Are you getting excited for Spooky season? Because, I certainly am! This past weekend, I went to TJ Maxx to start looking for Halloween decorations, and it did not disappoint! Overall, it just made me so excited and ready for the Halloween season and all the spooky books that should be read during that time!
Iβve put together an extensive list of books to read for the Halloween season! Iβve split it up into categories: witchy, fantasy and paranormal, vampires, devils and demons, dark and suspense romance, lightly supernatural, and horror! So, I hope thereβs something for everyone. Iβll also be releasing a cozy Fall book list soon if thatβs more your vibe, so be on the lookout for that!
Looking for more vampires? Check out my list of best vampire series!
Looking for even more Spooky Season books? Check out this older post!
Witchy
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches β Sangu mandanna
Iβve already got my copy, and Iβm excited to read this Fall!
Official Blurb
As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers donβt mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, sheβs used to being alone and she follows the rulesβ¦with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
enchanted to Meet you β Meg Cabot
Release Date: September 5, 2023
I love when Meg Cabot goes supernatural! That is all.
Official Blurb
Itβs Magic When You Meet Your Match In her teenage years, lovelorn Jessica Gold cast a spell that went disastrously wrong, and brought her all the wrong kind of attentionβas well as a lifetime ban from the World Council of Witches.
So no one is more surprised than Jess when, fifteen years later, tall, handsome WCW member Derrick Winters shows up in her quaint little village of West Harbor and claims that Jess is the Chosen One.
The Kiss Curse β Erin Sterling
Official Blurb
Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; sheβs running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and sheβs started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, thereβs only one problemβLlewellyn βWellsβ Penhallow.
Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his familyβs connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallowβs, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns heβs gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.
Black Candle Women β Diane Marie Brown
This book sounds phenomenal! I have it on my list for my workβs October book club!
Official Blurb
Generations of Montrose womenβAugusta, Victoria, Willowβhave always lived together in their quaint California bungalow. They keep to themselves, never venture far from home, and their collection of tinctures and spells is an unspoken bond between them. But when young Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first time, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray.
The Modern Girlβs Guide to magic β Linsey Hall
Official Blurb
So hereβs the dealβIβm a magical disaster. A witch from a family of witches, and the only one whose magic blows up in her face. Which is why I came up with my rulesβ¦ 1. Never get involved with magic 2. If you must, do not enter a competition to win the biggest magical fortune in England 3. And definitely donβt fall for Callan Hawthorne, the sexy billionaire mage who youβve hated for years So how the heck do I end up in a situation that promises to break all those rules? Itβs the only way to save Seaside Spells, my familyβs magical potion shop. But itβs cool. When I go back home to Charming Coveβa village of ancient pubs and foul-mouthed familiarsβI will totally ignore Witch Weeklyβs Sexiest Man of the Year. Iβll win the competition, and if Iβm lucky, I wonβt turn myself into a toad in the process. Thisβll be fine. Itβll all be fine. Riiiight.
The Witch Is Back β Sophie H. Morgan
Official Blurb
Love is a hex of a thing. Former childhood sweethearts fake a relationship in this charming, witchy romcom.
Thereβs nothing wrong with being a wallflower. Not to Emmaline Bluewater, anyway. Emma may have been born into witch society, but her days of trying to fit in where she doesnβt belong are overβthey ended seven years ago, when the man sheβd hoped to marry left town without a word. Sheβs much happier now, living a delightfully mundane human life in Chicago and running her bar, Toil and Trouble.
Until Bastian Truenote walks through the door and announces that he wants her back.
This Spells Disaster β Tori Anne Martin
Release Date: September 12, 2023
Official Blurb
Potion maker and self-proclaimed βmessy witchβ Morgan Greenwood is sure she was hexed at birth. Not only did she drunkenly offer to fake date the woman of her dreams during the biennial New England Witchesβ festival, but Rory Sandler, spellcasting champion and brilliant elemental witchβfor reasons known only to the Goddessβaccepted. Itβs like every good luck spell Morgan ever cast came through at once, and it doesnβt take a crystal ball to predict this charade will end with a broken heart.
