A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love

Rose (The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean) mixes spooky and sweet in this queer Halloween romance. Visiting The Dead of Night, a Halloween supply store, is a beloved autumnal tradition in small-town Clover Creek, but the store has a secret: it’s real magic that makes it appear and disappear each Halloween season and its proprietor is cursed to vanish along with it. Pepper has been the unlucky Keeper of the Store for the past five years, forced to live a half-life knowing that everyone in town will forget her the instant the store closes. She’s made her peace with this predicament—until she meets and falls for Christina, a new schoolteacher who’s overwhelmed with the task of operating the town’s famous haunted house. Literally ghosting her new love interest is the last thing Pepper wants, but can she find a way to break the curse before it’s too late? Despite the dark magic involved, Rose keeps things light and cozy. Pepper and Christina are well shaded and easy to root for, and the town comes to life via Rose’s bright and inviting prose. The magic itself sometimes feels a bit arbitrary, but it keeps the plot moving and adds real stakes to the budding romance. Fans of Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop should check this out. (Sept.)