This Rec League comes from Sarahjane:
Was listening to (and loving, as usual) the latest podcast and have a bit of a Rec League request. I’d love to find more books that have a plot of “We main characters find ourselves on the fringes of spooky/mysterious/magical/alien shenanigans and must solve the mystery (or defeat the aliens or banish the ghosts, etc.) One of my big favorites is KJ Charles’ Magpie Lord series. I especially love queer romances (of any orientation).
Sarah: The Allie Therin series with the silhouette covers! Look at my partially booted up brain doing things.
The Magic in Manhattan series, first book is Spellbound. ( A | BN | K | G | AB )
Elyse: Early Simone St. James
Her historical were delightfully spooky. Her contemporaries are darker.
Susan: Okay, this is my wheelhouse. Widdershins by Jordan L Hawk is pulpy cosmic horror – I agree with all of the points that Carrie made about it in her review, but it’s still a comfort read for me. Plus, the Whyborne and Griffin series crosses over with one of KJ Charles’ series!
Also I assume that this requester has read KJ Charles’ Spectred Isle, ( A ) but if not: that is one of my favourites by her!
The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window has a man who really wishes he couldn’t see all of these ghosts start working for a man who solves hauntings. It’s kinda like xxxholic in its premise, except that instead of solving problems with magic, karma, or a baseball bat, the protagonists here solve them by uhhhhhh touching each other’s souls in a very horny manner.
What books would you recommend? Tell us in the comments!
Diana Biller’s The Widow of Rose House and Charish Reid’s I’ll Come Back For You are both fabulous books that mingle great romances with spooky ghosts!
This is my jam!
If you’re comfortable with something more old school, pretty much everything Barbara Michaels wrote. Set in our world, mostly contemporary (when written), focused on a female character solving something paranormal with a male love interest. They often have a gothic feel, but with usually a heroine that is less of the ingenue type that was popular in gothics at that time.
Also I really liked T.Kingfisher’s Paladin books, which has a variety of different pairings and a fantasy/horror vibe. My favorite thing about her books is the characters always have no nonsense “well, let’s get on with things” personalities and a lack of “Chosen One” narratives.
I’m really excited to see everyone’s recs b/c this is one of my favorite things to read.
KJ Charles, of course, is the best for this, as she is the best for everything she touches. The only problem is that she’s ruining me for most anything else.
Sarah Monette/Katherine Addison is phenomenal also. She and T Kingfisher would round out my top picks. (I wish desperately that Cat Sebastian would write paranormal.)
Possibly Ellen Kushner’s Riverside series will suit this.
I like Alexis Hall’s Kate Kane series but it’s Alexis Hall, so very meta, and snarky.
Charlie Adhara’s Big Bad Wolf series is not…great, but irresistible to me.
I have a read a number of Jordan Hawk books because they very definitely fit this premise, Josh Lanyon also, and they are consistently, infuriatingly, bafflingly, disappointing. Hopefully your mileage varies!
If the requestor is ok with off-page sexytimes, I think some Susanna Kearsley books fit this. Not always ghosts but her books often have spooky/supernatural elements and they’re definitely on the cozy side of the spectrum.
Another vote for Widow of Rose House!
Also A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong has spooky vibes plus a time slip. I really liked it though the second book in the series was a DNF for me.
T. Kingfisher’s CLOCKTAUR WAR duology is great (I would technically say it’s really just one long book, but it’s divided in two.) The Paladin books stand alone and are more on the romance side, but are also excellent. The third one, PALADIN’S HOPE is the creepiest/most mysterious of the bunch.
Would also recommend Freya Marske’s A MARVELLOUS LIGHT and thought I had some issues with it (cheating on the part of one of the MCs) C.S. Poe’s MADISON SQUARE MURDERS.
Amanda Stevens’ “Graveyard Queen” series. Very creepy and atmospheric. There’s ghosts and cemeteries and mysteries to solve – and romance, of course. It’s my favorite paranormal read (although, if you hate pregnancy tropes and the heroine magically knowing she’s pregnant, the last bit of the last book will annoy you – it did me).
