Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Hi everybody, and welcome to a new Top Ten Tuesday!
Today is a love freebie in honor of Valentine’s day, and I wanted to take this moment to update one of the first blog posts I did: my top ten OTP’s.
For those new to bookish lingo, OTP means One True Pairing, or basically your favorite fictional romantic relationships.
My old post is over 5 years old and as such, ummm, pretty outdated. So here’s an update with some more and more recent bookish OTP’s!
Red Winter trilogy by Annette Marie – Emi and Shiro
Emi and Shiro are my number one OTP. No one will ever compare to them. I just recently re-read this series and I still cried and swooned over their story.
In a few short months, Emi’s life as a mortal will end and her new existence as the human host of a goddess will begin. She is content and even excited about this fate. But one day, she saves a kitsune named Shiro. Now, kitsunes are yokai and as such, an enemy to the goddess Emi will soon host. But she saved his life, and until his debt is paid, he is hers to command – whether she wants him or not. But when everything she believes in comes undone, Emi faces the biggest challenge of her life and Shiro may be her only hope.
So yes, lots of angst and a good dose of enemies-to-lovers, but most of all lots of swoons.
“I would have kept you forever, little miko.” His words were soft, almost soundless. “I would have taken you with me wherever the tides of time carried us, and I would have loved you until the very end.”
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson – Elisabeth and Nathaniel
A sword-wielding librarian who believes sorcerers are evil and the sassy sorcerer who proves her wrong. I fell for these two from their very first scene together. And the banter, oh my, the banter…
“God, Elisabeth, I’ve been doomed since the moment I watched you smack a fiend off my carriage with a crowbar. How could you not tell? Silas has been rolling his eyes at me for weeks.”
The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost – Cat and Bones
A half-vampire, half-human vampire huntress and a vampire bounty hunter. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? This couple is sizzling, and remains solid throughout the entire series.
“You’ll never get rid of me, either… No matter which side of the grave we’re on. I’ll haunt you, chase you all around eternity, whatever it takes, but it’s you and me until the stars burn out.”
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – Alex and Henry
The lone contemporary couple on this list, but that does not mean they are any less epic than any of the fantasy couples! First Son of the USA and Prince of England, two opposites who hate each other but actually don’t, these two had the best enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc ever and their romance is one I lovingly re-read each year.
“That’s the choice. I love him, with all that, because of all that. On purpose. I love him on purpose.”
From Blood and Ash series – Poppy and Hawke
Poppy is the Maiden, chosen at birth, never to be touched. But when Hawke becomes her new guard, that may be a tough rule to keep following. This series is filled with twists and turns and yet the chemistry between these two is a definite constant.
“You’re an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature.”
An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir – Laia and Elias
Oh my two star-crossed, angsty characters. I loved these two from the very first book and my love for them only grew throughout the series.
“You are my temple”, I murmur as I kneel beside her. “You are my priest. You are my prayer. You are my release.”
Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo – Kaz and Inej
You know a couple has reached OTP status when a simple scene with the slightest touch is enough to make you swoon. It also helps when the two people in question are morally-grey but badass and uber loyal to eachother.
“I would have come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”
The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black – Jude and Cardan
Umm, so maybe this couple got a rather toxic start and I definitely wouldn’t call them an example of a good and healthy relationship. But somehow they make so much sense together, and despite their rocky beginnings I rooted for this Cruel Prince and this murderous human girl throughout book two and three.
“It’s you I love,” he says. “I spent much of my life guarding my heart. I guarded it so well that I could behave as though I didn’t have one at all. Even now, it is a shabby, worm-eaten, and scabrous thing. But it is yours.”
The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare – Emma and Julian
I’m a sucker for angsty romances, and if you tell me Parabatai are everything to each other but are forbidden to fall in love, and if you then give me two people who are so obviously in love and also Parabatai, I am hooked.
“These pictures are my heart. And if my heart was a canvas, every square inch of it would be painted over with you.”
Tell Me:
Which are some of your favorite OTP’s?
Do we have any OTP’s in common?
Still haven’t read any of Leigh’s books, and time is running short if I follow my books-before-adaptation rule. 😀 Always fun to read through fellow readers favorite ships! 🙂
Oh, I hope you’ll enjoy her books when you pick them up!
Nice. Sorcery of Thorns looks so good.
Sorcery of Thorns was so good, I loved it 🙂
Great list! Kaz and Inej. <3 I love them so much. I also love Jude and Cardan and I don't mind the toxic beginnings at all because pretty much every relationship in that book is toxic. The fae aren't nice enough for anything else!
I keep meaning to try Sorcery of Thorns and An Ember in the Ashes, and The Night Huntress series sounds really fun, too!
Good point about Cardan and Jude! A nice, normal, positive relationship build-up would not have fit with the rest of the world building, that’s for sure.
Aaaw Emma and Julian. I need to finish that series just for them. I also loved the banter of Sorcery of Thorns 😀
Emma and Julian are definitely my fave Shadowhunter couple! Except maybe Alex and Magnus 🙂
Cat and Bones! Yes! I love them so so so so much. I really need to reread the series. 😍
Me too, I mean it’s been a month since my last read, I NEED to continue 🙂
The Six of Crows duololy has been on so many lists this week!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-conversation-hearts-on-covers
It’s definitely a good one 🙂
Aww, Alex and Henry!
They are the best! 🙂
My favourite OTP will always be Percabeth. I was more partial to Jesper/Wylan in Six of Crows than Kaz/Inej.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/09/top-ten-tuesday-302/
OMG yes to Percabeth! And Jesper/Wylan were amazing too, I loved every scene with those two <3
I just love them so much, the ultimate friends to lovers OTP. Yes, they are so much fun 🙂
I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue, so I’m here for this OTP!
HTML: Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
Alex and Henry are the best <3
Yes to Kaz and Inej! I love those two together.
They are the best <3
Swipe Kaz and Inej with Nina and Matthias and you have all of my favorites!
Oh Nina and Matthias are also soooo good! Really, Six of Crows is full of amazing OTP’s 🙂
Thanks for including some lovely quotes. I read more SFF, so agree with pretty much all your choices. Esp. Sorcery of Thorns. 🙂 Happy TTT
Yes for the Sorcery of Thorns love 🙂
I still need to finish the Red Winter series but can definitely understand your love of Emi and Shiro. I adored them in the first book!
Oh, yes to Emi and Shiro! I’m so happy you loved them in book one, and you have lots to look forward to because they only get better 😉
Oh I love that you included quotes! Yes! That scene from Six of Crows gave me so many feelings. I read it twice! Love The Dark Artifices, too. <3
Yes, that scene was indeed so powerful!