Romance And Romantasy Books With The Forced Proximity Trope

Ava is newly engaged to the regimented Alexander and ready to settle down. She promises him one final trip to mark the end of her nine years as a flight attendant, and then she'll give it all up to be his dependable wife (not a red flag at all).

Upon boarding the plane, Ava is absolutely horrified to find that she'll be stuck in a cabin at a few thousand feet in the air with none other than Jack Stone. There's a backstory here, but in short, Ava can't stand Jack Stone... Like at all.

If sharing a plane with Jack wasn't enough, their 24-hour turnaround in Belize is extended due to technical issues with the plane. Jack and Ava end up spending a lot more time together than they bargained for! 

Cole Harding and Violet Eaton initially met online. The platform was supposed to be anonymous, and Violet, in particular, hoped her youthful indiscretion would stay that way. When Cole recognizes her at a horse race, he makes sure she knows it before promptly disappearing.

One year later, Cole has to move back to Ruby Creek to manage a new acquisition in a nearby town. Violet and Cole find themselves living under the same roof, angry and frustrated. The forced proximity slowly thaws through the ice between them, and they find themselves wanting more, but Cole has reservations, as his past has him questioning whether he can manage his trauma enough to be in a relationship.

A Photo Finish is a story of healing and being vulnerable, as well as trying to overcome past trauma and trusting a partner not to shy away from your darkest parts, and I absolutely loved that about it. Not to mention the slow-burn second chance romance in a small-town setting; everything about this book was just amazing.

Conor Harkness is Maya Killgore's brother's best friend and business partner. Maya is 23 to Conor's 38, but Maya can't stop thinking about him. It's not entirely unrequited, but the age gap matters a lot more to Conor than it does to Maya. He's worried that this naturally causes a power dynamic. Any form of romantic relationship between them is shut down when he tells her that there's someone else.

When they have to spend a week under the same roof for her brother's wedding, Maya braces herself to see Conor again. Yet as the week unfolds, Maya finds herself wondering what's so problematic about a summer fling? 

One of the most addictive parts of forced proximity, in my opinion, is when you could cut the tension with a knife, and you are just slowly waiting for it to reach its breaking point… and that's exactly what's waiting for you in this vacation romance. Plus, it’s set in Italy, what more could you want? 

Billionaire Gavan Tsarenko is the head of a mafia organization. In an initiation to enter a secret society, Eilish Kildare (of the rival Kildare mafia) tries to steal a Fabergé egg from Gavan and is confronted by him in his office.

Eilish and Gavan reach an agreement to avoid escalating tensions between their families into an all-out war. This arrangement ensures Eilish and Gavan are in close proximity every day at his office.

If you're looking for something dark and very spicy, this forbidden mafia romance is for you. There are parts of the book where the plot feels secondary to the spice; however, an important subplot involving mafia politics keeps the story moving. Plus, I’m sure you’ll love Gavin if you like books with the ‘touch her and die’ trope.

Twisted Hearts is the fourth book in the Dark Hearts series, where all books are considered standalone.

Malini, a princess whose cruel brother sits on the throne, is imprisoned in an ancient temple. Her brother found her unwillingness to sacrifice herself quite offensive and sent her to reflect on her failings in isolation.

Malini is only permitted to contact Priya, who's a maid. Priya has some extremely relevant and magical secrets that are difficult to hide in the close quarters with Malini, and it's only a matter of time before they get discovered.

I will preface this by saying that you could argue The Jasmine Throne leans more toward high fantasy with romance than romantasy. However, there's a compelling slow burn sapphic romance, which is a crucial element in driving the plot forward. Beyond that, there's rich worldbuilding with Indian influences and an exciting plot, which makes it worthy of this list.

The Knight and the Moth follows Sybil Delling, a foundling-turned-dreamer at Aisling Cathedral. One of six dreamers, she dreams of visions of the six Omens and predicts the fates of those who seek her services. 

However, all is not what it seems at the Cathedral. A visit from the new king introduces Sybil to the irreverent soldier Rodrick, who immediately riles her up. 

Shortly following their visit, dreamers start disappearing, and Sybil has no one to turn to except Rodrick and his allies. She reluctantly strikes a bargain to help them on their quest and, in return, uses their resources for her own mission. 

This book features beautiful Gothic imagery, found family, and a highly lovable talking gargoyle. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey, from Sybil's character growth to her and Rodrick's banter.

This Monster of Mine is a story of vengeance for Sarai, who survived a brutal attempt on her life in the city of Edessa. Four years later, and she's back, ready to uncover who tried to kill her and exact her revenge.

Sarai becomes a Petitor (think a human magical lie detector) and is assigned to the cold, abrasive Tetrarch Kadra. Tetrarchs are the judges of Edessa, and Sarai quickly learns that Kadra rules by his own moral code. For some reason, Kadra is keeping her very close, and by very close, I mean having her move into his tower. 

Sarai has reason to believe that Kadra might have been involved in her attack, and she leverages their close proximity, forcing her to work with him to investigate him. All the while, political forces are moving to crush the reign of Kadra and, along with it, her chances at solving her murder.

Freya is stuck in a loveless marriage when her husband betrays her to Jarl Snorri, and her magical secret is revealed; Freya is a shield maiden blessed with magic from the goddess Hiln.

Jarl Snorri seizes upon this fact, binding Freya to him and assigning his son, Bjorn, to be her bodyguard. Snorri hopes to unite the nations of Skaland and believes Freya is the key to achieving this. 

That's how she ends up stuck with Bjorn while she trains her magic and undergoes trials to prove her worthiness. 

This is an adventurous, magical, one-horse romantasy. Freya's plight sucked me in; she goes from being used by one man to another, and I was rooting for her to find her own path.

Throne of the Fallen is set in the same world as the Kingdom of the Wicked series, with references to the backstory and original main characters, but it can be read as a standalone. 

Envy is a prince of sin embarking on a deadly game that could save his court or ruin it. Camilla's being blackmailed, and her only chance to save herself is to make a bargain with Envy. The pair will have to work together to win the game or face the consequences.

I loved the chemistry and banter between Envy and Camilla. Camilla is not fooled by Envy's charm, and Envy couldn't dare to stoop to admitting he has feelings outside of his sin.

This book has everything; from the mortal world to the Underworld, there are demons, vampires, witches, and fae.