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Necromance

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When spirited necromancer, Mia Arden, is hired to cleanse a long-abandoned castle, she expects a few temperamental ghosts— not a the brooding, devastatingly handsome phantom Duke trapped inside of a cursed painting.

Lucien Wescraven has spent years as a shadow, imprisoned by the woman who loved him to madness. Now, with the castle alive with sinister magic, and the ghosts of woman who will do anything to keep him lurking in every echoing corridor, Mia is his only hope. But the deeper she digs, the more entangled she becomes in Lucien’s tragic past.

As passion flares and the castle fights to keep its secrets, Mia must Break the curse, risk her soul, and set the haunted duke free, or walk away before she’s lost to the darkness forever.

A gothic romance brimming with yearning, wit, ghostly danger, and the enduring power of love. Fans of Casper, Jane Eyre, and Crimson Peak will fall for this deliciously dark fairytale.

Necormance is an adult 18+ dark gothic romantic fantasy and contains mature content and explicit scenes. For all of the people that wished Casper was for adults, Lucien Wescraven welcomes you to Ravenspire Castle…

317 pages, Paperback

Published June 10, 2025

232 people are currently reading
3501 people want to read

About the author

Cora Raven

3 books33 followers

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5 stars
234 (20%)
4 stars
452 (39%)
3 stars
323 (28%)
2 stars
106 (9%)
1 star
23 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
Profile Image for Bailee.
351 reviews12.5k followers
September 15, 2025
4.5 ⭐️

I am telling you right now if you love spooky gothic romance READ THIS!!!!!!!! Omg I can’t wait to yap about this!!!!!! The tension. The banter. The romance. The storyline. The vibes. All of it was AMAZING.
Profile Image for Bookishness .
133 reviews58 followers
October 19, 2025
A haunted house, spooky witchy vibes, and a touch of romance, this book had everything I wanted for Halloween. Lucien gave me total Casper energy, and the banter was so much fun. It’s gothic, a little eerie, and honestly just the perfect fall read.

"The Duke of Ravenspire betrayed a heart, forevermore trapped in art. Bind him tight, where he shall stay, until a heart guides his way. Dashing though he be, only love shall set him free. Call him forth with careful thought, his time shall never be bought. Cursed to dream in eternal sleep, until a heart he shall keep.”
Profile Image for quin ⁠♡.
134 reviews6 followers
September 4, 2025
I was thinking this was going to be a 3 star read. The gothic setting and eerie vibe had me interested at first, but the more I read, the more it fell apart.

The almost-insta attraction was a big nope for me. The FMC was drawn to MMC after seeing his portrait (yes, there was a reason, but still), and from there their interactions just felt flat and awkward. It gave Beauty and the Beast vibes without any of the slow burn or chemistry.

And then there’s the FMC, who seemed like a skilled necromancer in the beginning, but Lucien kept swooping in to save her…likeee??

Finishing this one threw me straight into a slump🫩
Profile Image for Anshika.
797 reviews4 followers
September 5, 2025
This is a perfect gothic romance to read especially around Halloween.
It has a haunted castle, spirits, necromancer, curses, paintings and a hot Phantom duke.
This is a short and fun and creepy and spicy read.
Profile Image for Katie Lemons.
141 reviews2 followers
October 5, 2025
4.5 stars
Okay this was such a fun creepy, spooky, spicy gothic read. Highly recommend for a quick October read. Dare I say I enjoyed the vibes of this more than phantasma? I feel like it has the same bones as phantasma but honestly more sinister and without the trials.
Profile Image for Katie.
547 reviews157 followers
October 6, 2025
This book started off so strong, it was beautifully written and I really felt I was there with Mia. Unfortunately (and after reading reviews, I'm not the only one that thinks this) it fell flat after the main characters were introduced to each other.

We quickly shifted from a gothic, atmospheric read to an insta-love that I wasn't particularly interested in.

The ending made me roll my eyes and I just wanted the book to end.

I've rated it 3 stars for the strong start however the majority of the book would fall in the 2 star area.
Profile Image for Read_with_Cara.
173 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2025
The atmosphere of this book was so delicious at the beginning. However, it quickly devolved into inconsistent rules of magic. In some parts, it felt the different POV was unnecessary. A lot of backstory was missing, and things just happened out of convenience. I honestly skimmed the last 25% because I had lost some interest and figured how it would go. Rounded up to 2.5 stars.
October 18, 2025
˗ˏˋ 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖´ˎ˗ 3.5 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼 ˗ˏˋ 𝜗𝜚 ࣪˖ ´ˎ˗

ˏ•*⁀➷˚ ࣪𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
ᝰ 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚
ᝰ 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨
ᝰ 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙭 𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙢
ᝰ 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙮/𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨

ˏ˚ ࣪࣪⋆。˚⋆ ‎𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮 ˚ ࣪ ࣪˖⋆。
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴—𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘋𝘶𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦.

˚ ࣪𖤐 ࣪˖⋆。˚⋆𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 ˚ ࣪𖤐 ࣪˖⋆。˚⋆
𓂃 ࣪˖ ⋆.˚ 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣 𝙒𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣: 𝘈 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ⋆.˚ 𝙈𝙞𝙖 𝘼𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣 : 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯

˚ ࣪𖤐 ࣪˖⋆。˚⋆𝓶𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ˚ ࣪𖤐 ࣪˖⋆。˚⋆
𝘐 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺-𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦
Profile Image for Tammy Niraula.
380 reviews39 followers
November 7, 2025
A truly beautiful and unique gothic romance. The creepy spooky atmosphere is fabulous, and it's dark, twisted, and sexy in all the best ways. If you loved the 1995 film Casper and wished for an adult version, you will absolutely devour this book!
Profile Image for Brianna Wegman.
32 reviews2 followers
October 22, 2025
Such a good October book. A short but good read. I loved it. Very Phantasma/adult Casper vibes.
Profile Image for Annie.
144 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2025
I highly suspect that the majority of this was helped along by AI. The overuse of certain punctuation marks is a red flag with most AI generators and in chapter one it was heaving with them. I refuse to continue with it.
Profile Image for Jasmine.
616 reviews
September 30, 2025
3.25 Stars

I like atmospheric haunted house settings, I love ghost stories, and romances with ghosts. Needless to say, this one could've easily been a 5 star read for me, but it unfortunately just missed the mark. First off, not enough ghosts!! It's a ghost story yet, where are all the ghost interactions? The description when Mia first enters the castle was how different the place felt because it was alive with ghosts. There wasn't a whole lot to this story, and it basically centered around three characters: Mia, Lucien (a mysterious, cursed ghost trapped in a painting), and the psychotic ex haunting the castle. It's a fun and semi spooky read with some spice and fun banter, but everything felt pretty one dimentional. Still an enjoyable enough read to pick up during spooky season on a lazy afternoon, and I'm happy to see more ghosty romances being made.
63 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2025
Liked the plot but felt like there was a lot missing. Some parts felt rushed. Overall had so much potential but I did enjoy it and would recommend.
Profile Image for Hennie.
559 reviews45 followers
December 3, 2025
"I struck a match, lighting three candles-one for the past, one for the present, and one for the restless dead."

When a book pitches itself as Casper meets Crimson Peak, I’m already halfway in, and Necromance absolutely delivered on those eerie, gothic vibes. The necromancer (profession) setting was fun, atmospheric, and deliciously spooky, with a crumbling castle full of unsettling whispers and vengeful spirits. It felt like stepping straight into a dark fairytale.

Mia, our spirited necromancer heroine, was a solid lead, though I’ll admit I got a little frustrated with how often she burned through her power and passed out. Girl, you’ve been doing this for years, shouldn’t we be past the “oops, fainted again” stage? I know necromancy comes with a price, but it started feeling like a repeated plot device.

Lucien, on the other hand, was exactly the kind of haunted duke I wanted. Trapped in a cursed painting, brooding in all the right ways, and tossing out cheeky remarks that brought the perfect amount of charm to all the darkness. His chemistry with Mia builds fast, but in a cute, swoony way that fits the fairytale tone.

And then there’s , the obsessive villain with a death grip on the past. I love a good unhinged antagonist, and she was exactly the right flavor of “psycho who didn’t get picked.” Her presence adds tension without overwhelming the romance.

The pacing is quick, the atmosphere is rich, and the romance is both sweet and shadowed by danger. I had a great time reading it—and if you love gothic romances with yearning, ghosts, curses, and a touch of dark whimsy, this one is absolutely worth picking up.
Profile Image for Kiko2003.
291 reviews2 followers
September 26, 2025
THIS REVIEW INCLUDES SPOILERS!

