Greetings all!

My sister has been asking me about this genre and wanted to find some books like this to read. She is not a fan of the Twilight series (she likes her vamps mean and nasty), but wanted something along the lines of vampires and romance. I don't read a lot of vamp novels myself but was wondering if anyone had recommendations I could give her. Any ideas are appreciated and I thank you in advance for the help. :)

Have a great day everyone!

~Walk in Beauty~

I'm reading a book called Eve of Darkness by S.J. Day right now that might fit the bill. It's not about vampires, but it's got a Buffy, the Vampire Slayer vibe to it. It's the first of a three-part series. Your sister might want to try Sherrilyn Kenyon too. Again, not strictly vampires, but definitely paranormal romance.

Sandi wrote: "I'm reading a book called Eve of Darkness by S.J. Day right now that might fit the bill. It's not about vampires, but it's got a Buffy, the Vampire Slayer vibe to it. It's the firs..."

Thanks, I will let her know about those two authors. Appreciate it! :)

Oh and vamps are not a requirement. Just mentioned that to give a general idea of what she was looking for. Ghosts, were-creatures, etc. are all in the genre (at least in my mind).

I'm reading the Vampire Academy series right now, and like Twilight...they are YA. But--quite a bit darker. They explore more adult themes, and there are two different types of vampires warring with each other, and one of them is definitely evil...maybe she'd like them?

Vampire Academy is the first.

And, this series doesn't involve vampires (at least not to my knowledge, I've only read the first book), but they are all very popular...Daughter of the Blood series by Anne Bishop. Daughter of the Blood.

paranormal romance - does she like a dash of mystery with it? Try Tanya Huff's Blood Books - Blood Price, Blood Pact, Blood Trail, etc. Vampire isn't mean but he's a great character - Henry Fitzroy, bastard son of Henry VIII who writes 'bodice rippers' under the nom de plume of Elizabeth Fitzroy.

I'd recommend Carrie Vaughn's series about Kitty Norville. The first is Kitty and the Midnight Hour. Kitty is a werewolf, but there are plenty of vampires and such as well...

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance seems pretty good, as far as such things go. Lots of hot vampires, anyway.

Here's some of the authors my daughter & I are following:
Kelley Armstrong - Women of the Other World series
Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson
Jim Butcher - the Dresden Files
Karen Chance - Cassandra Palmer
P.N. Elrod - the Vampire Files
Kim Harrison - Rachel Morgan
Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake & Merry Gentry
Charlaine Harris - Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) & Harper Connelly
Vicki Pettersson - Signs of the Zodiac
Fred Saberhagen - Vlad Tepes
Jeanne C. Stein - Anna Strong

These are the ones we like the best between us so far.

She likes Jennifer Rardin's Jaz Parks a lot. I read the first couple, but she's a bit to glib for me.

Neither of us cared at all for L.A. Banks's Vampire Huntress.

I read the first Queen Betsy book by MaryJanice Davidson & thought that was enough for me. Again, too glib & I just don't get a fascination with shoes. Kinky.

I have Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner & don't know how I'll like that, but I suspect I won't. Sounds like Queen Betsy, but in a soccer mom uniform. Hopefully I'll be surprised.

I also have the Kitty Norville series, but neither of us have sampled it yet.

There are a lot of others out there. I tend to avoid the ones that are written for sheer steaminess, although I tried The Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I think I finished it. Kind of neat world, but told from the POV of a girl with the hots for a guy, sort of. Not my cup of tea.

Jim wrote: "Here's some of the authors my daughter & I are following:
Kelley Armstrong - Women of the Other World series
Patricia Briggs - Mercy Thompson
Jim Butcher - the Dresden Files
Karen Chance - Cassandr..."

On the Kitty Norville series. I have read that myself and it is great for that same kind of wry, ironic humour that Patricia Briggs shares. It did fly as quickly as Briggs' series did though. It was good, but not AS good. Still quite enjoyable though.

I was going to start the Kitty Norville series yesterday & found out that I don't have the first book! I have the next 4, just not the first. Frustrating.

I'm trying to swap for it, rather than buy. That's what happens sometimes. I may have to break down & buy this one, though.

I think I liked the first one best, Jim. It had that ironic, sassy attitude and made me think of werewolves, if not in a different way, at least from a new perspective.

I'm going to start the 4th today, Kitty and the Silver Bullet. I think I liked the 2d book best so far.

Kresley Cole owns this genre, read any of her books.

Cole is one of those steamy writer's - lots of graphic love scenes & all? Not my cup of tea & why I quit buying Hamilton's latest stuff.

She is but she also uses a lot of violence, it's great to see in romance novels.

I didn't think I would like her, but in the begining of her first book (IAD ones) the leading man cut off his leg and I decided I would buy all her books.

Paranormal Romance
Nalini Singh - werecreatures and psy. no vampires
Jacquelyn Frank - (the nightwalkers) vampires and other nightwalker races
J.R. Ward - (black dagger brotherhood) vampires
Christine Warren - demons, weres, etc.
Lynsay Sands - vampires

Try Agyar and An Old Friend of the Family.

I really liked Fred Saberhagen's take on Dracula. An Old Friend of the Family is several books into the series, but stands alone fairly well. I actually read & only had the next one, Thorn, for years before getting the rest of the books. It's still probably my favorite.

Besides a bunch of the ones listed above, I'd also recommend two stand-alones:
Sunshine by Robin McKinley and The Mummy by Anne Rice.

Jim wrote: "I really liked Fred Saberhagen's take on Dracula. An Old Friend of the Family is several books into the series, but stands alone fairly well."

I was actually thinking of the Dracula Tape, in which his affection for Mina takes center stage.

I would recommend her Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause.
The movie is horrible but the book was interesting.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier also has bad vampires and an intelligent take in the whole world of Faery.

Have you tried Christine Feehan? No crying emo vampires like in Twilight there xD

I like Jayne Castle's take on paranormal romances. Her ideas of "vampires" is very different from the traditional definition.

Those Sookie Stackhouse books fit into this genre, right? My wife really enjoys those, but she stresses that they are NOT for kids at all. I guess they get a little...uh...steamy.

I absolutely loved (in a read the first four books in less than a week addiction kind of love) the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I've not read her other works, but I'm told that they're much steamier and romance-driven, although you'll have enough of that in this series that you should be happy.

Have you tried the House of Night series by PC and Kristen Cast? They're vampire-based YA fiction--light, enjoyable reads.

Why vampires? Could it be romance from other paranormal characters, for example those of the world of Faery(definitely not the winged kind but the dark and dangerous kind). If that's the case, I can recommend Juliet Marillier's books, Cecilia Dart-Thornton's books and my own books (The Stumpwork Robe and The Last Stitch)

Karen Marie Moning is good
Sunny- she takes a different view about werewolves- REALLY good
Kelly Armstong
Keri Arthur- Riley Jenson series
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Patricia Briggs
Kresley Cole
Juliet Mariller- not true Paranormal but good take on the Fey

hope that helps

Thanks, all y'all! Yeah, uhmm, I don't think my sister is into purple prose any more than I am, but I will let her make that decision. Graphic love scenes usually tun me off to the book and I wind up looking for the end of it so I can just skip it. But that's just me... :)