Brothers of the Vine
Forever Evermore
Women of W.A.R.
Halloween has many functions—candy, parties, and pranks. It’s also the one night of the year where you can be anything you want to be without worry or care. Historically, people wore masks to avoid the recently departed that wandered the earth on All Hallow’s Eve looking for revenge. Now, we use costumes to cause general mischief. Much better.
Here is a list of romantic Halloween costume ideas for you to live your true romantic fantasy!
Victorian Gown
Who has not watched a Jane Austen movie or Gone With the Wind and wanted to wear one of those intricate, beautiful gowns? Halloween is your opportunity! You’ll be fainting in compliments as you stride through the party in a beautiful gown cinched at the waist and flaring to the floor, your hair curled and perched upon your head, with minimal makeup according to the time. Spook it up with blood and ghostly makeup, as Victorian ghosts are quite common to wander the halls looking for their loved ones lost.
The Duke That I Marry by Cathy Maxwell
Is it wrong for a woman to want more
Not if she is a Spinster Heiress. They do not settle. Any young miss would be very lucky to find herself promised to a man like the Duke of Camberly. However, Miss Willa Reverly has watched her friends marry for love. Camberly may be the prize of the season, but she will not be “sold” to any man. She wants his devotion or she wants nothing at all.
When is a Marriage of Convenience inconvenient?
The Lady Traveler’s Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen by Victoria Alexander
Really, it’s too much to expect any normal man to behave like a staid accountant in order to inherit the fortune he deserves to support the lifestyle of an earl. So when Derek Saunders’s favorite elderly aunt and her ill–conceived – and possibly fraudulent – Lady Travelers Society loses one of their members, what’s a man to do but step up to the challenge? Now he’s escorting the world’s most maddening woman to the world’s most romantic city to find her missing relative.
Masquerade Mask
Speaking of historical traditions, masquerade parties were all the rage in the 17th century. A simple mask that covers your face gives off a sense of mystery and allure that is absolutely poisonous to anyone wanting to talk to you. Dress it up in the aforementioned gown, or modernise it with a slinky long dress and leave people wondering if they’ll ever seen you again.
Unmasked by Stefanie London
Lainey Kline has one goal before she leaves Melbourne forever: transform into a sexy siren, sneak into the season’s most glamorous masquerade ball, and seduce Damian McKnight. Only there’s a teeny little problem – one deliciously hot night isn’t nearly enough. Now Lainey wants more. But while getting naked is one thing, taking off their masks is quite another…
Regency Masquerade by Diane Gaston
Witnessing polite society’s debauchery and excess every night, Rhys prefers to live on its fringes, but a mysterious masked lady tempts him into the throng. Lady Celia Gale, known only as Madame Fortune, matches Rhys card for card and kiss for stolen kiss. But the stakes are raised when Rhys discovers she’s from the very world he despises.
The mysterious pianiste is the Masquerade Club’s newest attraction, captivating guests with her haunting music. What is the true identity of the lady concealed beneath the mask?
Romeo and Juliet
Though with a tragic ending—very Halloween I must say—Romeo and Juliet has lasted the test of time as one of the great romantic stories. Keep it classic with a long maiden dress and your beau wearing some tights or make it modern by cosplaying as Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes from Romeo + Juliet. Either way, everyone will immediately get the reference.
The Maiden’s Hand by Susan Wiggs
Roguishly handsome Oliver de Lacey has always lived lustily: wine, weapons and women are his bywords. Even salvation from the noose by a shadowy society provides no epiphany to mend his debauched ways.
Mistress Lark’s sole passion is her secret work with a group of Protestant dissidents thwarting the queen’s executions. She needs no other excitement– until Oliver de Lacey drops through the hangman’s door and into her life.
By Grace Possessed by Jennifer Blake
She is one of the accursed Three Graces of Graydon– if she marries not for love, her betrothed will soon meet his end…
The Tudor King issues Lady Catherine Milton a most unusual command: seduce Scottish loyalist Ross Dunbar. The son of an ornery borderland laird, Dunbar would make an advantageous match, but King Henry cannot force him to wed. So Cate must ensnare him…
Vampire
Vampires are historically known for being sensual and dangerous (see: Our ranking of Draculas). We’re simultaneously attracted and repelled by them, and this has endured for hundreds of years and has appeared in many difference forms. A versatile costume again, you can incorporate your Victorian gown into this to be Lucy Westenra or go as Bella from Twilight. Whatever you choose, you’ll be drawing people in. And drawing their blood out.
The Darkest Promise by Gena Showalter
Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual rules his kingdom with unwavering focus: to build his army and annihilate his enemies. Nothing distracts him – until Cameo. He is relentless in his quest to make her smile…and seduce her into his bed.
Vampire Undone by Shannon Curtis
A werewolf‘s bite has just one cure, and vampire Lucien Marchetta intends to find it. But first he must convince Professor Natalie Segova to help him. Natalie once considered Lucien a friend and protector…until he abandoned her to a terrible tragedy. And yet she still struggles to resist his tantalizing allure and the intimate memories of their past.
Vampira or Elvira
Take the aesthetic of the vampire and sex it up, and you can achieve either one of these amazing woman of horror. Vampira, the original, broadcasted a series called The Vampira Show in which she introduced classic horror movies featured on the channel. Almost 30 years later, Elvira’s Movie Macabre graced our screens with a weekly run down of B-grade horror movies presented by Elvira herself. Both of these ladies are hauntingly beautiful and if you play your cards right, you might be able to lure someone into the fog.
Vampire Interrupted by Lynsay Sands
After seven hundred years of life, Marguerite Argeneau finally has a career. Well, the start of one, anyway. She’s training to be a private investigator, and her first assignment is to find an immortal’s mother. It seemed simple enough, until Marguerite wakes up one evening to find herself at the wrong end of a sword. Now she realizes she’s in way over her head.
Secret Reflection by Jennifer Brassel
Kelly Reid doesn’t believe in ghosts, even when one appears in front of her. She’s sure the man in her bedroom mirror is a hoax, all she has to do is prove it. But it’s hard to concentrate on hidden cameras and tiny microphones when he seems so real, so engaging, so sad.
Witch
Despite what Wizard of Oz might tell you, witches love too. Practical Magic and Wicked are great books that prove this to us. Dress up as the classic witch with the long puritan dress and corset, or make it modern by wearing a black pointed hat and mini dress like in Bewitched. Try not to be too evil, just a little cheeky, and everyone will fall under your spell.
The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox
In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters – Catherine, Lydia and Emeline – flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall.
The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, a remnant of a dark history that calls to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline.
All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end…
The Witch’s Thirst by Deborah LeBlanc
For Evette Francois, falling in love is the end of the world – literally. A witch from a long and distinguished line, Evee wields power that comes at a devastating price. If she ever loves a human, all of humanity will suffer. Resisting the temptations of men has never been terribly difficult – until she meets Lucien Hyland.
Corpse Bride
Who said love was dead? We can’t have a Halloween romance feature without mentioning Corpse Bride, an adorable and somewhat sad movie about Victor accidently proposing to Emily, a deceased woman who was killed during her elopement. Some blue makeup and sunken-in cheeks will give you the wanted dead effect, and your mother’s old wedding gown can be torn up and dirtied. (Top Tip: ask first.)
Siren’s Secret by Debbie Herbert
Shelly Connors’s worlds–on land and in the sea–are turned upside down when an evening swim turns into a nightmare. On a sweltering night deep in the bayou, the mystical mermaid witnesses a horrifying act. With a monstrous killer now hot on her trail, her life and the lives of her kin are in jeopardy.
Terrified of becoming the next victim, Shelly has no choice but to turn to Sheriff Tillman Angier. Tillman has had his intense gray eyes on the sultry honey–haired beauty for a while. The feelings are mutual and impossible to ignore.
The Immortal’s Unrequited Bride by Kelli Ireland
Centuries in the grave, Isibéal Cannavan has longed to be reunited with her beloved. Finally, he’s returned to her. She’d recognize Lachlan anywhere, even as an American warlock called Ethan. But her path to reuniting with him in the land of the living runs through hell itself, and she’ll have to take Ethan with her…
Devil
A main-stay in Halloween lore, the Devil has appeared in the mythology since the beginning. Taunting humans and tricking them into his grasp, we always narrowly escape his clutches to survive to another Halloween. You can make it as horrific or sexy as you like, he doesn’t mind, and your costume can easily be achieved with red eyeshadow and a red dress. Why is this romantic? Because everyone loves a little fire.
Of Angels and Demons by Michelle Hauf
All her life, Eden Campbell had dreamed of angels but none that she painted was like the Fallen angel who attacked her. Eden was now to bear her attacker’s offspring one who promised the apocalypse and foretold her death. Where else could she turn but into the arms of a mesmerisingly handsome angel slayer?
Devil’s Bargain by Rachel Caine
Jazz Callender–don’t ever call her Jasmine–is an ex–cop with a goal: to open her own private detective agency and prove her former partner is innocent of murder. Too bad no one will lend her the money until a sexy lawyer with the devil’s own grin appears with an offer she can’t refuse.
Find it here
Candy
Or lollies, our one true love. One of the best things about Halloween. We go trick-or-treating so that we can get as much candy as we can possible carry and then eat most of it in one night. We get stomach aches and are on sugar rushes that make our heads spin for hours. Just like love. A white, orange and yellow striped dress is perfect to g as candy corn, or you can buy an M&M mini dress and wear some heels for simple and sexy. The possibilities are endless—like candy!
Sweet Thing by Nicola Marsh
Abby loves her new life working at Sydney’s finest patisserie. Working alongside brooding new man–in–charge Tanner is an unexpected but delicious challenge, especially as each night their attraction only grows hotter! But Tanner’s past is as dark as the ink on his skin…he’ll let her get closer than close in the bedroom, but dare Abby go deeper?
Eat Your Heart Out by Jill Shalvis
Dimi Anderson may be a TV personality, but she’s never had the pizzazz possessed by her twin sister. And pizzazz — read sex appeal — is what her new producer, Mitchell Knight, thinks is missing from her cooking show. So, not only does Dimi get a radical makeover, she also gets Mitch as an on-air sidekick who really turns up the heat…
The Classic Mills & Boon Heroine
Put some big fluffy curls in your hair, wear a dress that is frilly and off-the-shoulder, and bronze up your entire body and you’ve got yourself a great romantic protagonist costume that would grace any Mills and Boon cover! Swoon every single time your beloved comes near you and wear red lipstick—it’s classic, it’s sexy, and it’s easy to achieve.
Lady Pirate by Lynsay Sands
Valoree no longer has to masquerade as her murdered brother and scourge the oceans as Captain Red. She no longer has to command his pirate band in a quest to regain his birthright. She has been named heir to Ainsley Castle. But no executor would ever hand over the estate to an unmarried pirate wench and her infamous crew-no matter to whom she’d been born. And the will distinctly states that in order to inherit, Valoree must be married to a nobleman . . . and pregnant.
The Laird of Blackloch by Amy Rose Bennett
Years later, styling himself as a wealthy Englishman, Alexander reclaims his forfeited estate, becoming the new Laird of Blackloch. But it’s not nearly enough to quell his thirst for vengeance. Hell–bent on destroying Lord Tay, he single–mindedly sets about driving his nemesis to bankruptcy. When he learns the earl intends to marry the very beautiful English heiress, Miss Sarah Lambert, thus escaping penury, he devises a devious plan: kidnap Miss Lambert and ransom her to hasten Tay’s ruin.
Wear any of these costumes this Halloween and people will go absolutely batty over you.
By Hillary Albertson