"an angsty/problematical romance dynamic" I read this and I was like, Queen's Thief for the win XP And Reylo too, maybe? (I'm definitely with you on this one, though, especially in the angst department. ...there's a reason one of my favourite Star Wars ships is Anakin/Obi-Wan. And I've always loved Cherik for much the same reason, too...)

I reread the QT series for my Yuletide prep and aughhh, the Gen/Irene romance is just so good! It's halfway to heartbreaking, too. The moment where she sees him sleeping and thinks he's dead and realizes she loves him...the way she resents the gods even before that for delivering him to her...or when she says she build a temple to them after all and see them worshipped forever if they just bring him back to her...the way he dreams about her dancing then torturing him...the kidnapping plus proposal!!! So good!!!