Beguilement (The Sharing Knife #1), Lois McMaster Bujold; Eos

“Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family’s farm. But en route to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers, nomadic soldier–sorcerers from the northern woodlands. Feared necromancers armed with mysterious knives made of human bone, they wage a secret, ongoing war against the scourge of the “malices,” immortal entities that draw the life out of their victims, enslaving human and animal alike.

It is Dag—a Lakewalker patroller weighed down by past sorrows and onerous present responsibilities—who must come to Fawn’s aid when she is taken captive by a malice. They prevail at a devastating cost—unexpectedly binding their fates as they embark upon a remarkable journey into danger and delight, prejudice and partnership . . . and perhaps even love.”

Robin’s Note: Lois McMaster Bujold is renowned for her complex, engaging fantasy series, including the adventuresome Vorkosigan saga, but this series is a new tale for her combining romance and fantasy in equal parts.  She’s a smart, practiced writer, and her deep world-building creates a rich world.  If you want to try a definite romance/fantasy combination, this is one of the many hybrids that were published in testing out the combinations of the fantasy and romance markets, and of all the writers making the attempt, Bujold is the most likely to succeed.