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Although I love reading all year round, there’s something extra special about October for me. It’s the height of spooky season, where I get to don my favorite witch hat and lean into seasonal reading in a way I rarely do at other times of the year. In fact, I typically dedicate all of October to reading witchy books, and it’s something I look forward to every year. Publishing tends to help me out here, with plenty of exciting new witchy rom-coms and spooky season reads slated to arrive throughout the month.
This October is extra exciting because two of my favorite authors have new, seasonally appropriate books coming out this month. It also happens to mark the debut of the next season of The Apothecary Diaries, one of my favorite anime. But between new episodes, I’ll have plenty of reading to do with the absolutely stacked lineup of new books this October. Here are my picks for the most exciting new releases headed our way this spooky season.
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A Pinch of Magic by Emily Heil
- Release Date: October 6th
- Price: $18.99 on Amazon
- Publisher: Forever
- ARC Received: Yes
Two things I love? A magic-infused read and a good cookbook. A Pinch of Magic combines them with a story centered on a cookbook ghostwriter who finds herself tangled up with an actual ghost. And yes, this one is also a romance, because it is my book recommendation we’re talking about, after all.
In A Pinch of Magic, Cam Parker has to figure out how to repair her beloved grandmother’s house, and fast. Enter: working with a nightmare client in her coastal hometown. Add an accidental ghost summoning and inconvenient feelings for the local carpenter, and you’ve got a recipe for cozy small-town chaos.
Vengefully Matched by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
- Release Date: October 6th
- Price: $18.99 via Amazon
- Publisher: Atria Books
- ARC Received: Yes
This witchy sapphic rom-com is technically book 2 in Ruoff’s Hallowcross series, but like many romance series, it can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed the first book well enough, but I have to admit Priscilla captured my attention a bit more than our main characters in book one. So, I was thrilled to see that her love story takes center stage in Vengefully Matched.
Vengefully Matched follows Priscilla Hart, who famously ran away from her own wedding in a magical display. Now, she’s working to rebuild her damaged reputation with the Witchery Council. There’s just one problem: the new council president, Agatha Vanderbilt Voisin, is everything Priscilla hates. But when Priscilla finds herself framed for a series of magical explosions, the two wind up in a fake dating agreement while they work to puzzle out the mystery. But that chemistry between them is anything but pretend.
Wench by Erynne Rivers
- Release Date: October 13th
- Price: $18.99 via Amazon
- Publisher: Avon
- ARC Received: No
I guess not everyone wants to read only books about witches, magic, and ghosts in October. So, here’s my token non-witchy recommendation for the month, just in case. This cover caught my eye while browsing the upcoming releases, and I’m glad it did, because it’s a Robin Hood retelling centered on one Maid Marian. Yes, please.
In Wench, Maid Marian finds herself unwillingly betrothed to the Sheriff of Nottingham. But on her way to the dreaded wedding, her carriage is attacked by the fearsome Merry Men, a famously dangerous group of fae. Trapped among those she’s been taught to fear, Marian realizes that not everything is quite as it seems… including the handsome Robin Hood.
Love You to Death by Jenna Lavine
- Release Date: October 13th
- Price: $18.99 on Amazon
- Publisher: Berkley
- ARC Received: Yes
Jenna Lavine is the author behind the My Vampires series, which began with the delightful My Roommate is a Vampire. Now, she’s back with something new. But don’t worry, it’s also delightfully paranormal in nature. This time, though, we’re not falling for any vampires. Instead, we’re looking at Death himself.
Love You to Death follows Lucy McKenzie, whose life meets an inconvenient, early end when she’s struck by a bus. However, she’s not about to go quietly into the afterlife. That makes things pretty tricky for grim reaper Daniel, who already hates his dead-end job. So, they strike a deal, wherein Lucy can return to the world of the living as long as she helps Daniel learn more about humanity. Simple, right? Except nothing ever is.
Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe
- Release Date: October 13th
- Price: $20 via Amazon
- Publisher: Berkley
- ARC Received: Yes
Marlowe captured my heart with her debut, Love and Other Conspiracies. I’ve been eagerly grabbing every new book she publishes ever since, but I was especially delighted with the premise of her latest. We’re leaving cryptids and aliens behind for another kind of paranormal with this one, and I am here for it.
Entities to Lovers follows paranormal medium and ghost tour guide, Rory Woods. She’s pretty content with her life as a medium and paranormal store co-runner in Boston. However, fellow ghost tour host Ezra Blackwell is a thorn in her side. A talented thorn that, unfortunately, gets great customer reviews. But when their forced co-hosted tour goes awry, the two find themselves stuck together until they can sort out this curse. But is spending time together truly as bad as they thought it’d be?
Looking for more book recs? Check out our new book release recommendations from September 2026.
**Bonus Action is a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program. That means buying items from the Amazon links in this article will help support our writers via a small amount of money earned per purchase.**
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