For ACOTAR Fans • Dark Fae Courts • Fae Romance Italy

If ACOTAR’s Fae Courts and Dangerous Heroes Are What Keep You Reading — This Dark Fae Series Set in Florence Is What Comes Next.

DARK FAE MASTERS OF ITALY

VAMPIRE FAE ROMANTASY • COMPLETE 5-BOOK SERIES

The elements that make A Court of Thorns and Roses work as a fantasy romance are specific: a court structure with genuine political stakes, heroes who are dangerous before they become devoted, a heroine who has to navigate power she didn’t ask for, and a world that’s opulent enough to feel worth being trapped in. Dark Fae Masters of Italy shares most of these structural elements while taking them somewhere different in tone and setting.

The Twilight Realm — the portal Fae world accessible from Florence — has Summer Fae Courts, Dark Fae factions, a Fae King who functions as an antagonist, and court politics that directly drive the plot across all five books. Lucca’s rebel arc against his father (the Summer Fae King) is an ACOTAR-adjacent political rebellion story: a hero defying the court structure that made him, for love and for ideals. The world-building is dense and full: vampire courts, fae courts, dark magic systems, an ancient enemy.

Where DFMI diverges is in its second hero — Quinn, a Master Vampire, adds an entirely different power structure and moral framework alongside the fae court arc. The setting is Florence, Italy rather than invented geography, which grounds the opulence in something real. And the heroine’s power (Night Magic / Dark Fae) makes her a genuine participant in the supernatural power structure rather than a human caught inside it. ACOTAR readers who finished and want more of the same emotional core, in a different world with different specific texture, have a strong candidate here.

A wonderful world: decadent, decorative, fiercely passionate

“Anyone who has read an Ava Ward series will know that they are entering a wonderful world: decadent and decorative, fiercely passionate and personally challenging. Ava Ward’s ability to create an amazing world will entrance you.” — EileenM, Amazon UK

Luxurious, beautiful — vivid descriptions you feel

“Ava’s stories are so luxurious and beautiful. The descriptions are so vivid and her love stories so real you feel them. You see and feel not only the gorgeousness but the decadence.” — Kindle Customer, Amazon US

A new take on vampires and fae worth checking out

“Dark Master’s Kiss is the first in the new Vampire Masters of Italy series — a spin off of Royal Dragon Shifters of Morocco. If you’re in the market for an escape from reality in the form of a new take on vampires and fae, you’ll want to be sure to check this out!” — Tiffany K., Amazon US

ACOTAR COMPARISON FAQ

Is this similar to ACOTAR in tone and structure?
Structurally similar in key ways: fae courts with political stakes, dangerous heroes who fall for the heroine, a heroine with forbidden power navigating court intrigue. Different in that it adds a vampire court alongside the fae world, sets everything in modern Florence (not invented geography), and the romance is MFM (two heroes) rather than a love triangle that resolves to one.

Is the fae world-building as detailed as ACOTAR’s?
The Twilight Realm is fully realized across five books: Summer Fae Courts, Dark Fae factions, Dark Winter Fae, vampire courts in Florence, political structures in both worlds. The world-building is described as “a movie in your mind” by the author, and reviewers specifically cite the immersive quality of the descriptions.

Is the heat level comparable to ACOTAR?
Higher — the series is explicitly open-door/on-screen heat throughout, with 1–3 explicit scenes per book. The author describes the series as “five-chillies hot.”

Is the series complete?
Five books, all published, free in Kindle Unlimited. No waiting required.