Spooked Sexy
From serial killers to the paranormal, this list will unleash your inner freak!
By Sara Shahein
Edited by Reilly Nelson
Whether it’s spooks or sweet treats you seek this season, this list will have you shrieking with delight. Here are 8 books for every romance reader; pick your poison to create your own Spooked Sexy TBR.
Spooky: Jenny Will Eat You Now by Gillian Daniels
I’m throwing you right into the deep end with, arguably, the most beautiful monster romance I’ve ever read. Begin your Aveda Vice journey with the prequel novella, Feed, where Avirin, a succubus, meets Pye, a faerie. Avirin hires them for a night of, well, feeding in every way you can imagine. Their story continues in Yours, Insatiably as Pye and Avirin discover they’ll be working together for the foreseeable future, and despite all the ways this could end up poorly for them, the two realize they cannot deny their desires for each other. Their romantic relationship blossoms as Avirin enters a transformative journey to discover her true self with Pye—the only person at work who knows she’s secretly a succubus—at her side.
Sweet: The Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
If it’s a cozy, witchy read you seek, The Secret Society of Irregular Witches is sure to make you shriek . . . with delight. Mika Moon keeps her head down and lives quite the lonely life during the day, but when she gets home she gets online and pretends she is a witch. It would be easy to brush off the message she gets to teach young witches how to control their powers at Nowhere House—if she wasn’t actually a witch. This is a heartwarming read following a quirky main character’s journey to finding love with the grumpy librarian and forging a family with a cast of unforgettable characters. A perfect companion for readers who wanted to be Sabrina the Teenage Witch growing up.
Silly: Hallowpeen by Holly Wilde
Prepare for a sugar rush eating candy won’t give you. On Halloween night, when the veil is at its thinnest, the freaks ignite their jack-o-lantern heads and get to banging. This novella opens with the lore of Hallow Peen aka Hal, Jax, and Gordy, the story’s three pumpkin men, and Man Candy who is just as sweet as he sounds. We cut to our main character Asha crossing the veil and encountering the Hallow Peen gang, what follows is much wilder than your typical pumpkin spice. In our second legend, Kaysie learns the dangers of not getting rid of all your Halloween candy when Man Candy shows up. She is instantly smitten and what she gets up to will certainly result in a cavity. This is a pun-filled quick read that will leave you saying ‘oh my gourd!’
Scary: Lethal Kiss by Taylor Grothe
Three words to describe Lethal Kiss: scary, sexy, and sapphic. For readers looking for equal parts romance and horror, this book follows Marcella, a draugr from Norse mythology, who feasts on humans by night and works as a classics professor by day. When she’s forced to move to a new university she meets Lacie, another classics professor ready to duke it out for tenure . . . until she finds a dead body and needs to turn to Marcella for help. The two uncover that there are worse monsters than sexism laying beneath the university. As the suspense increases so does the seduction in this scary horror romance. If you’re a true gore whore at heart, this one’s for you.
Spacy: Desire in His Blood by Zoey Draven
Are you still waiting for your alien abduction? Well Desire in His Blood follows a vampire alien arranged to marry the eldest daughter of his enemy so she can clear her father’s debts. This slow burn follows Gemma, who has no choice but to marry Azur, an alien from Kylorr, one of the most feared races in the Four Quadrants and who survives off blood. The two start off with a deep hatred for the other, until Azur feeds from Gemma and they both feel unimaginable pleasure. Their blood bond can’t keep them apart and this desire is the start of their hearts cracking for one another. Hop on this spaceship and enter the thoroughly built world of Kylorr.
Smutty: Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver
What do you get when two serial killers go head to head? A sexual standoff. Brynne Weaver’s latest trilogy The Seasons of Carnage opens up with a splash . . . of blood and sexual tension. Nolan ventures into Cape Carnage in search of revenge for those that ruined his life, and his last target is Harper, the town’s fiercest protector. As the two rack each other’s nerves and shake each other’s beds, a larger danger looms over the town, threatening to uncover all of Harper’s secrets. Perfect for readers looking for more of Brynne Weaver’s classic dark rom-com humor and spine-tingling spice.
Suspenseful: Die for Me by Shirlene Obuobi
Die for You will have you guessing, ‘what is he?’, because there is no way a hot, well-dressed man who appreciates the arts is human. Cardiologist Sean never anticipated falling in love, especially not with Julian. Ten years her junior and the best friend of the woman who lured Sean’s best friend’s husband away from her she tries to deny their instant attraction, but she finds it impossible to escape Jullian when he shows up in her dreams. As alluring as Julian may be, he is also mysterious, as Sean gets closer to him she uncovers secrets she never saw coming. This paranormal romance will have you on the edge of your seat wondering not only if this couple will survive their love for each other but if they’ll survive the end of this story.
Swoony: Hollow Heathens by Nicole Fiorina
Get your fainting couches ready because you’ll need them for all the swooning you’ll be doing while reading Hallow Heathens. Fallon returns to the gothic town of Weeping Hollow, after being taken away on the day of her birth. Hidden from mortal eyes, Weeping Hollow houses two covens at battle with one another, with ties to both this leaves Fallon in the middle. As the offspring of one of the founding families, Julian is a Hollow Heathen and member of the Norse Woods coven. As a Heathen he is cursed and Fallon is encouraged to keep her distance, but she feels an undeniable pull towards him. Both haunting and spicy, this forbidden romance will have you reaching for your folding fan.
Whether it’s tricks or treats you seek, this list has a book for every reader. For more titles check out Romances That Go Bump In The Night: 8 Must Read Monster Romances while you wait for the Wicker Movie.
Want to shop the books in this article? Check out our bookshop.org list (affiliate link)