What Is a Vampire Romance?
A vampire romance is a love story where at least one of the lovers is a vampire, and the relationship drives the plot forward. The intrepid relationship is what counts. Plenty of vampire stories are horror or action with a kiss tossed in. In a vampire romance, the love story is the point, and the fangs just raise the stakes.
You’ll also see it called vamp romance. If you searched for the vamp meaning, here’s the short answer. “Vamp” is short for vampire. In the early days of film it also meant a seductive woman who lured men to their ruin. These days it’s mostly a friendly nickname for the genre.
What the Best Vampire Romance Books Share
Everyone’s list of the best vampire books looks a little different, but the ones readers keep rereading share the same bones:
- A hero with real history. Centuries of grief, secrets, and rules he made for himself.
- A heroine with her own spine. She asks questions. She doesn’t wait to be rescued.
- Danger that costs something. If nobody can really lose, nobody cares.
- A build that earns the payoff. The tension matters as much as the kiss.
- A world that feels lived in. You should want to know what’s behind every door.
You’ll find those same qualities on most lists of the best vampire romance books. The best vampire romance books for adults add grown-up emotion and real heat on top (heat level: 3-4 chilies out of 5). I can’t tell you The Waning is the best. I can tell you I wrote it to hit every one of those notes, and you get to decide.
Meet The Waning
Nia Ashford is 22, a research librarian at the University of Maine, and exhausted. For weeks she’s woken up drained and drenched in sweat, with the feeling that something stood over her in the dark. A friend suggests a support group for adult children of alcoholics. Nia walks into the wrong room.
It’s an AA meeting. Across the circle sits Drake Corvin. He’s tall and dark-haired, and he’s far too interested when Nia blurts out that she thinks an energy vampire is stealing her strength. He doesn’t laugh. He knows an old Romanian name for what she described, and he knows more about it than a man his age should.
That’s all I’ll say. I don’t do spoilers.
Why Paranormal Romance Readers Love It
If you read paranormal romance books, you’ll recognize the comforts. There’s a hidden world, witches and covens, old folklore, a mystery with teeth, and a love story that builds.
The Waning is a paranormal romance novel set in Bangor, Maine, with a gothic edge and real Romanian vampire legends mixed in. The classic vampire tropes are here: immortality, hunger, secrets, and rules that can’t be broken. I’ve added a few twists of my own.
Want the full list of what’s inside? See my Romance Tropes List article.
A Few Things to Know Before You Start
This is a vampire romance for adults/18+. It has on-page love scenes, a menacing stalker, and themes of grief and addiction. If you want the details, I’ve written a separate post on Spicy Vampire Romance article.
Where to Get It
If you love a good Kindle paranormal romance, The Waning comes out this November on Kindle first, with other retailers to follow. Book 2 in the Gardenia Series, Dark Moon, is already waiting in the wings. All in all there will be 6 books in the series.
The book cover page has the cover and the full description, and the Newsletter gets you release news and first looks. I’ll send you the good stuff and nothing else.