in Revenge series is seven books plus a prequel and it follows the Bentley family, the rightful heirs to the throne of Hoskell.
Their father the King was assassinated. The Kirno conspiracy froze their assets, stole their throne, and scattered the family. Seven brothers — each one fighting back in a completely different way. Counter-espionage. Safe rooms. Underground networks. Years of patience and planning, all working toward one goal: taking back what was theirs.
And then there is Eva.
Eva was hired specifically to infiltrate Jake Bentley’s world. She married him for cover — a legal, documented marriage designed to give her access to his operation. She had proximity to his safe rooms, his secrets, his plans, his brothers. She was a weapon deployed against the man who was trying to reclaim his family’s stolen legacy.
She fell for him instead.
I wrote the candlelit Caribbean balcony scene — the one where Jake warns Eva out loud exactly who he is and what she is getting into — at two in the morning with a cold cup of coffee and an absolute certainty that this was the emotional center of the entire saga. He does not hide. He does not pretend. He tells her the truth about himself and gives her every opportunity to walk away. And she chooses to stay.
That is the kind of royal romance that wrecks you in the best possible way.
Irresistibly Series Reading Order
| Order | Title | Lead Characters | Key Trope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prequel | Irresistibly Lost | Bentley family origin | FREE — start here |
| Book 1 | Irresistibly Found | Brother 1 | Forced proximity |
| Book 2 | Irresistibly Charming | Brother 2 | FREE — enemies to lovers |
| Book 3 | Irresistibly Tough | Brother 3 | Royal intrigue |
| Book 4 | Irresistibly Played | Brother 4 | Forbidden romance |
| Book 5 | Irresistibly Rugged | Brother 5 | Counter-espionage |
| Book 6 | Irresistibly Strong | Jake + Eva | Fake marriage, spy romance |
| Book 7 | Irresistibly Dashing | Final brother | Royal homecoming |
Where to get it: Start with the free prequel Irresistibly Lost, then grab the full saga on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more. Find all buy links at victoriapinder.com/enemies-to-lovers-romance/.
Tip: Irresistibly Charming (Book 2) is also permanently free on all retailers — so you can read the first two entries in the saga before spending a dollar.
The Princes of Avce: Billionaire Royals and Forbidden Marriages in a Fictional Kingdom
If the Irresistibly Series is your royal romance with grit and espionage, the Princes of Avce series is your royal romance with full glamour and emotional devastation. Twelve books. A fictional kingdom called Avce. Billionaire princes navigating fake marriages, forced proximity, and the particular loneliness of being royal in a world that sees the title before the person.
I started this series because I wanted to write a world where being a prince was not a fantasy — it was a trap. The men of Avce are powerful, wealthy, and utterly constrained by duty. Every romance in the series is about finding one person who refuses to see the crown first.
Rossie and Stefano’s story — Forbidden Marquis — is one of the most requested starting points. She was abandoned at the altar and fled to Paris. He offered a contract marriage with an Italian marchese that was supposed to be purely transactional. It was not.
Where to start: Forbidden Crown is permanently free on all retailers. Find the full series and reading order at victoriapinder.com/royal-romance/.
Is the Irresistibly Series or Princes of Avce the Right Starting Point for You?
I get this question constantly and honestly my answer depends entirely on what you are in the mood for. Here is the honest breakdown:
| If you want… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| Counter-espionage, stolen thrones, fake marriage with real danger | Irresistibly Lost (FREE prequel) |
| Glamorous fictional kingdom, forbidden love, pure royal fantasy | Forbidden Crown (FREE Book 1) |
| Seven brothers saga with connected storylines | Irresistibly Series in order |
| Standalone-ish reads you can pick up anywhere | Princes of Avce — any book works as an entry |
| Enemies to lovers with maximum betrayal tension | Irresistibly Strong (Jake and Eva) |
| Contract marriage with slow burn emotional payoff | Forbidden Marquis (Rossie and Stefano) |
Both series are available on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more. Every buy link is at victoriapinder.com/romance-book-series/.
What Other Royal Romance Series Are Worth Reading in 2026?
I read widely because I write widely. Here are the series that readers are recommending most on BookTok and in my reader community right now — the royal romances that are earning their binge status in 2026.
1. The Royals Series by Erin Watt
Contemporary royal family drama with serious enemies-to-lovers tension. If you love the idea of being thrown into a world of privilege and fighting every second to hold your own sense of self, start here. Ruthless royals, fierce heroines, addictive pacing.
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Yes, it is fantasy rather than straight contemporary, but the royal romance elements — court politics, forbidden love, a hero with power he cannot fully control — hit every note that readers come to the genre for. If you have not read it and you love my Princes of Avce books, you will devour this.
3. The Prince Series by Kiera Cass
Lighter, sweeter, but genuinely satisfying. The competition-format setup of The Selection is less interesting to me than the companion novellas that go deep on the prince’s interior world — those are where Cass really shines.
4. Royally series by Emma Chase
Pure fun with real heart. Nicholas and Olivia in Royally Screwed is exactly the kind of royal romance that earns its binge label — irresistible hero, relatable heroine, New York City energy meeting British royal protocol. Perfect beach read energy.
According to Goodreads data published in their annual romance round-ups, royal romance and royal adjacent series consistently rank among the top five most-shelved romance subgenres — and the trope shows no sign of cooling down in 2026. Readers want the crown, the danger, and the heart. The best series deliver all three.
