Under The Book Cover: scream for us

Blogtober 2022 Day 16: Spicy Spooky Book Recommendations

blogtober 8:00:00 AM

Hi hello ghouls and goblins and welcome to Blogtober day 16! Today, I'll be recommending some short and spooky spicy romance books that are perfect to read during the Halloween season. As a note, the first two books haven't been released yet but I wanted to put them on the list because they're two books that are set during spooky season! With all of these books, please remember to look up trigger/content warnings and don't read anything outside of your comfort zone (or age range). With that being said, let's get spicy and spooky!
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Title: All Hallows Haunt

Author: Kenna Bellrae

Pages:

Genre:

Release Date:

From Goodreads: "Sienna: My favorite time of year meets my favorite thrill. Amusement rides and haunted houses. Only, there’s a jester following me through each attraction. An unexpected overshot leads to broken rules and midnight promises.

Asher: A new job with a strict code. Don’t touch the attendants. But, they didn’t say I couldn’t keep an eye on her. A fortunate miscalculation has me ready to risk it all."

Title: He Who Haunts Me

Author: Kenna Bellrae

Pages: 318

Genre: NA Romantic Thriller

Release Date: November 2022

From Goodreads: "Bexley Laughtery lives a very unassuming life in Old Oaks, where secrets fast become dangerous. Unease grows as women are found murdered. Trails run cold for Detective Bishop as he is cuffed with bureaucracy trying to piece the city back together. While some believe they know the party responsible, every new answer leads to further questions. Bexley and other students keep a watchful eye as they participate in fraternity games and social politics. When she finds herself in the camera’s flash, Bexley soon discovers everything comes at a price when the monster they're looking for lurks closer than she could ever imagine. The game is survival. Things get complicated when romance, friendship, and loyalty get involved – and they aren’t playing fair."

Title: The Dame & The Devil

Author: Dalia Davies

Pages: 78

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Release Date: 16 October 2022

From Goodreads: "For the last twelve years, I’ve spent All Hallows Eve hunting the Devil on a dance floor suspended over the pit of hell. Those of us considered saints dress in our funereal best and are transported into the hands of sinners disguised as devils. We are their only hope for absolution. One kiss can seal two fates, for a saint’s lips will save the sinner. But the Devil lurks among the dancers, and his kiss will damn even the most innocent. This year, I plan to make him mine."

Title: Riding the Headless Horseman

Author: Molly Likovich

Pages:

Genre: Halloween Romance

Release Date: 22 September 2022

From Goodreads: "Arletta Harrington doesn't believe in Death. It's Halloween in Sleepy Hollow and Arletta is spending the night selling tarot readings to her fellow townsfolk—the ones who don't see her witchcraft as the work of the Devil that is. The people of Sleepy Hollow believe in many magical things but the one Arletta firmly doesn't believe in is Death. The deadly rider of The Hollow. The Headless Horseman. All of that changes when she encounters him on her late-night walk. He senses how powerful her magic is and knows he has to have her. He whisks her away to his realm and tells her of his plans to make her his forever. Though she may be resistant at first after a passionate night spent with the messenger of Death, she isn't so sure being his sounds like such a bad idea after all. But Halloween can't last forever...can it?"

Title: The Demon's Bargain

Author: Katee Robert

Pages: 130

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Release Date: 25 September 2022

From Goodreads: "Lenora made a mistake. She trusted the wrong man, and in a moment of weakness, he stole a family heirloom from her. Her only chance to get it back will be during Samhain, when the Shadow Market opens and magical folk gather for three days to celebrate, and unfortunately, she can’t do it alone. She needs a demon. Ramanu’s entire existence is making bargains. They’re a bargainer demon, after all. They’ve had their eye on Lenora for some time now, so they’re pleased when she summons them to help with her little thief problem…especially because it means spending time in close proximity with her. Lenora thought she could get away with a bargain that didn’t require seven years of service, but when Ramanu informs her those are the terms, she decides to go it alone…even though the demon wants to tag along to the market. But as the clock ticks down and all Lenora’s attempts to reclaim her amulet fail, making a deal with Ramanu might be the only option she has. And they might take her heart right along with her soul."

