Spooky books for spooky seasons
But there *is* still kissing in these!
OK, OK, I definitely dropped the ball on a new installment these last couple of weeks, but in my defense, do you know there are only so many hours in the day that someone can dedicate to reading? I had to make sure I had a few more books under my belt before I could return to this newsletter loud, proud and unapologetically gushing about all the good titles I’ve read recently — but even while I’ve been diving into a lot of romance (some of which I can’t really talk about publicly for reasons I spoke about previously), I’ve also been alternating with titles that are full of thrills, laughs and spine-tingling chills — and it just so happens that most of them also happen to be written by romance authors.
It’s a thought that I’ve been noodling over a lot recently — as in the past three weeks between this newsletter and the last one — and I’ve come to the conclusion that romance authors really are some of the best mystery/thriller authors, too. Romance authors want to inspire certain emotions in you, certain vicarious thrills that you experience when following the various ups and downs of a skillfully plotted book that ultimately culminates in a HEA. Well, aren’t mysteries sort of doing the same thing? As far as I’m concerned, it’s two sides of the same coin, those heart-pounding emotions that leave you absolutely captivated and unable to stop reading because you can’t look away, because you just have to know what happens next. Romance authors are here to deliver the excitement that keeps you up to 2 in the morning reading, and that’s why they’re so damn good at writing thrillers too.
In other romance-related writing: I wrote a piece for Romance Awareness Month (which was August, in case you didn’t know and want to plan for next year) about why the genre has been such a bright light to its readers in a time of pandemic and how the community has adapted so successfully for an online-only landscape when new books are being released all the time. Many thanks to those who spoke with me for this piece and offered their insight (several of whom are subscribers too, so you get double thanks)!
A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
(mystery, thriller, romantic suspense; content warnings for murder, sexual assault, domestic abuse)
I was already a deep, deep, abiding fan of Singh’s writing (her Psy-Changeling series is arguably THE series that officially blooded me as a romance reader), so I was really excited to get the chance to read this thriller as summer started to wane within the last remaining weeks. It wound up being exactly what I needed to get me back into reading some spookier books in tandem with my happier romances. Atmospheric, tense, with a hooking grasp of character and setting — plus a little romance which I was thoroughly grateful for. Anahera Rawiri (or “Ana”) left New Zealand when she was 21 years old, but eight years later, with a shattered marriage and in need of respite, she’s back in her hometown of Golden Cove, which appears to be the same as it ever was save for one big change. Detective Will Gallagher had dreams of a more promising career before his own actions landed him the gig in Golden Cove, and when a local resident fails to return home after going out on a run, Will finds himself heading up a missing person’s case that rapidly grows legs when it’s revealed to have a connection to other similar disappearances throughout the town’s history. As an outsider, he’s forced to rely on Ana’s knowledge and her long-time relationships with the locals to help him delve into the town’s secrets.
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
(thriller, mystery; content warnings for gentrification, racism, microaggressions, loss of a parent, themes of abuse and cycles of abuse, murder, abduction, police brutality)
This book was phenomenal from start to finish. From an immersive sense of place that made me long for the years when I used to live in New York (even if I shudder to think about how my old neighborhood would be changed if I ever went back) to the creeping sense of dread that reaches a fever pitch of terror, to the delicious side element of romance (which I'd argue is more of a HFRN — Happy For Right Now — than anything else), Cole has served up one of the best thrillers of the summer. Sydney Green has grown up in Brooklyn all her life, but her old neighborhood seems to be changing in front of her eyes all the time — and not necessarily for the better. Frustrated at the fact that she can feel history slipping away from her, she tries to channel her emotions into organizing a walking tour, and ends up crossing paths with her new neighbor on the block, Theo. But their deep dive into history turns out to have more conspiracy attached to it than they could ever expect, and the so-called revitalization efforts for the community may actually be a means of making Sydney’s old neighbors disappear altogether.
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
(horror, thriller, content warnings for death, murder, homophobia, insect gore)
You know that feeling when you start reading a book and you can tell right away that it is just going to be a killer? That's how I felt from the very beginning of this gorgeously creepy, feral, heart-wrenchingly queer Victorian horror novel. The Brookhants School for Girls has an infamous reputation for being the site of many mysterious and strange deaths over the years — and now, over a century later, it’s back in the news thanks to a book written by wunderkind author Merritt Emmons, whose breakout debut is immediately snatched up for film adaptation, with former child star Audrey Wells and famous actress/lesbian it girl Harper Harper playing the ill-fated romantic leads. As Merritt, Audrey, and Harper converge on the grounds of Brookhants, the past and present become grimly entwined, and soon it becomes clear that the curse that once haunted the school may have never actually left. The diverging timelines of the book only contributed to the overall creeping sense of dread and ominousness that permeated throughout the narrative, and I love fiction that explores the horrors that uniquely surround a specific place throughout the years and what that means for the people who inadvertently stumble into potentially cursed territory with a legacy of death. Also? I love a book that barely gives us any male characters next to the sheer number of women — not just women, too, but unabashedly queer women — who are front and center here. It's what they deserve.
Kissing Books is a weekly newsletter about, well, exactly what it sounds like, plus other non-romance novels that might have varying levels of smooching in them. Questions? Comments? Reply to this email, or find me on Twitter @carlylane. If you’re reading this on Substack or someone forwarded this email to you, consider clicking that helpful button to become a regular subscriber.