10 Fresh Paranormal Romance Reads
Recently, a wave of fresh paranormal romance books have hit the shelves. The real question is, which new books should you pick up?
Paranormal romance is a subgenre of romance that follows the HEA/HFN (happily ever after/ happy for now) arc of human, non-human, and/or superhuman characters. The paranormal beings involved could be ghosts, werewolves, vampires, witches, or other supernatural creatures of legend that slot into a paranormal version of our world. If it’s in a high fantasy otherworld or is a monster romance, I am following the judgment of fellow Book Riot writer Jessica Pryde in her paranormal romance recommendation list and disqualifying them from this round-up.
As a longtime fan of the genre, I have plenty of backlist recommendations and a carefully curated list of fresh paranormal romance books. Every book here was published in the last five years, between 2019 and 2024. As a general personal rule, I like my paranormal romance to have believable, well-developed characters and a plot that hooks me in. If either the love interests or plot are paper-thin, my attention swiftly drifts. So, if you are looking for a witch, werewolf, vamp, or otherwise paranormal being falling in love, I’ve decided these are the ones you should read.
New, Cool, and Fresh Paranormal Romance Recommendations
Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
On the run from her murderous brother, Elle has found a new life as a middling magical calligrapher for the fairy temp agency. When she reveals her power as a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine to her half-elf client, Luc, she gets drawn into a mission that brings her closer to the past she was trying to escape. As it turns out, the agency’s top security expert, Luc, is tasked with eliminating Elle’s brother. Even their conflicting obligations to family and work may not be enough to eliminate their budding romantic bond.
Lead Me Astray by Sondi Warner
In the heart of New Orleans lies the mystical world of Overlay City and its newest ghostly resident, Aurie. Finding herself murdered on a night out, Aurie now must rely on the nonbinary, intersex Empath, Mys, to guide her through her afterlife. Mys doesn’t want another problem on their hands, but when the werewolf Detective Zyr Ravani shows up at their door asking for their help with Aurie’s murder, they can’t say no. Working together to solve the case brings Aurie, Mys, and Zyr close enough to make their instant chemistry undeniable.
Odd Blood by Azalea Crowley
When Josephine decided to run away from her quickly deteriorating life by going to a Halloween party, she never expected to find an answer to her problems in the form of a drunken man who committed to his vampire costume too hard and needed help getting home. It turns out Eadwulf was a real vampire with a job offer for Josephine. It’s not like she was in a place to turn down the role of being Eadwulf’s elderly roommate’s live-in nanny. Equipped with housing, a job, and the slow realization of her demisexual identity, Josephine finds herself nestled in the middle of a supernatural life she never expected.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Now that the historic mortal feud between Vampyres and Werewolves is over, it’s only right that a marriage of convenience between the two groups take place. Misery, a powerful Vampyre councilman’s daughter, has agreed to be a bride to fulfill her own ambitions, even though she doesn’t know much about Werewolves. Werewolf Alpha, Lowe Moreland, will do anything for his pack, including sealing a peace contract with his hand in marriage. The real question is, how far will they go to secure their futures in an arrangement they never asked for?
From the Dark We Came by J. Emery
Belar is a half-fae demisexual monster hunter with a spotless record — save the vampire Cassian, who managed to survive his attacks twice. The vampire breaks convention again when he appears in his parlor, asking Belar to see who filed the false report against him in the first place. Now, Belar and Cassian will have to cooperate if they want to get to the bottom of a deadly issue rotting the core of the monster hunter association as they try not to fall in love in the process.
Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh
While I would recommend starting at the start of the Psy-Changeling Trinity, I could not make this round-up without recommending the latest installment of Singh’s iconic series. Inseparable bear-shifter twins Yakov and Pavel Stepyrev start leading diverging lives when they find their respective mates. Low-gradient Psy, Theodora, and Yakov discover secrets that bind them closer together. The Psy Empath, Arwen, continues to draw Pavel in with his reserved strength. Both the twins and their mates will have to work together to uncover a dark plan if they want to secure a better future for themselves and everyone they care about.
Wings Once Cursed & Bound by Piper J. Drake
When Peeraphan, the mythological Kinnaree Thai bird princess of legend, steps into The Red Shoes of Hans Christian Andersen fame, a mysterious vampire is the only one who can help. As the vampire representative of a supernatural secret organization tasked with finding and containing mythological objects, Bennet is surprised that a dancer is maintaining enough control to stop moving with the shoes on. He might just be able to save the irresistible supernatural before it’s too late. Now, Peeraphan must learn to claim her place in the supernatural world while she and Bennet work to remove the shoes that threaten to claim her life.
Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher
The no-longer-next-in-line Prima witch on the Supernatural Council, Rose Maxwell, has to find herself. For the first time in her life, she doesn’t have a prophesied job lined up for her, and the only thing on her mind seems to be a one-night stand with Damian, a half-Demon Veterinarian. As luck would have it, a failed horse heist lands her in court-appointed community service at Damian’s animal sanctuary, of all places. You would think falling in love would be easy with that kind of forced proximity. Unfortunately, their budding romance doesn’t have a chance in hell. After all, if Damian ever falls in love, his ex’s hex guarantees that he will lose his humanity.
Pack of Lies by Charlie Adhara
Julien is an actor on a last-ditch trip to figure out how his conspiracy-theorist brother really died in Maudit Falls, North Carolina. Although he was expecting a mystery, he could never have predicted finding a real paranormal conspiracy or a glamorous man with answers. Longtime werewolf, sometimes thief, and current rebel pack runaway retreat manager, Eli knows Julien is getting into dangerous things that don’t concern him. But when the threat continues to hunt the lovable actor down, Eli steps in to help. The unlikely human/werewolf pairing may just make things work as they uncover a deadly truth at the heart of an otherwise scenic slope-side vacation town.
Human Enough by E.S. Yu
An ace-spec vampire gets rescued from his lover’s lair by an autistic vampire hunter. Jordan, the recently freed vampire, is now Noah’s secret boyfriend and roommate. So, when Jordan’s friends in the vampire support group go missing, he naturally asks Noah for help. A dark truth lies at the heart of the Vampire Hunters Association, and so it’s up to Noah to dig up the conspiracy. If he wants to help Jordan and other innocent vampires whose lives are threatened by a supposedly heroic organization, Noah may just have to bring it all down.
Now, I hope these fresh paranormal romance book recommendations will guide you through some of the newest releases to hit the shelves. As 2024 develops, I expect to see a bevy of impressive paranormal romance books coming out. The subgenre is back in style enough that publishers and readers are supporting authors who specialize in that special brand of paranormal love. Bring it on. I, for one, will never get enough of immortal ennui, paranormal longing, and supernatural hijinks.
If you are looking for other paranormal romance books to pick up, try these Ghost Romances, these Werewolf Romances, these Vampire Romances, and these other Paranormal Romances.