Witch Of Wild Things β Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Release Date: September 12, 2023
Official Blurb
Legend goes that long ago a Flores woman offended the old gods, and their family was cursed as a result. Now, every woman born to the family has a touch of magic.
Sage Flores has been running from her familyβand their βgiftsββever since her younger sister Sky died. Eight years later, Sage reluctantly returns to her hometown. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands.
Fantasy/Paranormal
The Kingβs Captive β K.M. Shea
Iβm SO EXCITED to read this book soon. Iβve heard nothing but good things about how itβs laugh out loud funny and a great story!
Official Blurb
I can turn into a housecat.
Itβs a fun magic, except in a world filled with vampires and werewolves, it doesnβt exactly make me a powerhouse. Instead, the supernatural community has classified me as an outcast, which means one thing: Picking on me is open season all day, every day.
The local fae are the worst of all, and itβs during one of their regular βcapture the cat-girlβ sessions that I shift into my cat form and meet HIM for the first time.
Noctus is so powerful his magic radiates off him like a sun, and my fae captors can barely look in his general direction. And then my life gets even more terrifying when Noctus decides to take me with him. As a pet.
The Rebel king β Gina L. maxwell
Want my thoughts? Check out my spoiler-free review here!
Official Blurb
All work and no wicked play makes Tiernan a very unsatisfied kingβ¦
Of all the Verran brothers, Tiernan is the least suited to wear the Night Court crown. The Rebel Prince is happy with no responsibilities or accountabilityβjust the freedom to pursue his own dark, lush pleasures in Sin City. Including his secret hunger for a certain smart-mouthed, fiery redhead.
Only, the possibility of having Fiona is stripped away when Tiernan is thrust into the one role he never king.
Legends & Lattes β Travis Baldree
Official Blurb
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success β not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she wonβt be able to go it alone.
The Flame Kingβs Captive β Chloe Chastaine
Official Blurb
He snatched me from the jaws of death for one reasonβto be his.
I was a dead kingβs sacrificial bride, until his murderer claimed me as his. Zabriel invaded my country of Maledin on the back of a monstrous, fire-breathing dragon and took me prisoner.
The lethal Zabriel towers over me in steel plate armor, and he could easily crush the life out of meβbut the Flame King isnβt interested in harming me. Instead, he destroys everyone who has hurt me in a storm of fire and vengeance.
Emily Wildeβs Encyclopaedia Of Faeries β Heather Fawlett
Official Blurb
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the worldβs first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a partyβor even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emilyβs research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
Vampires
My Roommate Is A Vampire β Jenna Levine
Official Blurb
Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but itβs a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, sheβs desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catchβonly someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.
Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her dayβ¦.
Looking for more vampires? Check out my list of best vampire series!
Demons, Devils, & Hell
Sign Here β Claudia Lux
Official Blurb
Peyote Trip has a pretty good gig in the deals department on the fifth floor of Hell. Sure, none of the pens work, the coffee machine has been out of order for a century, and the only drink on offer is JΓ€germeister, but Pey has a planβand all he needs is one last member of the Harrison family to sell their soul.
When the Harrisons retreat to the family lake house for the summer, with their daughter Mickeyβs precocious new friend, Ruth, in tow, the opportunity Pey has waited a millennium for might finally be in his grasp. And with the help of his charismatic coworker Calamity, he sets a plan in motion.
Seduction of a Psychopomp β Elsie Winters
Iβve heard this book is actually an incredibly sweet romance!?
Official Blurb
I wonβt live to see my 29th birthday unless I make a deal to marry Death.
An arranged marriage to a grim reaper? Whatever keeps me on this side of the dirt.
My new husband Victor is formidable, built like a god, and β¦ is scary supposed to be this sexy? Because itβs kind of sexy. The problem is he doesnβt seem to get this whole marriage thing. Every time I approach him for company, he scampers off like a disgruntled cat. Iβd be fine with letting him have his space, but I canβt help being reminded every time I look at him that a girl has needs. How can I lure my new husband into bed? And is it even possible to win the heart of a reaper?
