Bromantasy by Máire Roche
Two heroes. One brain cell.
Fellas, is it gay to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you’re unqualified for?
Juniper O'Reilly is good at only two things: demolishing a pint of mead and finding the perfect skincare routine. Everything else—taking care of the farm, bartering for goods, any sort of manual labor—falls to Juniper’s best friend, the absurdly capable, endlessly patient Mo Elmthorn.
But when Juniper accidentally volunteers them both for a quest to kill a fearsome monster, he knows he’s finally gotten in over his head. Juniper hates camping, he hates the dark, and there’s no way all these foraged mushrooms are going to sit well in his stomach. One thing he doesn’t hate? How good Mo’s thighs look in his questing pants—he doesn’t have time to think about that, though, with a monster to hunt and their futures on the line.
But monsters come in all shapes and sizes. When Juniper and Mo realize that the terrifying beast they’ve sworn to kill is just a scared little girl torn from her family, they’re off to find not only the true villain of the story, but maybe even a happy ending.
I love all kinds of queer romantasy but there's a special place in my heart for silly romantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously. If a fantasy romance can make me laugh as well as swoon while I get wrapped up in an epic adventure, then I'm almost certain to have a great time. So, the second I heard of Bromantasy, I knew I had to read it as soon as possible.
Juniper and Mo are life-long (and totally platonic!!) friends who have lived together on a small farm for ten years. Every year, once they've harvested the farm's crops for the season, Mo starts feeling blue and longs to go on a quest during the long and dull Winter. Juniper hates the idea of being left behind by his best friend, so he suggests the two go into town for a distraction; he absolutely does not intend to sign them both up to go on a quest to slay a dragon, but too much mead does have its consequences.
Juniper is the funniest of the two characters, but he has enough depth that he never feels like only comedic relief. He had a rough childhood with a neglectful father. Juniper is also sensitive and still holds some hurt from an argument with Mo that briefly fractured their friendship years ago. Mo is quiet, strong, supportive, and steady. He clearly loves his "Junebug," but it takes some time before we see his version of their story.
The romance is delightful. It's obvious from early in the book that these two love each other very deeply. There are several small scenes of one doing something for the other, just to make them happy, that made me swoon. As the story progresses and their relationship grows deeper and more complicated, I found myself both crying over them and cheering for them.
I thought this was going to be a simple story about two friends who are in love but in denial, for whatever reason, but there's so much more to their dynamic than that. There are some intense emotions that these two have to work through before they can get their happy ending. Juniper and Mo are one of my new favorite fictional pairings; I adore them together so, so much!
The plot is a fast-paced, fun-filled, and heartfelt adventure quest. I loved the surprising directions the story took; like with the romance, it seems like it's going to be a straightforward narrative, but there's more to it than a simple monster-hunting quest. There were multiple times when I cried and then laughed two sentences later. I was expecting to laugh while reading this, but the genuine emotion the story pulled from me definitely surprised me!
I'm having an excellent reading year in 2026; I've found several new books that I now consider all-time favorites, and this one is certainly near the top of that list. It was the exact blend of humor, romance, and fantasy I was hoping for, and I ended up loving it even more than I imagined I would.
I recommend this to any readers of queer fantasy romance, but especially to fans of books like Alexandra Rowland's Yield Under Great Persuasion and This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher. Readers who adore the Idiots to Lovers and Friends to Lovers tropes will seriously eat this up!
My Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 (5/5 stars)
Pages: 352 (Kindle Edition)
Tropes/Tags: Queer, Achillean, Rom-Com, Romantasy, Idiots to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Quest/Adventure Fantasy, There's Only One Bed
Contains Depictions Of: Mild Violence, Abusive & Alcoholic Parent, Injuries
Links: Storygraph | GoodReads | Pagebound | MaryERoach.com
Bromantasy will be released on May 26, 2026, and is available for pre-order!
I received an advanced copy of this book for free, thanks to Netgalley, Putnam, and Penguin. The above are my honest feelings about the provided book.
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