Fantasy Books where He Falls in Love First
Introduction: The āHe Falls First" Trope explained
I’ve wanted to create a Book List about the ‘he falls first’ trope for ages. There’s just something so addictive about diving into books where you know the guy is head over heels for the heroine.
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This trope pairs perfectly with enemies-to-lovers stories, whether they’re in the world of contemporary or fantasy romance.
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Typically, authors drop hints either at the beginning or when the male character’s true feelings are revealed.
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So, with the “he falls first” trope, you can expect to be either completely in the dark until the end or have a few clues along the way.
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Keep in mind that mentioning books featuring the ‘He Falls First’ trope can often be considered a spoiler. Consider this your friendly heads-up when checking the books on this List, please š
Table of Contents
He Falls First trope in Fantasy Romance
I can confidently say that the ‘He falls first’ trope is one of my all-time favorites. In fantasy romance books, it’s even more intense due to the nature of the stories themselves.
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Often, they involve the enemies-to-lovers trope or forbidden romances, which adds a heightened level of tension and high stakes compared to contemporary romances.
Therefore this brings us toā¦
Books where The villain gets the girl
More than half of the books listed here featuring the āhe falls firstā trope, showcase villains or morally ambiguous characters getting the girl.
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These two tropes blend exquisitely well together.. The villain gets the girl trope , is all about an enemies-to-lovers narrative, featuring complex and often damaged male characters who would go to great lengths, even risking the world, to save the heroine.
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Due to the dynamics of the villain gets the girl” trope, it’s almost guaranteed 100% of the time that the male character is going to fall head over heels for the heroine first.
She fell first but he fell harder trope
This trope is hard to spot at first glance, but oh boy… it is so GOOD. In the “she fell first but he fell harder” trope, the heroine shows signs of affection early on for the male character.
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She knows she has feelings for him, but more often than not, the male lead doesn’t show any interest at the beginning, or he takes great care to hide it very well.
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It’s typically around the midpoint, almost near the third act in the narrative structure, when readers uncover just how deeply in love he is with her. Even though he hasn’t fallen for her first, he falls HARDER.
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What makes this trope totally over-the-top are the various techniques authors employ to explain WHY he falls harder. There’s often a plot point added that explains the male character’s intentions or a crucial trigger that unveils the truth for both the readers and the heroine
SPOILER WARNING
Before getting into the Book List, remember that knowing who falls first may be considered a spoiler and could ruin some of the fun if you want to go dark into a Book
He Falls First trope in Fantasy Romance ( that are actually GOOD)
Forbidden romance, He is a Prince she is a commoner. He falls first and harder
To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.
The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he canāt put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdomāand the world.
Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir, this is the explosive first book in a new fantasy trilogy from theĀ New York TimesĀ bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi.
Why you should read it
This Woven Kingdom is the second series from the author of Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi.
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This is a slow-burn romance with magic, political intrigues, and A LOT of plot twists.
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Kamran is the male protagonist in this first part of the series, and we are able to read from his POV and witness him fall irrevocably in love with Alizeh.
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He is a cinnamon roll with a bad side and will go to the end of the world for her (literally).
He falls first, academic rivals to lovers and loots of banter
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine.
When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her back to her own sheltered world. The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1Ā New York TimesĀ bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.
Why you should read it
Stalking Jack the Ripper is a beloved series, the debut work by Kerri Maniscalco, who is also the author of Kingdom of the Wicked.
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It’s a Young Adult series centered around mysteries and murders, somewhat akin to Enola Holmes. The story is set in London, England, in 1888 and is based on (as you may have guessed) the Jack the Ripper murders.
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I wholeheartedly recommend this series because if there’s one undeniable truth about it, it’s that Thomas Cresswell, the main male character, has stolen the hearts of all the female readers.
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With exquisite banter and a rivals-to-lovers dynamics, you can’t go wrong with this series, especially considering that HE FALLS FIRST.
Cozy Fantasy Romance with Slow-Burn enemies to lovers and he fall first trope
Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. Itās an unforgiving job, and Hartās got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness. Ā
Mercy never has a moment to herself. Sheās been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.Ā
After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to āA Friendā. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born. Ā
If only Hart knew heās been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him mostāMercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmaresāeach other?
Why you should read it
This book really reminds me of “Divine Rivals.” Even though it leans toward the cozy side, both stories share the twist of their main characters secretly exchanging letters without realizing who they’re writing to.
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And here’s another thing – Hart and Mercy can’t stand each other!
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If you’re in the mood for a cozy fantasy romance with a touch of spice and, of course, the ‘he falls first’ trope, this book is a perfect pick!
He fall first forbidden romance between a fae prince and an human girl.
Isobel is an artistic prodigy with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobelās paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patronāRook, the autumn princeāshe makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyesāa weakness that could cost him his life.
Furious, Rook spirits her away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously wrong in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending on each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, then loveāand that love violates the fair folksā ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.
Why you should read it
An Enchantment of Ravens is pure magic, ranking among my all-time favorite Fantasy Romance novels.
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It incorporates all the tropes I adore, along with its exceptional worldbuilding. The Fair Folk are depicted as ruthless beings, incapable of experiencing human emotions.
