Halloween is almost upon us, and if you love the spooky season, it’s time to find your next themed read! Luckily, I’ve pulled together 5 books that caught my attention that I’m excited to read, and you should add to your TBR. Looking for something magical and funny? Perhaps some ghosts with a side of toxic relationships? Maybe a dark academia thriller? There’s something to suit everyone’s spooky level this Halloween.
An Amateur Witch's Guide to Murder by K. Valentine
This one I have been excited about for a while and is at the top of my list. I’m so glad to see it now out in the world and receiving a ton of love from readers! It’s funny, it’s got witches, it’s queer, and so much more. I’m currently reading this one, so stay tuned for a review to come, but if you’re looking for something fresh this is one to take home and give a read. Get some snacks, set the mood with some spooky music and settle in for some genuine fun.
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Blurb:
A wannabe witch tries to break a curse on a clueless client in this laugh-out-loud debut, for fans of queer romantic fantasy by T. J. Klune and Tamsyn Muir.
Mateo Borrero has 99 problems—and all of them hinge on his missing bruja mother and the demon she trapped inside his body.
Mateo’s mother forbade him from ever using magic, but now that she’s gone, magic’s his only marketable skill, and he’d really like an exorcism—which costs money he doesn’t have. What’s the harm in making a quick buck by calling himself an Occult Specialist and chanting a few half-remembered spells in his crappy Spanish?
Enter Topher, a naive nepo baby with a curse that keeps killing people around him. Most importantly, he’s rich and too clueless to clock that Mateo—and his (absolutely-not-the-assistant) astral projecting best friend Ophelia—have never actually had a client before. Lifting Topher’s bad luck curse should be simple, but as luck would have it, nothing is simple, and Topher–who Mateo sort of, kind of likes–might be at the center of a deadly magical conspiracy.
To make matters worse, the more magic Mateo does, the stronger the demon inside him grows and the more he wants to eat people. But would caving to the urges of an ancient evil really be that bad if it helps him get a payday?
Legends and Lattes meets A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer in this hilarious and charming queer romantic fantasy readers won’t want to miss.
For No Mortal Creature by Keshe Chow
I recently finished reading this YA standalone and it is great! Dramatic, high stakes, AND SO MANY GHOSTS! Review still to come on the blog, but I loved Keshe Chow’s second book. This is such a fun read, but will also have you questioning who you can trust the entire time. Perfect for the spooky season.
Blurb:
In this romantic, gothic fantasy inspired by Wuthering Heights, a teen girl with the power to move between life and death must journey into the afterlife. But to survive, she’ll need the help of her two sworn enemies—both dangerously captivating, both hiding secrets that could destroy her.
When Jia Yi finds herself alive again after being killed by an enemy’s sword, she realizes she possesses a rare power: the ability to move between life and death. With her new gift comes the discovery of a mysterious spirit realm teeming with ghosts like herself—and Lin, the boy she once loved before his betrayal tore them apart.
At first Jia wants nothing to do with any ghosts, metaphorical or otherwise. But when her beloved grandmother dies under suspicious circumstances, Jia is forced to follow in an attempt to save her.
In the death realm, though, even ghosts have ghosts. The afterlife is more complex than Jia ever could have imagined—and no one knows what lies at its end. To survive, Jia must rely on both Lin and her longtime enemy, the cold and enigmatic Prince Essien. The problem? She can’t trust either of them.
Jia is prepared to risk her soul if it means rescuing her grandmother—but what if in the process, she loses her heart, too?
When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven
Blurb:
A simmering psychological thriller about a dead teacher at an elite boarding school, the students who had every reason to want her gone, and the tangled web of rivalry and romance concealing the truth—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places.
At an elite New England boarding school, eight students are selected for an exclusive storytelling workshop with the one and only Meredith Graffam—an enigmatic writer, director, and actress. For sixteen days, they will live in the isolated estate of the school’s founder, surrounded by snowy woods and a storm-tossed sea. Only one of the chosen will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.
Everyone, including Graffam, has a compelling reason to be there—Effy, the orphan, Isaac, the legacy, Ness, the wallflower, Ramon, the outsider, and Arlo, whose unexpected arrival leaves Effy spiraling—but only the most ambitious will last the term. Graffam’s unorthodox methods push the students past the breaking point, revealing their darkest secrets, taking unthinkable risks, and slowly starting to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .
Soul Searching by Lyla Sage
By now you know I am a huge fan of Lyla Sage’s work. Her western romances bring me so much joy and the writing is always so cosy. This is the start of a new series set in Sweetwater Peak, and this time there is a little bit of a supernatural element at play! For those that want a lighter Halloween read, this might be the one for you.
Blurb:
The No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Rebel Blue Ranch series returns with a stirring Western romance about a new-to-town upholsterer, a photographer whose life has come to a halt, and the supernatural forces that bring them together.
Home is where the heart is – and this one is haunted.
Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents’ antique shop, she doesn’t have a choice. At least, that’s what she tells her family.
They don’t need to know she’s lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts that have always been her companions have recently gone silent.
Brady Cooper is absolutely fine. Seriously, there’s no secret reason why he decided to uproot his life and suddenly move to Sweetwater Peak. He just needed a change of pace. At least, that’s what he tells himself.
But when he agrees to let Collins stay in his spare room, he doesn’t realize that she constantly talks to thin air or that she looks like that. Good thing their arrangement is only temporary. Right?
Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver
I know several people who’ve read this already this October and bloody loved it, so I had to include it on my list. Two killers who have to form an alliance, filled with dark humour and spice – this sounds like it’s not for the faint of heart but for those that are a little adventurous, this dark romance could be an absolute romp!
Blurb:
Welcome to Cape Carnage! Visit Once, Stay Forever.
You can hide in the farthest reaches of the deepest hell, and I will still drag you out. Even the devil can’t save you from me.
Cape Carnage is a seaside town of colourful houses, quirky shops, and an unusually high body count. But with tourists comes trouble, and Harper Starling won’t let anyone ruin her picture-perfect home. A skilled gardener with killer instincts, Harper protects her sanctuary at any cost. Troublesome tourists don’t check out of Carnage. They compost beneath Harper’s award-winning flowerbeds.
But Nolan Rhodes isn’t your average tourist. Devilishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and skilled with a blade, Nolan is relentless in the pursuit of revenge. Every year, Nolan slays another target. And he’s saved the best for last: the undeniably beautiful Harper Starling. The problem? Harper isn’t the monster he expected. And she won’t go down without a fight.
When an amateur true crime investigator comes to Cape Carnage on the trail of a long-lost serial killer, Harper and Nolan strike an uneasy truce. If Nolan helps Harper protect her town, she’ll keep quiet about his hunting habits . . . for now. But their alliance soon spirals into obsession, one that threatens to shatter every secret in Carnage – including their fragile love.
Tourist Season is a darkly funny, slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance where destruction and desire are balanced on the edge of a blade – and where love is the most dangerous battleground of all.
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to get your spooky reads in order!
Until next time,
