This years Romanceopoly 2026 is a beast! It’s designed as if you are taking classes in a university. There are five compulsory prompts in the core curriculum. Then there are five university departments where you choose one department for a major, one department for a minor, and then five electives from the remaining three departments. You can also gain extra credits by participating in the university clubs and quarterly events. I’ve decided to be really ambitious and participate in all the clubs and events! This could end up being too big an undertaking for me, but I’m in a go big, or go home mood as I plan this so I’ve taken on trying to complete 52 prompts. The reading 52 books isn’t what’s ambitious here, it’s the 52 blog posts that come with it that feels ambitious.

What I am going to do in order to make this a little easier is add books to prompts that fit the ask but may not be strictly romance (might not have a HEA, romance might not be the main focus, etc), that won’t work for all the prompts but I think it will for some, this will make things a little easier given the number of prompts I’m committing to, and more importantly, it will broaden my genres of reading! I’ll make sure to tag the books that don’t fit neatly into romance though, especially if they don’t have a HEA or HFN as they are obviously non-negotiables (this is not up for debate) when it comes to romance, and this is a romance challenge!

There is an option to double up on prompts, but I really do want to challenge myself, and doing the full 52 will again, mean me picking up books I wouldn’t normally read, so I’m going to try not double up. If I end up struggling I can revisit that, but for now, I’m aiming to post 52 times for this challenge in 2026. I’ve already created all 52 drafts with the prompt cards set as featured images.

And every post will also include an image of the absolutely stunning map.

I honestly can’t get over how much work the creators of this challenge have put into this years, and last years, challenge.

As with last years Romanceopoly 2025 Challenge, I’ll be pinning this post to the top of the blog and updating it as I go. I’ll also create a separate challenge page where everything can live once the challenge is over.

I’ll be using StoryGraph challenges again this year, it’s very satisfying, and Under The Covers have created challenges for all the stages, except for my electives which I’ve created a challenge for. Click on the headings below to see those challenges.

Core Curriculum:

• Registrar’s Office – Read a book by an author you’ve never read before.
• Crying Room – Read a romance that made (or will make) you cry or emotionally spiral.
• Compass Wing – Read a romance book from a genre you don’t typically read (e.g. if you read only contemporary, try paranormal or historical).
• Commons – Read a popular romance (from BookTok, Goodreads Choice, bestseller lists, or one trending in your feed).
• Romance Hall – Read a book that features a classic romance trope (reader’s choice: enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, fake dating, etc.).

(5 books)

Major: Fantasy Theory

Romantasy + fantasy romance: fae courts, royalty, portals/multiverse chaos, warlords, slow burn tension.

• Crownspire Tower – Read a romantasy book with royalty or arranged marriage.
• Runehall – Read a fantasy romance with a unique magic system or slow burn.
• Thorn Court – Read a romance featuring fae or magical creatures.
• Nexus Hall – Read a portal fantasy, multiverse, or space opera romance.
• Battle & Bond – Read a romance featuring a warrior, warlord, assassin, or protector.

(5 books)

Minor: Paranormal Studies

Vampires, shifters, ghosts, demons, fated mates (fangs/claws/otherworldly energy encouraged).

• Lycanthrope Hall – Read a shifter romance.
• Crypt Library – Read a vampire romance
• Arcane Theory Hall – Read a fated mates romance
• Phantom Wing – Read a ghost romance or cursed love story
• Infernal Lab – Read a demon romance or one involving magical contracts

(5 books)

Electives:

• Dark Psychology – dark romance + gothic tension: obsession, power games, criminals, toxic devotion (affectionately), morally gray chaos : Control Centre – Read a dark romance with an obsessive, “touch her and die” love interest.
• Romantic Arts – banter, meet-cutes, fake dating, workplace tension, small towns, second chances: Pinehill House – Read a second-chance romance or small town setting.
• Romantic Arts – banter, meet-cutes, fake dating, workplace tension, small towns, second chances: Burnt Toast Cafe – Read a grumpy/sunshine contemporary romance.
• Historical Studies – scandal + yearning: dukes, love letters, Highlanders, time travel, rebellious heroines: Courting Conservatory – Read a historical romance involving a duke, forbidden love, or hidden letters.
• Historical Studies – scandal + yearning: dukes, love letters, Highlanders, time travel, rebellious heroines: Bastion Hall – Read a historical romance with a wallflower, bluestocking, or rebellious heroine.

