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In Love With a Monster: Romance & Horror Resources for Librarians

Romance and horror actually have a lot in common. Find your next favorite emotional read (on either side of the spectrum) in these lists!

Katie McLain Horner

Contributing Editor

Katie's parents never told her "no" when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois and works full time as a Circulation & Reference Manager in Illinois. She has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying and takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers. When she's not at work, she's at home watching the Cubs with her cats and her cardigan collection. Other hobbies include scrapbooking, introducing more readers to the Church of Tana French, and convincing her husband that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady

View All posts by Katie McLain Horner

Feb 25, 2025

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Valentine’s Day may be over, but you can still experience those lovey-dovey feelings year-round. Or maybe you’re like me, who would rather celebrate Valentine’s Day by watching Gone Girl or a double creature feature. (Both are actual things I have done on Valentine’s Day with my husband.)

But in a weird way, romance and horror actually have a lot in common. Both genres appeal to the reader’s emotions (albeit on different ends of the spectrum), and if you’re in the mood for a little bit of both, there’s always gothic horror and gothic romance to satiate your reading appetites.

Whether your patrons are romance traditionalists, or prefer things a little more twisted, I’ve rounded up some romance and horror resources to help you out.

So This Is Love…

Must-read new teen romance novels.
11 new romance books and classic movie pairings for Valentine’s Day.
The New York Public Library names the best new romance novels for adults.
The New Yorker has a podcast episode about how romantasy seduces its readers, and they also talk about romantic tropes with the Ripped Bodice.
Don’t write off historical romance fiction.
Why BookTok is obsessed with dark romance.
Valentine’s Day children’s books that won’t make you cringe.
What to read next: YA romance edition.
18 YA romance novels to make you ugly cry.
10 football romance books to read during playoff season.
Ali Hazelwood recommends her favorite spicy romance novels.
A look at some of the biggest romance novels on BookTok.
23 enemies-to-lovers stories that turn rivalry into romance.
8 demon romance books to sink your teeth into.
Why is Adam Driver the hero of every romance novel now? (This article is a few years old, but I like to bring it back every now and then. This is also how you get me to read more romance.)

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Here There Be Monsters

The most anticipated horror novels of 2025, according to Goodreads.
Meet this year’s slate of Summer Scares selections for adults, teens, and kids.
A24 is adapting Virginia Feito’s brand new novel, Victorian Psycho.
The subversive appeal of the female stalker novel.
Laughing at the monster: comedy in the fear genres.
The best romantic horror for Valentine’s Day.
5 horror novels that feature the perfect dash of romance.
5 books to make you fear pregnancy.
10 modern horror classics keeping the genre alive.
A guide to the horror adaptations of 2025.
9 books that combine the gothic and the glamorous.
A brief survey of isolation horror in film and fiction.

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