I know, I’ve been quiet for quite a while now, sorry about that! (This is why blogging has never truly taken off for me – I have lots to say, but the time to say it is short – or the laziness sets in. What? I’m not going to lie.) I’ve actually got a post in my drafts which I’ve never finished, because… lazy. It’s a tag, so it’s not like it’ll be “out of season” when I do get around to it, but those videos I reference will be pretty old by then, lol. This, however, is not a post to talk about all that. Let’s talk Spooky Season.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween and what’s now known as “Spooky Season” – I’ve always been a fan of fall, though. As a knitter, it’s kind of mandatory that I love fall so I can wear handknits, but I digress. As a reader, I’m not a huge fan of the horror or psychological thriller genre (though I did go through a phase where I read a shit-ton of Stephen King when I was in high school… that might be why I’m not a fan now, heh), but I do love me some paranormal. And once I started reading romance? Give me some paranormal romance and I am trash for it! 🤣 And as I’m inspired by the BookTubers I’m subbed to, I thought why not just post about some reading for the season? I’ll let you know that a lot of this is going to be PNR – I’ve been reading a fair bit of it recently and with my discovery of monster romances that I enjoy, I’m all about it. So, with that kind of (lame, I know) build up, here are some suggestions that I have read or am planning on reading that are perfect for the season (all links will take you to the book’s Goodreads page):
This one has a romantic element to it, but it’s truly a psychological thriller. Our narrator is vapid and unreliable, but she’s the one who leads us through the lead up and aftermath of her friend’s brutal murder in college. And the reunion 10 years later that someone has orchestrated to find out who the actual killer is – everyone in their friend group has a motive, but no one can quite figure out WHY. And everyone has a different memory of what happened that evening and their own secrets, so no one is a reliable character. Was I able to predict who the actual killer was? Yes, but the journey there was fan-fucking-tastic. I did not want to put this down at all and regret nothing.
Halloween Boo (Holiday Hunk #1)
Okay, on the lighter and sillier side of things, I bring you this one. If you are a fan of the original Hocus Pocus, this novella is an homage to some very grown up familiar characters. 😂😳 Dani doesn’t believe in ghosts, even living in Salem, however, since she moved into her apartment a year ago, there have been some weird things happening… like things moving around. She nicknames the ghost Casper, until Halloween, when the veil between the living and the afterlife is at its thinnest… and she finds out her ghost isn’t named Casper at all, but Zack. And Zack is VERY interested in her – and Dani is all for that.
It’s a novella and you know there will be a twist to give our characters their HEA and while OTT, it fits perfectly. (No pun intended.) It’s the great start to a series of books that cover various holidays – this one and the second which covers Christmas are my faves – but if you want a quick, OTT, Halloween related read, this is it.
Muscles and Monsters (Leviathan Fitness #1)
Let me just put this out there – if you are curious about monster romance, but don’t want to jump right into the deep end, this is a good starting place. (I literally just read this the other day and fell in love with it!) It blends the human world with the monster one (none of the monsters are shifters, but our hero is a wolven – the cover doesn’t lie) and was just a sweet, but oh-so-hot, intro to this world.
Our FMC is a baker and meets our MMC, a gym owner, when she drops a tier to a wedding cake and he helps the cute, curvy woman clean up. She decides that she should join the MMC’s gym – not to lose weight, but to become stronger so she doesn’t drop other cakes. Our MMC is more than happy to help her achieve her goals and make her happy in any way he can. Honestly, I wasn’t sure about this book when I downloaded it off of KU, but as soon as I opened it, I was hooked and could not put it down.
Wolf Gone Wild (Stay a Spell, Book 1)
Okay, let me just say this, I ADORE this series and am a patron of Juliette Cross on Patreon. (I like to get stuff like that out of the way first.) If you’re a fan of the supernatural, this could be the series for you. Each book follows a different sister – four of the six are out now, but book five has a release date of October 31, 2022! (Yes, my ebook copy is preordered and I’ll get my physical one whenever Juliette has a chance to send it out post-launch.) This is quite possibly one of my all time favorite series!
This series follows the Savoie witches, a powerful family of witches in New Orleans. Each witch has a different natural ability, though all of them are exceptionally talented. Wolf Gone Wild is about the second eldest, Evie, who is a renowned hex breaker. When a handsome werewolf comes looking for her to help break what he thinks is a hex on him (he is unable to shift and cannot shut his wolf up), she has to decide whether the family can/should help him… and they both have to figure out all these feelings that arise. The sisters partner with other supernaturals (werewolves, vampires, and grims – oh my!) to help solve issues that arise while honing their own unique talents.
The Witching Hour (Lives of the Mayfair Witches #1)
I don’t know that you can have a list of spooky season books without mentioning an Anne Rice. However, I didn’t go for the obvious Interview with the Vampire, though it is good; I wanted to go with my favorite of her series – I read this book almost 30 years ago (WTF?! This was released in 1990? I probably read it around 1993… I am fucking old.) and it’s had a few cover updates since then, but this is the cover I remember. I had the hardback and it was well-loved and falling apart, I read it so much. Apparently AMC is producing a series on this like they did for Interview and while I know I’m going to have issues, I am intrigued. The trailer has me wanting more. I may need to do a series reread before it debuts in January – and this time I’ll buy them for my Kindle so I can’t destroy the book. 🤣
There are definite tie ins to the Vampires, one direct line is the Talamasca, but there are a few other seeds planted here and there which were fun to find in my first reads. If you weren’t a fan of her Vampire series, you may still love this one – you’ve still got the supernatural and a lot of fucked up shit (hallmarks of an Anne Rice novel, no?), you do not have a narcissistic, vain, at times childlike, fuckboi who flits from place to place, creating problems wherever he goes. That said, you do have a fucked up demon in this series and a REALLY fucked up family lineage, so… yeah? 🤷🏻♀️
So there are 5 suggestions for some spooky season reading – I KNOW I’ve read more Halloween novellas and I do love a book about witches (I have one checked out from the library to read and a few on my Read bookshelf in Goodreads. (I’d say check the holiday shelf, but I know I haven’t sorted the majority of them, lol.) What are your favorite books for the season? Are you a seasonal reader at all? Do you have a recommendation? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Happy Halloween, y’all!
xo,
Holly ❤️
Bookish, Nerdy, and Curious 