I’ve loved everything and anything based on mythology from a young age.

I was a Percy Jackson kid who read the Iliad and The Odyssey by age fourteen and had an extensive knowledge of Egyptian, Greek/Roman, Celtic, and Norse mythology by the time I turned twenty-one. Mix that with paranormal romance and/or fantasy romance, and you’ll get these classic mythological love stories. So, If you’re anything like me, then you’re going to want to try out these must-read mythology-based novels! Let’s get into it…

Wicked Gods by Michelle Hercules

This is a six-book completed series in Kindle Unlimited with its own twist on gods, demi-gods, and how they rule over the human world. You might be thinking, so what? That doesn’t sound different from the ten other Greek mythology retellings you’ve read this year, well, wrong! This is an adult paranormal romance series with very real and tragic dark themes explored. I love it because it’s both entertaining and tragic, just like mythology.

“But it was what happened to us on that island ten years ago, the things we had to fight to survive, that bonded us for life.”

Description:

Nowhere is safe when the gods are wicked.

Since the beginning of time, there have always been two sides: Norms and Idols. But never have the scales been so unbalanced as they are today. I’m a Norm, which means, I grew up in fear of the Idols and their godly powers.

And now, I’m going to be surrounded by them, day and night. I’ve been offered a place at the prestigious Gifted Academy, an opportunity very few Norms get. To survive, I must become invisible.

But my hope to get through the academy unscathed goes down the drain when the most powerful boys in school set their eyes on me. They hate me simply because I’m a Norm. If they knew who I truly am, they’d tear me apart limb by limb. But I’m done cowering away from Idols. It’s time for the Norms to fight back, and it all starts with me.

The Ares Trials by Eliza Raine

This is just one completed series bundle in a plethora of Greek God reincarnation stories by this author. Of course, I’ve read them all, but this one was the most interesting and well-fleshed out of the three to me. If you love a good grumpy x sunshine romance with humor, steam, and magic this title is for you!

“He kissed me with the ferocity of a man starved.”

Description:

I’ve always known there was something wrong with me. A reason I never quite fit in. And now I know why.

I’m a freaking Greek Goddess of War.

When a gorgeous but murderous warrior god claims I’m the only way to restore his lost power I know I can’t trust him. Ares, despite being the finest man I’ve ever laid eyes on, is every bit the brute the myths claim him to be. I’m no angel myself though, and he causes something to spark within me – a fire I have spent my life trying to control.

I find myself a captive in a magical world, and my one true friend’s life is at stake. The only way to rescue him is to learn to use the godly power awakening within me and win the deadly Trials I’m being been forced to participate in.

But how can I survive when fighting my attraction to the warrior god is becoming every bit as hard as fighting the monsters?

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

This is one of the larger known Greek mythology titles, but it definitely lives up to the hype. Following the Trojan War, you read the tragic love story between Achilles and Patroclus. The prose is extremely detailed and poetic, so I wouldn’t call it a light read, but it will be thought-provoking. If this tells you anything, it’s one of the few titles that’s ever made me cry while reading it.

“When he died, all things swift and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.”

Description:

A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights—and fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.

A Legend of Hidden Magic by Stephany Wallace

This is a five-book completed series in KU that will grip you from start to finish. As someone who’s read almost everything mainstream, I’ve turned to indie books exclusively for their faster publishing schedules, and this original story full of Celtic lore is definitely a hidden gem. It’s chock full of your favorite tropes: one horse, chosen one, prophecy, orphaned heroine, etc.

“Close your eyes.”

Without hesitation, I complied, feeling him hold my hands.

Instantly, energy stirred inside me and began to warm. Just like it had in my room, it ran through me in a soothing motion, transferring to him. As it ran through his body then returned to me, I felt stronger. The profound peace returned, and I sank into his embrace. Cyn lifted my arms to my sides.

“Open your eyes, my Goddess,” he whispered against my neck, his lips grazing my skin while he spoke.

When I opened my eyes, I was instantly awestruck. The hundreds and hundreds of Cherry Blossoms that a moment ago had adorned the ground like a carpet, now floated all around us. Magic shimmered along the petals, making them sparkle like they were sprinkled with glitter. With a life of their own, they swirled and danced, creating the most astonishing spectacle of which we were a part.

