Gothic romance. Where love isn’t just love—it’s a slow, agonising descent into madness, complete with candlelit corridors, ancestral curses, and at least one love interest who may or may not be a ghost.
Unlike your average romance novel, where people actually communicate and enjoy each other’s company, the gothic love story thrives on secrets, suspicion, and the looming threat of supernatural doom.
Let’s dissect it, shall we?
The setting: Your dream home, but worse
A gothic romance simply cannot unfold in a well-lit, structurally sound environment. Forget modern apartments or charming cottages—your lovers must suffer in a crumbling manor, a windswept castle, or a mould-infested estate that has never seen air con or central heating. There will be draughty hallways, rooms that are permanently locked “for your own good,” and a heavy sense of something watching you from the shadows.
Bonus points if the house itself is trying to kill you.
The heroine: Emotionally stable? Not a chance!
She arrives at the cursed estate either by tragic necessity (orphaned, destitute, fleeing something worse) or by sheer naivety (job offer, unexpected inheritance, reckless marriage). She’s bright, resourceful, and possibly too independent for her own good—hence why the plot will spend a solid 300 pages breaking her spirit.
She is drawn, inexplicably, to the brooding and highly suspicious man in residence. She asks too many questions. She doesn’t sleep enough. She is constantly told she is imagining things. Eventually, she either escapes, goes mad, or embraces the horror and becomes part of it.
The love interest: Red flags, but make them sexy
He is brooding. He is secretive. He is haunted (possibly literally). He is wildly inappropriate as a romantic partner, but the heroine is powerless against his stormy gaze and penchant for lurking in doorways.
There are only two possibilities here:
He is actually a wonderful man, merely suffering under the weight of a terrible misunderstanding (tragedy, cursed bloodline, conniving housekeeper).
He is, in fact, a murderer.
Either way, she will fall in love with him. And it will be very dramatic.
The obstacles: Ghosts, insanity, and the patriarchy
The gothic love story does not believe in simple conflicts like “work-life balance” or “mild jealousy.” Instead, it prefers the following:
A tragic first wife: Either dead under extremely questionable circumstances or alive but locked in an attic, which is somehow worse.
A supernatural presence: Is it an actual ghost, or just the house settling? No one will know until it’s far too late.
A relentless sense of doom: If happiness appears within reach, the house will conveniently catch fire.
The ending: Love, but make it complicated
Unlike a traditional romance, where love conquers all, gothic romance ends in one of three ways:
The heroine barely escapes with her life, now traumatised for all eternity.
The lovers find peace, but only after the house burns down and at least three people die.
She willingly stays with the man who has made her life a living nightmare, because that’s what passes for a happy ending in gothic fiction.
And there you have it—the perfect gothic love story. If you find yourself in one, I strongly suggest leaving the haunted house immediately.
Otherwise, enjoy the candlelight while it lasts.
x Victoria
About Victoria Hall
Victoria Hall is an English-born, Australian-based writer, artist and illustrator. She is the creator of three picture books for children, Penny Prickles at Coogee Beach, Eggy Peggy Has Lost Her Leggy and The Fairy Beasts.
For more updates on Victoria’s creative projects, follow her on Instagram or check out her bio here.
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