Recommend well-written vampire fiction, preferably sexy

February 7, 2024 7:57 PM

what it says on the tin, more details within

a friend recently said "vampire; well-written; sexy...choose two." I get it! If I have to sacrifice I'll sacrifice sexy, but might as well put it out there.

I realize that this leads a ton of latitude. What is sexy etc etc? Just recommend stuff you think is good and fits, I tend to read pretty broadly.

I generally enjoy well-plotted stories that come together nicely; I enjoy interesting characters that grow and evolve; I enjoy well done rapport (often goes with things being sexy). I have a soft spot for the "Vampire The Masquerade" type aesthetic of those games, but that's not required.

Assume I haven't read much vampire stuff because I haven't. I've always enjoyed vampire stuff (like VTM) but never prioritized reading much. I'd like to fix that! I think Interview With a Vampire might be high on the list of stuff I should read...

Oh and as far as sexy, straight or queer is all ok. I myself am bisexual and for me I just enjoy well done, riveting romance over the specifics of the people involved, if that makes sense.

posted by wooh to Writing & Language (24 answers total)

I'm partial to Barbara Hambly's series, starting with Those Who Hunt the Night, but it's not terribly sexy.
posted by praemunire at 8:49 PM on February 7

The first three books in the vampire chronicles by Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire, Queen of the Damned, The Vampire Lestat) are all very atmospheric, and basically kicked off an entire genre of vampires as Byronic heroes, and they're very sexy in a not-super-smutty way. Definitely a good place to start!

Carmilla by Sheriden Le Fanu was published before Dracula, and is a pretty revolutionary work of queer literature for its time. It's very classical forbidden romance stuff, and it still reads well today.
posted by Pemberly at 8:56 PM on February 7 [3 favorites]

Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches

Jennifer L Armentrout, Of Blood and Ash
posted by slateyness at 9:26 PM on February 7 [2 favorites]

I've had an admittedly low tolerance for vampire books since Twilight became ubiquitous, so my suggestions are limited, but you read Lynn Viehl's Darkyn books? Can't remember how sexy they are (it's been a while), but they're vampire, romance, and well-written. They are DIFFERENT in some ways that made reading them more enjoyable for me than yet more Twilight knockoffs.

And if you have any interest in light science fiction aka space opera, check out her Space Doc books (published as SL Viehl). They're also really darn good. The best cliffhanger I've ever read at the end of one of the mid-series books. (I legit threw the book against the wall - so NOT my typical reaction to like, ANYTHING in life.)
posted by stormyteal at 9:28 PM on February 7

It's been years since I read it so I'm not actually sure how it would hold up on reread, but Sunshine by Robin McKinley?
posted by Alterscape at 9:36 PM on February 7 [12 favorites]

Oh, and I have two series that have been recommended to me, but I haven't yet read. (Family member is an avid vampire reader...) So I can't say personally that they're good, or if they hit all three, but [shrug] they come highly recommended and I've promised I'll try them... eventually.

House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs (I don't think the main character is a vampire, but they're urban fantasy, vampires, werewolves and etc.)
Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris (also, vampire-adjacent, I think, not entirely vampires)
posted by stormyteal at 9:38 PM on February 7

JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood is very sexy, straight and gay. And the vampires are the heroes.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:51 PM on February 7 [2 favorites]

Jocelynn Drake's Lords of Discord is a series of sexy m/m vampires.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:02 PM on February 7

Its been a while since I read The Quick by Lauren Owen but it may fit your specifications. I do remember it being a bit of a slow burn.
posted by unicorn chaser at 11:04 PM on February 7

It's been years since I read it so I'm not actually sure how it would hold up on reread, but Sunshine by Robin McKinley?

I just reread this a week or two ago. It's not my usual genre, but some years back my partner insisted I should read it and she was right, it's good. I think it holds up pretty well and meets the criteria requested here pretty well too. It's not heavy on the sexy but there's a couple of passages that may be the kind of thing you're looking for.
posted by biogeo at 11:33 PM on February 7 [1 favorite]

The Sookie Stackhouse novels are delightful romps, and very sexy in many parts.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:55 PM on February 7 [5 favorites]

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Mexican neo-noir with vampire clans instead of drug cartels.
posted by chrisulonic at 3:02 AM on February 8

I don’t read that much vampire stuff these days, but I’ve been reading it for long enough (decades) to watch definitions of both “sexy” and “well-written” change. Rice’s Interview with the Vampire remains popular for both traits, though beginning with the second book in the series, plots stop coming together. Stoker’s Dracula is (with Carmilla) the classic, though much of the sexiness in undertones, with some notable exceptions. Brite’s Lost Souls has some of both, though it’s not as popular these days. The Sookie Stackhouse books have what you’re talking about, but (as with Rice) you have to be down for books that are obviously a series and will have unresolved plot points.
posted by cupcakeninja at 3:05 AM on February 8

This is the only vampire book that I’ve reread, it is steampunk and a gritty. Has sexy romance and characters I generally enjoyed.
posted by inevitability at 4:46 AM on February 8

Seconding the Sookie Stackhouse novels - they are very fun and sexy!
posted by In Your Shell Like at 4:52 AM on February 8

The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series might work, it's a gritty, crime noir style, with a big slice of sexy. It involves werewolves as well as vampires.
posted by Awfki at 5:52 AM on February 8

nthing Sookie Stackhouse novels they are really so great
posted by wowenthusiast at 7:31 AM on February 8 [1 favorite]

Came here to mention the JR Ward books. They are not well written in the "I went to the Iowa Writer's Workshop" sense. But Ward has an unmatched ability to end a chapter in a way that makes it nigh-impossible to stop reading, which is a serious skill.
posted by rednikki at 9:03 AM on February 8 [1 favorite]

I think Anne Rice is generally considered a central figure in the sexy vampire literary world. Start with Interview with The Vampire and proceed from there.
posted by ananci at 9:53 AM on February 8

Strange Practice is more a slow-burn romance than sexy (and really more a medical thriller than either), but it's really well-written and with a fascinating premise. (Doctor whose specialty is treating supernatural creatures gets involved in various adventures). There are three books, with at least one more coming, and they're great.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:55 AM on February 8 [2 favorites]

The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost is full of vampires and sex. Generally well-written/plotted although the spin-off novels get a bit formulaic.
posted by Preserver at 1:29 PM on February 8 [1 favorite]

emma Holly's midnight series
posted by brujita at 2:23 PM on February 8

Although I love the Sookie Stackhouse novels un-ironically; they may be sexy, they definitely involve vampires, but well written is a department that's less than well developed.

But they are a ton of fun and I liked the divergence of the show - both are great, but the novels are a bit less staid than the show.
posted by porpoise at 6:50 PM on February 8

Can't really remember if it was sexy or not, but I remember enjoying Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff.
posted by mirthe at 12:55 PM on February 9