Dive into the world of horror romance with this list of ten of our favorite steamy, high-stakes terror novels that are sure to keep you up at night.
Whether you’re a dedicated fan of horror literature, or perhaps you consider yourself more of a romance aficionado, there is no need to draw a line in the sand: plenty of books fall into both camps!
What’s more is the genre is seeing a sharp uptick in popularity through recent years, with culture-dominating series like The Vampire Diaries and The Haunting of Bly Manor taking over on streaming platforms. It’s clear that, from time to time, everybody needs a little romantic horror in their lives.
And what better way to chase away the summer blues than with the gasps and chills of a spooky, sultry horror romance novel? Let’s get into our list of the ten best horror romance novels to get your heart rate up.
10. Flesh by Kylie Scott
Girl-next-door Ali, loner Daniel, and former cop Finn are all thrown together as they try to survive a zombie apocalypse. The real danger, however, might be the passionate pull of their own carnal desires.
Why we recommend it: I loved the sexual tension in this romantic horror novel.
Blurb
Ali has been hiding in an attic since civilization collapsed eight weeks ago. When the plague hit, her neighbors turned into mindless, hungry, homicidal maniacs. Daniel has been a loner his entire life. Then the world empties and he realizes that being alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Finn is a former cop who is desperate for companionship, and willing to do anything it takes to protect the survivors around him. When the three cross paths they band together; sparks fly, romance blooms in the wasteland and Ali, Daniel and Finn bend to their very human needs in the ruins of civilization.Lust, love and trust all come under fire in Flesh as the three battle to survive, hunted through the suburban wastelands.
9. The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
Elsie’s adapting to a new life: her husband just died, and she’s moved into his neglected estate. It’s more than a little creepy, and Elsie soon discovers a harrowing curse.
Why we recommend it: I loved the romance and love story in this novel! The atmosphere is creepy.
Blurb
When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But pregnant and widowed just weeks after their wedding, with her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her late husband’s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure—a silent companion—that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of the estate are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition—that is, until she notices the figure’s eyes following her.
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8. Seers of Light by Jennifer DeLucy
This romantic horror novel follows Lillian Hunt, whose life is often haunted by inexplicable experiences. It’s mostly tolerable until the day she’s sucked into an alternate realm.
As Lillian seeks a safe escape, the two men who love her most come forward with a singular goal: save her, or die trying.
Why we recommend it: I loved the passionate romance in this book, as well as the fantasy elements.
Blurb
Lillian Hunt has never truly lived. Always sensing more of the world than is easily perceived, she fears that her instincts are stubborn flights of fancy, or worse, mental instability. But some things – disappearing strangers, tangible dreams, and visits from malevolent creatures—cannot be ignored. Before it’s too late, Lillian is ripped from the only existence she’s ever known and thrust into a reality that she always suspected, but could scarcely believe. She must learn the truth about who she is, the powerful beings that wish to destroy her, and the two men who would die to protect her.
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
This classic of gothic fiction tells the haunting story of lovers Catherine and Heathcliff, whose love story might just transcend the mortal constraints of life and death.
Why we recommend it: I loved the intense romance and quiet horror of this novel.
Blurb
At the centre of this novel is the passionate love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff – recounted with such emotional intensity that a plain tale of the Yorkshire moors acquires the depth and simplicity of ancient tragedy.
6. The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a master of romantic horror, and this book is a great example of why. Rock star vampire Lestat accidentally awakens the ancient vampire queen Akasha, who wishes to reshape the world into a matriarchy. Akasha chooses Lestat as her king, and the two embark on a mission to reshape the world at any cost.
Why we recommend it: I loved the gender dynamics in this novel and Akasha’s character. It was a fun read while I eagerly await season 3 of Interview With The Vampire.
Blurb
In 1976, a uniquely seductive world of vampires was unveiled in the now-classic Interview with the Vampire … in 1985, a wild and voluptous voice spoke to us, telling the story of The Vampire Lestat. In The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice continues her extraordinary “Vampire Chronicles” in a feat of mesmeric storytelling, a chillingly hypnotic entertainment in which the oldest and most powerful forces of the night are unleashed on an unsuspecting world. Three brilliantly colored narrative threads intertwine as the story unfolds.
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5. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Young opera singer Christine finds herself mentored by a mysterious figure known as the Phantom. He’s helping her immensely, it seems. That is until she learns more about his dark allure. Will she stay with him, or choose her childhood friend Raoul?
Fans of the musical, take heart: although the Broadway show ended its historic run last year, it may be coming back for an off-Broadway run sooner than we thought!
Why we recommend it: I loved the romantic love triangle and the horror and suspense in this book.
Blurb
This novel is a tale of extraordinary events, tragedy, horror, pathos, humour and a gallery of minor characters. The portrait of the hideous musician, crazed by his extreme ugliness, shows compassionate insight into the criminally insane mind.
4. The Taker by Alma Katsu
Lanore is the prime suspect in a murder. But how did she get there?
As she recounts her immortal life to a local doctor named Luke, we learn about the various loves and lusts of her life: Jonathan, the man she loved most, and a dangerous undying alchemist.
Why we recommend it: I loved the romantic gothic horror atmosphere and Katsu’s writing style.
Blurb
On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae – Lanny – walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her… despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.
Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.
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3. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
When independent young woman Noemi is sent to check on her ill cousin Catalina, she is immediately unsettled. Catalina’s devastatingly handsome husband Virgil has a dark edge to him, and he seems less than concerned about his wife’s debilitating illness.
As Noemi learns about the evil history of Virgil’s family, she finds an unlikely ally in his relative, the young Francis, and sparks begin to fly as she tries to save her cousin – and herself.
Why we recommend it: I absolutely loved how this novel treated ideas of colonialism as real-life horror. Addictive.
Blurb
After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
2. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
When an unnamed young woman moves into her new husband’s mansion, she finds herself constantly at odds with the housekeeper and the memory of her husband’s late wife, Rebecca.
As her romance with her husband blossoms in this woman-penned romantic horror novel, she is confronted with the dark truth about who Rebecca really was – and wasn’t.
Why we recommend it: This is one of my favorite novels. I love the mood, the romance, the plot twists, and the beautiful prose.
Blurb
Ancient, beautiful Manderley, between the rose garden and the sea, is the county’s showpiece. Rebecca made it so – even a year after her death, Rebecca’s influence still rules there. How can Maxim de Winter’s shy new bride ever fill her place or escape her vital shadow?
A shadow that grows longer and darker as the brief summer fades, until, in a moment of climatic revelations, it threatens to eclipse Manderley and its inhabitants completely…
1. Crimson Peak by Nancy Holder
Edith marries a mysterious man named Thomas and moves into his dark, decaying mansion. Their romance seems promising. But as she adapts to her new life, she uncovers the mansion’s shocking secrets and the real nature of Thomas’s relationship with his sister.
The novel was adapted into a successful film by Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro and is available to stream (along with many of his other films) right now.
Why we recommend it: I loved the atmosphere in this horror romance novel, a refreshingly modern haunted-house story in the vein of Rebecca.
Blurb
When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever.
Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak. From acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro.
Vampires, ghosts, and curses: these romantic horror novels have every type of evil imaginable. What’s more, they all feature fun and sexy romantic relationships, from wholesome heroes to seductive villains.
No matter what your type may be, this list is sure to have you covered. Happy reading!