These soulmarks are preordained and can come in the form of a character’s name, a physical symbol found somewhere on the characters’ bodies (identical or complementary), a timer for when the characters will meet or when one will die, or even words spoken to each other upon meeting for the first time. The possibilities are endless. Like it or not, you have to admit this subtrope is a crafty idea to create tension and anticipation.
While soulmarks are mostly preordained by the popular definition, there is also a type of soulmate mark that occurs after the main characters mutually accept their soulmate or mating bond, which can be a physical acceptance (often sex) and/or a psychological/spiritual acceptance.
This type of soulmate mark can come in many forms as well. A popular example: a bite mark, often utilized in shifter romances. In paranormal romances and romantasies, this can also take the shape of a tattoo, scar, or symbol etched onto the main characters’ bodies. There are dozens of examples of these types of marks.
Soulmarks are a common subtrope in fanfiction and some self-published and indie-published romance books, but I haven’t found any from the Big Five publishers.
Fate vs. Agency
Taking all of the above into consideration, it’s understandable that many readers find the idea of soulmates problematic in romance, especially in terms of agency. Is the main character choosing this partner? Are the emotions real, is the consent real, if their love has already been decided? Bodily autonomy, choice, and consent are crucial topics for romance novels to address. For those who find this subtrope uncomfortable—completely valid, by the way—consider first consulting the trigger warnings many authors list in the early pages of the book, often in an author’s note and/or their author sites.
The books I’m highlighting below focus on soulmates in some shape or form. I’ve included soulmates cast by the stars, soulmates who end up sharing a demon soulmate mark, and soulmates connected by the Red String Theory.
4 Soulmate Romance Books
Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen
Rooney Gao believes wholeheartedly in signs, especially the Chinese legend of the red string of fate—the idea that everyone is metaphysically tied to their one true love. Rooney feels so strongly in this that it shows in the form of her art installations.
When confronted with a creative block, fate somehow leads her to Jack Liu. They share a perfect date that has Rooney convinced that they are tied to one another, but there’s one problem: Jack doesn’t believe in fate.
I like that this book has one character who goes into this romance as a skeptic, which makes the romance all the more tense and the conclusion wonderfully satisfying.
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefeur
Sometimes, soulmates in romance are not connected by a psychic thread or mark but by the stars themselves.
Elle Jones, an astrologer who writes the popular Oh My Stars Twitter account, is eager to find her soulmate. At first, it’s clear: she doesn’t think Darcy Lowell is it. Their first date was an awkward disaster, yet Darcy’s brother, and Elle’s new business partner, tells her he’s glad they hit it off. Turns out Darcy lied to her brother, telling them their first date was great, and she begs Elle to take part in the ruse. They agree to fake date until New Year’s Eve, when their pact expires.
Of course, now that they’re fake-dating, real feelings start to surface. Elle wonders if perhaps she had it all wrong at the beginning, and maybe their fate is actually written in the stars.
Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh
The Psy-Changeling series opens with Sascha Duncan, a psychic, who issupposedto have no emotions. Lucas Hunter, a leopard shifter and leader of the DarkRiver changeling pack, is intrigued by Sascha and seeks to put her ice-cold demeanor to the test. The two team up to investigate a series of changeling murders, and Lucas senses she is his mate. A psy and changeling pair is by no means common. By becoming mates, the soulmate “mark” is heavily mental and psychological, with a psychic thread connecting them.
This is one of my favorite shifter romance series, and I think Singh handles the idea of fated mates/soulmates masterfully and with a lot of agency. For a mating to successfully take place in this world, there has to be acceptance of the bond by all parties. Singh uses another novel in this series to show that characters can, in fact, reject a soulmate bond hard enough to disintegrate the connection, allowing them to mate with someone else.
Evernight by Kristen Callihan
Evernightis part of Callihan’s historical and paranormal romance Darkest London series, which I believe is highly underrated. Sarah MacLean also highly recommends this book in the popularFated Mates podcast.
In an alternate London rife with magic, technology, and a mix of the two, Will Thorne is a demon losing his sanity in a transformation he cannot control. Slowly turning to metal, the only person who can help him is the enigmatic Holly Evernight. Evernight is as genius as she is curious, particularly about Will’s predicament, but someone also wants Holly dead. As the two unravel each other’s mysteries, they are also entwining each other’s hearts.
While “soulmate” is not technically used in this, Holly and Will both take on a mark that complements each other. Even through a powerful moment when it seems they will never find happiness, their mark is a powerful tether.
Choose Your Fate
I hope the above list provided a recommendation or two that will spark your interest, dear reader. Whether you believe in soulmates or not, there’s almost always a romance arc that will pull on your heartstrings. And if you’re looking for more romance recommendations that connect to soulmates in some way, check out these Book Riot articles: