'Tis The Vampire Season

I love autumn. There's something magical about the way the trees burst with color and the air is heavy with change. After an unusually dry summer, there have been rain storms, making it blissfully easy to fall asleep. I grew up on a lake, letting go of consciousness while listening to the waves lapping against the shore. Water comforts me almost as much as the forest, and lately I've been spending time with both. This makes me happy and has helped me recover from a bit of burn out. I've also been reading voraciously, finishing multiple books per week. Literary therapy! I love it.

I've read a variety of books, but I circled back to vampires. If you need an excuse to read about vampires (I'm not sure why you'd need an excuse), it's nearly Halloween. I couldn't believe how many great series I've missed! Some of them were mindless, some were guilty pleasures, and others were just good. Here are some of the books I stumbled upon.

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

A family of old vampires stumbles upon a psychologist who may be the key to curing Lissiana's embarrassing phobia. You'd think a vampire would have no problem with blood--they need it to survive after all--but she faints at the sight of it. This was a quick and cute read for those of you who like a little romance. It was a nice change to read a book with a man as the weak human.

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

An old vampire with an obsessive streak loses a fang in a very embarrassing manner. His folly is a dentist's good luck because only a vampire can save her from the crazed maniacs out to kill her. The opening was hilarious with some laugh out loud moments. It was predictable, but a good read.

Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

A woman stumbles upon the underworld of vampires by witnessing a violent murder. Concerned for her safety, an elite warrior protects her and finds himself inexplicably attracted to her. This was very alpha male and a little too damsel in distress for my taste, but if you crave another series like The Black Dagger Brotherhood, you'll love this book.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

The backstory for the main character is unusually dark. She is the result of her mother's rape at the hands (er... you know what I mean) of a vampire. Catherine is tough and determined to make a dent in the local vampire population, compensating for her own darker nature. While hunting monsters, she meets her match in a British vampire with a noble streak. If you have a thing for The Big Bad from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (minus the unforgivable degradation of character he suffered in season six), check out this book.

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

A woman loses her crappy job only to die in a freakish accident. Later she wakes up in a garish suit and her step mother's shoes. Little does she know, she's destined to fulfill a prophecy by becoming the vampire queen. The love interest is boorish, but there were plenty of laugh out loud moments in this book to make me look past my irritation with a few of the conventions followed in the storyline.

Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles

This book had me at line one. "It had obviously been one hell of a night if I couldn't recall why I was waking up in a Dumpster." Nailed it. This book leans further into the erotica genre than most of the books on this list (although most of them feature descriptive sex scenes), but she's a succubi. A very fun read!

Do you have any vampire books to add to the list? What is your favorite book to read near Halloween?