Title: Jack

Author: Layla Fae

Pages: 49

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: 14 October 2021

From Goodreads: "Jack is a monster full of tricks… with one very special treat in his pants. Suzy is feeling lonely on Halloween. She performs a love spell, hoping to summon a nice, perfectly safe Mr. Hunky to keep her entertained… but she fails. The creature that answers her summons is neither nice nor safe, but oh boy, is he hunky! Jack-o’-lantern is a devious ancient monster who once tricked the devil himself into granting him immortality. Now, Jack is here, a grinning pumpkin in the place of his head and a thing out of this world in his very bulging pants. The monster will have Suzy in every way he pleases, filling her close to bursting with his fertile seed… and nothing can hold him back."

Title: Scream For Us

Author: Molly Doyle

Pages: 124

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: 12 October 2021

From Goodreads: "After wandering into an alluring Halloween party that is said to go down in history, Quinn finds herself captivated by three masked men. As she immerses herself in a night of both pleasure and pain, she finally has the perfect opportunity to bring her darkest fantasies to life. Or death."

Title: Love, Laugh, Lich

Author: Kate Prior

Pages: 87

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: 22 October 2021

From Goodreads: "Some people have monsters for a boss, but not everyone has an undead Necromancer Lord at the office. Lily has been the Lich's secretary ever since his evilness took over the company. She loves her job, but she's got some questions about her boss. Like what's under that cloak of ever-billowing. Her wondering intensifies when one day the Lich needs something from her that isn't just scheduling appointments-- but a shiver. He needs it for a spell, but it feels like it crosses a line from their usual workplace banter. After her contributions to his dark rituals become more than OSHA-compliant, sex-magic-and-triple-cocks-oh-my, she starts to contemplate whether the Lich Lord returns her feelings, or still only sees her as his secretary. Lily may have given him her body, but he never asked for her heart."

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And that does it for some spicy spooky book recommendations! I just discovered the final novella and I am so excited to pick it up. I'm always on the lookout for more spicy reads so leave me a comment with some of your favorite spicy books that you've picked up recently. Bonus points if it's spooky and/or set around Halloween time! I hope you guys found some awesome recommendations with this list and that you'll be picking one up to read on Halloween night. Tomorrow is day 17 and I'll be doing The Autumn Tag, so be sure to come back by and check it out. Thanks for stopping by and I'll scare ya later!

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Buzzfeed Unsolved Book Tag!

book tag 12:00:00 PM

Hi hello and welcome to the Buzzfeed Unsolved book tag! I was inspired by tons of people talking about how Valentine's Day should just be a second Halloween and figured why not do a spooky tag to celebrate that? This book tag was originally created by Sarah from The YA Room so be sure and go show her video some love! I will confess that while I haven't seen every episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved, I do love the show and I am so excited to do this tag today. Let's get spooky!
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Shaniac: A book you don't think is deserving of the hype

I might get some hate for this but From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I tried picking this book up not too terribly long ago and just could not get into it. Maybe it is deserving of the hype (there is a ton of it everywhere) but I just couldn’t see it when I was attempting to start reading. I don’t know what it was but I just couldn’t see why people were obsessed with this book when I struggled to read one chapter. I’ll probably give it another shot at some point but for now, it’s not for me.

Boogara: A book that chilled you to the core

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes! This is a book I just finished recently and I was quite literally in bed curling my feet up just in case a ghost tried to reach out and pull my feet. It really spooked me and I haven't been spooked by a book in such a long time! The atmosphere was creepy as heck and it was just an all-around wonderfully scary book that I would absolutely recommend.

Shitfish: A book you're not sure where you stand on

I immediately thought of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I read this a while back and when I finished, I was confused as to how I felt. There has been so much love and hype for this book/series (there's even a TV show on Netflix based on the world) so I wanted to pick it up and see what everyone liked about it so much. When I was done, I was just...meh. I didn't absolutely love it but I also didn't hate it. I feel like I'm on the outside looking in when it comes to the love this book has because it just didn't click to me. It wasn't a bad book, I think I did enjoy my time with it, but I never felt compelled to continue the series. What's hilarious is that I gave the book 4 stars apparently and said I couldn't wait to read the next book so now I'm just unsure where I stand!

Hey there demons. It's me, ya boy: A book that kept you up at night

Claimed by Cupid by Dana Isaly. I read this in one sitting after being reminded that it was out (thank you TikTok) and I loved it so much. I also read the first book, Dipped in Holly, in one sitting and, to no surprise, also loved it. Dana Isaly is one of my go-to authors and I've almost read all of the books she's released and have yet to be disappointed. Highly recommend it, but only if you're over the age of 18 because it gets spicy.

(WHEEZE): A book that made you laugh out loud

Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison. Probably not what you were expecting if you’re familiar with this book, but it genuinely did make me laugh out loud. There were parts that were actually funny but I think I mainly laughed because of how absolutely insane this book was. It was so good and right up my alley of messed up books but this is definitely not a book for everyone. Please check content warnings before reading this and make sure you’re prepared for a new level of messed up

Mothman: A hyped fave

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I'm sure you know all about the series and especially ACOMAF by now, but it's hyped for a reason and loved for a reason. I actually have a whole Twitter thread about my experience reading this book and it was a wild ride that I loved every second of. My husband also read part of Chapter 55 out loud and I got it on video which was probably the highlight of my reading experience! But yes, ACOMAF means a lot to me and I’m so glad that I finally understand why the book and the series overall are so hyped up and loved.

Holy Water: A book you'd protect with your life

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. No one is surprised that I’m mentioning this, right? I read this during recovery from my cancer treatments and it impacted my life in the best way possible. I’m reading it again and am actually annotating a physical copy (my 12th or 13th copy of this book) which has been an amazing experience! It’s such an important book to me and it’s absolutely one I would protect with my life.

Demons: A book you're too scared to read

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I’m not scared to read it because of the content or because I think it’ll actually scare me; I’m typically hard to actually scare when it comes to books! I’m more so scared to read it because of how big it is. She’s a thick one and definitely something I plan to read a physical copy of (I bought it years ago and just haven’t picked it up yet) but it’s honestly super intimidating! I’ve heard really good things about it so I know I’ll enjoy my time with it, but dang it if I’m not nervous at how long it will take me to actually get through that book.

But for now, this mystery will remain...unsolved: A book you needed more from/didn't want to end

Showing some more love to Dana Isaly here with Games We Play! It’s a short novella and if you like Corpse Husband, you’ll like this. I have dived headfirst into smutty books over my absence and this one is one of my favorites. I really enjoyed this novella and I was happy with how it wrapped up, but of course I wanted more of these two characters when I was finished reading because it was just that enjoyable for me. Please be sure to check content warnings if you do end up picking this one up!

Buzzfeed Unsolved Postmortem: A book you still have questions about

Victorious by V.E. Schwab. It’s not out and heck I’m pretty sure she isn’t even working on it yet, but I have so many questions and no answers and it’s both stressful and exciting. I would wait a hundred years for another book in my favorite series but I really do have so many things I want to know about this book! I can’t wait for when it finally does come out and I can come back and tell past me that we finally got to read this. I know it’s going to be perfect.

Hot Daga: A trashy fave

I don’t like to think of books as “trashy” because I’ve always thought trashy equals bad. Thankfully, I understand now that that’s not always the case, but it still tends to carry a negative connotation for me. But a “trashy” romance book I’m obsessed with would have to be Scream For Us by Molly Doyle. It’s definitely another book to check the content warnings for but if you’re into the things that the book contains then you’ll like this one a lot. I read this in one sitting and whew it was wild!

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And that does it for the Buzzfeed Unsolved book tag! This was so much fun to do and I loved getting spooky in February. Any excuse to talk about or do something involving scary things is an absolute win for me! I’d love to know what your answers to these questions are so let me know down in the comments what a few of your answers would be for these questions. Bonus question: what is your favorite episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved? I’m particularly fond of the Goatman’s Bridge episode, myself. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next chapter!

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A to Z Book Tag by Perpetual Page Turner!

a court of mist and fury 2:22:00 PM

Hi hello and welcome back! It's been quite a while since I've just sat down and written a blog post and I've missed it. 2020 was a rough year (that's putting it mildly) and it took a lot out of me, as it did to everyone else. And then 2021 didn't feel like it got any better, unfortunately. I've been away for a long time but I'm back and hopefully, I'll be sticking around for a while! Today, I'll be doing the A to Z Book Tag from Perpetual Page Turner! Make sure to go and check out her original post if you're interested in seeing her answers. I'm really excited to share my answers and make this my first official post of 2022. Let's get started!
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Author you’ve read the most books from:

I think I can safely say that would be Rachel Caine, may she rest in peace. My first book from her was Glass Houses which is book one in the Morganville Vampires series and I absolutely loved it. I've read all of the Morganville books and have also read several books in her Weather Warden series, Stillhouse Lake series, and the Revivalist series. I had the amazing opportunity to meet her many years ago and I will always treasure that moment. She influenced my life in so many ways and I will be grateful for the rest of my life for her and her books.

