Spooky season has arrived, and that means two things: Romances that make the perfect Halloween treat, and the beginning of the December holiday romance wave. All of these books fall into one category or the other, so this season, grab some milk and cookies, the candy of your choice, or both, and get reading!
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Vengefully Matched
Author: Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
Released: October 6, 2026 by Atria Books
Genre: LGBTQIA, Paranormal, Romance
Series: Hallowcross #2From the author of the “colorful, sweet, and swoony” (Mallory Marlowe, USA TODAY bestselling author) Hopelessly Teavoted comes a witchy, sapphic rom-com about a mischievous runaway bride and her prim-and-proper Witchery Council rival who must fake-date in order to catch a would-be murderer—and accidentally fall in love.
Priscilla Hart does not do regret—except maybe for the spectacularly disastrous choice of fleeing her own wedding in a cloud of magical fireworks. Now the town’s most infamous runaway witch, she’s determined to rebuild her reputation on the Witchery Council and prove she’s more than a scandal in designer heels.
Agatha Vanderbilt Voisin, the newly elected council president, is everything Priscilla can’t stand: composed, proper, and infuriatingly perfect. But when a string of dangerous magical explosions points to Priscilla as the culprit, Agatha makes an impulsive move—announcing that they’re dating—to save her from exile.
Faking a relationship in public should be simple even for such opposites…until late-night arguments turn into slow-burn attraction, and the two discover that something wicked is brewing in Hallowcross. To survive the magic—and their feelings—they’ll have to stop pretending and risk falling for real.
Can they outwit a magic powerful enough to destroy them, or will trust be the most dangerous risk of all?
Goldberg Ruoff follows up Hopelessly Teavoted with another Halloween-perfect read of magic and witchery, complete with an Opposites Attract-Fake Dating situation that appears to have been written for me personally. (I’m not the only one whose Type is 100% the brunette on the cover, right?)
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Setting the Stage for Christmas
Author: Tanya Boteju
Released: October 13, 2026 by Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceA sizzling yet sweet festive rom-com about a small-town theatre director forced to put her faith in the woman who once shattered her heart, so they can save not only the show, but their whole community, too.
In Cedar Creek, Christmas is no joke, and the annual seasonal play is the centerpiece of the festivities. As director, Bo Amaratunga is not only filling the boots of her mother, but fulfilling her role as community organizer—bringing people together for a night of queer joy and merriment.
When a local landmark goes up for sale, and the town looks to Bo to save it, she does exactly what her mother would do: draws up plans to produce the loudest, most magical play to save the day—or at least bring in enough ticket sales to fend off any prospective buyers. To pull it all off, Bo needs a set builder who can bring her vision to life, but the only option seems to be the newly returned Val Morales, Bo’s long lost high school sweetheart. Sure, Val’s incredibly talented, more than willing to help, and still makes Bo’s pulse race, but how can she trust the girl who ghosted her and left her devastated ten years ago? And why did Val come back after all these years, anyway?
Val Morales didn’t think she’d ever find herself back in Cedar Creek. Freshly divorced, unemployed, and floundering, she was glad to take the lifeline when her demanding parents offered her a job helping out with their realtor business. When they ask her to find a buyer for their lucrative property in Cedar Creek, she jumps at the opportunity to escape their disappointment at her life’s recent downturn and hopefully even impress them. She wasn’t expecting to run into Bo, her first, most pivotal love, or for Bo to ask for her help designing the set for the annual holiday play. When Val realizes the property she’s trying to sell is the same one the play is trying to save, she is forced into an impossible place—will she break Bo’s heart all over again?
As the past and their longing for one another creeps up on them, Bo and Val must figure out a way to maneuver around their conflicting goals and pressures.
At once an utterly delightful holiday romcom and a tender exploration of past, present, and future selves, Tanya Boteju’s adult debut Setting the Stage For Christmas will warm hearts in any season.
