13 Vampires for World Dracula Day!
Mermaid by Yuri Arcurs PhotographyIt’s Wyrd & Wonder AND World Dracula Day – what better time for vampire recs?
I don’t read many vampires books, but the ones I do tend to be excellent – and here are some of my VERY favourites!
Darknesses (Darknesses, #1) by Lachelle Seville Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Black bisexual MC, Black pansexual love interest, F/F, Black secondary characters
Goodreads
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It’s been a year since Oasis stumbled away from Blessed Falls with wings carved into her back and too many scars to count.
A year spent razing delusions of being an angel's vessel, proving to her brother that she doesn’t belong in a psych ward, and mourning the loss of her mother's vinyl pressed ashes.
A year spent struggling to feel human again.
Enter Laura, the mesmerizing stranger who claims to hear Oasis’ heartbeat, who reads her hand-written memoir like scripture, who makes her feel closer to found than lost.
Laura is the most recent face of the eternal Count Dracula, ruler of the shadows, chimera of the Devil, and embittered victim of libel.
The Van Helsing Institute have been waiting for a glimpse of the dragon’s underbelly, and eagerly approach Oasis for her help in a ploy to kill Dracula for good. But not every wound from Blessed Falls has cicatrized, and Oasis realizes she may be a danger to Laura—and to herself.
Yet no one is as dangerous as Laura—the first vampire, the Devil's plaything, and the person with whom Oasis finally feels human.
Oceans of time have passed since she last had a drink, and she will not let Oasis go easily.
Oh, we’re talking Dracula??? Then run for cover, because Laura – the real Dracula – does NOT like Stoker’s novel! This is such a WILDLY addictive book, with Black, queer vampires it’s impossible not to fall in love with – and no matter what you think, you will NOT see where this book is going, my GODS. Twists! Turns! Reveals! Also, Seville’s is officially the only take on the Dracula story I consider canon. Fight me!
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bi/pansexual MC, polyamory, M/F/F/M, queer cast
Goodreads
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A lyrical and dreamy reimagining of Dracula's brides, A Dowry of Blood is a story of desire, obsession, and emancipation.
Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets.
With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.
Wouldn’t Dracula be so much better if it were narrated by one of his wives??? Yes, yes it would! That’s basically the premise of Dowry – although the ‘husband’ is never named, and no reference is ever made to Stoker’s novel or the events of it, the husband is clearly meant to be Dracula or very Dracula-like. This is a decadent, extremely queer poly love story wherein the brides of ‘Dracula’ take him down, and if you don’t love it, I’m afraid you’re simply Wrong.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
Representation: Secondary Turkish characters
Goodreads
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For centuries, the story of Dracula has captured the imagination of readers and storytellers alike. Kostova's breathtaking first novel, ten years in the writing, is an accomplished retelling of this ancient tale. "The story that follows is one I never intended to commit to paper... As an historian, I have learned that, in fact, not everyone who reaches back into history can survive it." With these words, a nameless narrator unfolds a story that began 30 years earlier.
Late one night in 1972, as a 16-year-old girl, she discovers a mysterious book and a sheaf of letters in her father's library—a discovery that will have dreadful and far-reaching consequences, and will send her on a journey of mind-boggling danger. While seeking clues to the secrets of her father's past and her mother's puzzling disappearance, she follows a trail from London to Istanbul to Budapest and beyond, and learns that the letters in her possession provide a link to one of the world's darkest and most intoxicating figures. Generation after generation, the legend of Dracula has enticed and eluded both historians and opportunists alike. Now a young girl undertakes the same search that ended in the death and defilement of so many others—in an attempt to save her father from an unspeakable fate.
As far as I’m concerned, no conversation about Dracula is complete without Historian! This is – I guess you’d call it a literary history? Basically – what if Dracula, the historical figure, had become a vampire? It’s divided between letters (from various people) and the POV of a young woman gradually digging into her father’s past, learning how her family has crossed paths with Dracula in the past. It does take a while for the vampires to show up, but when they do, they follow Bram Stoker’s lore pretty closely, which is delightful! It’s a very sensual book – I don’t mean sexual, I mean rich with sensory description; honestly, I’d call it decadent. Love love love!
No Such Thing As Duty by Lara Elena Donnelly Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Bisexual MC, M/M
Goodreads
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"A page-turning thrill ride."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
In the waning days of World War One, William Somerset Maugham-novelist, playwright, and spy-is sent to Romania to serve allied interests in the fight against Austro-Hungary while dying of tuberculosis. His handler sets him to recruit mysterious Carpathian nobleman Walter Roşu to the cause. But Roşu is more interested in William than the war, and William struggles to fulfill his duty in the face of death and desire.
Part of the Neon Hemlock Novella Series.