Best Sequel Ever:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas and I will not be taking any feedback on this one. Seriously though, I'm so glad I've finally picked up this series. I can't believe I slept on it for so long! I really loved how Sarah J. Maas handled Feyre's trauma after Under the Mountain and watching her relationship with Rhys and the Inner Circle develop was so much fun. I just...I cannot stress how much I loved this book and I will probably go back and read it as soon as I finish the rest of the series.

Currently Reading:

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. I got an ARC of this a long long time ago and somehow never read it? And I've seen so much hype around this series (those Fairyloot editions are stunning) so I figured why not pick it up! So far, I'm really enjoying it and I'm excited to see where the story is going.

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Juice, soda, Gatorade. It's mostly juice, honestly. I love me a good lemonade or fruit punch!

E-reader or Physical Book?

I used to be an ebook snob, to be completely honest. I only wanted physical books and when I got a Nook after graduating high school, I actually ended up returning it because I couldn't imagine ever wanting to read an ebook. Nothing compares to the smell and feel of holding a book in your hands, but oh my god ebooks have changed my reading in the best way possible. I love both but for now, I'd have to say ebooks!

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Mor from A Court of Mist and Fury. Mor is just...yeah. She's amazing and I'm so in love with her and she's everything that I aspire to be in life and I would absolutely let her step all over me. No shame. Honestly, she probably wouldn't have given me the time of day in high school but she definitely would have been someone that I crushed on and probably wrote letters to during class.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I picked this up because I wanted to get a feel for her writing before I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which has been incredibly hyped up. I wasn't super sure about it but I wanted to see if I would even enjoy the writing before I dove into this super popular book that everyone was talking about. I'm so glad I took the chance on Taylor Jenkins Reid and I loved this book so much! I ended up reading Daisy Jones and the Six and absolutely loved that as well, so I'm really happy that I decided to pick up a random book by this author and that it ended on a good note.

Hidden Gem Book:

Cursed by the Gods by Raye Wagner. I read this book in 2016, back when it was called Curse of the Sphinx, and I found it thanks to Regan from PeruseProject. If you're interested in my review on this, check it out here! I actually really enjoyed this book and I wish more people knew about it. It's filled with Greek mythology and some romance and the writing is so much fun to read. Finding this book actually led to me being a part of Raye Wagner's ARC team and one of my reviews was on the back of the final book in this series, Fates and Furies. I really do think it's a fun series and definitely a hidden gem that I would love to see more people talking about!

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Starting my blog. I started this little thing back in 2014 because I wanted to share my thoughts on Legend by Marie Lu and then it just kind of went from there. I never thought anything would come of this but I've had so many amazing opportunities because of my blog. I've become great friends with so many amazing authors, I've been invited to work with various publishing companies and do some really cool posts, I've received ARC's of books and been able to share my thoughts on them, and I've met so many incredible people and befriended them all because I thought "Hey, I want to share my thoughts on this book I just read, why don't I try blogging about it?" I'm still a small blogger, but I've said it for the entirety of my blogging journey, I have big dreams.

Just Finished:

Hard Limits by Suki Williams. This was a TikTok read and I was so happy with it! I'm absolutely loving all of the recommendations that I get from TikTok and this one was no exception. If you're interested in it, please be sure to check trigger warnings before diving in.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

I actually have a list of books that I don't want to read/won't accept for review on my Review Policy page and they are non-fiction, literary fiction, middle grade, religious books, and erotica. I, uh...should probably update this list since I do read a bit of middle grade and I am definitely now a fan of...well, erotica might not be the correct term but I love me a good reverse harem book series. I'm definitely still not a fan of non-fiction and probably won't find myself picking up a book in that genre, just because it's not something that I personally enjoy reading.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Apparently, it's Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, which is 870 pages? I had no idea this book was that long and that I was reading it as a kid, oh my goodness. This definitely is my least favorite in the Harry Potter series, but wow I did not know that this book was that long.

Major book hangover because of:

Honestly? I can't remember! I've had books that I’ve loved and felt like I could never read another book as good as that one again but does that count as a book hangover? I don’t usually have a problem going from one book to the next, especially if I’m going from a book I really didn’t like to a new book.

Number of Bookcases You Own:

I don't have any, sadly. I had 3 or 4 when I lived with my mom but they all broke when we moved and I never got any to replace them. Almost all of my books have been sitting in the basement for years and I'm so sad that I don't have any shelves to display my beautiful books. Maybe one day I'll be able to have my dream wall of bookshelves!

