Love is a Circus 🎪
Romance featuring a circus/carnival
Recs are very much welcome 🎡🤗
created by Indie
last updated July, 2026
Comments
You could add Caraval and The night circus!
Omegaverse author Holly Monroe has a duet called Trapped on a Tightrope. Book One is One for the Money and Book Two is called Two For the Show (because of course it is).
IndieOP
Haha, of course. I didn't know this duet, I'm adding it! Thank you
Carnival Fantastico by Angela Montoya😍😍😍
I’ve got some deliciousness for you!
- Tangled Encounters by Madison Nicole
- Circus Creeps by Aiden Pierce
What do you recommend me to start with (nothing in 3rd pov please)
IndieOP
Thanks for asking 😊 all of the following are in 1st POV
Amour Amour is my fave, it inspired this list. The title has been changed, it's now called The Failed Audition. It's a standalone MF, with a kind of vegas show situation with silk aerialists, the MMC is part of the show and coaching the FMC so she can audition to become part of it. It has found family too.
I loved book 2 and 3 of the Broken Boys of Cirque series by A. K. Blythe that follows aerialists too, but I haven't read book 1 yet, which is an MMF so I can't say much about that one. Book 2 is an age gap, coach-student situation and book 3, my absolute favorite, is ex best friends to lovers and deals with addiction, second chance. I didn't miss anything by not reading the first book, so you should be fine if you want to try one of those.
The Hearts series by L. H. Cosway, I'd recommend reading in order, all MF. Book one, Six of Hearts isn't on my list because it's not set in a circus exactly, but the MMC is an illusionist that creates his own shows and gets help from the FMC. There's a revenge plot that was very satisfying. The two following interconnected books in the series are in my list: Hearts on Fire follows a young woman running away with the circus and meeting a fire breather (interesting kink in this one 👀). And the next one King of Hearts is great too, I'll just say a good part of the book is set in a financial office, but I can't much more without spoiling it, great chemistry though 🤫
I recently loved Water for Elephants, but it's less focused on the romance, closer to historical fiction with the circus at its center.
I hope you'll find something that interests you 🫶
Thank you, will definitely give one of these a try ✨️
Oh I actually have a couple of recs!!
Harrow Faire series by Kathryn Ann Kinglsley. MF. Simon is such a sleazy lil rat man I love him.
There was a multi-author paranormal romance series(Black Cat Circus) based in a circus, I read and enjoyed Ringmaster by Kota Quinn and Aerialist by Morgan Lysand. Both MM.
IndieOP
Thank you! I love getting recs 🤗 I've read book one of the Harrow Faire series but I thought there wasn't enough romance in that one to really fit. Does the romance become the focus in the following books? I'll directly add your other recs.
I'm sorry, I just realized I posted my response outside of your comment 🤦🏻♀️
