As part of our Ghost in Books Series, discover ghosts in romance books, from classics to contemporary paranormal romances, this list of romance stories shows that love doesn’t end when the heart stops beating.

Ghosts In Romance Books: Love Beyond the Veil

Ghost romances ask the impossible: can love exist beyond death? These stories don’t just haunt—they ache. They’re about longing on the other side of the veil, where connections refuse to fade, in the kind of love that lingers long after the final page. Whether your ghost is trapped, wandering, or paying taxes while running a centuries-old empire, these romance books prove that sometimes the heart doesn’t need to beat to feel everything.

Here are ghost romance novels where love stories transcend the boundaries between life and death.

Classic Ghost Love Stories

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir — R.A. Dick (1945)

If you’ve read my ghost in romance series, you’ll know I mention this book and the movie a lot. Why? Because, to me, it is the original seaside ghost romance where a widow falls for the spirit of a sea captain haunting her cottage. But it’s atmospheric, tender, and timeless—this is where ghost romance began.

Portrait of Jennie — Robert Nathan (1940)

A painter falls in love with a mysterious woman who may be a ghost from another time. Dreamy, melancholic, and achingly romantic, this novella lingers like morning mist.

Contemporary Ghost Romances

The Dead Romantics — Ashley Poston (2022)

A romance editor who’s lost her belief in love returns home for a funeral and meets a ghost … who happens to be very attractive and very dead. Witty, heartfelt, and swoon-worthy.

Cemetery Boys — Aiden Thomas (2020)

A trans brujo accidentally summons the ghost of his school’s bad boy, and they must work together to solve a murder. This is YA paranormal romance with heart, humor, and representation.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue — V.E. Schwab (2020)

Addie makes a deal that renders her forgotten by everyone she meets—living like a ghost in plain sight—until she finds someone who remembers her. Hauntingly romantic, beautifully written, and unforgettable.

Stardust — Neil Gaiman (1999)

A quest through a magical realm featuring a memorable romance. It’s whimsical, bittersweet, and full of wonder. I love this one. (And the movie)

Paranormal Romance with Ghostly Encounters

Jackaby — William Ritter (2014)

Victorian-era supernatural detective work meets slow-burn romance, featuring ghostly encounters and mysterious investigations. First in a charming series with witty banter and atmosphere to spare.

 

What If You Found A Ghost Romance Where The Hero Never Died?

Most ghost romances give us spirits trapped between worlds, longing for resolution or release. But what if your ghost pays taxes? Runs an empire? In a manor that guards its secrets?

In Forget Forever, the hero of Strathmuir Manor is 250 years undead! He’s technically a ghost, yet functionally alive, and entirely off-limits until a librarian stumbles through his door and unravels everything he’s been hiding.

So, if you love ghost romances but want something that bends the rules, where the supernatural feels lived-in rather than tragic, then Strathmuir Manor is calling.

Because some love stories don’t end when the heart stops beating…

 

 

Read the Rest of the Ghosts in Books Series: