Hey. I am usually a fan of Romance or Young Adult--with fantast mixed in. However, lately, when passing the scifi/fantasy section I find my eyes straying to see a worthy title that I can sink my greedy reading claws in. What I like about scifi/fantasy books is that they are so big--which to me means a lot of reading.

Please help me stop looking and start reading. I am looking for great fantasy books. KEEP IN MIND that I need my ROMANCE (I cannot break that habit). Plus, I like books with women as the main characters (its a romance book thing).

The Only pure fantasy book I have read is Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest."  and I liked it. Thanks for the help!

MIsts of Avalon could be considered fantasy it's by Marion Zimmer Bradley and it's a heffer of a book!

i recently read Stefanie Meyer's "The Host" which has a nice combination of what you're looking for...it is also a big FAT book...and though i'm not really a reader of romance OR fantasy generally, i really enjoyed it.

I second Mists of Avalon. GREAT read.

Also Kate Forsyth's Witches of Eileanan series is AMAZING. (6 books)

What about Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series?  The fantasy part entails time travel, but there's lots of romance as well. 

You might also like Stephen Donaldson's "The Mirror of her Dreams" and the sequel "A Man Rides Through."  I loved those!  (It's been a while, but I seem to remember romance in them!)

I also second Poison Study, really enjoyed that triology.

I like Kushiels Dart by Jaqueline Carey.. very long books and teh series is still going, about 5 books so far.

I highly recommend Megan Whalen Turner's series.  It starts with The Thief, followed by The Queen of Attolia and the latest is the King of Attolia.  The first book sets up the series-no romance.  But the second and the third do have a strong romantic component.  It is a very gripping and exciting series with a lot of twists and turns.

C.L. Wilson's Lord of the Fading Lands and Lady of Light and Shadows was awesome!! The book binding says paranormal romance but it's definitely more of a fantasy romance. She's not done with this series yet either.

What about Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series?  The fantasy part entails time travel, but there's lots of romance as well.

I agree with the Outlander series suggestion....

I agree with the Mists of Avalon book. It's huge, and I really enjoyed reading it!

Another vote for Stephen Donaldson's "Mirror of her Dreams" and "A Man Rides Through." Fit your description perfectly: great fantasy, woman main character, lots of pages!

Well I'm not sure if these are technically fantasy but they Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire series is fantastic.  A little romance, a little mystery and a whole lot of vampires, shape shifters, fairies and witches. 

The Parallel Series by Deidre Knight was really great.  Each book has a romance but the main story is about a group of Aliens that have settled on Earth because they're planet is at war.  Their king is here and others. There is time travel, parallel universes, shape shifters and magic.  Read them in order or you will be lost. 

I've never been a big fan of fantasy, but I have to second Pam's suggestion of the Jacqueline Carey books. I loved the first books so much that I ended up buying most of the rest of the series.  There is so much deception, intrigue, and action in these books, and I enjoyed every word. I was actually surprised at how much I loved these fantasy books.

check out CONSTANCE DAY O'FLANNERY   she has several that are (what I think) you are looking for

How about Elizabeth Vaughan's series: Warprize, Warsworn and Warlord?   I really enjoyed them.

If you still haven't heard all the buzz about Stehenie Meyer and her Twilight series, then, I'm telling you now...

GO GET THEM! Her books are are the next best thing since Harry Potter. They are rated YA, but there are legions of people reading them, young and old. They're simply captivating! They've got vampires and werewolves, love triangles, near death action scenes, etc. Mostly, they're very relatable and non-cheesy for a fantasy novel and the characters are extremely relatable. Today is the release of the 4th and final book, Breaking Dawn, so go pick up the first 3 novels in the series and get started! You wont regret it!