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Scream for Us by Molly Doyle. If you know, you know 👻

Preferred Place To Read:

In bed. I've been doing a ton of reading on my iPad (Kindle app) lately and sometimes (not all the time because he's a butthead) Sora will come and lay with me while I read. It's nice to have a little portable space heater snuggle up to me while I read through my current book.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

"Don't let the hard days win." I'm sure we all know what this is from at this point, right? I love Mor so much and when she said this, I actually started crying. I've been through a lot with cancer and recovery and every day is a bad day for me. Between my horrendous mental health and constant pain and PTSD from cancer, I can't remember having a truly good day where I don't experience something that just sends me into a bad mental state. But this quote just...resonates with me. I'm trying every day to not let the hard days win, if not for me then for what Mor would want for me.

Reading Regret:

Here Lives a Corpse by C.L. Matthews. This was...not good. I try to stay at least somewhat positive about the books I read but this one made me so uncomfortable to the point where I felt like I needed a shower after reading it. I did a small review after and this about sums it up: "I felt uncomfortable at the fact that I was reading such spicy scenes that involved a 17-year-old girl and that is probably the main reason I won’t be continuing the series. It just felt weird to me and I don’t know if I’m alone in my feelings, but that’s my own opinion." So, yes, I wish I hadn't read this, and I won't be continuing the series. I also don't recommend this book, sadly.

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

The Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab. I know, shame on me, and I don't even have a good excuse. I'm about halfway through A Gathering of Shadows but I'm gonna have to restart for sure. But that's fine because I do remember loving book one! I just, you know, need to finish all three.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

This shouldn't be a surprise but V.E. Schwab. My favorite book of all time is Vicious, with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue being a close second. I just connect with her writing so much and I love the way that she tackles her books and the way that she speaks about writing. I love the worlds she builds and the way that she writes like she wants to destroy you but also bring you hope at the same time.

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

In an attempt to make this post about something other than my love for V.E. Schwab and her books (we all know Gallant is my most anticipated release of 2022) I'll say Book of Night by Holly Black. I've heard so much buzz about this and I absolutely loved her Folk of the Air trilogy so I'm sure this will be a book I fall in love with as well!

Worst Bookish Habit:
Starting books and never finishing them. Or even starting a series of books and never finishing them. I'm a mood reader so even if I'm in the middle of a book and I don't feel like reading that book anymore, I'll stop reading and pick something else up and then forget entirely about the first book. I also tend to buy multiple copies of the same book (even in languages I can't read) but I don't necessarily think that's a bad habit!

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

I don't have a bookshelf so I used my Kindle and counted 27 books until I got to Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente. I've heard really good things about this one and I really need to read it at some point!

Your latest book purchase:

The OwlCrate special edition of Gallant by V.E. Schwab. But is anyone really surprised that it's a V.E. Schwab book? I definitely plan to get a few more copies of this because there is no way that I will ever own just one edition of a V.E. Schwab book, honestly.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison. If you haven't heard of this book, look it up, but please also check trigger warnings because when I say this book is dark, I mean it's dark. But oh my god I loved it so much. It was right up my alley of messed up dark books and it was so incredibly twisted that I couldn't help but laugh at some points, honestly. Please take a look at some of my favorite quotes:

"This is exactly the way I like it. I am a harmless phantom, floating below the radar of perception, granting me a ghostly existence that permits me to freely engage in my unusual extracurriculars. People don’t see me, and I don’t really see them. It’s better for everyone that way."

"No matter how much of an individual you are, no matter how unique and different and nonconformist and antiestablishment, you can’t deny the inescapable effects that society has on everyone, including you and me."

"The living are dangerous. They inflict pain. They’re so fueled by greed, a lust for useless material shit, a smoldering desire to fit in . . . and they’ll hurt and betray and destroy whomever they must in order to get anywhere close to all of it."

"“I don’t have fun. I have moments of satisfaction in between long bouts of plain existence. That’s it."

"A montage of all the little things I’d ignored, all flashing through my head to the accompaniment of the Saw theme music that plays whenever the plot twist is revealed at the end of each movie."
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And that's it! Wow, this was such a fun post to come back to (I had started it last year but never finished oops) and now I finally get to share it. Having not posted for so long, I'm afraid to come back, if I'm being honest. I don't know how consistent I will be but I do know that I missed doing this and that I want to be better about keeping up with this little blog. Let me know some of the books you've been reading lately because I always need more books to add to my TBR. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter, friends!

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Blogtober 2022 Day 16: Spicy Spooky Book Recommendations

Buzzfeed Unsolved Book Tag!

A to Z Book Tag by Perpetual Page Turner!

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