I had a problem.
I wanted to write a ghost romance, but I couldn’t figure out the ending. The premise felt like a trap. All that yearning, all that tension… and then what? They can’t touch. They can’t stay together. So how do you make that kind of love feel satisfying instead of like a cheat?
I picked up Ghostly by Kate Serzenta to research it. Hours later the room had gone dark around me and I hadn’t moved. I had my answer.
That’s what five stars feels like to me. Not just something enjoyable. Something that solves a problem I didn’t know how to solve.
I’ve read 33 books so far this year, down from 152 last year. Part of that is focus—more writing, less reading. Part of it is that I spent months finishing a book I should’ve walked away from. New rule: I don’t do that anymore.
So I sat down to make a simple list of my top ten speculative fiction reads this year. Easy enough. But while I was jotting down why I loved each one, I realized something: my reasons weren’t always the reasons a typical reader would give. I wasn’t just loving these books for their stories—I was loving them for the tiny craft lessons they handed me along the way.
So yes, this is still a favorites list. But the reasons behind those favorites might be a little… unconventional.
All the below are speculative fiction, most with romance, or close enough. In no particular order. Please don’t make me rank them.
The Knight and the Moth – Rachel Gillig
A gothic prophetess who can see everyone’s future is sent on a dangerous quest with the one knight she cannot read.
I picked it up for the concept—gothic romantasy. A genre I didn’t understand but wanted to. Fell in love with it. Also: gargoyles. Because who doesn’t want to write a gargoyle story?
I figured out the twist early. Didn’t matter. The slow-burn romance carried every page anyway. This was one of those books where the journey matters more than the reveal.
And the found family element finally clicked for me. I get why readers love it now.
Unwanted – Mia Sheridan
A wilderness guide assisting a double murder investigation becomes entangled with the only suspect—a man who may have lived alone in the Montana wilderness since childhood.
Not marketed as speculative fiction, but it reads like sci-fi romantic suspense to me. And the subject matter hit close to home, as I’m a pharmacist.
The mystery pulled me forward. The hero kept me there—quiet, broken, gentle in a way that felt earned, not performed. I write beta heroes. This reminded me why.
Ghostly – Kate Serzenta
A suspended lawyer hides in a run-down Victorian house and discovers the resident ghost has been there since 1888.
Research. I needed to figure out how to write a ghost romance ending.
This book didn’t just answer the question—it showed the shape of it. The yearning is intense because they can’t touch, can’t fully exist in the same space, and yet the ending still lands.
I closed it and immediately started thinking about my own version. Still haven’t solved it.
Parallel – Elle O’Roark
A woman weeks from her wedding meets the man she’s dreamed about her entire life—who has been dreaming of her too.
I needed research for a parallel-world story. Mostly logistics. Structure. Rules.
This didn’t match my idea at all, which was actually useful.
The pacing is clean, the twist lands, and it keeps momentum in a way that’s harder than it looks.
The Prince and the Troll – Rainbow Rowell
A man accidentally drops his phone off a bridge and forms a daily friendship with the creature who retrieves it.
I’ve been studying novellas—what makes them feel complete instead of rushed.
This is a masterclass in restraint. No excess. No filler. Just exactly enough story to feel whole.
I don’t usually read this type of fairy-tale style romance, but it reminded me what the format can do when it doesn’t overreach.
Spicy Little Curses – J.T. Geissinger
A reporter investigating New Orleans urban legends meets a tattoo artist tied to a family curse.
The setting pulled me in—New Orleans feels personal. I’ve walked those streets when my daughter went to college there.
The atmosphere is thick, the chemistry sharp, and the push-pull between the leads does all the work. Also: yes, this one is open-door.
Hot for Slayer – Ali Hazelwood
A vampire finds her thousand-year nemesis—the slayer who hunts her—on her doorstep with no memory of either of them.
Another novella. What stood out was structure. It drops you into danger first, then rewinds to explain it. Clean, efficient, effective. I noticed it immediately as a writer.
Void – Veronica Roth
A crew member on a luxury interstellar ship becomes an amateur detective after a passenger is murdered mid-voyage.
I wanted a sci-fi mystery reference point—not cozy, not dark. Something in between. (Spoiler: I’m working on one now.)
I listened on audiobook during walks. There’s a moment near the end I still associate with a specific corner on my route. That’s how you know sensory writing is working.
The Dead Romantics – Ashley Poston
A ghostwriter who no longer believes in love returns home and finds the ghost of her editor waiting for her.
More ghost romance research. Also magical realism—where the line between real and unreal actually sits.
The craft is doing heavy lifting here. It looks effortless, which means it isn’t. The ending shouldn’t work. It does anyway.
I still don’t know how to write a ghost romance without the ending seeming “unrealistic.” I know. Laugh. It’s a ghost story. It can be unrealistic. This one was as realistic as a ghost story can get.
Shield of Sparrows – Devney Perry
A forgotten princess is forced into a political marriage and sent into a monster-filled realm.
I trust Devney Perry blindly.
The worldbuilding is sharp, the twist caught me completely off guard, and I’d actually reread it—which is rare for me.
After 33 books this year, I’m noticing something interesting. I don’t just remember the plots. I remember the problems they solved for me.
A ghost romance that helped me figure out how to handle impossible intimacy. A sci-fi mystery that gave me structure ideas I didn’t know I was missing. A novella that quietly answered a pacing question I’d been stuck on for weeks.
I thought I was just reading for enjoyment. Turns out I’m also collecting answers.
I don’t rank books. I don’t really believe in “best.” I care about impact—the stories that stay with you because they change how you think about storytelling, or love, or endings.
So now I’m curious about your version of that.
What’s a book that stayed with you—not just because you loved it, but because it changed how you see stories, romance, or the way endings should feel?
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Note: I used affiliate links in this article, where I earn a small proceed if you purchase the book. It goes to fund my coffee addiction. Thank you very much.