Monster romance celebrates the supernatural, the paranormal, the shapeshifter, the cryptid, and the alien, blending love stories with fantasy and/or science fiction elements. Think Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, selkie myths and the Twilight saga. Such stories may include pairings of humans with angels, demons, superheroes, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, fairies, orcs, golems, bigfoot, the loch ness monster, or, as popularized in an forthcoming film, a man made of wicker.
What's the appeal? Monster romance can be a safe way for readers to fantasize about completely unplausible settings, scenarios, situations, and anatomies. Someone monstrous may look beyond the superficial and find appeal in someone else who believes themselves to be unlovable due to size, disability or personality traits--monsters wear their flaws on the outside. For a more in-depth look at the monster romance subgenre, check out The Romance Genre Specialist's What Is Monster Romance? article.
Perhaps more than any other types of romance subgenres, monster romance delves deep into identity and persona, psychology, and archetypes and myth. Whether your tastes lean towards vampires, werewolves, orcs, mermaids, or ghosts, there's a tale out there for you! Stories may range from sweet to spicy, so use the chili pepper rating to guide your reading preferences.
Make sure to check out WPL's Reader's Corner for more book suggestions!
The Trinity Accord and its promised era of cooperation between disparate races is threatened by years of distrust and rivalries that shape the destiny of a child who is both Psy and changeling.
Bianca knows her duty comes before her heart. So when the threat of war looms, she agrees to marry the neighboring kingdom’s heir. But not all royal weddings are a fairytale, and Prince Aric, Bianca’s betrothed, is cold, aloof, and seems to hate her on sight. To make matters worse, on their wedding night, an assassination attempt goes awry—leaving Aric magically transformed into a horse. Bianca does what any bride in this situation would do: she mounts her new husband and rides away to safety.
The Beast by Katee Roberts 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
A romantic, kinky, why-choose retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs 🌶️
When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous "friends," his reclusive life will never be the same.
Bride series by Ali Hazelwood
- Bride 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Misery Lark, daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, must leave her life of anonymity among the humans and uphold a historic alliance with the Weres by marrying their Alpha, Lowe Moreland. - Mate 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
As the first Human-Were hybrid, Serena is prey to the political machinations of Weres, Vampyres, and Humans; her mate, Koen, Alpha of the Northwest pack, may be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation.
A young woman aspiring to join an exclusive guild of hunters of arcane items is willing to marry a minotaur about to enter his rut in exchange for his chaperoning her through dangerous territories. The sparring and spice are balanced in a delightfully smutty package with a rich and lushly detailed Dungeons & Dragon- flavored setting.
A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas 🌶️🌶️🌶️
First in a series. Dragged off to a treacherous magical land as retribution for killing a wolf, huntress Feyre learns that her captor is one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
The Dark series by Christine Feegan 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Largely set in the Carpathian mountains, these suspenseful paranormal romances star handsome vampires struggling with both loneliness and immortality who meet and fall in love with lovely human women. Notable for rich detail and a decidedly otherworldly atmosphere, this steamy series creates a believable mythic world filled with desire and danger.
A Deal With A Demon series by Katee Roberts 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Five people enter into a deal with a demon. He'll give them what they want in return for seven years' service. And they have to pay up front.
Fan Service by Rosie Danan 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The truth is stranger than fan fiction in this sexy paranormal rom-com about a vet tech who tries to help a former television star who unexpectedly turns into werewolf.
Ghosted series by B.K. Borison
- Good Spirits 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan haunts Harriet York--she's not exactly a Scrooge, but as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together -- and realize there might be more to moving on than expected. - Grim Tidings 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good - if she wasn't a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she'll be saving her next assignment, not dragging him to the underworld. But there's a complication: Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn't tolerate threats to his little corner of the world, and a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. When he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, he must decide if he can trust his feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge. But magic doesn't come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings & Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.
Gideon the Ninth meets Moby-Dick in Hall's thrilling SF debut, Hell's Heart--a queer Moby Dick set in space.
Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
First in a series. Romance readers eager to expand their reading tastes will find lots of highly steamy interspecies romance coupled with out-of-this world survival scenarios in these fast-paced futuristic romances in which a dozen young women from Earth are abducted by aliens and abandoned on a frozen planet inhabited by large blue aliens (mostly male) who are surprisingly kind-hearted, as well as virile.
King & Queen by Maz Maddox 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Running into your one night stand is always awkward. It's especially awkward when said hunky hookup pulls you into a secret war over fossils and a kidnapped, newly awakened Albertosaurus shifter...
Leviathan Fitness series by Ashely Bennett
- Tentacles & Triathalons 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
There is only one thing holding back Briar Glenn Parks Department supervisor Reece Rollins from success in his upcoming triathlon--his subpar swimming skills. Reece joins Leviathan Fitness to train in the gym's Olympic-size pool, where he meets Cyrus, a charming kraken with unparalleled skill in the pool, and many, many tentacles that both intimidate and intrigue Reece. When Cyrus offers to coach Reece for his race, he happily accepts the help. New and unexpected feelings begin to arise from the depths as Reece and Cyrus start to spend time together in and out of the water. But can both men let down their guards enough to be swept away by love? - Muscles & Monsters 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
After a wedding cake catastrophe on the street, local baker Tegan lands in the most unexpected place--a solid wall of fur and fangs named Atlas. She's never met anyone like him and finds herself enamored by his wolfish charm. However, Tegan is through with being a damsel in distress. She signs up for a membership with Leviathan Fitness, determined to build her strength... Primal desires emerge as Atlas and Tegan test just how much their new love can lift. - Mantras & Minotaurs 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Pam Rollins is ready to date again after spending the last few years alone. Now that her kids have grown up and moved out, she's committed to changing her life by starting yoga classes and, at her daughter's urging, joining a dating app. She doesn't expect much to come from her swiping, especially not a first date with buff, kind, and generous minotaur Alistair.
Love Me Like a Rock Song by Shelly Jay Shore 🌶️🌶️🌶️
After her famous fiancé leaves her at the altar just before she records her first solo album, Delilah Cohen is left with unusable love songs and a honeymoon road trip turned search for inspiration. She falls for Emmett, a mysterious hitchhiker with an expiration date: they're a golem created from clay and bound to complete a final fatal task for a deceased master. As they travel the California coast, both reveal secrets, and Emmett begins to question their fate. Nearing her deadline and Emmett's end, Delilah must choose between her album and unexpected love.
Lucy McKenzie’s life takes another turn for the worse when she is hit by a bus and dies. The grim reaper assigned to collect her, Daniel, persuades the Agency to grant her six more weeks on Earth in exchange for studying humanity through her. As Lucy and Daniel navigate life, death, and the limits placed on them, they form a connection that changes both of their futures.
The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez 🌶️🌶️🌶️
As the healer’s daughter, Malka has seen how the wood’s curse has plagued her village, but the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to protect heretics with false stories of monsters in the trees. So when a clergy girl wanders into the forest and Malka’s mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings the monster out, he will spare her mother from execution. When she ventures into the woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only if Malka helps her fulfill a promise first and free the imprisoned rabbi who created her.
Maple Hollow series by Laurie Gilmore
- Big Bad Wolf 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Ruby Bellerose leads a quiet, solitary life on the edge of the Maple Hollow woods. But when a chance encounter connects her with Rafe—a brooding, mysterious woodsman—she finds herself helplessly drawn into his orbit. Curiosity drives her to uncover the stranger's secrets, yet something dangerous lurks deep within the shadowy trees. As the line between dream and nightmare blurs, Ruby must decide: is Rafe her protector, or the threat itself? - Wild Wicked Mate 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Phoebe never planned on falling in love—least of all with Theo, the annoyingly handsome werewolf she’s known for years. Long overshadowed by his family, Theo finally built a fresh start in Maple Hollow, and he's terrified to risk his newfound peace. But after years of fighting an undeniable spark, a sudden road trip forces them together. Miles away from home, denying their feelings becomes impossible... if they're willing to take the leap.
Chastity Adofo knows a monster when she sees one. As soon as Luke Anthony wanders into her family's coffee shop, she recognises the evil lurking beneath his charming smile and fantastic arse. The handsome werewolf is determined to have her—but she's determined to cut out his heart. Little does she know, Luke's plans for her are far more pleasurable than murder. And when the full moon rises, all bets are off...
Sir Bram Duncan was once a knight of legend in Harvest Hollow--until the whim of a jealous prince and the trickery of an autumn sprite turned him into the hulking orc Jask Bone-Cracker and tethered him to Grimroot Farm. For three long, lonely years, he's hidden his monstrous form and the truth of what happened the night he lost everything, including his true love, Princess Marigold. Fleeing an arranged marriage to the vain and intolerable Prince Crispin, Marigold finds a safe haven when she stumbles across Jask's charmed pumpkin farm deep in the forest...
The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures series by Charlotte Stein
- How to Help a Hungry Werewolf 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
When Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late grandmother's ramshackle old house, the last thing she expects is Seth Brubaker on her doorstep. Her former best friend was responsible for the worst moment of her high school life, and she can't imagine he wants to do anything but torment her all over again. Until she unearths the real reason this annoyingly gorgeous beast of a man keeps hanging around: he's an actual werewolf, who's certain she's the witch that will ease his suffering. - Dealing With A Desperate Demon 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Charlotte Stein perfectly blends spicy and cozy in a new paranormal rom-com about a bewitching bookseller who helps a demon win the girl of his dreams...only to realize she might be the one he's fated for all along. - Falling for a Villainous Vampire 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Marley Maples believes she has finally escaped Halsten, the vampire who has pursued her through multiple lifetimes, until he reappears in Hollow Brook. After a spell meant to make him forget her erases his memories instead, Halsten remembers only that he is a vampire Viking and sees Marley as someone he loves and wants to protect. As they grow closer, Marley struggles with feelings for her longtime enemy.
Supernatural Entanglements series by Olivia Dade
- ZomRomCom 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
When Eden "Edie" Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she's stunned to be saved by him--and his ridiculously large sword--instead. It turns out he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all his cynicism and lethality, Gaston "Max" Boucher is unexpectedly protective. As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they're not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. And Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who's helping her save the world... - World's Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seeks Demon🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
After a clutch of brain-slurping zombies escapes from their compound, oracle Gwen Wexloff experiences the first genuinely world-altering vision of her life, and now she needs help. Unfortunately, that help comes from Hugh Blacke, the same cute but starchy demon who watched her bomb her oracle verification test years ago. They need to work together to unravel the conspiracy behind the zombie breach, despite their complicated past and the secrets they're keeping. The clock is ticking - and with the fate of humanity at stake, Gwen and Hugh will have to decide how much they're willing to risk for an unexpected, passionate love - and a future together that might prove very short indeed.
- All Superheroes Need PR 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
He’s a villain looking for a hero rebrand. She’s the marketing genius who can make it happen. - All Superheroes Need Photo Ops 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
A swooning photographer and a double-crossing superhero come together with electrifying chemistry in an out-of-this-world romantic comedy.
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Hannah Bell knows two things: the family B&B is her future, and men like Xander - mysterious, charming, and un-freaking-believably gorgeous - do not wash up onshore. But when he appears mostly naked and half-conscious in the surf, she drags him into her bed - her bed and breakfast. Soon her topless guest is fixing faucets, charming her with fishy jokes, and casually revealing he is a merman. Not only that, but he's the merman who rescued her a decade ago and then ghosted her like an enchanted Tinder date gone wrong. As Hannah processes the truth and Xander dodges dangers beneath the tide, they must decide if their chemistry is a fling… or something truly fin-tastic.
Keyanna "Key" MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it's only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he'd always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father's life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she'll find in Scotland. But repeating her father's mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman--who thinks she's an idiot--is definitely the last thing she expects.
In a small coastal village, a fish-gutter lives a lonely existence, shunned by neighbors and smelling of brine. Desperate for companionship, she trades her life savings — three gold coins — to a local basket-maker with a single request: make me a husband.
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Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?
Note: The chili peppers denote the steaminess, or spice level, of the book's romantic/intimate elements; visit https://www.romance.io/steamrating for the key.
