The Gothic Sapphic Romances Haunting My TBR Right Now

No one talks about the heartbreak of finishing a book with the exact vibe you were craving. Suddenly you’re feral and haunting bookstore shelves for more. As a massive fan of gothic books, for me, that vibe lately is gothic sapphic romance. Books that drip with atmosphere, teeth-baring desire, and just enough ghostly dread to make you flinch at your own shadow.

So here are the three books currently haunting my TBR, each promising the kind of twisted, tender, spine-tingling story I want to sink into when the nights get long and the fog rolls in. And the best is that they all bring completely different vibes!

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3 Gothic Sapphic Romance Books to Read

House of Rayne by Harley Laroux

You had me at “forbidden passion opens a Pandora’s box of dangerous secrets.” I recently read my first two Harley Laroux books and I’m hooked. I’m fully expecting this book to feel like Crimson Peak crashed into The Haunting of Hill House, with bonus bisexual chaos and plenty of spice. It’s set on a stormy Pacific Northwest island with a crumbling manor and a mysterious woman named Rayne.

Also, the vibes: eerie woods, shadowy halls, murder, and a love story that’s as doomed as it is magnetic. I need this in a bubble bath with a mocktail (preferably red) and a crystal on the windowsill for protection.

Grab House of Rayne on Amazon

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti

Enemies-to-lovers? Check. Historical rivals who are both secretly thirsting for each other? Double check. Ghosts, a haunted manor, and gothic novelist drama? I’m frothing. Plus it’s Alexandra Vasti! I’ve become a rabid fan of her books.

I’m also obsessed with the idea of gothic writers stuck in a creaky house, forced to face their unresolved tension while maybe also running from a ghost. This feels like the sapphic Regency romcom version of Shirley Jackson meets Bridgerton, and I am so here for it.

Grab Ladies in Hating on Amazon

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

This one promises folklore, slow-burn academic rivals, and a murder mystery aboard a cursed expedition. It’s giving The Mummy, Knives Out, and Tidelands all in one, with lush prose and swampy tension. I know this book will absolutely ruin me in the best way.

Grab A Dark and Drowning Tide on Amazon

Let These Haunt Your TBR Too

Something about autumn makes me ache for the gothic. The ghosts. The doomed love. The women who burn it all down. If you’re craving the same, maybe these will haunt your TBR too. And if you’ve read any of them, DM me.

If you want more, deep dive gothic books or explore more queer books to fill your TBR even more.

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