There’s something enticing when it comes to reading about vampires; the promise of an immortal, undead life at the price of a new blood-soaked diet makes for a complex character for any love interest. Now add LGBTQ+ romance for where one or both love interests are on a path to vengeance, freedom, or family, and you have the most entertaining stories. Bookstr offers the best recommendations for readers who want to sink their teeth into stories featuring enemies-to-lovers, semi-forced proximity, marriage-of-convenience plots, and more.
Blood, Sweat & Queers: Vampiric Love Stories by Margaret Hall and Jamie Ryu
An anthology curated from eight talented authors’ short stories about queer vampires who crave power, flesh, and all things forbidden as much as they crave blood. Quiet nights, exciting parties, hunter versus prey, and feminine rage, all pressed together to bring the haunting nights to life. Bookstr strongly recommends readers purchase this book, as a portion of the proceeds benefits The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.
How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by D.N. Bryn
In a world where vampires are treated as second-class citizens, Vincent is a vampire who must resort to feeding on sleeping individuals to survive. He would never try the same meal twice until he met Wesley, an old childhood friend with blood Vincent cannot refuse. Wesley lost his mother to an evil blood-sucking corporation and needs a vampire as bait, while Wesley finds what he needs to shut the entire company down. Will sacrificing Vincent help Wesley find closure or lose the opportunity to share something more with Vincent besides blood and revenge?
The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends by Jamie D’Amato
Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide in this summary may be triggering to some readers.
Nineteen-year-old Brennan had his own plans for recovery after a suicide attempt, but becoming a vampire was not one of them. Nonetheless, he has a plan to not let his thirst get the best of him while he’s attending university; no one will notice a missing blood bag or two. Things get more complicated when the hot librarian, Cole, sees Brennan drinking from said blood bag, but decides to keep it a secret for Brennan’s sake. What started out as the duo being friends eventually turns into something more as they balance their relationship with Brenan’s intention of becoming one of the “good guys.” Students are now missing, and rumors of animal attacks near Brennan and Cole’s campus, Brennan must do everything they can to find out who’s behind the attacks or lose the very person he cares about.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Misery Lark, a vampyre who has served as collateral for her clan, prefers to live anonymously with the humans until she has been called for one last act of service from her father to secure the alliance between the vampyres and the werewolf clans. Alpha of the pack, Lowe Moreland, is keeping his distance instead of a tight leash on his new bride, but the distance grows shorter and shorter with Misery.
The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores
Once inseparable, childhood friends and witches Ava and Kaye are now divided by a tragic attack — Ava became a vampire, while Kaye hunts them down for revenge after her mother’s death. But when their town faces destruction, the two must brave a vampire’s lair together. Their intentions are not aligned; Ava hopes to return to what they once were before the attack, while Kaye plans to turn Ava in. Can they overcome old wounds and forge a bond deeper than friendship?
My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
Cassie is a struggling artist who’s desperate for a roommate for her new apartment in Chicago. Her new roommate, Frederick, comes off as quirky with his night job and outdated mannerisms, but that is the tip of the iceberg when Cassie finds out that Frederick is a vampire. Can Cassie make the most out of her arrangement, or should she start sleeping with a wooden stake?
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Carmilla, the foundation of queer vampire romance written 26 years before Dracula, tells the story of Laura, whose quiet life with her father in a secluded castle is disrupted by a mysterious visitor. As an intense friendship blossoms into something far more intimate, Laura’s orderly world begins to unravel as Carmilla’s secrets and true nature are revealed. Le Fanu creates a small world where desire is trapped beneath peculiar habits and waking dreams that may turn into a nightmare for Laura.
A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger
Poppy wakes up one night as a vampire, granted immortality and the prowess of a hunter with a thirst for blood. Roisin, a vampire who has lived for centuries, guides Poppy through her transformation and her new world of vampires, where a mix of undead and living politics and societies collide. Poppy’s feelings for Roisin build, but Roisin is on her own path to vengeance. As danger closes in, the two must decide if their unlikely bond is worth the risk, or if it will be the thing that gets them both killed all over again.
The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez
In the 1850s, in Louisiana, Gilda, an escaped slave, is taken in by two women who reveal their secret: they are vampires. The vampires teach Gilda everything she knows and eventually turn Gilda into one of them. Gilda grows into her immortality across centuries, carrying the weight of her memory, justice, and desire. Every era brings new lovers and different threats, but Gilda’s deepest struggle is with what it means to love without losing herself. Spanning history and romance, Gilda’s story is one of survival, chosen family, and love.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Simon Snow, a student of Watford School of Magicks and the Chosen One, is terrible at magic. Simon needs to control his powers against the Humdrum, a monster that devours magic, leaving behind voids where mages cannot draw magic from. Simon cannot control his magic, his girlfriend broke up with him, his mentor is avoiding him, and Baz, Simon’s nemesis, who is sure that Simon is a vampire, is really planning Simon’s demise. Except now Simon and Baz must form a truce to stop the Humdrum. Can Simon and Baz put aside their feelings to defeat the Humdrum, or will all magic be lost?
We hope you enjoy our recommendations and discover your next favorite queer vampire romance, as these stories tell a bigger story than romance, one that also explores resilience and acceptance for characters who may never die.
Whether you’re drawn to gothic elements, witty banter, or endless devotion, novels with vampires are more than tempting to read.
Looking for more vampire novels with a little less romance? Read here.
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