Vampires are a mainstay of fiction for a reason—but it isn’t just immortality that makes them a constant. They’re effortlessly beautiful, occasionally sparkly, and kind of have a penchant for necks, but what they also continue to be as far as romance is concerned is undeniably sexy. Who wouldn’t want a partner capable of committing to you for eternity? Sure, they might need to drink your blood every once in a while, but that’s a small price to pay for a forever type of love.
Those of us who have been tuning in week after week for new episodes of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire adaptation are either newly discovering or happily being reminded of our love for immortal lovers—and if seeing Anne Rice’s legendary characters brought to the small screen has whet your appetite for books of a similar vein, then we’ve compiled a list of books that offer plenty in the way of vampire romance. From epic historicals to contemporary comedies, ancient warriors to modern-day Mafia, these novels are perfect for sinking your teeth into.
Bite Me, Your Grace by Brooklyn Ann
One great thing about vampires is that it’s possible to find them in every era—and it makes perfect sense that they would be hiding in plain sight no matter what the time period. The first book in Brooklyn Ann’s Scandals with Bite series is set earlier than the 1910s during which we initially encounter Interview with the Vampire’s young, enterprising Louis de Pointe du Lac and his growing business in Storyville, but many of the issues reflected across both narratives are timeless.
Aspiring author Angelica Winthrop has plans and dreams of her own, but she has little care for the reputation that a woman of her upbringing is meant to have. Enter the Duke of Burnrath, Ian Ashton. Sneaking into his strange house is meant to give her inspiration for her next story, but she doesn’t realize that she’s entered the home of the Lord Vampire of London. What’s a vampire to do when he finds an unmarried woman in his house? Clearly, the answer is to save both of their reputations and make her his wife…
Reborn Yesterday by Tessa Bailey
The vampires of Anne Rice’s world are meant to live in the shadows, with no one, especially humans, allowed to know they exist. This is what makes Louis’ interview with Daniel Molloy so surprising, as well as dangerous. The same holds true for the vampires of Tessa Bailey’s Phenomenal Fate series; in fact, it’s sort of their number one rule. But Jonas Cantrell accidentally breaks it when he unexpectedly sits up on the embalming table that belongs to mortuary director Ginny Lynn, giving her the surprise of her life.
Before Jonas can wipe Ginny’s memory—and remove all traces of him from her mind—she reveals something that makes him think twice, but also brings their worlds together in an irreparable way. Between its fascinating universe and its unexpected humor, Reborn Yesterday kicks off a fun trilogy from Bailey and introduces the first of three vampire-mortal couples worth rooting for.
Dark Needs at Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole
When I think about paranormal romance authors writing today whose worlds are on par with that of Anne Rice’s, Kresley Cole instantly springs to mind. Her Immortals After Dark series consists of exactly the kind of highly addictive books that are all too easy to fall into and stay invested in—with searingly handsome heroes, marvelously fierce heroines, and epic love stories that play out against the backdrop of a rich world. More than just vampires, the realm of IAD includes all types like witches, demons, Valkyries, and while there’s certainly no risk in starting right from the beginning in your readthrough, it’s one of the series’ earliest books that scratches the itch of love between two unlikely immortals.
Néomi was a famous ballerina in her heyday—the type of artist that a vampire like Lestat would go to see perform again and again—before she was murdered one fateful night. Coming back as a phantom means that she’s haunted the home she died in for over a century, with no one able to see her until a rabid vampire by the name of Conrad Wroth gets tied up within her house’s walls to detox from his dependency on feeding directly from the vein. Conrad thinks she’s a consequence of sobering up, while Néomi is unmistakably drawn to the otherworldly vampire. Their undeniable connection, however, will change their worlds forever.
Blood Orange by Karina Halle
Apart from Anne Rice, there may be no other author who has made their imprint more on the vampire fiction genre than Bram Stokr, so it seems only fitting that Halle’s latest dark romance, which bills itself as a modern-day vampire retelling, is filled with so many trappings that also persist in Rice’s work. Inspired by the “real-life” Dracula that gave Stoker his inspiration, it’s a love story that spans centuries, thanks to reincarnation and the prospect that fated mates will be able to find one another no matter what the circumstances.
Valtu is the ancient vampire whose story eventually inspired a very famous novel, but of course, not everything within its pages is completely accurate. These days, he’s living as a professor of music in Venice, and he doesn’t realize that the vampire hunter who has her sights set on him—who wants to kill him—is also the same woman who has had the most significant presence in his life (or unlife) since the very beginning. Sexy, dark, and gorgeously enigmatic, Halle’s latest is among the best kind of vampire romance.
The Assassin and the Libertine by Lily Riley
Unlike Rice’s immortals, the ones who exist in the world of Riley’s Les Dames Dangereuses are known to the society they frequent, but there might be some familiar notes of Lestat within this realm of the French aristocracy, where vampires mingle openly among humans even if there might be some consequences to them rubbing elbows. Very few know that Daphne de Duras is actually an assassin, but her next mission is to take out a very high-profile target: Étienne de Noailles, infamous rake and vampire emissary to King Louis XV. He’s believed to be the one responsible for the murder of Louis’ mistress, but the truth is that he’s been framed for the crime.
Now, Étienne has to not only convince Daphne of his innocence but that the actual killer is still at large, and the two of them should join forces and track down the real vampire culprit. Over the course of their investigation, Daphne begins to realize that her own personal interest in Étienne goes far beyond fascination, and while he might not be the vampire she’s assigned to kill any longer she could just as easily be the vampire she’s meant to be with.
Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert
Now, when it comes to IWTV, Lestat seems to have few hang-ups about exclusivity in vampire romance, but if there’s anything that’s better than having one vampire lover, it’s having three. Mina is what’s known in vampire lore as a dhampir (half-vampire, half-human), and has always moved through her life at the whims of her father. His latest decision involves gifting her to the dark and dangerous vampire Malachi, with the hope being that they’ll become the type of union that gives him leverage instead. If only he knew how powerful Mina really is…
Fortunately, her betrothed Malachi does-and so do his two closest friends and companions, each of which challenges and strengthens Mina in their own unique way. As they all come together in more ways than one, they come to the realization that they’re exactly forceful enough to take on Mina’s father head-on, with Mina’s men giving everything to help their queen secure the crown that she deserves.
Blood Kiss by Christa Tomlinson
If you’re as fascinated by the financial holdings of IWTV’s vampires as I am—seriously, though, how does Lestat have so much money in the first place —then perhaps you’re intrigued by the possibility of what a vampire would do if he chose to exist slightly left-of-center in the legal sphere. Enter Everett, a crime lord belonging to the Sanguis Syndicate (love that name), who barely has an interest in a committed relationship much less in securing a human to see to his own feeding needs. That is, until he spots Solan for the first time.
It’s just like a vampire to become wildly fixated on one human above all others, and Solan isn’t expecting that when he enters the blood donor auction, he’ll end up on the receiving end of Everett’s attentions. Having a vampire patron sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? But simultaneously, the contract they enter into is merely that—a deal—and one that comes with an inevitable expiration date, unless they decide to stay committed for much, much longer.
Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon
One of the best aspects of Interview with the Vampire is that Louis is entirely content to live his own existence until he comes face-to-face with the promise of more that Lestat has to offer him. Their first meeting changes everything for each of them, irrevocably, and the excitement factor is ratcheted up even higher thanks to the fact that Louis, quite simply, cannot get Lestat out of his head no matter what he does. While Louis does end up becoming a vampire in the end, there’s never any question that the two are equals from the beginning.
The same holds true for the romance that sparks between Ginger Carmichael, who reluctantly finds herself pledging an on-campus sorority at the behest of her friend, and Camila Sanchez, the sorority queen she’s paired with who has an intriguing secret. Camila might seem unreachable, the girl that Ginger convinces herself she can never have, but it turns out that Mila is just as interested in closing the gap between them. Come for the sorority hijinks, stay for the sweet story of soulmates.
Carly Lane is an Atlanta-based writer who considers herself a lifelong Star Wars fan, newbie Trekker, diehard romance reader, nascent horror lover, and occasional live-tweeter. She is the senior TV editor at Collider, a former contributing editor for SYFY FANGRRLS, and has also written for Vulture, the Boston Globe, Nerdist, Teen Vogue, Den of Geek, The Toast, and elsewhere around the Internet.