If you like reading vampire stories, boy I have the list for you. The following is my top 10 favorite vampire book series ever. I started reading vampire novels as a child and have continued to do so. Over time, I have developed a taste in stories that I particularly enjoy:
- I like a female lead who rises above what she dreamt was possible;
- I like books that explore philosophical questions of morality, judgment and choice;
- I like vivid characters who break the stereotype; and,
- I like original storylines.
You will notice that the following are are an eclectic bunch. Some are classified as being horror, some are SiFi and others or classified as being romance. The common thread they all share is that they are all captivating reads of the type that will made me want to stay up night reading regardless of what time I had to get up the next morning. If you like being entertained, captivated and even enthralled, these are the series for you…
10.) |
1.) Twilight | 2.) New Moon | 3.) Eclipse | 4.) Breaking Dawn |
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Stephanie Meyers, Twilight Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Teen Fiction | 4 | 4.5/5 |
Twilight is a series of four vampire-based fantasy romance novels by American author Stephenie Meyer. It charts a period in the life of Isabella "Bella" Swan, a teenage girl who moves to Forks, Washington, and falls in love with a 104-year-old vampire named Edward Cullen. The series is told primarily from Bella’s point of view, with the epilogue of Eclipse and Part II of Breaking Dawn being told from the viewpoint of character Jacob Black, a werewolf. The unpublished Midnight Sun is a retelling of the first book, Twilight, from Edward Cullen’s point of view.
The last book makes reading the previous three books worth it. Breaking Dawn is an excellent vampire story. The other 3 books however, felt like I was reading a vampire soap opera. In fact, it felt exactly like I felt when I watched The Matrix 2: I felt as if I was mucking through a lot of background info to get the the good part. While each one of the first three books is entertaining, Breaking Dawn makes the previous books seem almost tedious.
9.) |
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| 1.) Blood Price | 2.) Blood Trail | 3.) Blood Lines | 4.) Blood Pact | 5.) Blood Debt | 6.) Blood Bank |
 
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Tanya Huff, The Blood Book Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Fantasy | 6 | 4.5/5 |
This series pairs a detective with a vampire. The first book introduces Vicki Nelson, a former police officer with failing eyesight due to Retinitis Pigmentosa and Henry Fitzroy, a vampire and writer of historical romances—which is natural for him as he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII before he was seduced by a vampire. She is known to her police colleagues as "Victory Nelson" for her successful record of investigations; her mother calls her by her legal given name, "Victoria". Henry’s protégé, Tony, is also introduced, as well as Vicki’s hard-boiled former partner on the police force, Mike Celluci. Vicki’s failing eyesight disqualified her from street work and she resigned rather than take a desk job, and, at the start of the first book, is working as a private detective. Together Vicki and Henry stand against a number of supernatural threats. The series is set in Toronto, Canada and uses familiar landmarks. This series was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties and aired on the Lifetime channel in the US.
The books are much better than the Lifetime series. They can sometimes seem somewhat out of date; while the story seems to take place in the present day the characters run into communication problems throughout the story because the cell phone was still a technology of the future when the books were originally published. Even so, each book is extremely entertaining and the conclusion of the series rocks.
8.) |
1.) Undead and Unwed | 2.) Undead and Unemployed | 3.) Undead and Unappreciated | 4.) Undead and Unreturnable |
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| 5.) Undead and Unpopular | 6.) Undead and Uneasy | 7.) Undead and Unworthy | 8.) Undead and Unwelcome | |
 
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Mary Jane Davidson, The Undead Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Romance | 8 | 4/5 |
Betsy Taylor turns 30, gets laid off, is killed by an SUV and wakes up dead all in the same week. The vampire community is convinced she’s their prophesied Queen. But she’s not having any of it—she’s got shoes to buy! And now the undead world is being turned upside-down by a Bela Lugosi throwback and her subjects expect her to take care of it! Why didn’t she read the handbook? But her would-be consort, Eric Sinclair, is (annoyingly) ever-present. If only he wasn’t so tall, dark, gorgeous…and undead.
The series is funny, riveting, goofy, horrific and is a great poolside read!
7.) |
1.) Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story | 2.) You Suck: A Love Story | 3.) Bite Me: A Love Story |
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Due March 23, 2010 |
Christopher Moore, San Francisco Vampire Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Romance, Comedy | 3 | 4.5/5 |
Jody, a young single red-headed woman living in San Francisco, is attacked by a vampire and soon finds that she’s become one herself. While trying to adjust to her new nocturnal lifestyle, she’s aided by C. Thomas (Tommy) Flood, a wannabe writer who just moved to town and works as a night clerk (and champion "turkey bowler") at a local Safeway. As Jody and Tommy begin their life together (and become attracted to each other), they also discover that a recent string of mysterious murders may be the work of the vampire who attacked Jody. To get to the bottom of the matter, they engage the help of Tommy’s coworkers ("the Animals") and an eccentric street person known as "The Emperor."
This series was a complete joy to discover. The story is irreverent and really funny while retaining a horror/thriller genre edginess. Excellent reads!
6.) |
1.) Halfway To The Grave | 2.) One Foot In The Grave |
3.) At Grave’s End | 4.) Destined For An Early Grave |
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Jeaniene Frost, Night Huntress Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| SiFi, Fantasy | 4 | 4.5/5 |
Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father – the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership.
In exchange for help finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner – are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side … and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
This is another great find. The characters are vivid and each and every book is captivating!
5.) |
1.) Bloodlist | 2.) Lifeblood | 3.) Bloodcircle | 4.) Art in the Blood |
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| 5.) Fire in the Blood | 6.) Blood on the Water | 7.) Chill in the Blood | 8.) Dark Sleep | |
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| 9.) Lady Crymsyn | 10.) Cold Streets | 11.) Song in the Dark | 12.) Dark Road Rising | |
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P.N. Elrod, The Vampire Files
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Mystery | 12 | 4.5/5 |
The books of P N Elrod’s vampire detective series, set in thirties Chicago. Her attention to the details of a period setting pays off, as does her attention to character. The books combine humor, suspense, detection, and a consistent attention to the practical necessities of living as a being with both supernormal powers and special disabilities. Her vampire, Jack Fleming, is actually less dark as a character than his friend and associate Charles Escott, much less the gangland characters they both sometimes associate with.
4.) |
1.) Passionate Thirst | 2.) Luscious Craving | 3.) Eternal Hunger | |
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Candace Steele, Vampire Killer Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Paranormal Romance | 3 | 3.5/5 |
These books have a solid storyline, but enough decency to poke fun of itself from time to time. What makes the books worth reading this the author’s talent for twisting a phrase. The books are full of phrases like "… to fulfill passion’s desire." Said out of context, her writing style sounds really, really cheesy… but when you are reading the book, it is fits in perfectly.
The story is about a woman named Candace Steele, who works in the security field. She is the kind of tough, multi-dimensional woman character that makes Laurell K. Hamilton books so fun to read – especially if you’re female. Dean can write a romance scene and have it come of as being romantic – even if it is raunchy as hell.
3.) |
1.) Interview with the Vampire | 2.) The Vampire Lestat | 3.) The Queen of the Damned | 4.) The Tale of the Body Thief |
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| 5.) Memnoch the Devil | 6.) The Vampire Armand | 7.) Merrick | 8.) Blood and Gold | |
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| 9.) Blackwood Farm | 10.) Blood Canticle | |||
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Anne Rice, Vampire Chronicles
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Horror | 10 | 4.5/5 |
The Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman made into a vampire in the 18th century. Most of the books are in first-person perspective with only a few being in third-person. The only reason Rice isn’t placed higher on this scale is that she can sometimes overindulge her penchant for being a wordsmith. Each story is captivating and all of her characters come alive.
2.) |
1.) Guilty Pleasures | 2.) The Laughing Corpse | 3.) Circus of the Damned | 4.) The Lunatic Cafe |
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| 5.) Bloody Bones | 6.) The Killing Dance | 7.) Burnt Offerings | 8.) Blue Moon | |
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| 9.) Obsidian Butterfly | 10.) Narcissus in Chains | 11.) Cerulean Sins | 12.) Incubus Dreams | |
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| 13.) Micah | 14.) Dance Macabre | 15.) The Harlequin | 16.) Blood Noir | |
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| 17.) Skin Trade | 18.) Flirt | 19.) Bullet | ||
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Due June 1, 2010 |
Laurell K Hamilton, Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Fantasy, Thriller | 18 | 3/5 |
Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter is a series of fantasy novels by Laurell K. Hamilton, narrated by the title character, Anita Blake. Anita lives in a parallel universe’s Saint Louis, geographically and technologically much like our own, save that, not only are things like vampires and shapeshifters real, but their presence is public knowledge and they are considered citizens of America, much like normal humans. The novels follow Anita’s ongoing conflicts with the supernatural as she attempts to solve a variety of supernatural mysteries, come to terms with her own abilities, and navigate an increasingly complex series of romantic and political relationships.
The only reason this series isn’t number #1 is that Hamilton can sometimes cram in five or six too many sex scenes into one book. I usually wind up skimming over those scenes to get back to the real action in her books: exploring the depths of the heroine’s ferocity to make it… to do the right thing in the midst of a stress and indecision!
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1.) Dead Until Dark | 2.) Living Dead in Dallas | 3.) Club Dead | 4.) Dead to the World |
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| 5.) Dead as a Doornail | 6.) Definitely Dead | 7.) All Together Dead | 8.) From Dead to Worse | |
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| 9.) Dead and Gone | 10.) A Touch of Dead | 11.) Dead in the Family | ||
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< Due May 4, 2010 |
Charlaine Harris, Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series
| Type | # Books in Series | Amazon Rating |
| Fantasy, Thriller | 11 | 4.5/5 |
Sookie Stackhouse is the protagonist in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of books written by author Charlaine Harris that was first published in 2001. The series is a first-person account of Sookie’s life as a barmaid and telepath in the town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The first book in the series, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001.
The books are very absorbing and are guaranteed to keep you tuning pages. These books have everything anyone could want: Romance, dark comedy, thrills, horror, mystery, fantasy and more all balanced and perfectly presented in each book.
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