Turning my right hand to face the sky, Cyn pushed against a petal that fell. With his magic flowing through me, it didn’t touch my skin, just bounced and changed directions. An incredulous giggle left me, watching the petals perform a fantastic ballet only for us.

Cyn gently held me while the magic flowers bounced from my hands and into the air. My eyes searched his face, the sight curving my lips into a smile. The joy in his expression was a privilege to watch. It matched the way I felt in this moment… with him.

Description:

An Immortal Warrior. A Not So Ordinary Girl. An Unstoppable Prophecy.

Wielding elemental magic in a way never seen, turned Cyn into the only Druid Warrior to ever exist. After surviving a horrible massacre that triggered the near extinction of his race, he’s spent the last two thousand years tortured by that night, and in search of the only man who can save his people, the High Priest. Instead, his quest leads him to a woman whose essence is unlike anything he’s ever felt.

Orphaned as a baby and raised by her overprotective grandfather, Bri has led an isolated life. Friendless and stuck in a job with no prospect, the quirky and self-proclaimed flower child finds solace in books—imagining an adventurous life in a magical world where anything is possible.

So when a sexy stranger suddenly appears in her life as though pulled out of her favorite story, she dismisses him as a figment of her imagination. But soon she realizes he’s so much more than he seems.

Cyn signifies everything Bri has ever dreamt about, but is there a place for her in his extraordinary world?

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

If you’re a die-hard Greek mythology fan and a nineties baby, you might’ve picked up this series when you were in middle school. Yes, this series is old, circa 2011, but it remains one of my favorite YA fantasy series of all time. Following the classic Helen of Troy story arc, you get to know a whole new cast of demi-gods wrapped up in a curse, forbidden love, and magic. Very imaginative with characters who leap off the page and it has tremendous re-read value. Not to mention the long-anticipated sequel releasing on April 4th, 2023.

“I don’t care how hard being together is, nothing is worse than being apart.”

Description:

How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is – no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it’s getting harder.

Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she’s haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood… and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they’re destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together – and trying to tear them apart.

Curse of Shadows and Thorns by LJ Andrews

This is a massive eight-book series with all but one released all available in KU. What made it so interesting to me was not only to cover but the luscious world-building and use of Norse mythology. The author claims it to be a dark Beauty and the Beast retelling with a Viking twist, and I can agree with that. Very swoon-worthy with plenty of action to keep you turning the pages.

Description:

A rebellious princess. A cursed rogue. A forbidden love that will bring a kingdom to its knees.

As niece of the king, Elise Lysander cares about two things: sneaking into gambling dens, and avoiding an advantageous marriage at all costs.

When her uncle holds the life of her deathly-ill father over her head, reluctantly, Elise puts her fate into the hands of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. He may be arrogant and infuriating, but soon Legion incites a blistering, forbidden passion she can’t ignore.

As their attraction grows, so do the dangers: attacks from black-eyed people, a cursed enemy who is more beast than man, and rumors of fae returning for the crown they believe was stolen from them long ago.

After a bloody coup upends the kingdom, Elise flees with Legion, but nothing is as it seems. The man she allowed into her heart reveals his own secret plans with the return of magic—and he has every intention of using Elise to see them through.

With war between magic and mortal on the horizon, Elise must pick a side to protect her kingdom. Does she stand with her people who stole the throne? Or with a man who lied his way into her heart and whose secret past could bring her destruction?

Gild by Raven Kennedy

This is a more popular series than the rest on this list as well, and I recommend it to fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses by SJM. The story follows a unique fae and King Midas myth fusion that feels fresh and interesting with a lot of intriguing quotes that will leave you pondering life as you know it.

“But memory and time aren’t friends. They reject each other, they hurry in opposite directions, pulling the binding taut between them, threatening to snap. They fight, and we inexplicably lose. Memory and time. Always losing one as you go on with the other.”

Description:

The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.

Gold.

Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.

Even me.

King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.

Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.

Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged, and I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.

Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage.