These ‘horrormance’ picks from ‘Devil Inside’ author Clay McLeod Chapman will keep you turning those pages —even if you’ve got one eye squeezed shut in terror

Hot enough for you yet? How about we crank up the heat on your reading list.

Sorry to interrupt your summer. Don’t mind me, I’m merely the devil on your shoulder, whispering in your ear a few recommendations to burn through these dog days. 

Don’t be afraid to open your heart up to a little horror! Horror and romance have always gone hand in severed hand… It’s the chocolate and peanut butter spread all over your bookshelves! Don’t believe me? When have I ever lied to you? 

Here is a list of some fresh horrormance novels that you need to read (or preorder so you can gobble them up the second they’re out), plus a few more horrormance novels that were integral to my new book, Devil Inside. These books push the limits of love, drawing the reader in and refusing to let go.

01 of 11

‘Decomposition Book’ by Sara Van Os

All Savannah hoped for was a place to hunker down and lay low after falling out with her best friend — so when she wakes up beside a dead body in the woods, she has to make a decision: Call the police? Or open up her heart to her newfound companion? Sara van Os draws a line in the sand and demands readers cross it with her dark descent into heartfelt psychodrama, equal parts humorous and malodorous. 

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02 of 11

‘On Sundays She Picked Flowers’ by Yah Yah Scholfield

Yah Yah Scholfield’s scorching southern gothic has a palpable sense of humidity that drifts right off the page. Brutal and unforgiving, but aching with so much emotion, I still haven’t shaken this story populated by haints and haunted houses and a stunning stranger. Not for the faint of heart, but beautiful in its heartache. One of my favorite books this year.

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Related: Southern Gothic Is Hotter Than a Texas Summer — Here’s Where to Start Reading (Exclusive Essay)

03 of 11

‘Feast While You Can’ by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta

The love story at the center of this novel is absolutely voracious. Angelina meets Jagvi, but there’s a third wheel thrown into the mix that might just upend everything. Possession has never been written better in this sun-bleached, blood-soaked romance. 

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04 of 11

‘Spread Me’ by Sarah Gailey

Do you like to get freaky? How freaky? Let Spread Me be the litmus test. Sarah Gailey chronicles the burgeoning love story between a scientist and a very randy contagion. The less you know going into this one, the better, but things get… squelchy. Imagine John Carpenter’s The Thing with a little more sexy times and then you’ll start to get the gist of it.

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Related: Romantasy Authors Break Down How Spicy Sex Scenes Lead to a Book’s ‘Climax’

05 of 11

‘Eat The Ones You Love’ by Sarah Maria Griffin

If you ever wished Little Shop of Horrors had a little more love fertilized into its narrative, look no further than Sarah Maria Griffin’s botanical beaut. Shell meets the orchid of her dreams in a practically-abandoned shopping mall, only for this to get… complicated. 

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06 of 11

‘Someone You Can Build A Nest In’ by John Wisell

John Wisell asks the age-old question: Do you love me for the monster that I am on the inside, or the repurposed suit of flesh that I am on the outside? The shapeshifter at the heart of this humorous and heartfelt tale has made the biggest mistake a monster can make: It’s fallen in love — with a human, no less. What’s a flesh-eating creature to do? 

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Related: 5 Seriously Scary Horror Books for Welcoming Autumn — And Spooky Season (Exclusive)

07 of 11

‘The Hellbound Heart’ by Clive Barker

Is this a romance? I guess that depends on you, dear reader. But there’s certainly a lot of love, and lust, and blood, and skin, in Barker’s absolute masterclass of pain and pleasure. The yearning between Julia and Frank is palpable. Oh, the things we’ll do for love.

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08 of 11

‘Love Never Dies: Romance In Horror Movies’ by Emma Cole

Full disclosure: Emma was my editor for Devil Inside — who also just so happened to write The Definitive Book on horrormance in movies. She covers everything from Francis Ford Coppola’s own Dracula to Bones and All and everything in between, mapping out the perfect movie marathon for you and someone you love, or want to eat. 

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09 of 11

‘Jenny Will Eat You Now’ by Gillian Daniels

Mythic river monster Jenny Greenteeth gets a modern spin in Gillian Daniels’ “meat cute,” where our titular beast now roams through Boston. After a chance encounter with a rather handsome academic, the big question for Jenny is: Should she open her heart, or her moss-ridden jaws? Daniel’s reimagining of one of my personal favorite bits of folklore is so much fun, you’ll forget all about your mother’s warning not to get too close to the water.

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10 of 11

‘Lethal Kiss’ by Taylor Grothe

Sure, Marcella might be a monster, but she’s always been discreet in who she eats, which is why meeting fellow professor Lacie comes at the most inopportune time. Tenure is on the line! This lovely bloody blend of dark academia and sapphic romance is not for the faint of heart, but rest assured: once you’re finished, you’ll be absolutely drenched in red.

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Related: Mona Awad, R.F. Kuang, Donna Tartt and More: 10 Dark Academia Books to Read This Fall

11 of 11

‘The Haunting Of Lavender House’ by Natalie Kikic

Kikic’s dual timeline gothic taps into Croatian folklore to offer up a sumptuous story that spans centuries, yoking two souls together. Perfect for fans of Isabel Cañas. The romance is excellent and there are some haunting dream sequences that will surely linger.

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Related: 23 Cozy Halloween Romance Reads That Put the 'Spice' in Pumpkin Spice

And there you have it! The ooiest, gooiest, grotesque love stories this side of the vena cava, full of love and heartache and a whole lot of blood. Beat the heat by drenching yourselves in red! It’s the summer of love and horrormance! 

Devil Inside comes out Aug. 11 and is available now for preorder, wherever books are sold.

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