This book was about a spirited necromancer, Mia Arden, who was hired to cleanse a long-abandoned castle. However, she expected a few temperamental ghosts - not a brooding, devastatingly handsome phantom Duke trapped inside a cursed painting. Lucien Wescraven has spent years as a shadow, imprisoned by the woman who loved him to madness. With the castle alive with sinister magic and the ghosts of a woman who would do anything to keep him lurking in every echoing corridor, Mia was his only hope. But the deeper she dug, the more entangled she became in Lucien´s tragic past.

As passion flared and the castle fought to keep its secrets, Mia had to break the curse by setting the haunted duke free, or walk away before she was lost to the darkness forever. This book was gothic, and I enjoyed it. Gothic romance books are one of my favorite subgenres. However, I wish it were longer, and some scenes were written differently. I am giving this book a four-star rating because it is worth it.
Profile Image for Lucy  Porter.
421 reviews2 followers
October 8, 2025
4 stars. Now this is what I needed to get me back. This was shorter and it was gothic and 1800s and chefs kiss just right what I want at the moment!!! That is what I want. I seem to be in the mood for exclusively gothic books. I really did enjoy this once I got into it. It had twists and turns! The vibe is really what sold me. But the romance, ah, how I love a phantom / ghost. The plot of trying to cleanse the manor was great and how they went about it. I was on the edge of my seat towards the end, I truly didn't know how it would play out. I really liked the magic system and how it all works, it was very clever.
Profile Image for Sammy.
90 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2025
Big thank you to Cora for sending me a digital copy of this book for an honest review.

Stars: 4
Spice level: 1 chili pepper

The atmosphere of this book is just perfection. If you want a book with a beautiful romance with a haunted gothic castle backdrop, this will satisfy that craving! Lucien is a true gentleman who had me swooning!

This book also had one of my all time favorite tropes (drink/potion that has a side effect of causing intense lust). I will always be a simp for that trope.
Profile Image for Lovely Afterthoughts.
152 reviews11 followers
November 7, 2025
Holy heck! I wasn’t too sure going into this book that my book club picked because it doesn’t take much to freak me out, but I freaking loved this book! It’s haunting and a little creepy, mostly at the beginning for me, but it’s such an amazingly beautiful story! I’m so happy it was this month’s pick otherwise I might never have braved it. It’s dark but not in a horror way, just paranormal, but the story is beautiful, interesting so it grabs and keeps your attention, and the twists!! The best kinds! I would 100% recommend this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!
Profile Image for Readwithri.
188 reviews4 followers
October 5, 2025
4.5⭐️
Casper meets Dark Shadows and an essence of Monster House to it.

I was wanting fun, dark, spooky vibes and it delivered.
Devoured within 3 hours.

The banter was bantering, the tension was thick. The world building and character development was seamless and flowed with the plot, and it had the perfect amount of spice.
Profile Image for Brooke Allison.
34 reviews2 followers
December 31, 2025
Such an interesting concept!! Almost like Beauty and the Beast but more ghosts and thriller kinda vibes. I did lose a star because at the end of almost every chapter she get knocked out. Like aren't you supposed to be a skilled necromancer? Spoiler alert- every chapter ends "and then there was darkness".
BUT still a fun read!
Profile Image for Kayla Tremblay.
401 reviews
November 4, 2025
2.5 🌟 Was in the mood for a quick gothic romance but unfortunately this was not the choice. I was intrigued in the beginning but then I got so out of my mind bored I had to push through to finish it.
Profile Image for Erica Dash.
91 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2025
I’m really hitting banger after banger this month.. I love me some good hauntings 😉
Profile Image for h uk (slumping & studyingg).
192 reviews1 follower
November 3, 2025
3.65

fun, gothic, spooky and some parts were very scary

they suffered a lot and made me suffer along cause I genuinely feared the ending, it took so many leaps
Profile Image for Anna.
98 reviews1 follower
December 30, 2025
The premise was there but the execution was not. I was into this at first but it kept unraveling and was very cringe at times. I did finish it but barely. What a letdown for my last book of the year!
Profile Image for Kaitlyn Cross.
10 reviews
January 25, 2026
If sleeping beauty was gothic and paranormal where the FMC is the necromancer hero!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
562 reviews32 followers
January 31, 2026
2.5 stars

This was a miss for me. Gothic, romance, mystery all together in this shorter book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews

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