Spooky season is finally here — and I’m so ready to curl up with a cozy Halloween romance book. IMO, this is the perfect time to step back into your “spooky girl” era and fall in love with the “strange and unusual,” as Lydia Deetz, the Beetlejuice spooky-girl icon, would say. Why? Well, Halloween romances just hit different: There’s something about ghosts, autumn leaves, and men with suspiciously sharp teeth that can really get a girl blushing to words on a page.
While classic rereads like Twilight will always hold a special place in my heart, this year I’m looking for some new content to sink my claws into. If you’re like me, it’s easy to become torn between wanting a cozy sweater-weather cheesy romance and a mysterious, morally gray supernatural romance. So I did some digging, and what I found has left me with a frighteningly long TBR list.
Whether you’re looking for a cute witchy fall romance, unexpected relationships with ghosts, or the always gripping rivalry between vampires and werewolves, these authors have got us covered. Here are some books I found that I’m sure will catch your attention if you’re looking for a spooky, cozy read this Halloween season — they sure caught mine.
- Practically Magic by Jen Calonita
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This cozy, small-town romance features a slow-burn academic rivals-to-lovers, he falls first, and very little, if any, spice. The book follows Kat Hadley, who is from a family of witches who are tasked with protecting the town, when she shatters the town’s magic after finding out that her older sister put a spell on her to stop boys from dating her to save her from heartbreak. The shattering of the town’s magic not only reverses this spell, but all spells, making them more of a curse. So when Kat notices her rival, Zach, is acting different, she must figure out if this is a side effect of the spell gone wrong. If you’re a Gilmore Girls or Sabrina the Teenage Witch fan, this one is for you.
- The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
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Honestly, all I needed to see to put this book on my TBR is “she falls for a ghost.” Throughout this story, writer Florence Day falls for the ghost of her editor, Benji Andor. As Benji helps her deal with her father’s funeral, Florence helps Benji uncover his “unfinished business” so that he may pass on. Since the two can’t touch for most of the book, there is little to no spice, but a significant amount of emotional tension. If you’re also a fan of the 1990 movie Ghost, I have a feeling you’ll love this slow-burn paranormal romance.
- Ghosted by Amy Hutton
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Not a fan of falling in love with ghosts? Or not a fan of them at all? Neither is ghost whisperer Holly Daniels in this second chance romance, where she teams up with her ex-boyfriend, a paranormal podcast host, Callum Jeffries. While investigating East Mill’s haunted house, they take up adjoining rooms at a rundown bed and breakfast where old feelings begin to resurface and local ghosts pester an already stressed Holly. With very minimal spice until the end, this is the perfect cozy and spooky book to pick up if you’re in the mood for a not-too-scary haunting. If you’re trying to get over an ex, though, maybe skip this one!
- Haunted Ever After by Jen Deluca
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Fellow Floridians, you’ll feel right at home with this Florida-based paranormal romance. Cassie Rutherford moves from Orlando, Florida, to the small, coastal, historic, and haunted Boneyard Key. At first, she thought all the ghost stories were tourism myths and gimmicks, but now she is pretty sure her historic cottage has come with its own ghost. She’s also picking up on some tension between her and a local, sexy coffee shop owner, Nick Royer. Spending nights together with him, taking her on private ghost tours, and investigating the previous owners of her haunted house, Cassie worries she’s become too involved with her haunted house ownership, and Nick worries he’ll scare her out of Boneyard Key for good. This spooky slow burn, with most spice contained toward the end of the book, is sure to give all the cozy autumn beach feels of a small town on the coast of Florida. Finally, some representation for Florida’s 70-80 degree Octobers!
- My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
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Into older guys with sharp teeth but kind of tired of the ones that sparkle? As you probably guessed from the name, Cassie Greenberg, a financially struggling artist who has moved into a cheap apartment with a sexy roommate, finds out he’s a vampire. And according to the book description, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam has a proposition for Cassie. This slow-burn romance does contain explicit, open-door spice, but it is limited to the second half of the book.
- Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
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True crime fans with a tendency to think everyone and everything is suspicious, you might relate to this FMC. PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh is so obsessed with true crime that she is analyzing the genre in her dissertation. However, it is kind of hard to write while cleaning out her childhood home, mourning a dead father she had complicated feelings for, and being convinced her neighbor Sam Dennings is a serial killer. Quickly, though, Phoebe realizes Sam Dennings might not be a serial killer, but something equally alarming: a nice guy who can reach her guarded heart.
- A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
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If you were a fan of The Deal from the Off Campus series, this fake-dating Halloween romance might be for you. The book takes off when Mariel Spark accidentally summons a demon, Ozroth the Ruthless, for a soul bargain while trying to summon flour. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until a bargain is made, but she refuses. Mariel is terrified to confess to her mom and instead tells her that she is dating Ozroth. In the struggle to maintain the facade and reach their opposing goals, real attraction forms. But if Ozroth gets her to sell her soul, she will lose all of her emotions, including the love she has gained for him. I
- Bride by Ali Hazelwood
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You can’t have a Halloween romance list without featuring the classic werewolves-versus-vampires rivalry — and this one contains some unexpected spice. Bride follows Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, as she is arranged to marry the Alpha of the Weres, Lowe Moreland, to uphold a peacekeeping alliance between the two species. In true enemies-to-lovers fashion, Lowe doesn’t trust Misery, and rightfully so. She has personal reasons to agree to the marriage, and she is going to get back what’s hers by whatever means necessary, even if it means spending her life with a wolf. Bride contains six chapters of detailed spice throughout the book, so if you are not into stories with this much spice, you should skip this one! But, if you’re ready to dive headfirst into a romance with spice (like me), then you should definitely give this one a try.
There’s truly something for everyone within the Halloween romance genre, and these are just eight of the amazing picks out there. Hopefully one of these fills your spooky little hearts with some ghoulish delight this Halloween season. Happy reading, and Happy Halloween!