When Halloween arrives, so do the spooky book recommendations. Horror, ghost stories, thrillers — all great for readers who love a good scare. But what about the readers who want to enjoy Halloween with more treats than tricks? How do readers get the coziness of fall combined with the thrill of the paranormal without the jumpscares? In honor of Halloween, we’ve created a list of some sweet — and sometimes slightly spooky — romances featuring ghosts. From main characters to love interests, spirits abound in the books below!
Hauntingly Good Adult Ghost Romances
Check out these sweet (and sometimes spicy!) love stories for adults. There are ghosts, mediums, reapers, and more! And they don’t let the beginning of their afterlives stop them from finding true love.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Florence may be a ghostwriter for a successful romance author, but Florence doesn’t believe in love. To her, love is pretty much dead. Her career is heading in the same direction when her new editor refuses to give her an extension on her book deadline. As she’s preparing to lose her career, she gets the call that her father’s passed. To attend his funeral, Florence has to return to the same town she’s spent ten years running from.
Surrounded by everything that’s driven her away, Florence can’t bear to stay, even to say goodbye to her father. But at the door of the funeral parlor is her new editor, newly dead and just as confused as Florence. Helping him complete his unfinished business may be the thing that brings Florence’s belief in love back from the dead.
A Ghost in Shining Armor by Therese Beharrie
Gemma Daniels has a special gift: she can see ghosts. Gemma likes using her gifts to help spirits settle their unfinished business. But suddenly, the roles reverse when a hot phantom named Levi Walker decides he needs to help Gemma. Levi is certain that his unfinished business is reuniting Gemma with her long-lost sibling and will go to any lengths to make that happen.
When Gemma meets and gets to know her sister, and Levi’s still here, both of them have to decide what really put them in each other’s paths. And if revealing their true selves to one another is worth it.
Ghosted by Sarah Ready
Jillian Nejat has never been able to speak to men. Living, breathing men have always been too out of her league. Just add it to the list of things in her life that are not going well: an empty bank account, a career in the garage, and her dating life on a decade-long hiatus. The most recent addition to that list is her tiny, dirt-cheap new apartment, which happens to already be occupied.
By a dead guy. A sexy, shirtless, dead guy who makes it the mission of his afterlife to resurrect Jillian’s dating life. Eager for the apartment to herself, Jillian agrees to let Daniel help her. Suddenly their practice dates feel like the real thing, accompanied by all-too-real heartful confessions. Jillian’s love life is rising from the dead, but the same can’t be said for Daniel.
The Grim Reaper’s Lawyer by Mea Monique
Joyce Parker is glad to be dead. She liked her life as a lawyer, but she was really looking forward to pearly gates and endless bliss for all eternity. But there’s one thing getting in the way of her afterlife: the Grim Reaper. He needs a favor from Joyce, and unless she helps him, the only place she’ll be spending the rest of her time is in hell.
The fate of her afterlife depends on her successfully representing him in the newly formed Reaper’s Court. Falling back into her lawyer role should be easy, but reapers, souls, traitors, and an unexpected romance have Joyce questioning everything she thought she knew.
A Ghost of Her Own: A Cozy Paranormal Romance by Alessa Winters
Eager for a new beginning after leaving an abusive relationship, Grace Ruddy looks for her new life in an abandoned warehouse. But her new home has its own problems–specifically the ghost of an old man who died in the warehouse a long time ago.
This ghost doesn’t seem too thrilled about Grace moving in, and Grace isn’t eager to let any new people in, ghost or otherwise. Inexplicably drawn together, Grace starts to form a new connection with him, a connection that could be exactly what both of them were looking for.
My Blind Date is a Ghost by Daphne Bloom
Cora is suddenly alive after two hundred years, and she has a lot of questions. Who brought her back? Why? When will her second life end? With all these mysteries circling her head, Cora doesn’t have the time for dating and falling in love. But that doesn’t stop the resident matchmaker from setting her up with a handsome detective. That same detective wants to help Cora, but Cora isn’t sure if she can risk getting close to him. How does she fall in love when she’s scared of losing her second chance at life?
YA Reads Too Good To Ghost
It would haunt us forever if we left these next books off our list! These titles may be YA, but they have couples that are just as sweet and spirits that are just as fun.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Yadriel is determined to prove himself as a real brujo. Not just to his doubtful family but also to himself. What better way of proving his powers than completing a ritual all by himself? However, when Yadriel tries to complete the ritual that will bring back his recently passed family member, he brings back Julian. Julian, the school’s bad boy.
Julian doesn’t remember how he died and isn’t ready to move on. Both boys have goals to achieve, and it’s looking like they’ll need to work together, which wouldn’t be so bad if Julian wasn’t so annoying. And annoyingly cute.
If I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun
Cara Tang had enough problems with Zacharias when he was alive. When she stumbles across his dead body in the woods, he only becomes more unbearable. Cara has enough going on dealing with ghost-speaking powers and constantly being at odds with her mom without Zach’s ghost following her around. Yet, against her better judgment, she agrees to resurrect him.
Doing so throws her into a dangerous world full of monsters and magic–bringing her all the more closer to Zach, the guy she can’t stand. Or, the guy she thought couldn’t stand. But death changes things for everyone, right?
The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore
Este Logano attends Radcliffe Prep in hopes of learning more about her dead father. As the third most haunted school in the country, Radcliffe is the perfect place to track down a ghost. Not that Este believes in ghosts, but her father’s former school has just as good a chance of holding his history as it does his ghost, right? Except ghosts are definitely real. And one in particular, named Mateo, has it out for Este.
When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book and then vanishes, Este risks following her father’s footsteps to expulsion from Radcliffe. But proving her innocence and uncovering her father’s history will prove more dangerous than she could have imagined.
In need of more recommendations? Check out here and here!
Browse these books and more on our Bookshop Paranormal Romance Bookshelf.