u/Dry_Concentrate3346

I’m looking for adult fantasy / romantasy with structured factions, houses, or castes, where characters are assigned through formal systems (trials, selection, initiation, or ceremonies). The faction system should feel high-stakes, structured, and identity-defining, not just background lore.

I prefer slow-burn romance with no insta-love, insta-lust, or fated mates, and relationships that develop through trust and shared pressure, not banter, flirting games, or enemies-to-lovers sparring.

I’m looking for a mature, grounded tone, with:

• Intelligent, strategic FMCs who navigate hierarchy through restraint and competence (not sass or rebellion-as-personality)
• Political, military, or survival-heavy settings
• High internal logic in worldbuilding

Please do not recommend: Servant of Earth, Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, Red Queen, Divergent, Serpent & the Wings of Night, or similar mainstream BookTok romantasy.

I’m especially interested in lesser-known or older titles if they fit.

Looking for romance recs with a MMC who is genuinely fat - not “big but it’s muscle” and not just slightly chubby.

I mean a body that’s:

• round, soft, and visibly heavy
• wide/stocky (sumo-like, not athletic)
• with a clear belly and overall softness
• not toned or muscular at all

Please don’t recommend:

• “he’s big but it’s all muscle”
• dad bod / just not shredded
• “a little chubby” where it’s barely noticeable
• secretly fit / conventionally hot underneath

I’m specifically looking for MMCs whose bodies are unambiguously fat on-page and stay that way.

Any genre is fine.

Does such a thing exist?

Thanks in advance.

I’m looking for MF monster x monster romance where both leads are non-human predators that actively hunt and feed on humans (not metaphorical, not morally conflicted).

Think Not Even Bones energy, but MF—like kelpies or draugr—where humans are simply prey.

Must have:

• MF pairing
• Predator x predator dynamic (equal footing)
• Humans treated as food/prey, not equals

Preferences:

• Slow burn (or no insta-love/lust)
• Tension, survival, or strategic partnership focus
• Dark, clinical, or detached tone
• Bonus: same/similar species (recognizing predator)
• Bonus: on-page hunting/feeding

Hard no:

• Vampires
• Human x monster
• “Soft” monsters that don’t actually hunt/feed
• Fated mates / insta-obsession

I know this is very niche, so even partial matches are welcome.