Why Fake Marriage Works So Well in Royal Romance
Honestly this is my favorite thing to think about as a writer. Fake marriage in a royal context is not just a trope — it is a pressure cooker with a crown on top.
In a normal fake dating story, the stakes are: your family might find out this is not real, or your friends might get hurt, or the feelings that developed complicate your career. Real, but manageable.
In a royal fake marriage, the stakes are: if this is exposed, the entire political alliance collapses. Your family’s survival might depend on this. A conspiracy might use the crack in your cover to destroy everything you have been protecting. People could die.
That is why I built the Eva and Jake storyline the way I did. Eva’s fake marriage to Jake was not romantic cover — it was operational. She had a handler. She had objectives. Every tender moment between them was happening inside a structure designed to bring Jake down. When she started falling for him, it was not just emotionally dangerous. It was tactically catastrophic.
That is the kind of stakes that make a binge-worthy series. You are not just rooting for the love story. You are reading through your fingers because you cannot figure out how they possibly get to their happy ending without everything burning down around them.
Spoiler: they do. But you have to read it to believe it.
How to Build Your Royal Romance Reading List for Summer 2026
If you are a reader who loves to plan a reading binge — I see you and I respect you — here is the order I would recommend for getting the full spectrum of what royal romance can do in 2026.
Week one — start free: Irresistibly Lost (prequel, free) and Irresistibly Charming (Book 2, also free). Get invested in the Bentley family before spending anything.
Week two — escalate: Continue the Brothers in Revenge saga through Irresistibly Tough, Played, and Rugged. The conspiracy builds with each book and you will not be able to stop.
Week three — the centerpiece: Irresistibly Strong. Jake and Eva. The fake marriage that became everything. This is the emotional peak of the saga and you will want to have cleared your schedule.
Week four — transition to pure royal fantasy: Forbidden Crown (free) and then into the Princes of Avce series for the fictional kingdom, glamorous settings, and contract marriages that become devastatingly real.
That is a full month of royal romance and honestly I would do it again without hesitation.
Find every reading order, every buy link, and every free starting point at victoriapinder.com/royal-romance/.
Start Reading Today — Your Royal Romance Entry Points
Every series I write starts with a free book. No risk, no commitment — just the story. Here is where to start based on your mood today.
- Displaced royals and counter-espionage: Irresistibly Lost — FREE on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more
- Billionaire princes and forbidden love: Forbidden Crown — FREE on all retailers
- Full series guide and reading orders: victoriapinder.com/romance-book-series/
DM me the word IRRESISTIBLY on Instagram and I will send you the complete Brothers in Revenge reading order. DM me ROYAL and I will send you the full Princes of Avce guide. I answer every single one.
I have been writing romance for over a decade and I can tell you with complete sincerity — the royal romance reader is my favorite kind of reader. You want big stakes. You want real emotion. You want a love story that earns its happy ending. I wrote both of these series specifically for you. Come find me on YouTube where I talk about these characters like they are real people — because honestly to me, they are.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best royal romance series to binge in 2026?
The best royal romance series to binge in 2026 depends on your trope preference. For displaced royals with espionage and fake marriage, start with the Irresistibly Series by Victoria Pinder — the prequel Irresistibly Lost is free on all retailers. For a fictional kingdom with billionaire princes and forbidden love, begin with Forbidden Crown, also free, from the Princes of Avce series.
Where should I start with the Irresistibly Series?
Start with the free prequel Irresistibly Lost to get the Bentley family background and the full context of the stolen throne. Then read Irresistibly Found, Charming (also free), Tough, Played, Rugged, Strong, and finally Dashing. Irresistibly Strong — Jake and Eva’s fake-marriage spy romance — is the emotional centerpiece of the entire saga and hits hardest if you read in order.
Is the Princes of Avce series connected to the Irresistibly Series?
They are separate series with different characters and settings. The Princes of Avce is set in the fictional kingdom of Avce and features twelve books about billionaire royals navigating forbidden love and contract marriages. The Irresistibly Series follows the Bentley family, displaced heirs to the throne of Hoskell, in a contemporary counter-espionage saga. Both are by Victoria Pinder and available wide on all retailers.
Are any of these royal romance books free?
Yes — multiple entry points are permanently free on all retailers. Irresistibly Lost (Brothers in Revenge prequel) and Irresistibly Charming (Book 2) are both free. Forbidden Crown (Princes of Avce Book 1) is also permanently free. All free books are available on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more with no subscription required.
What tropes are in the Irresistibly Series royal romance?
The Irresistibly Series combines enemies to lovers, fake marriage, counter-espionage, displaced royals, forced proximity, and found family across seven books plus a prequel. The central romance — Jake Bentley and Eva in Irresistibly Strong — is a spy-fake-marriage story where Eva was hired to infiltrate Jake’s operation and fell in love with the man she was sent to betray. Each book follows one of seven brothers reclaiming their stolen throne.
How many books are in the Princes of Avce series?
There are twelve books in the Princes of Avce series, each following a different royal from the fictional kingdom of Avce. The series features billionaire princes, fake marriages, forced proximity, and forbidden love. The full reading order and all retailer buy links are available at victoriapinder.com/royal-romance/. Forbidden Crown is the recommended starting point and is permanently free.
