Hey guys! Today we're welcoming Liv Rancourt back to the herd! She's bringing yall vampires. Lots and loves of vampires. Noms! Yall check em out then hit those comments and Liv know if you have a favorite! ~anna
Thank
you to Anna and all you kittens for hanging with us today! I’m very
excited to be here, to talk about one of my favorite topics.
Vampires!
I love
a good vampire story! Especially this close to Halloween, you know?
The spooky/sexy mix just does something for me, and while the old
adage says write what you know,
I prefer write what you love.
And I do love me some vampires!
This
isn’t a post on writing, though. This is a post about reading. You
see, I have a recently-released vampire story – co-written with the
fabulous Irene Preston – and I
thought it would be fun to talk about some of the books I read as
research for Vespers.
While
we were still in the planning stages, I looked for m/m paranormal
romance stories featuring vampires. I’ve been a vampire fan from
way back, so had a pretty good handle on the classics. You
know…Lestat and Louise, Sookie, Eric, and Bill, Anita Blake and
(too many to list), and even the ol’ Count himself. For this
project, though, I wanted to know what was available in the sub-sub
genre of m/m vampires.
And now
you, kittens, are going to benefit from my experience! Here’s a
list of my ten favorite m/m vampire stories (listed in order of the
author’s last name, because I could never choose a favorite)….
Soulless by T Baggins (Amazon)
This
is a moody historical paranormal with everything I like in a good
vampire story: restrained naughtiness, really-bad bad guys, and
rampaging villagers. This is a very romantic book, and while there is
a happily-ever-after ending, I don’t think it’s a classic
romance. Fantastic read, though.
- Merrick by Claire Cray (Amazon)
Another
historical – kind of a weakness of mine – set in New England at
the very end of the 18th
century. I loved the setting, and the author completely sold me on
the accuracy of the herb lore that plays a big part in the story.
William and Merrick are good together and their connection develops
in a believably romantic way. (There’s also a sequel, William,
which I haven’t read yet, but I intend to.)
Blind
Man’s Wolf by Amelia Faulkner (Amazon)
This
is a fun urban fantasy with a strong romance theme, the first in a
series. The vampire hero is blind, and I thought the author did a
great job making him ring true. I also liked that his vampire
superpowers didn’t automatically overcome his sightlessness. Good
stuff!
- Creature Feature 2 by Rhys Ford and Poppy Dennison (Amazon)
This
twofer tells two halves of the same story. There’s a little
prologue that sets everything up – a pair of detectives discover a
Really Bad Thing – and then each author takes one of the detectives
and tells his side of how they solve the crime. I thought it was a
great read, with some nice visually descriptive passages by Rhys Ford
in the second half.- Stripped with the Vampire by Jax Garren (Amazon)
Entertaining
urban fantasy with lots of romance, this is the first book in Jax’s
Austin Immortals series, and while I haven’t seen book 2 yet, I’m
waiting…
I
love how she captures the Austin vibe, and I love the contrast
between her young, stripper hero and his much older, more repressed
love interest. Also, also, there’s a follow-up novella in the
RomancingAustin anthology that I enjoyed.
Spirit
Sanguine by Lou Harper (Amazon)
Is
that a wooden stake in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?
That
tagline cracks me up! This story (and it’s sequel TemperSanguine) are about
Gabe the vampire hunter and Harvey, his vegetarian, Chinese, vampire
boyfriend. In both these books the mystery is as important as the
romance, and they’re both a lot of fun.
Hunter
of Demons by Jordan L Hawk (Amazon)
Calling
Hunter of Demons a
vampire story might be a bit of a stretch, since the vampire
character only feeds from demons, but it’s so good I’m going to
include it. HoD is the first in the Spectr series, and if you like
your urban fantasy with lots of action and hot sexy bits, you should
totally read this.
- Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary by Jordan Castillo Price (Amazon)
Wild
Bill!!! And Michael!!! OGM I love these guys. Wild Bill takes the
modern vampire trope (sophisticated, sexy, rich, and powerful) and
turns it sideways. He’s a rough-edged punk rocker to Michael’s
wanna-be vampire hunter. The only thing these two share with the
modern trope is the sexy, which is off the charts. Channeling
Morpheus is a 5-novella set, and their story continues in TheBitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion, which is another 5-novells set.
And, if you like JCP’s gritty take on the vampire myth, there’s
also Hemovore.
So good…
The
Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (Amazon)
I
mean, come on. If Ms. Rice wrote Lestat today, he and Louis would
totally be lovers. Broken, twisted, lovers who tortured each other in
the best possible way. You know I’m right. (lol!)
- Iron and Velvet by Alexis Hall (Amazon)
Okay,
so, adding this one to the list is a bit of a stretch, too, because
instead of an m/m romantic pairing, it’s f/f. It’s more of a
classic noir novel than a romance, but OMG Alexis Hall could write a
grocery list and I’d read it. If you like sharp, snarky lead
characters, Kate Kane is going to do it for you, I promise.
So
there you go. My ten favorites. If you want more ideas, check out a
post I made last year over at the Spellbound Scribes blog. In
that one, I listed a whole bunch of m/m vampire novels, but it was
mostly a research TBR pile. You could also jump HERE
to the Goodreads list of Best Gay Vampires. So many choices!
I hope you found a book on the list you want to try. Let
me know in the comments if you have a favorite, or if there’s one
you think I should read. Also, make sure you enter our giveaway for a
$10 gift card. Most of all, Happy Halloween!!
~ Liv
The vampire spends his nights chanting the Liturgy of the Hours and ruthlessly disciplines those unnatural urges he’s vowed never again to indulge. He is at the command of the White Monks, who summon him at will to destroy demons. In return, the monks provide for his sustenance and promise the return of his immortal soul.
The 22-year-old college grad just moved across the country to work for some recluse he can’t even find on the internet. Sounds sketchy, but the salary is awesome and he can’t afford to be picky. On arrival he discovers a few details his contract neglected to mention, like the alligator-infested swamp, the demon attacks, and the nature of his employer’s “special diet”. A smart guy would leave, but after one look into Dupont’s mesmerizing eyes, Sarasija can’t seem to walk away. Too bad his boss expected “Sara” to be a girl.
The vampire can’t fight his hungers forever, especially since Sara’s brought him light, laughter and a very masculine heat. After yielding to temptation, Thaddeus must make a choice. Killing demons may save his soul, but keeping the faith will cost him his heart.
Vespers is a complete novel with no cliffhanger. It can be enjoyed as a standalone or read as the first book in the Hours of the Night series.
I write romance: m/f, m/m, and v/h, where the h is for human and the v is for vampire…or sometimes demon. I write funny. I don’t write angst. When I’m not writing I take care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether I’m at home or at work. My husband is a soul of patience, my dog is the cutest thing evah(!), and we’re up to three ferrets.
Find Liv Online!
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~Anna