I’m predisposed to be excited for this one because A) its premise has hints of one my favorite m/m romances, Showmance by Chad Beguelin, and B) I’m already a fan of Boteju’s Sapphic YA (and its rare Sri Lankan rep), so I’m excited to see her make the jump over. Holiday small town sweetness plus second chance romance is one of those combos that always feels like a recipe for success, and I look forward to her spin!
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A Christmas Inn, Maine
Author: Aaron Kyte
Released: October 13, 2026 by Avon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceA sparkling queer holiday rom-com about a former book editor determined to save his family’s failing inn… and the infuriatingly charming contractor he can’t seem to cut from the narrative.
Freshly dumped and jobless, Adam Wheatley has a list of personal failures as long as his arm. Forced to move back to his sleepy Maine hometown, he feels completely without purpose… until he learns that his aunt Rose has been keeping a secret: her beloved inn is failing, and she’s just weeks away from losing her home and her livelihood.
Adam has a brilliant idea to save the business: he’ll take charge of renovating the inn, and organize a grand re-opening on Christmas Eve. Then, victorious, he’ll move back to the city to rebuild his life and his career in publishing.
But when the renovation proves more “flop” than “flip,” Adam realizes it will take a Christmas miracle to turn things around. Enter Graham—the maddeningly competent, ridiculously attractive contractor who offers to help… in exchange for a place to stay. He’s talented, patient, kind, and far too easy to like, which is inconvenient, because Adam has sworn off romance. Permanently.
As the inn’s future becomes even more uncertain, and his feelings for Graham grow more confusing, Adam finds himself rewriting more than just his to-do lists. Because the future he thought he wanted—and the one he’s starting to build with Graham—might not be the same story at all.
And this time, there’s no easy edit.
I love me a renovation romance, and this debut ticks every one of my boxes for the perfect holiday rom-com to curl up with on a chilly day. Honestly, it had me at “former book editor,” but the fact that they’re fixing up an inn? Around Christmastime? It doesn’t get cuter than that!
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A Very Merry Detour
Author: Court Behr
Released: October 13, 2026 by The Dial Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceA week before Christmas, a woman on a cross-country road trip to win back her ex-boyfriend gets stranded in a Utah ski town and ends up finding love where she least expects it.
It’s the holidays, and Alaina has just been dumped. Determined to have the romantic Christmas she’s always wanted, she sets out on a cross-country road trip to surprise her ex-boyfriend and convince him she’s the one. But her grand plans are derailed when she drives straight into a snowbank in the middle of nowhere, Utah. She’s rescued by Priscilla, a terse, unsmiling bookstore owner with zero interest in holiday cheer. Stranded in the ski town of Brooks with her car out of commission, Alaina makes a bucket list of festive adventures to prove she’s fun and adventurous enough to love—and to her surprise, Priscilla offers to join her.
Between tree-cutting misadventures, ice-skating lessons, and a night beneath the stars, Alaina’s plan goes off without a hitch—except that the longer she spends with Priscilla, the less she’s sure of what, or who, she really wants. All throughout Brooks, the two run into locals who adore Priscilla—from the mechanic to the owner of the diner—and soon, it’s clear that Priscilla’s hard exterior masks a tender heart, one that’s just as afraid as Alaina that she’s not worth loving. It may just take a Christmas miracle to show them that true love might be closer than you think.
A heartwarming romance packed with small-town cheer, A Very Merry Detour is about how opening ourselves up to love—whether it’s for friends, family, or home—always makes room for our most authentic selves.
Continuing the theme of debut adult queer Christmas Romances (’tis the season!), we’ve got more snow, this time with glorious Forced Proximity and general strandedness! (God, this is why this is the best season.) But if there’s anything about this book for which I am a huge sucker (other than all those other things), it’s the “I’m soooo in love with this guy! Whoops, nope, just fell for a girl!” storyline. The perfect gift for any chaotic bisexual wishlist!
