The best Halloween romance books

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a lifelong fan of Halloween, from the time I visited my town’s haunted house as a young kid in the 1980s to watching horror movies as an adult. As a writer of romance and romantic women’s fiction, love stories are also my jam. Many people think horror and romance aren’t compatible, but I combined both in my novella series Crazy, Sexy, Ghoulish, and the books in this list prove that Halloween and romance are meant to be.


I wrote...

Crazy, Sexy, Ghoulish

By G.G. Andrew,

Book cover of Crazy, Sexy, Ghoulish

What is my book about?

Nora isn't proud of the way she treated Brendan in middle school. Now that they're both in college, she's terrified to come face-to-face with the hot horror geek—especially since Brendan has the power to make or break the haunted house where she works. The good news? She has plenty of disguises. The bad news? He's looking a bit too long at her legs under those bloody fishnet stockings...

Nora has to be everything she's not this Halloween so she can hide her true self and terrify Brendan. Not to mention protect her heart. Because what if he realizes she's a monster behind the mask?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Pumpkinheads

G.G. Andrew Why did I love this book?

If I want to get into the mood for fall, there’s nothing better than reading this Rainbow Rowell graphic novel.

Set at a Nebraska pumpkin patch where high school seniors Josiah and Deja work each year, it’s absolutely crammed with the sights, sounds, and scents of the season leading up to Halloween–not to mention a sweet, slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance between two characters I absolutely rooted for.

By Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pumpkinheads as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

A 2020 Tayshas Reading List Selection
A 2020 Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Selection

In Pumpkinheads, beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell and Eisner Award–winning artist Faith Erin Hicks have teamed up to create this tender and hilarious story about two irresistible teens discovering what it means to leave behind a place―and a person―with no regrets.

Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.

Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is…


Book cover of Her Halloween Treat

G.G. Andrew Why did I love this book?

I can always count on Tiffany Reisz for a witty, banter-filled romance, and this sexy seasonal delight is no exception. After a bad breakup, Joey heads to her family’s Oregon cabin, where her troubles are eased by the presence of her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Chris. But this hookup with the handyman has the potential to last past October 31st.

The funny and flirtatious dialogue here kept me laughing.

By Tiffany Reisz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Her Halloween Treat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Bloody Chamber: And Other Stories

G.G. Andrew Why did I love this book?

I return to this dark, sensual collection of Angela Carter stories most autumns, often through audio book. While these are not technically romance stories, they’re what I call romance-adjacent: fairy tales centered on love and passion—and their dangers—with gorgeous language and twists that subvert your expectations.

My favorite story here is “In the Company of Wolves,” but really that’s like choosing a favorite child.

By Angela Carter,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked The Bloody Chamber as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With an introduction by Helen Simpson. From familiar fairy tales and legends - Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires and werewolves - Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories.


Book cover of Pumpkin Pounder

G.G. Andrew Why did I love this book?

Short, hilarious, and sexy, this romance novella is the perfect way to spend an October night. Daisy has a thing for redheads. So when she meets a redheaded Irishman at a New York City party on Halloween night, is it meant to be?

From its funny opening pages to its thoughtful and romantic ending, this absolutely delighted me, and not just because it had the line, “If you want to impress me, you have to watch Golden Girls.”

By Laura Lovely,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pumpkin Pounder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Fangs

G.G. Andrew Why did I love this book?

It only took a half-hour to read this webcomic-turned-book, but it was time unbelievably well spent.

In a series of illustrations, we watch Elsie the vampire and werewolf Jimmy meet, fall in love, and somehow learn to combine their different—sometimes very different!—lifestyles (not to mention diets) in an unusual and adorable relationship. It left me grinning from ear to ear.

By Sarah Andersen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fangs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

A New York Times bestselling love story between a vampire and a werewolf by Sarah Andersen, the creator of the enormously popular Sarah's Scribbles comics.

Elsie the vampire is three hundred years old, but in all that time, she has never met her match. This all changes one night in a bar when she meets Jimmy, a charming werewolf with a wry sense of humor and a fondness for running wild during the full moon. Together they enjoy horror films and scary novels, shady strolls, fine dining (though never with garlic), and a genuine fondness for each other's unusual habits,…


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Book cover of This Animal Body

Meredith Walters

New book alert!

What is my book about?

Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life together—she’s determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuse to share. And while the animals may not have Frankie’s exalted human brain, they know things she doesn’t, like what happened before she was adopted.

To prove she’s sane, Frankie investigates her forgotten past and conducts clandestine experiments. But just when she uncovers the truth, she has to make an impossible choice: betray the animals she’s fallen in love with—or give up her last chance at success and everything she thought she knew.

By Meredith Walters,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Animal Body as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Frankie Conner, first-year graduate student at UC Berkeley, is finally getting her life together. After multiple failures and several false starts, she's found her calling: become a neuroscientist, discover the cause of her depression and anxiety, and hopefully find a cure for herself and everyone like her.

But her first day of the program, Frankie meets a mysterious group of talking animals who claim to have an urgent message for her. The problem is, they're not willing to share it. Not yet. Not until she's ready.

While Frankie's new friends may not have her highly evolved, state-of-the-art, exalted human brain,…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in romantic love, Halloween, and teenagers?

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