First in a Series: Vampires That Don't Sparkle

The First in a Series posts are a new feature we'll be bringing to the blog to help fellow readers find a new series to enjoy.  Check our First in a Series tag or page for more suggestions on what to read next.

Before vampires were glittery teen heartthrobs, they were super sexy bad boys with a naughty side and a penchant for murder.  That's right, you heard me...before Edward Cullen there were leather pants wearing, human blood sucking pretty boys that wanted nothing more than to seduce a willing lady and kill anything that got in his way.

Enter the vampire series written with the fully mature adult in mind.  These blood sucking books have independent heroines, compelling heroes and plots that are too steamy for tv.

But don't take my word for it.  Grab the first book from one of these series and let me know what you think.


The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward
     Book 1:  "Dark Lover"
Six killers roam the night in Caldwell, New York.  The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a band of six warrior vampires tasked with protecting their species from brutal massacre.  The brothers use every weapon in their arsenal to fight Lessers created by the Omega.  From 40s to fists, the brothers kick ass and crack jokes while doing it.

But its not all murder, mayhem and glorious rap slang.  While the Brotherhood is a central theme in each book, the series overall is a full on romance, therefore each individual story focuses on one specific brother and his battle to find and hold on to true love.  And for super sexy alpha-males, it's not as easy as you'd think.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood series isn't for the shy or the prudish.  The books are graphic when it comes to sex and the violent scenes aren't for the faint of heart.  That being said, the books are hilarious, tender and sometimes totally ridiculous in a "I can't believe I'm reading this...must turn the page" kind of way.


Undead/Queen Betsy Series by MaryJanice Davidson
    Book 1:  "Undead and Unwed"
Betsy wakes up dead, which is traumatic, but not nearly as traumatic as waking up in shoes from Payless.  After a truly heinous week, Elizabeth "Betsy" Taylor (for real) wakes up unemployed, single and on the worst liquid diet imaginable.  And it gets worse.  She's soon faced with letting her family know she's not really dead, looking for a new home and figuring out just what parts of vampire lore are real or not.  She's also courted by the darkly handsome and bloodthirsty Sinclair, which would be great, except she's not all that interested and he won't lay off the charm.

The Undead series is like a bloodthirsty Clueless.  Betsy is endearingly self-absorbed and oblivious to the world around her.  Her reactions to the day-to-day life of a vampire are hilarious and Sinclair's reactions to Betsy's shenanigans and ridiculous priorities are down right hysterical.

While there isn't an overarching plot that ties the series together, the main characters are interesting enough to keep the reader coming back for more, if only to see what kind of shoes Betsy picks up next.


The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison
     Book 1:  "Dead Witch Walking"
After the near extinction of the human population due to genetically modified tomatoes, the supernatural beings of the world revealed their true selves.  A generation later and Witches, Vampires and Weres live (mostly) side by side with humans.  In Cincinnati, bounty hunter Rachel Morgan hires her ass-kicking skills to the Internlander community to help keep the darker of the supernaturals in line in a world where Master Vampires keep the city under their grisly, blood soaked thumbs.

The Hollows series starts at the very beginning of Vampiric Charms and follows snarky witch Rachel, foul-mouthed pixy Jenks and damaged living vampire Ivy as they break away from local law enforcement to open their own business in an old church in the Hollows.

Each subsequent book in the series follows a new case or problem that can only be solved by Rachel and the team.  The plot of each book expands upon the last in a way that builds a rich and interesting alternate history and which allows the characters to grow beyond their beginnings.

"The Witch With No Name" by Kim Harrison

Image via Goodreads

I started reading the Hollows Series by Kim Harrison when it was new and before the big vampire craze of the mid 2000s.  Man, typing that out sounds so pretentious..."I liked it before it was popular."  But I did.  I found the first book, "Dead Witch Walking" through an Amazon suggestion and picked it up with a Barnes and Noble coupon back when I had unlimited income to buy books.  10 years and 13 books later it's still one of the few series I can't wait to read and shell out the moolah to get my hands on it the day it comes out.  I'm sad to say "The Witch With No Name" is the last book in the series.

These reviews are really hard to write without giving away the ending, and this book in particular has a trickle down effect where the majority of the surprise is in what happens next.  So, I'm being vague on purpose, and I apologize.  If you're curious on what I thought about a particular part, ask in the comments and I'll be happy to add my two cents.  I just don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone.

Summary:  What Rachel Morgan has dreaded from the start has come to pass, and much sooner than she anticipated.  A routine run with her roommates Ivy and Jenks goes horribly wrong when Ivy is hit by car and is left to die her first death in the middle of a public street.  What initially seems to be a horrible accident turns into something unthinkable: Ivy was targeted by Master Vampire and Cincinnati overlord Rynn Cormell to get Rachel's attention.  Rynn wants Rachel to find a way to make good on her promise to find a way to save vampire's souls.  And he's done waiting.

Under a tight deadline with Ivy's very soul at stake, Rachel must call upon her abilities as a witch and day walking demon to do what has never been done before.

What I Liked:  It's bittersweet to come to the end of a series you thoroughly enjoy, but its also nice when the author goes out with a bang, and this is what I feel Harrison did.

The book starts out like old times - Rachel, Ivy and Jenks on a run that somehow goes from routine to life-or-death in an instant.  Rachel is faced with a seemingly impossible task and is forced to rely on her friends, family and her own guts to solve the problem and save the world.  It's a formula that doesn't get old as Harrison cleverly introduces the challenges in fresh ways and relies on charismatic and hilarious secondary characters to move the plot along.

What differentiates this book from the others and what I think makes this particular installment so good is the fact that Rachel as a character has truly grown through the series.  And now the reader can see it.  "Dead Witch Walking" Rachel could not have survived this book emotionally or magically; she would have imploded in the first few chapters.  It was very satisfying to see Rachel handle herself in a way that was adult (mostly) and self actualized (mostly).

I also liked the way the plot rolled along from one action scene to the next.  The story was fast paced and Rachel's biggest challenge to date.

What I Didn't Like:  The story felt like it took too long to tell, but as it's the last in the series, I'll give this a pass.  From time to time I felt like the emotions in the book were a little over done, but again, I feel like the author was writing as if this was her last change to get it all out, so I'll give this another pass.  I also would have liked to see a lot less of the Goddess and a lot more of the Demons.  But that's probably just me.

Rating:  Fans of other books in the series won't be disappointed in Rachel's farewell tale.

Also Read by This Author:  I've read them all.  New readers should start with "Dead Witch Walking"

Reviewed By:  Tami