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However, as the saying goes, there’s an exception to every rule, and Rook, the Prince of Autumn, is resolutely determined to do whatever it takes to be close to Isobel, the seemingly insignificant human girl who has completely captured his attention.
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The only thing I regret about reading this book is that it’s a standalone and not part of a series… I just wasn’t able to get enough of these two.
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If I have to pick ONE book from this List, this would be it.
Gothic romance with Jane Austen vibes. He meets her when she was a baby
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each one more interested in her wealth than her well-beingāand each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the familyās waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their motherās restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
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However, Signaās best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though heās made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerfulāand more irresistibleāthan she ever dared imagine.
Why you should read it
Foxglove is the second Book in the Belladonna trilogy, a gothic romance where the male love interest is Death itself
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He met Singna when she was only a baby, feeling curious about her and sparing her life.
From that time on,Ā Death becomes Signa’s companion, in a way protecting her and clearly being obsessed with Signa’s ability to not be able to die.
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But as time passes, Death starts to develop feelings for this peculiar and one-of-a-kind girl… and he goes to great lengths to ensure her safety, attempting various tricks to capture her attention.
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This gothic romance is perfect for fans of Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart and for all my besties out there who love reading forbidden romances š
Portal Fantasy Romance and Beauty and the Best retelling
Fall in love, break the curse.
It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
Why you should read it
I’m not usually a big fan of portal fantasies (unless it’s a manhwa), but A Curse so Dark and Lonely hit the mark.
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Portal fantasies are stories that unfold in both the real world and a fantasy realm.
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They usually involve a triggering event that transports one of the characters to another realm. This new realm is often a fantasy one with princes and royals, while the protagonist (usually the heroine) must endure this new world and try to decipher how to return to her world.
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“A Curse So Dark and Lonely’“is beautifully written, seamlessly blending both worlds. The heroine’s struggle to return to the real world intertwines with the underlying “Beauty and the Beast” retelling (she must fall in love with a Prince, who transforms into a monster).
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Rhen, the main love interest, was my favourite character. He was broken, torn between duty and emotions, and his relationship with Harper (our heroine) undergoes significant growth and understanding throughout the story.
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I couldn’t put this book down!! It’s perfect if you want a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling where the broken hero falls in love first.
Books where The Villain Gets the Girl
These are Fantasy Romances that incorporate the “He Falls First” trope, with the twist that the love interest is the story’s actual villain.
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This villain is willing to do anything for the heroine, and, in my opinion, the fusion of the He Fall First trope + the Villain Gets the Girl often leads to delightful and frequently 5-star fantasy romance books.
Spicy Urban Fantasy Romance where he fall first ( and harder) Romeo and Juliette retelling, forbidden romance
With only a month left to earn her missing feathers, twenty-year-old Leigh embarks on a trip to Paris to meet her newest project, twenty-five-year-old Jarod Adler, leader of the Parisian Mafia and the worst kind of sinner . . . a Triple.
If Leigh can get Jarod to accomplish a single act of kindness, she stands to win 100 feathers, more than enough to complete her wings and ascend to Elysium, the land of angels. What she doesnāt count on is Jarod’s dark charm costing her feathers.
Sheās dead set on saving him, and heās dead set on destroying her. Until he realizes destroying her wings is also destroying her heart. A heart he longs to hear beat only for him.
Why you should read it
In the mood for a Romeo and Juliet retelling? This forbidden romance between a female angel and a male human is full of tension and angst.
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Leigh needs to collect her last feathers to complete her Ascension, and she decides to choose a human who happens to be a mafia man, a sinner like no other.
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Of course, things don’t go as planned because he can’t help staying away from her…
I loved “Feather” because it’s a mix of fantasy and mafia romance. It was refreshing and had lots of spicy scenes!
Steamy Dark academia with a badass heroine and a VERY morally grey male lead.
Revenge.
Raised to be my fatherās weapon against the Coven that took away his sister and his birthright, I would do anything to protect my younger brother from suffering the same fate. My duty forces me to the secret town of Crystal Hollow and the prestigious Hollowās Grove Universityāwhere the best and brightest of my kind learn to practice their magic free from human judgment.
There are no whispered words here. No condemnation for the blood that flows through my veins. The only animosity I face comes from the beautiful and infuriating Headmaster, Alaric Grayson Thorne, a man who despises me just as much as I loathe him and everything he stands for.
But that doesnāt mean secrets donāt threaten to tear the school in two. No one talks about the bloody massacre that forced it to close decades prior, only the opportunity it can afford to those fortunate enough to attend.
Because for the first time in fifty years, the Coven will open its wards to theĀ Thirteen.
Thirteen promising students destined to change the world.
If the ghosts of Hollowās Grove’s victims donāt kill them first.
Why you should read it
You canāt go wrong withĀ Harper L. Woodsā books. She is one ofĀ the Queens of spicy fantasy romancesĀ andĀ The CovenĀ doesnāt disappoint.
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Set in aĀ gothic dark academia world with witches and demons, this book isĀ perfect for fans of student-teacher romances and dark themes.
