Dark romance thrives in the shadows where desire collides with danger and heroines are tested in eerie, unsettling ways. This list pulls together six novels that lean into gothic dread, sapphic longing, violent secrets, and forbidden attraction. Some are slow-burn and atmospheric, others are brutal and blood-soaked, but all are perfect companions for spooky season.
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Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (Available here on Amazon)
is a sapphic gothic novel that winds together a haunted boarding school’s cursed past with modern queer characters uncovering its secrets. Witty yet eerie, it layers satire with genuine horror, making it an unforgettable entry into queer gothic fiction.Tropes: sapphic romance, haunted boarding school, cursed history, gothic horror elements.
Come Morning Light by Charlotte Dae (Available here on Amazon)
is set during a wedding weekend gone wrong, trapping its characters in an escape-room game that spirals into deadly suspense. It’s not a traditional gothic, but its claustrophobic atmosphere and sinister tension feel perfect for Halloween. Tropes: forced proximity, survival game, psychological suspense, strong heroine in danger.
Feral Is the Beast by Nisha J. Tuli (Available here on Amazon)
follows witch Vespera, who is taken captive by a beast—but she’s no passive victim. The story simmers with sensual tension, magical danger, and the heroine’s growing determination to fight back.
Tropes: captor/captive, beastly anti-hero, witch heroine, enemies-to-lovers.
Bloodbath by Molly Doyle (Available here on Amazon)
is a pulpy horror-romance novella that doesn’t shy away from gore or obsession. Secret societies, masked figures, and a heroine fighting to survive make this one of the more brutal but strangely seductive picks for Halloween reading. Tropes: secret societies, masked men, danger kink, graphic violence.
Feast of Fools by Naomi Loud (Available here on Amazon)
pulls you into a ritual-soaked, morally grey world where obsession and danger blur the line between devotion and destruction. Darkly sensual and atmospheric, it delivers the kind of dread-laced romance fans of gothic fantasy love. Tropes: morally grey captor, forbidden attraction, ritualistic/occult vibes, slow-burn tension.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (Available here on Amazon)
follows Miri, whose wife Leah returns from a disastrous deep-sea mission changed in terrifying ways. A sapphic gothic novel about love, grief, and transformation, it is lyrical, unsettling, and unforgettable. Tropes: sapphic marriage-in-crisis, body horror, grief and transformation, gothic dread.
Together, these novels span gothic sapphic love stories, blood-soaked thrillers, and eerie fantasies. What unites them is their ability to unsettle while still pulling you into romance at its darkest edges. Whether you crave atmosphere, horror, or taboo tropes, this list delivers a perfect mix of creepy dark romance for Halloween season.
Until next time ~ Keep coloring your world empowered!
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