If you’re not paying attention to indie press Neon Hemlock, you very much should be: they release wildly original SFF novellas, and No Such Thing As Duty is one of their 2025 offerings, from the marvellous Donnelly. This is a rich, intense, sharp-edged story about a terminally ill spy and a vampire, and if you know your Dracula lore, you’ll shriek at one particular sentence Donnelly sneaks in!
Those Who Hunt the Night (James Asher, #1) by Barbara Hambly Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Goodreads
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At the turn of the twentieth century, a former spy is called into service to hunt down a vampire killer...
Once a spy for Queen Victoria, James Asher has fought for Britain on every continent, using his quick wits to protect the Empire at all costs. After years of grueling service, he marries and retires to a simple academic’s life at Oxford. But his peace is shattered one night with the arrival of a Spanish vampire named Don Simon. Don Simon can disappear into fog, move faster than the eye can see, and immobilize Asher—and his young bride—with a wave of his hand. Asher is at his mercy, and has no choice but to give his help.
Because someone is killing the vampires of London, and James Asher must find out who—before he becomes a victim himself.
I’ve mentioned this series before, and I will no doubt mention it again, because it is dark and decadent and exquisite in every way! If you want vampires who feel Alien and Other, who are genuinely monstrous but still terrifyingly beautiful, then my dears, these are the books for you. Despite being called the James Asher series, the books are actually wonderfully split between James and his wife Lydia, who is a vital, active part of the story, James’ equal in their relationship as well as narratively. (Is narratively a word?) The vampires here are…just PERFECT, deeply Wrong; the lore is old-school, but with several unique twists, and I love that Lydia actually experiments over the course of the series to try and figure out what vampirism IS. (Her theories are fascinating.)
The story starts when someone is killing vampires in London, so they blackmail James – an ex spy – to track down the killer. Poor James and Lydia get sucked into vampire matters again and again, and sometimes seek them out, for various excellent reasons. I cannot emphasise enough how sublime these books are!
To Add Drunkenness To Thirst by T.J. Land Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Goodreads
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Father Bryson has been trying to drive a stake through Anstice’s vampiric heart for ten wonderfully entertaining years.
Never before has a slayer pursued him with such passion and fervor; it’s enough to make any undead dandy swoon.
But lately, Anstice has noticed that his nemesis is behaving… strangely.
M/M, PARANORMAL ROMANCE, NOVELLA
How do you feel about anime vampires? That’s very much the vibe in this novella, which also happens to be one of my favourite (and one of the few genuine I’ve ever seen) examples of enemies-to-lovers. Anstice delights in his long rivalry with vampire hunter Bryson…and starts pouting when it becomes clear that Bryson is distracted lately. Featuring big cinematic fight scenes and many laugh-out-loud moments, this one is such FUN!
Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman Genres: Adult, Queer Protagonists, Speculative Fiction
Representation: Trans MC
Goodreads
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A whirlwind romance between an eccentric archivist and a grieving widow explores what it means to be at home in your own body in this clever, humorous, and heartfelt novel.
When archivist Sol meets Elsie, the larger than life widow of a moderately famous television writer who's come to donate her wife's papers, there's an instant spark. But Sol has a secret: he suffers from an illness called vampirism, and hides from the sun by living in his basement office. On their way to falling in love, the two traverse grief, delve into the Internet fandom they once unknowingly shared, and navigate the realities of transphobia and the stigmas of carrying the "vampire disease."
Then, when strange things start happening at the collection, Sol must embrace even more of the unknown to save himself and his job. DEAD COLLECTIONS is a wry novel full of heart and empathy, that celebrates the journey, the difficulties and joys, in finding love and comfort within our own bodies.
Maybe more low-key vampires are more your thing? In Dead Collections, vampirism is ‘just’ a disability some people have; it sucks, but it’s not supernatural. This is a languid, literary-ish short novel with quite a lovely love story in it (although I wouldn’t call it a romance), and there’s a lot of fun explorations of fame and fandom spaces, and of course archiving history. Also Gender Stuff, which is fun in a different way!
The Gathering by C.J. Tudor Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, Speculative Fiction
Representation: Lesbian MC
Goodreads
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A detective investigating a grisly crime in rural Alaska finds herself caught up in the dark secrets and superstitions of a small town in this riveting novel from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man.
In a small Alaska town, a boy is found with his throat ripped out and all the blood drained from his body. The inhabitants of Deadhart haven’t seen a killing like this in twenty-five years. But they know who’s responsible: a member of the Colony, an ostracized community of vampyrs living in an old mine settlement deep in the woods.
Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings, is called in to officially determine if this is a Colony killing—and authorize a cull. Old suspicions die hard in a town like Deadhart, but Barbara isn’t so sure. Determined to find the truth, she enlists the help of a former Deadhart sheriff, Jenson Tucker, whose investigation into the previous murder almost cost him his life. Since then, Tucker has become a recluse. But he knows the Colony better than almost anyone.
As the pair delve into the town’s history, they uncover secrets darker than they could have imagined. And then another body is found. While the snow thickens and the nights grow longer, a killer stalks Deadhart, and two disparate communities circle each other for blood. Time is running out for Atkins and Tucker to find the truth: Are they hunting a bloodthirsty monster . . . or a twisted psychopath? And which is more dangerous?
Another book where vampires aren’t seen as supernatural – although by the end you’ll be questioning whether humans are right about that – Gathering is…so hard to describe! Kind of a crime novel, I guess, but in an alternate version of our world? It’s the modern day, but vampires exist – and have the legal status of endangered animals. A 50yo lesbian with the FBI is sent to investigate a potential vampire killing, and wow, things get DARK: this world’s history with vampires is deeply fucked up. People-keeping-vampire-heads-on-their-walls-as-trophies dark. The worldbuilding is low-key but phenomenal and really exciting. I’m so hoping we get a whole series of this!
Heart of Stone by Johannes T. Evans Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC with ADHD, gay autistic MC, M/M
Goodreads
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The year is 1764, and following a glowing recommendation from his last employer, Henry Coffey, vampire, takes on a new personal secretary: young Theophilus Essex.
The man is quite unlike any secretary - or any man, for that matter - that Henry has ever met.
---
'Heart of Stone' is a slowly unfolding period romance between a vampire and his inimitably devoted clerk: lushly depicted in flowing, lovingly appended prose, we follow the slow understanding these two men grasp of one another, and the cross of their two worlds into each other's.
Henry Coffey, immortal and ever-oscillating between periods of delighted focus upon his current passion project, is charming, witty, and seems utterly incapable of closing his mouth for more than a few moments; in contrast, Theophilus Essex is quiet and keenly focused, adopting an ever-flat affect, but as time goes on, he relaxes in his employer's presence.
Craving resounding intimacy but with an ever aware of the polite boundaries for their situation, Coffey and Essex perform a slow dance as they grow closer to one another, and find themselves entangled.
At the COMPLETE opposite end of the spectrum from Gathering, Heart of Stone is a slow, dreamy love story between a vampire with ADHD and his autistic secretary. Don’t pick this up looking for plot or action, because there’s not much of either, but it’s very sweet, extremely escapist, and deeply soothing!
Sunshine by Robin McKinley Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Goodreads
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Winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature: In a world where darkness threatens, there is Sunshine . . .
Although it had been mostly deserted since the Voodoo Wars, there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years. Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, head baker at her family’s busy and popular café in downtown New Arcadia, needed a place to get away from all the noise and confusion—of the clientele and her family. Just for a few hours. Just to be able to hear herself think.
She knew about the Others, of course. Everyone did. And several of her family’s best regular customers were from SOF—Special Other Forces—which had been created to deal with the threat and the danger of the Others.
She drove out to her family’s old lakeside cabin and sat on the porch, swinging her feet and enjoying the silence and the silver moonlight on the water.
She never heard them coming. Of course, you don’t when they’re vampires.
Not everyone agrees with me on this, but I find Sunshine very soothing too – at least, big chunks of it! I’ve run into a few people who don’t love the first-person narration (you could call it rambly I guess?) but I adore it – you should know within a few pages whether this is for you or not, either way. This is set in a world where everything from werewolves to demons exist and are well-known, but it’s vampires that are the worst and scariest. Our mc – nicknamed Sunshine – is a baker who, after being kidnapped, can only escape by helping the vampire she’s locked up with escape too… And although she’d really like for her life to go back to normal after that, it does not. Come for the vampires, stay for the cinnamon rolls as big as your head!
Generation V (Generation V, #1) by M.L. Brennan Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy
Representation: Japanese-American love interest
Goodreads
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Reality Bites
Fortitude Scott’s life is a mess. A degree in film theory has left him with zero marketable skills, his job revolves around pouring coffee, his roommate hasn’t paid rent in four months, and he’s also a vampire. Well, sort of. He’s still mostly human.
But when a new vampire comes into his family’s territory and young girls start going missing, Fort can’t ignore his heritage anymore. His mother and his older, stronger siblings think he’s crazy for wanting to get involved. So it’s up to Fort to take action, with the assistance of Suzume Hollis, a dangerous and sexy shape-shifter. Fort is determined to find a way to outsmart the deadly vamp, even if he isn’t quite sure how.
But without having matured into full vampirehood and with Suzume ready to split if things get too risky, Fort’s rescue mission might just kill him.…
The Generation V series has much of the feel of popular urban fantasy, but it’s a crucial bit smarter and a LOT funnier than most – I started reading aloud giggly bits to my partner five minutes in, and ended up reading the whole series aloud to him! The vampire lore is deeply weird and fascinating for it – vampires are actually born of two human parents (who’ve had their biology messed with by a vampire) and the baby doesn’t become a vampire until both human parents die. The MC of this series is kind of an experiment, in that his vampire mother has, inexplicably, not yet killed his human parents – so he’s still functionally human. His properly-vampire siblings do NOT approve. The series was dropped by the publisher before it should have been, so the ending of the last book is kind of abrupt, but I still heartily recommend these despite that!
