YA Royal Romance with a Castle Core Aesthetic

This list of YA Royal Romance with a Castle Core Aesthetic is for anyone with a secret princess fantasy. Medieval vibes are having a major moment, from home decor inspired by ancient castles, to fashion and accessories with a gothic flair. Want to read about life in a castle, from escapist secret princess stories to court intrigue in the Tudor period? I’ve got the book list for you!

2010s YA Royal Romance with a Castle Core Aesthetic

Let’s move on to with the English Tudor period, a time of court intrigue and the dramatic love life of Henry VIII, who had more romantic partners than the Bachelor.

You can read this trilogy in order of publication, but I recommend reading it in chronological order that the actual events happened!

Tudor fiction for teens: a description of the Royal Circle series by Katherine Longshore, which takes place during the Tudor period

Tarnish by Katherine Longshore

Graphic of two covers for Tarnish by Katherine Longsore. One shows a gilded background, the other a young woman looking over her bare shoulder

Brazen by Katherine Longshore

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Let’s move to Medieval France:

This beloved Y2K YA trilogy is ready for a comeback. It has tons of romance AND action! Nuns in a convent? Yes, please!

Check out my review of Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy is where this trilogy begins. When seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes the brutality of an arranged marriage by joining the convent of Saint Mortain. Her assignment takes her to the high court of Brittany, where she must navigate treason and temptation—especially when the master she serves demands the life of the man she loves.

Check out my review of Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Book two is Dark Triumph. After training as an assassin to escape her past, Sybella must return to the home she thought she’d never see again. Her quest for justice against her violent family will bring nothing but destruction—until she meets a prisoner who gives her a reason to live.

Dark Triumph by Robin Lafevers features a photo of a young woman with a cloak and a dagger

Check out my review of Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Annith yearns to serve Saint Mortain, but has spent her life watching her far more gifted sisters dole out Death’s vengeance from the safety of the convent. In Mortal Heart, her destiny is finally revealed, and it is the one she feared most: a life as a seeress, not an assassin. But Annith refuses to give up on her dream and decides that nothing will stand in the way of her ambitions . . . not even the convent itself.

Want More Historical and Fantasy YA Royal Romance?

A young woman in a strapless red ball gown

Here’s my list of YA Fantasy Royal Romance AND

My List of YA Historical Royal Romance

This list has lots of YA Royal Romance books with a Castle Core Aesthetic from every historical period, including the French Revolution, Russian Romanov, Tudor and more!