(5 books)

Campus Clubs: 

Hearts & Spoons Club: Cozy contemporary romance think grumpy/sunshine, small town, cinnamon roll heroes, lots of comfort reads.

• Small Town, Big Feelings: Read a small town romance (bonus if it has festivals, a diner or meddling neighbors)
• Softest of Tropes: Read a comfort trope romance (single parent, cinnamon roll, found family, childhood crush)
• Spoonful of Spice: Read a cozy or low-angst romance
• Bake, Book, Bed: Read a romance involving books, crafts or food (baker, bookshop, knitting)

(4 books)

Nightshade Society: Gothic + paranormal romance with witches, curses, haunted houses, dark academia vibes, spooky slow burns.

• Into the Shadows: Read a romance with a monster love interest (gargoyle, kraken, etc)
• Supernatural Boarding Pass: Read a paranormal romance set at a school or training academy
• Cursed & Claimed: Read a curse-breaking or soul-bound romance
• Full Moon Fever: Read a romance that includes the mating heat trope

(4 books)

Secret Stacks: Kindle Unlimited + “hidden gem” romance, think mafia, dark romance, romantic suspense, high-spice recs.

• Undercover Gems: Read a Kindle Unlimited book with under 1,000 reviews
• Plot Twist Pages: Read a romance with a wild twist or a secret identity
• Quietly Feral: Read an indie or self published romance that’s not on a bestseller list
• Book Club Rebellion: Read a backlist book that you think deserves more hype, then recommend it to at least one person

(4 books)

Theta Tau Theta (ΤΤΘ): Dark romance + taboo-leaning tropes including all the red flags, morally gray leads, obsessive dynamics, high spice.

• Villain Era Required Reading: Read a romance with a villain redemption arc
• Do Not Recommend To Your Therapist: Read a spicy or taboo dark romance
• That Was Not A Healthy Relationship: Read a romance with toxic dynamics
• They Had No Business Being That Hot: Read a romance with a grumpy hero and/or black cat heroine

(4 books)

Quarterly Events: 

Frostbitten Trials: January through March 2026

• Ice Gauntlet: Read a paranormal romance where one character harbors a dangerous secret or a hidden power.
• Shimmer Clash: Read a fantasy romance featuring a winter setting or ice magic.
• Crimson Brawl: Read a dark or paranormal romance (possessive alphas, morally gray, blood pacts, dangerous love interests)
• Velvet Blitz: Read a dark romance (psych thrillers with romance, villain MCs, or mafia/assassin love stories)

(4 books)

Bloom & Brawl Games: April through June 2026

• Mirror Power Play: Read a contemporary romance with hockey or figure skating.
• Enchanted Brawl: Read a book that uses magical realism or enchantment as a key plot device, especially if it’s dangerous, secretive, or mind-bending.
• Time Loop Triple Play: Read a romance that plays with time (past/present dual timelines, time travel, time loops, or memory loss).
• Heartstopper Hustle: Read a romance with flowers or nature

(4 books)

Heatwave Cup: July through September 2026

• Rift Run: Read a high-stakes romance where characters are running from or chasing something whether it’s a heist, revenge, or a supernatural force.
• Cursebreaker Clash: Read a paranormal romance where a curse, prophecy, or supernatural contract complicates the relationship.
• Double Faulted Desires: Read a steamy romance where miscommunication, mistaken identity, or rivals make the tension hit unbearable levels.
• Enchanted Rally: Read a whimsical fantasy or romantasy that embraces its core aesthetic (think: royaltycore, forestcore, or glam fantasy).

(4 books)

Final Frenze Cup: October through December 2026

• Courtship Crossover: Read a genre mashup romance like historical fantasy, paranormal regency, or a dual timeline with supernatural elements.
• Full Moon Free Throw: Read a book that features secret societies, ancient curses, or forbidden knowledge.
• Breakdown Blitz: Read a romance where one or both leads are struggling emotionally, psychologically, or morally, but still can’t stay away.
• Field of Feels: Read a romance where love is the safe space (trauma recovery, found family, or emotional healing arcs welcome)

(4 books)