Tell someone you read or write paranormal romance, and a few common themes come to mind. Darkness. Magic. Danger. Shifters, vampires, and other creatures of the night battling demons and other ungodly forces that threaten humanity. Countless thrilling paranormal romances fit right in with the dark and gritty worlds that most often come to mind. And don't get me wrong; I love to read the darker books. I've even written a few myself.
But paranormal romance also has a lighter side. Some paranormal (and fantasy) romances, while they contain the magic required to categorize them as paranormal/fantasy, focus more on the "normal" side of things. There are no epic battles aside from the ones inside the characters' own minds. The fate of humanity doesn't hang in the balance, and the conflicts aren't wars waged against evil, but are struggles with the basic human condition.
Perhaps a guardian angel falls in love with his charge, or Cupid's job is on the line if he can't convince a stubborn couple to fall in love. Maybe the main character is a psychic medium who has to help his love interest get rid of a ghost. Whatever the plot, these light paranormals tend to rely more heavily on the tropes of contemporary romance.
I call these light paranormal romances, but good luck finding a category for them on Amazon. A search for light paranormal romance results in books with the word light in the title. Contemporary paranormal romance gives you paranormal books that are set in the present day.
These books are hard to find, because they have no specific subcategory and they are mixed in with all the darker paranormal romance. It's a shame because not only do I write them, but I love to read them. If you love your paranormal romance on the lighter side too, today is your lucky day. I've scoured through the books and found ten light paranormal romances for your reading pleasure.
(These books range in heat levels from sweet to super steamy, so use your own judgment before you buy.)
Enjoy!
The Business of Love by Kerri Keberly
Love is patient, love is kind . . . Love is late for work. Again.
When the time-challenged god of love has six months to turn mortal enemies into lovers, things get real.
She thinks true love is total crap.
Liz Johnson hates love—until she locks eyes with the hot new marketing guy and her theory crumbles. Terrified his charm will break through what’s left of her self-imposed walls of solitude, Liz wastes no time hauling out the bricks and mortar to rebuild the fortress surrounding her carefully guarded heart.
He thinks he's God's gift to women.
Leo Simmons is irresistible . . . or so he thought. When his new co-worker refuses to give him the time of day, he decides to melt her icy glares just to prove he can. But despite her tattoos, ill temper, and the possibility she may be a cyborg, his strategy to get her into bed becomes a sole venture to make her smile.
Cupid thinks he just might have to kiss his wings goodbye.
Little do they know their boss is actually, Eros, the god of love, posing as a mortal and using every matchmaking trick in the book to turn enemies into lovers. On top of an already impossible deadline, he must hit his mark before Liz’s fast approaching 25th birthday. Fail, and she dies, taking his immortality with her.
Saving Evangeline by Nancee Cain
Evangeline is the town pariah. Everyone knows she's crazy and responsible for the death of her last boyfriend. Even her mother left her and moved cross-country. Lonely and desperate, Evie decides to end her life.
Rogue angel Remiel longs to return to earth. There's just one problem. He tends to invite trouble and hasn't been back since Woodstock. The Boss sends him to save Evangeline, but there's a catch. He can't reveal his angelic nature and must complete the task as Father Remiel Blackson.
Forced together on a cross-country trip, a forbidden romance ignites and love unfolds. A host of heavenly messengers try to intervene, but Remiel and Evangeline are headed on a collision course to disaster. Will his love save her, or will they both be lost forever?
Third Time's a Ghost by Carrie Pulkinen
The past isn’t the only thing that’s haunting…
Paranormal investigator and IT genius Gage Dawson sucks at dating. Ten times out of ten, his relationships don’t make it past dinner. But when his childhood best friend comes back into his life, he’s determined to take her all the way to breakfast. He never told her he loved her in high school.
Hopefully he won’t make that mistake again.
Psychic medium Erica Miller is struggling to make her haunted community theater a success. She’s never had a problem with ghosts before, but when black-outs, confusion, and headaches plague her rehearsals, she’ll need the help of a certain paranormal investigator to find the culprit.
Erica hasn’t seen Gage since high school, and the nerdy boy-next-door she once called her best friend has grown into a mouth-watering specimen of a man.
Will friends become lovers, or will the spirits drive them apart?
If you like nice guys and not-so-nice ghosts, you'll love this steamy friends-to-lovers romance!
HARD Series Box Set by Chloe Fischer
Four brothers with superpowers, separated at birth...
A soldier, an assassin, a thief, and…an accountant.
Ryder - the soldier…Finds Paige, but can he keep her?
Xavier - the thief…Finds Danica, but can he trust her?
Xander - the assassin…Finds Ashtyn, but will he kill her?
and Aiden…the holder of the baddest superpower of all.
Hard Hearted Hannah by Jolie St. Amant
All her heart needs is a little magic...
All work and no play, that’s how Hannah Montgomery likes her life. That is, until company photographer, Julien, accompanies her to New Orleans for a music festival. This dimpled Cajun with an easy smile and laid back attitude has the potential to be a complication to her well-organized existence.
Hannah tries everything to keep her distance from Julien, but seems to fail every time. It’s as if something--or someone--keeps pushing them together.
Is it the allure of the sultry South? The romance of the Crescent City? Or is the enchanting Chateau Rouge working its spell on these two lovers?