Oh and also Zen Cho, and KD Edwards are fun.
Karen White and the Tradd Street series might qualify. Nearly all of her other books have some paranormal.
Most are set in the Lowcountry or other parts of the South.
Magpie Lord’s vibe reminded me of The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold, one of her Chalion books – more the creepy magical mystery than the romance part. I liked the side characters more than the main.
Tamara Berry’s Eleanor Wilde series features a fake medium and some spooky shenanigans with a side dose of romance. The first book, Sucker for Seances, is great.
Harper Fox’s Tyack and Frayne series is wonderful & has some spooky elements.
John Eyre by Mimi Matthews is a Jane Eyre/Dracula mashup
I have a couple of recommendations for romance series that I describe as “romance with a side of ghosts”. I don’t like to be scared so these are all not too creepy but had enough supernatural elements to give me the occasional jolt.
The first is the Phantoms series starting with GHOST OF A PROMISE, by Kelly Moran that features a team of paranormal investigators who look into supposedly haunted houses.
The second is the Ramos Family series starting with MEDIUM WELL by Meg Benjamin, that features cousins that have all inherited abilities as a medium.
The mention of paranormal investigators sparked a few ideas. I enjoyed the two book Hellsinger series by Rhys Ford. Louisa Masters has a series about a house of friendly ghosts though I think the sequels haven’t been as good as the first one. And Lily Morton has a series called Black and Blue that I haven’t read. I did read part of The Sceptic which is a spin-off and didn’t think the romance and spooky were well balanced.
Seconding Michaels, Bujold and Kearsley. Adding Alice Degan’s From All False Doctrine.
Such a good sub-genre! Very much my ish. A few thoughts:
Second Allie Therin – I could NOT get into her Magic in Manhatten series (I can’t stand it when the hero is “hot/rich/charming/no real flaws and just can’t understand why the love interest would like them). But her PROPER SCOUNDRELS spinoff is fantastic – no need to read the other series, they summarize nicely. It’s great paranormal MM. If you like Therin she also has a more staunchly paranormal in LIAR CITY – first book only is out and only romanic ***vibes*** the slowest of the slow burns.
Charlie Adhara – BIG BAD WOLF series (MM) is a must. Not perfect, but very very fun. She also has a spin off in PACK OF LIES (MM) that’s a great set up – but the second book is majorly delayed so maybe portion control it?
Salt Magic, Skin Magic – standalone MM, also a fun read though unfortunately not a series.
THE SPECTRAL FILES – hits the MM and many series note. This one wasn’t as good a series to me – the central romance didn’t have the “wow” factor but def meets criteria.
Jen Burke also has a few MM paranormal series out – kind of fall into the same “good not great” category but there’s enough there to keep you busy.
I’m going to just assume you’ve read the full KJ Charles backlog by now.
This is a little more fluff/off the wall but you might try the Hailey Turner METAHUMAN FILES – it’s MM military/metahumans – lots of ongoing plot/mystery with the central MM romance.
Happy reading!
Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy would fit this bill, I think… presuming that those looking for these recs will view interspecies romance as a feature rather than a bug! I enjoyed these, and have reread them. Anxious scholar finds a Cursed Manuscript™, meets a mysterious vampire who runs a yoga studio (!), and the rest is history! Also there are lesbian witch aunts and I love them.
Thematically appropriate and very sexy, though not written within the romance genre: The Essex Serpent.
I would also recommend CL Polk’s Kingston Cycle books for this (Witchmark, Sotormsong, and Soulstar). Each book in the trilogy follows a different main character and their romantic interest as they solve mysteries and fight threats both supernatural and political.
I’m currently in the middle of The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope and it also fits the bill. There are deal-making spirits, ghosts, a heist team, jazz-era galas…
Both of these are more on the historical fantasy with romance subplot side than genre romance, FYI, but overall very fun books.