True Love Bites (Hunger Pangs #1) by Joy Demorra Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer Deaf MC with chronic pain, queer MC with ADHD, M/M, pre-polyamory
Goodreads
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In a world of dwindling hope, love has never mattered more...
Captain Nathan J. Northland had no idea what to expect when he returned home to Lorehaven injured from war, but it certainly wasn't to find himself posted on an island full of vampires. An island whose local vampire dandy lord causes Nathan to feel strange things he'd never felt before. Particularly about fangs.
When Vlad Blutstein agreed to hire Nathan as Captain of the Eyrie Guard, he hadn't been sure what to expect either, but it certainly hadn't been to fall in love with a disabled werewolf. However Vlad has fallen and fallen hard, and that's the problem.
Torn by their allegiances--to family, to duty, and the age-old enmity between vampires and werewolves--the pair find themselves in a difficult situation: to love where the heart wants or to follow where expectation demands.
The situation is complicated further when a mysterious and beguiling figure known only as Lady Ursula crashes into their lives, bringing with her dark omens of death, doom, and destruction in her wake.
And a desperate plea for help neither of them can ignore.
Thrown together in uncertain times and struggling to find their place amidst the rising human empire, the unlikely trio must decide how to face the coming darkness: united as one or divided and alone. One thing is for certain, none of them will ever be the same.
Not urban fantasy, but with delightfully modern sensibilities, True Love Bites is a romantic drama – dramatic romance? – in a secondary-world where vampire and werewolves are aristocrats, but witches and selkies abound too. A disabled werewolf takes a job with a very important vampire family, and falls for the ADHDer heir of the clan. It’s kind of period drama, with a big world-threatening plot building in the background, and it’s so much FUN, with so many Feels, and delicious thoughtfulness. There are also two editions of the book: the ‘flirting with fangs’ edition, which has explicit sex scenes, and the ‘fluff and fangs’ edition, where the sex scenes are fade to black.
Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite Genres: Adult, Horror, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MCs
Goodreads
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At a club in Missing Mile, N.C., the children of the night gather, dressed in black, looking for acceptance. Among them are Ghost, who sees what others do not. Ann, longing for love, and Jason, whose real name is Nothing, newly awakened to an ancient, deathless truth about his father, and himself.
Others are coming to Missing Mile tonight. Three beautiful, hip vagabonds - Molochai, Twig, and the seductive Zillah (whose eyes are as green as limes) are on their own lost journey; slaking their ancient thirst for blood, looking for supple young flesh.
They find it in Nothing and Ann, leading them on a mad, illicit road trip south to New Orleans. Over miles of dark highway, Ghost pursues, his powers guiding him on a journey to reach his destiny, to save Ann from her new companions, to save Nothing from himself...
Lost Souls, on the other hand, is full-on horror – gorgeous, lush prose, but bloody and awful. Not everyone gets a happy ending; not everyone gets out alive. These vampires are only barely magical – the more-recently-born ones don’t even have fangs! A very young vamp runs away from home to find his own kind, and falls in with a trio of vampire serial killers. There’s also a pair of human besties, one of whom is psychic, and when the vamps and humans collide, it’s not pretty.
Upcoming
A Blood as Bright as the Moon by Andrea Morstabilini Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC
Published on: 2nd September 2025
Goodreads
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A vampire, desperately torn between worlds, is hunted down by a secret society bent on his destruction, in this elegiac and unsettling queer gothic horror, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Frankenstein, Germany. Ambrose, a young vampire, lives a life secreted away from the modern world with the rest of his clan, all of them under the spell of the charismatic Regina, who spins stories of salvation for their kind. Their grand plan? To build makeshift wings and fly to the moon where a safe haven awaits for all vampires.
But Ambrose harbours a he is not ready to abandon the earth, and he is in contact with a human who believes he can be saved. As the rest of his kind prepare to flee their home, Ambrose is torn between loyalties.
However something else is on the horizon – the Royal Diurnal Society – a group with sinister plans for vampires, are closing in, and if Ambrose isn't careful, he could find himself right at the centre of a terrifying and mysterious experiment.
I can’t recommend this unreservedly yet, because I’m currently in the middle of reading an early copy – but I’m enjoying myself immensely so far! The vampire lore here is very unique – vampires are born, not made, and have pink blood instead of red? Haven’t seen that before!
And they really are planning on flying to the moon!
Spooky 13 with a sneaky bonus – what more could you ask for?
Drop your own vampire recs in the comments!
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