Happy Halloween, my darlings! If you're celebrating, I hope you have a delightfully spooky day filled with the best treats. I'm going to do my best to contribute by bringing you some more paranormal book recs. Today, I have some ghost romances for you. These fall into two categories: stories in which the love interest is a ghost and stories in which there are ghosts (some as antagonists and some not).
Ghost Love Interests:
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (YA trans M/cis M): I listed this book in my witch recommendation post earlier this month, but I had to include it here too because of ghost love interest Julian. And truly, it is delightful and deserves to be recommended many times.
The Winter Spirit by Indra Vaughn (M/M): The Winter Spirit is a beautiful, cozy Christmas romance that is utterly heartwarming. Nathaniel runs a B&B that happens to be haunted by Gabriel, a ghost who died before his time and now is trying to play cupid to earn his right to move on.
In the Ravenous Dark by AM Strickland (NA poly): In this fantasy, blood mages are assigned undead spirits to guard (control) then. After hiding her powers for years to avoid that fate, Rovan is found out and bound to a spirit. A spirit she ultimately teams up with to start a rebellion among the living and dead. (Rovan is polyamorous and falls for both Ivrilos, the spirit, and Lydia, a princess).
Ghost in Shining Armor by Therese Beharrie (M/F): Gemma can see ghosts and likes to help them settle their unfinished business, but when she kisses a stranger, she finds he's not only a ghost but is determined to help her—and the only way she can think of to explain his presence is to pretend they're dating.
Not Dead Yet series by Jenn Burke (M/M): I mentioned this series in my vampire romance post a couple of weeks ago because of vampire love interest Hudson, but I'm listing it here too for Wes, who is an immortal not-ghost. He died but was brought back by a witch. Only he came back different, able to transition between the world of the living and the otherplane. I've decided it counts for purposes of this list.
Dance with the Devil by Megan Derr (M/M): I'm stretching the ghost thing a bit for this one too, as Chris, the grumpy paranormal detective, was born a half ghost. The book is structured more as a series of short stories about different cases, in which we also get Chris's relationship with Sable, the demon lord.
Ghosts Present:
Black and Blue series by Lily Morton (M/M): After losing his mother and ending a long-term relationship, Levi needs a fresh start and gets one when he inherits a house in York. But when he gets there, he finds that the house in haunted. As the haunting turns sinister, he finds help in the form of Blue, the leader of a ghost tour who can interact with spirits.
Ghostly Guardians series by Louisa Masters (M/M): This is a fun series set at the Mannix Estate, a historical inn/experience, which is haunted by a half dozen ghosts and has a demon trapped in the basement and a portal to the other world in a closet. If you want hilarious, not at all scary ghost supporting characters, this might be a good series for you.
Stumptown Spirits by EJ Russell (M/M): Logan is riddled with guilt for accidentally trapping his friend in a ghost war. When his boyfriend Riley unknowingly gives him the answer for how to save him, Logan leaves Riley (to keep him safe) and returns to Portland to make things right, even though it will mean sacrificing his own freedom. Then, Riley, now working for a paranormal investigation show, arrives in Portland to film an episode about the ghost war and stumbles across Logan and learns about his plan.
The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles (M/M): It's the story of Simon Feximal, a Victorian ghost hunter, and Robert Caldwell, his narrator/lover, their romance told through a series of short stories detailing various paranormal horrors along the way. (This book is the only KJ Charles I don't regularly reread because it utterly wrecked me, just so you know. Like other KJ Charles books, it is fantastically written and engrossing. But I cry every time.)
OutFoxing the Paranormal series by Jordan L Hawk (trans M/cis M): Parapsychologist Nigel Taylor is offered a lot of grant money by an eccentric woman if he'll investigate a haunted house that Nigel has a connection to with a man she believes to be a real psychic medium. Oscar Fox, founder of a ghost hunting team, has been ignoring visions his whole life, believing them hallucinations like the ones that sent his grandmother to an asylum. Oscar will have to accept the truth of his abilities and Nigel will have to face him past if they're going to make it out of the house alive. Jordan L Hawk has some other fantastic ghost romances as well—try the Spirits series, if you're looking for something historical, or Hainted, if you're looking for a standalone.
The Tutor by Bonnie Dee (M/M): In this historical, typesetter Graham decides to improve his career prospects by taking a job as a tutor at a Yorkshire estate, but when he arrives, he finds the staff creepy, the twins odd, their stern father quite attractive, and the house haunted. Graham has to combat a ghost while protecting the family he's come to care for.
Spindrift by Amy Rae Durreson (M/M): Sion has fled to a seaside town looking for peace and tranquility to recover from a breakdown, but he's woken up by a ghost walking across his bedroom. He goes to the local museum looking for answers and meets Mattie, the ghost's descendant. As the ghost situation becomes far creepier and more sinister, Sion and Mattie begin falling for each other.
In the Garden trilogy by Nora Roberts (M/F): Nora Roberts has written several books (standalone and series) that involve ghosts. The In the Garden trilogy follows three women who find romance while discovering the secrets of Harper house, where, for as long as anyone can remember, the Harper Bride has walked the halls at night singing lullabies.
I'm sure there are a lot more romances involving ghosts that I've read and could've included and a lot more I haven't discovered yet. Do you have any favorites?
I've run out of time in October, but I haven't done a shifter romance post yet...I might have to do that anyway. What do you think?