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Lethal Kiss
Author: Taylor Grothe
Released: October 20, 2026
Genre: Horror, LGBTQIA, Paranormal, RomanceJennifer’s Body meets Ninth House: Taylor Grothe’s adult debut novel is a sapphic horror/romance that’s as grotesque and blood-soaked as it is beautiful.
When Marcella is hired at Preston University, she has her game plan already mapped out―lay low for a few semesters, enjoy the extensive library, and maybe feast on a couple of her coworkers. That is, until a professor is found murdered and it’s not her doing. She may be the newest monster on campus, but she definitely isn’t the most dangerous.
Assistant professor Lacie is aware how ruthless the track to tenure is. But seeing the corpse of one of her colleagues is enough to make her suspect the other professors that came before her didn’t just quit academia. Unfortunately, there’s only one person she can trust enough to ask for help―the beautiful, aloof, and tantalizingly secretive Marcella.
Lacie and Marcella team up to make a chilling discovery: there’s something festering under the marble floors of Preston University, and it’s hungry. Marcella might be a monster, but the deeper into the mystery they dig, the more she’s attracted to Lacie’s immovable bravery and quiet intelligence. And the closer they grow, the more Lacie is drawn to Marcella’s vicious nature.
The weight of spilled blood and stolen opportunity is too heavy to carry alone, but they’re both determined to get what they deserve―even if they have to kill for it.
We may be prepping for the upcoming holidays, but we’re deep in both academia and Halloween seasons right now, and what better read for that than a bloody monster horror/romance (I personally dig the Horrormance portmanteau but I recognize that romance portmanteaus are controversial) at university? Plus, bonus points for Nordic folklore!
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It looks like the wrong cover for A Christmas Inn, Maine. The link goes through to the correct book, at least on my phone.
I am extremely dubious about a contractor in Maine working in exchange for housing which is a terrible deal given sleepy town housing prices and the incredible demand for competent contractors in a place with a lot of old houses desperately in need of repair, or that anything a contractor might do being able to save an inn (tons of well run, gorgeous ones, in great shape are still going under for lack of demand in the very lengthy off season), particularly working during winter when it’s too cold outside for all kinds of things, like paint to set properly for example. I am desperately curious if they are replacing knob and tube wiring because I’m pretty sure you still don’t need an electrician’s permit to do that in Maine but you really ought to, or like, I bet all the insulation has settled and there’s no way to add more without potentially destroying the horsehair plaster walls, and the cost of heating the damn place sufficiently is driving it under.
Oh god now I have to actually read the book, why do I do this to myself?
@kkw: Should be updated now! I swear it looked like the right one when I previewed lol
Can’t remember if this was mentioned on last week’s HYW, but Jesse Reign’s new mm romance just dropped (Jealous Guy). I’m enjoying it so far and deeply resentful that I have to do anything today except read.
Got all of these on my TBR!
I think the only thing on my to-buy list this month is “I’ll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry” by Jacob Tierney, which comes out October 13th – it’s the annotated scripts for season 1 of the show, with lots of behind-the-scenes tidbits. Super excited for this!
For monster romance fans, Tempt is the 3rd book in E.M. Lindsey and Cora Rose’s Feed and Feast series. Unique world building, interesting anatomy and, in this one, deaf representation. This series is best read in order and I enjoyed the other books, Suck and Taste.
@Dahlia Adler: I love your comments at the end of each listing. Never stop. Please. Thank you.
I love Dahlia’s writing so much. I’m so glad you enjoy it too!
@Darlynne: Thank you! I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me!
@HeatherS: Not saying I ordered two different editions of that book, including a signed copy, but I absolutely did.
@Dahlia: I’m hoping to get a signed copy! I never even saw the signed one in stock on B&N. Not sure if my local indie is going to receive some signed or not, but since I preordered as soon as I heard about it, if they get any, hopefully I can snag one. Planning to get the B&N edition, too.