Buy now to start reading the second novella in the series readers are calling “captivating”, “intriguing”, and “unique”.
Beneath the Lake by Casi McLean
A ghost town submerged beneath Atlanta's famous man-made Lake Lanier reportedly lures victims to a watery grave. But when Lacey Montgomery's car spins out of control and hurtles into the depths of the icy water, she awakens in the arms of a stranger, in a town she's never heard of--34years before she was born.
When the 2012 lawyer tangles with a 1949 hunk, fire and ice swirl into a stream of sweltering desire. Bobby Reynolds is smitten the moment the storm-ravaged woman opens her eyes and, despite adamant protest, Lacey falls in love with a town destined for extinction, and the man who vows to save his legacy.
Threatened by a nefarious stalker, the wrath of bootleggers, and twists of fate, Lacey must find the key to a mysterious portal before time rips the lovers apart, leaving their star-crossed spirits to wander forever through a ghost town buried beneath the lake.
Silver Lake by Kathryn Knight
Rain Anderson can't decide which is more unsettling--encountering the ghost of her missing friend, or reuniting with the man whose love she foolishly rejected. But one thing is certain: the past has come back to haunt her, quite literally.
Five years ago, Rain's tight-knit group of high school friends unraveled when one vanished during their senior year. Now, a parent's deathbed request has reunited the friends at Silver Lake, including Jason Lansing, the man Rain discarded.
Rain and Jason discover the powerful attraction between them has survived, but though Jason is willing to forgive, he can't let himself forget. The possibility of falling for Rain again is too risky.
Slamming doors, crashing objects, flaring fires--clearly the ghost has a message to share. As Rain and Jason struggle to unravel the truth, they must face a desperate spirit in need of help--and a burning passion that refuses to die.
Big Love by Saxon Bennett & Layce Gardner
What do you get when you add up one guardian angel with ADD; one human who’s texting when she should be watching where she’s walking; and one open manhole in the middle of the street? You get a cracked skull with sixteen stitches and a guilt-ridden guardian angel.
The guardian angel, Zing, comes to earth in human form to make it up to her charge, Nell Parker. What doesn’t add up is the internet romance Nell is having. Something (cat)fishy is happening, and now Zing feels obligated to protect Nell’s heart.
What Zing doesn’t count on is falling in love with Nell. Can Zing give up everything to follow her heart? Is her love big enough to overcome all obstacles?
Find out in this newest romantic comedy from Layce Gardner and Saxon Bennett!
Lost Souls of Greye House by Barbara R. Harrison
Laura O’Brien makes her living as a psychic employed by government agencies across the nation to find missing people. Her most recent case left her exhausted, and she knows it is time for a break. Although skeptical of her abilities, Greye Robbins, owner of Greye House, hires Laura to investigate a ghostly apparition that appears only to his half-brother. Intrigued by both the mystery and Greye, Laura agrees.
Sexual tension builds as Greye and Laura work together. Although the apparition appears benign, Laura’s presence in the house initiates a frightening sequence of events—coal scuttles flying through the air, cellar doors slamming shut, and an air of malevolence that scares even Laura. In the end, many lives are changed when the century old mystery of Greye House is solved, including Laura’s.
The Shucker's Boutique by J.C. McKenzie
After her fiancé dumps her and her beloved Aunt Jenny goes missing, Willa Eklund travels to Lobster Cove with a broken heart to search for Jenny while running her bookstore. When a mysterious man visits the Shucker's Booktique on a stormy night drenched in rain and covered in mud, Willa's heart melts under his stormy gaze. She wants Lon and the answers he may have, but he also has a secret. Can Willa trust him?
Lon Devlin is a Tempest, a water sprite who can only take a human form during stormy nights. He rides the waves, lives by the tides, and nothing can hold him down, not even a beautiful woman. When he visits his mortal friend, he discovers she's missing and her intriguing niece has taken her place. He wants Willa, but he also wants answers. What happened to Jenny?
There you go. Ten light paranormal romance books (or contemporary romance with a touch of magic...whatever you want to call them!) I hope this helps you narrow down your search.
If these books piqued your interest, be sure to check out these posts while you're here:
10 Paranormal Romantic Comedy Books to Make You Laugh Out Loud
10 Ghost Story Paranormal Romance Novels That Are Actually About Ghosts
10 Psychic Paranormal Romance Books That Are Actually About Psychics
10 Angel Paranormal Romance Novels That Are Actually About Angels
10 New Orleans Romances to Spice Up Your eReader
and going back to the darker side of PNR... 10 Werewolf and Shifter Paranormal Romance Novels Worth Checking Out
Carrie,
Thank you so much for this blog post! It is so hard to find light paranormal romance to read. I am excited to read each of these. I feel like I’ve just found a gold mine! 🙂
You’re welcome! They really need their own category, so they’ll be easier to find!
Thank you for finally giving a name to the category I write in! And doing so by giving me some new entries for my TBR pile also! I agree, they should have their own category. Sometimes I get tired of the ‘Alpha males’ and the dark themes.
I agree! I’ve always loved romantic suspense with a paranormal “edge.” One of my favs…if you’re interested…is Tina Wainscott. I love the way she makes me believe when I read her stories.