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I really like Harper L Woodsā heroines andĀ Willow Green, our female lead, possesses just the right amount of badasseryĀ without becoming annoying.
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The main love interest is dark, possessive and a complete embodiment of a walking red flag..and Iām here for it.
She fell first but he fell harder trope
Rivals to lovers, hidden identities, and letters. World War I vibes with bits of fantasy.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanishāinto the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
Shadow and BoneĀ meetsĀ LoreĀ in Rebecca Ross’sĀ Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
Why you should read it
Another 5-star gem from 2023!. Divine Rivals is a character-driven book that delivers all the feels. It’s perfect to read in the fall.
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The love story between these two, with their heartwarming letters, is pure romance and gives you those warm and fuzzy vibes, perfect for curling up with on those breezy, overcast autumn days.
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And the ending… itāll shatter your heart into pieces, but don’t worry, the last book is coming out in December
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I have a very detailed Divine Rivals guideĀ in case you want more information about this wonderful series.
Top Tier Fantasy Books with the He Falls First trope
The Perfect Trifecta
If you ever wonder which are the 3 Fantasy Romance books that completely changed the genre in the last 10 yearsā¦
These are the ones. And all three of them have one thing in common: The ‘He falls first’ trope.
Besides, they not only fall in love first but are completely and irrevocably head over heels for the heroine.
The Best enemies to lovers. Period
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
Why you should read it
The Cruel Prince is one of the best enemies-to-lovers fantasy romances, and the male character, Cardan Greenbriar, Prince of Faerie, is completely in denial and conflicted about his feelings.
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He is arrogant, cocky, and just canāt understand why he is so infatuated with Jude Duarte a plain human girl, who has become his obsession.
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The “He falls first trope” done to perfection.
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From the Trifecta, this series takes the first place because of the perfect worldbuilding, over-the-top enemies-to-lovers dynamic, and Cardan being one of, if not the best, conflicted and morally grey book boyfriends.
The epitome of the villain gets the girl trope
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.
Why you should read it
I think everyone has heard about Acotar at this point, but in case you’re still wondering if it’s worth the hype… I can confidently tell you that YES.
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This is truly a masterpiece and the mother of slow-burn romances in fantasy. Not only does this book have the “He falls first” trope, but also “the villain gets the girl”. And it’s done in a superb way.
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If you are new to the genre and don’t know where to begin, this is the perfect series for you.
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Aaron Warner . Enough said
Raised to be my fatherās weapon against the Coven that took away his sister and his birthright, I would do anything to protect my younger brother from suffering the same fate. My duty forces me to the secret town of Crystal Hollow and the prestigious Hollowās Grove Universityāwhere the best and brightest of my kind learn to practice their magic free from human judgment.
There are no whispered words here. No condemnation for the blood that flows through my veins. The only animosity I face comes from the beautiful and infuriating Headmaster, Alaric Grayson Thorne, a man who despises me just as much as I loathe him and everything he stands for.
But that doesnāt mean secrets donāt threaten to tear the school in two. No one talks about the bloody massacre that forced it to close decades prior, only the opportunity it can afford to those fortunate enough to attend.
Because for the first time in fifty years, the Coven will open its wards to theĀ Thirteen.
Thirteen promising students destined to change the world.
If the ghosts of Hollowās Grove’s victims donāt kill them first.
Why you should read it
The last one of the “He falls First” (and harder) trifecta is “Shatter Me.” Like inĀ “A Court of Thorns and Roses”, we get the “He falls first” trope + “the villain gets the girl.”
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The difference with this series is that it’s a dystopian fantasy, not a world with fae and magical beings. In the “Shatter Me” world, people have magical powers, but the world setting is our actual world in an apocalyptic future where resources are scarce.
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What defines this book as one of the trifecta is its male protagonist. I won’t be giving any names to avoid spoilers, but please believe me when I say that he is the epitome of obsessive and possessive guys who will do ANYTHING for the heroine.
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He is right up in my top tier of favorite book boyfriends, and I’m sure he will top your list as well when you finish this series.
Frequently asked Questions:
The “He Falls First” trope takes a departure from the conventional romance plot, where the heroine typically falls for the hero.
In this trope, it’s the hero who first develops feelings for the female protagonist, often conveyed through his actions as the story unfolds or through a revealing confession in the book’s third and final act.
The “Villain Gets the Girl” trope, employed by authors, involves the transformation of the story’s antagonist, who initially opposes the heroine, into one of the protagonists.
Throughout the story, this character develops an emotional attachment to the heroine and ultimately becomes her love interest.
Some popular fantasy romances with the villain gets the girl trope are A Court of Thorn and Roses, Shatter Me, and From Blood and AshĀ
The most popular fantasy romances where the male character falls in love first is – by far- The Cruel Prince. Another popular series where he falls first is Kingdom of the Wicked
Final Thoughts: Top-Tier Books where He Falls First
This sums up my Book List with Over the Top Fantasy Romances with the he falls first trope.Ā
If I had to choose my top three, my absolute favourites would be:Ā
My Top 3 picks for Fantasy Romance Books with the He Fall First trope and Villain Gets the Girl
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