Dark/Suspense Romance
There Are No Saints β Sophie Lark
Iβve got this one queued up on my Kindle!!
Official Blurb
I loathe Alastor Shaw.
The city of San Francisco thinks weβre rival artists.
In truth, weβre predators battling for hunting ground.
We never chased the same prey. Until the night we both laid eyes on Mara Eldritch.
Shaw wants to use her as a pawn in his twisted game.
Iβm fixated on her for a different reasonβ¦
Does It Hurt? β H.D. Carlton
Official Blurb
Who am I? Iβve forgotten the answer to that question long ago. Ever since I ran from that house, so desperate to escape, I left with only the clothes on my back and socks on my feet. After that day, Iβve only ever walked in stolen shoes.
Could I be a girl who is searching for the meaning of life in faceless men? They were all so forgettable. Until he came along. He took me under a waterfall and made me forget my name, and in return, I took his instead.
Enzo Vitale.
The Never king β Nikki St. Crowe
Official Blurb
The stories were all wrong β Hook was never the villain.
For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their 18th birthday. Sometimes theyβre gone for only a day, some a week or a month. But they always return broken.
Now, on the afternoon of my 18th birthday, my mother is running around the house making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.
But itβs pointless.
Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys arenβt willing to let me go.
Lightly Supernatural
Ghosted β Amanda Quain (Young Adult)
Official Blurb
Hattie Tilney isnβt a believer. Yes, sheβs a senior at Americaβs most (allegedly) haunted high school, Northanger Abbey. But ever since her paranormal-loving dad passed away, sheβs hung up her Ghostbusters suit, put away the EMF detectors and thermal cameras, and moved on. She has enough to worry about in the land of the livingβlike taking care of her younger brother, Liam, while their older sister spirals out and their mother, Northangerβs formidable headmistress, buries herself in her work. If Hattie just works hard enough and keeps that overachiever mask on tight through graduation, maybe her mom will finally notice her.
Do your Worst β Rosie Danan
Release Date: November 14, 2023
Official Blurb
Sparks fly when an occult expert and a disgraced archeologist become enemies-with-benefits in this steamy romance.
Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her familyβs knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when sheβs hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, sheβs pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrivalβuntil he tries to get her fired.
Horror
The Hacienda β Isabel Canas
Official Blurb
In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatrizβs father is executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo SolΓ³rzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wifeβs sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.
The Haunting of Alejandra β V. Castro
Official Blurb
A woman is haunted by the Mexican folk demon La Llorona as she unravels the dark secrets of her family history in this ravishing and provocative horror novel.
Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her.
Nor can they see what Alejandra sees. In times of despair, a ghostly vision appears to her, the apparition of a crying woman in a ragged white gown.
What Moves The Dead β T. Kingfisher
Official Blurb
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruravia.
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.
Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.
Sisters of the Lost nation β Nick Medina
Official Blurb
A young Native girlβs hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribeβs reservation lead her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.
Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservationβs casinoβ¦and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every stepβan ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one thatβs intent on devouring her whole.
A House With Good Bones β T. Kingfisher
Official Blurb
Mom seems off.β
Her brotherβs words echo in Sam Montgomeryβs ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.
She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Samβs excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.
Such Sharp Teeth β Rachel Harrison
Official Blurb
Rory Morris isnβt thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the babyβs father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought sheβd put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, sheβs attacked.
Suburban Hell β Maureen Kilmer
Official Blurb
A Chicago cul-de-sac is about to get a new neighborβ¦of the demonic kind.
Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and moved to the suburbs, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, snarking together from the outskirts of the PTA crowd. One night during their monthly wine get-together, the crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Lizβs backyardβa space for just them, no spouses or kids allowed.
Farewell Thoughts
Looking for even more Spooky Season books? Check out this older post!
Let me know if you read any of these spooky season books β in the comments or over on Instagram! If you liked this list of books to read for the Halloween season, Iβd love for you to share this post!