Secret Identity fantasy books

The name they go by isn't the one they were born with. The reason matters.

Secret identity fantasy is the long con, played by the protagonist on the entire world around them. Disguised royalty, hidden mages passing as ordinary, a vigilante who is also the captain of the guard, a peasant in a noble's wardrobe. The pleasure is in the cracks. Every conversation is a small act of maintenance, and the reader watches the protagonist juggle two selves while waiting for the moment the mask slips. Sometimes the reveal is triumphant. Sometimes it's catastrophic. The wait is always charged.

This trope pairs with hidden royalty, court intrigue, urban fantasy, and romance plots where the love interest doesn't know who they're falling for. Content levels vary widely. Below you'll find protagonists hiding in plain sight in every imaginable role, from masked night-time rebels to scholars carrying truths their patrons would kill to suppress.