No Shadow Daddies Allowed
Fantasy romance and romantasy with at least one MMC who doesn't fit the Shadow Daddy archetype in one way or another.
I'm talking genuinely kind and caring heroes, nerdy or academic interests, or a body type that isn't tall and jacked. (No climbing these men like trees here!) Only men who are sad wet cats, sweet cinnamon rolls, or pathetic losers allowed đ
Inspired by buttercheese69's forum post on the topic.
created by The_BookishBug
last updated December, 2025
Comments
I donât know if Iâll ever read any of these books (that I havenât already), but Iâm loving the description and Iâm following just for that â€ïž Also, I feel like Half a Soul might be a good title for this list, as I called it Bridgerton meets Howl :)
Omg, thank you đand also, you're so right!!!! Elias from Half a Soul 100% fits
Me again! I read about the greenest of flags man (Rhys could never hahahaha). Gracelingâs Po â€ïž It is a proper YA book, but in some parts itâs more feminist than a lot of books I read.
Omg I remember reading that when I was in middle school! Blast from the past haha
Hell yeah I can be their Daddy instead đ
I love when a MMC is kinda baby girl coded
God my kingdom for an mmc who is baby girl
âSad wet cat, sweet cinnamon roll, or pathetic loserâ is sending me đ
It made me do a snort laugh đ
I know what I'm looking for in a fictional man đ
Pls give me all the recs!
Also, if anyone has a better title idea for this list, please share haha, this was the best I could do đ
Love the description lol - can I also recommend my current fav that fits the theme - âA little too familiarâ by Lish McBride
Ooh, added! Thank youuu
Donât change the title, itâs excellent.
Iâd recommend my upcoming book, but Iâm not sure it counts. The MMC is a shapeshifting fae and is a tall hot guy most of the time, but also a hot woman, along the occasional animal, plant, article of clothing. đ
Lmao not a plant đ
Tall and hot would be okay if he can meet one of the other requirements, such as 1. Being a dweeb/nerd, 2. Being a cinnamon roll, or 3. Being a pathetic loser. Oh, I almost forgot, he could also be 4. A sad wet cat.
A few of the books in this list do play a bit with the gender roles of our leads which I always appreciate in a m/f romance since you don't often get it!
Iâm wheezing laughing at this. I didnât know this was my type but I guess it is oops.
YESS thank you for this list, sad wet cats and sweet cinnamon rolls are my favourites. Also I'm so glad to see The Everlasting on here, I've been so looking forward to getting my hands on it, and this just solidifies my excitement.
Also, I completely recommend The Wind and the Wild by Emily Mccosh and the Tower of Half-Truths by by N.J. Prynne for this genre of men.
Oh, both of those look pretty interesting đ
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