Vampires

Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum

Adult Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Humorous, Literary, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires

What happens when your lover burns your immortal beloved’s art? You go on vacation to rekindle the flame (and hunt, obviously). Join Rebekah and Hugh as they navigate the emotional depths of a queer cruise and realize that they aren’t the only ones hunting. Merbaum’s storytelling perfectly captures the essence of ‘We’re on Vacation’ mode. Full of humor, glamour, and orgies, Vampires at Sea will expose the longevity of being an immortal in love.

Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum, (List Price: $18, Creature Publishing, 9781951971229, October 2025)

Reviewed by Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Zomromcom by Olivia Dade

Adult Fiction, Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires

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What a crazy ride! I mean, we were running into the arms of danger on page one! This book was hilarious, but also had me on edge because of the freaking zombies! Edie is amazing, and if I had the confidence to try to save someone with a burrito and pure determination, I think I would be considered a superhero. Max is prickly and a bit of a pessimist, but he treats Edie with such care, ahh, it is scrumptious. I mean if I could fall in love with a grumpy, flawless, not afraid to wear a thong vampire in the middle of an apocalypse, I would! Here for the adventure, staying for the romance, NO ONE….. does paranormal romance like ZOMROMCOM.!

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade, (List Price: $19, Berkley, 9780593818206, 2025-08-05)

Reviewed by Mekhala Villegas-Rogers, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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The Damned by Renée Ahdieh

Banned Books, Epic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Young Adult Fiction

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The Damned picks up right where The Beautiful left off and introduces a few new POVs to keep things interesting. With Bastien now a walker of the night and Celine’s memories forgotten, the intrigue and drama are thicker than ever. Bastien is determined to become better than his uncle, while his sister Emilie is back from the dead as the head of the wolves. Fans of the first won’t be disappointed with this next thrilling volume in the series. The only disappointment is having to wait for the next! Renee Ahdieh is a skilled writer who has beautifully brought back the classic vampire, along with the fey and werewolves, intertwined. This is a must read for anyone who missed the classy vampires of Anne Rice, but loved the romance of True Blood.

The Damned by Renée Ahdieh, (List Price: $13.99, Nancy Paulsen Books, 9781984812605, August 2021)

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

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The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Banned Books, Epic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Young Adult Fiction

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I can still remember reading The Wrath and The Dawn for the first time, and how much the beautiful world, and incredible romance affected me. Today I’m gushing about Renee’s new book about vampires in 19th century New Orleans! The best part of it is, she doesn’t stick strictly to vampires, at all, nor the normal glittering, sometimes scary vampires we’re used to today! Ahdieh takes the vampire mythos and shapes it into something all her own, making it beautiful and lush and terrifying. But even without the vampires, our protagonist, Celine, is a french girl with passions and whims considered inappropriate for a girl of any age, let alone a young girl trying to find a proper husband. But truthfully, Celine comes to New Orleans to flee from a dark secret in her very near past, and from herself too. Celine is an incredibly interesting and complex protagonist that demands your love even as she pushes everyone away, because you the reader are the only one that knows her thoughts and can see beyond her actions. Sebastian is a powerhouse of a love interest, and when we do get a point-of-view chapter from him, he just continues to baffle and break hearts, but in more depressing ways. These two together make for an incredibly frustrating slow burn that grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let up. I also had no idea where the story was going to go. Ahdieh managed to keep me in the dark about many things, and that was perfect because it meant I was able to dive in further and really dig for clues and such. This all made The Beautiful an incredibly enchanting read that kept me on my toes the entire time and absolutely delivered on a delicious romance set in a New Orleans ruled by the supernatural.

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh, (List Price: $5.99, Nancy Paulsen, 9781524738198, August 2021)

Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Vampires, Young Adult Fiction

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An orphan with her own agenda of revenge, Arthie is forced to steal from vampire society in order to keep her teahouse and her found family safe. The worldbuilding, the vibes, and the cast of characters are all perfection. Faizal has delivered a twisty page-turner that I haven’t stopped thinking about.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal, (List Price: $20.99, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 9780374389406, February 2024)

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Vampires, Young Adult Fiction

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I’ve had an itch for a really riveting heist story ever since I finished Six of Crows, and I’ve always been weak for found family stories, so when I saw this come in I immediately snatched it up and I’m so glad I did. The world-building is intricate and vivid; the White Roaring is a perfectly dark, glittering gothic city with so much personality, and the characters are wonderful. Arthie and Jin are some of my new favorites; Arthie is chaotic and clever and selfish at times but in the best way, and Jin is so charming and a complete flirt and so fun to follow. I could say great things about all the characters, no one feels shorted in terms of development and personality, they all mesh together so well, and the conflict is so tangible and easy to get invested in. The plot is a little slow at times, but those slow moments aren’t wasted, the found family dynamic is always showcased and developed in these moments, so they never feel wasted, and it definitely picks up when it needs to. I’m already ready for the sequel, I adore this.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal, (List Price: $20.99, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 9780374389406, February 2024)

Reviewed by Winter Goldsmith, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Immortal Dark (Standard Edition) by Tigest Girma

Vampires, Young Adult Fiction

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Twilight had it wrong. Vampires don’t sparkle. Kidan says they lure you with their dark gaze and plump lips until they can taste you. To her, they’re pure evil, and all evil must be purged. When a vampire takes her sister, Kidan vows to do anything to get her back, even if she must become the monster she hates. With enemies-to-lovers, secret societies, and African lore, Immortal Dark is a debut you won’t forget.

Immortal Dark (Standard Edition) by Tigest Girma, (List Price: $19.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316581448, September 2024)

Reviewed by Raegyn Oliver, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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Spotlight On: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Fantasy, Vampires, Young Adult Fiction

For the longest time, I wanted to write something dapper—crisp clothes and the cutthroat alleyways of old London— but when my protagonist set foot on the page with her brown skin and foreign roots, straightening her tweed suit and tucking her pocket watch away, she was angry. I realized, then, that I couldn’t write “something dapper” without also addressing colonialism. In my debut novel, We Hunt the Flame, we saw a girl fighting for her own kingdom. In A Tempest of Tea, we see a girl and her crew fighting for a country that isn’t theirs to save, but they’ll do it anyway. Oh, and did I mention there are vampires?
― Hafsah Faizal, Letter to readers

What booksellers are saying about A Tempest of Tea

An orphan with her own agenda of revenge, Arthie is forced to steal from vampire society in order to keep her teahouse and her found family safe. The worldbuilding, the vibes, and the cast of characters are all perfection. Faizal has delivered a twisty page-turner that I haven’t stopped thinking about.
― Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tennessee | Buy from Parnassus Books
I’ve had an itch for a really riveting heist story ever since I finished Six of Crows, and I’ve always been weak for found family stories, so when I saw this come in, I immediately snatched it up, I’m so glad I did. The world-building is intricate and vivid; the White Roaring is a perfectly dark, glittering gothic city with so much personality, and the characters are wonderful. Arthie and Jin are some of my new favorites; Arthie is chaotic and clever and selfish at times but in the best way, and Jin is so charming and a complete flirt and so fun to follow. I could say great things about all the characters, no one feels shorted in terms of development and personality, they all mesh together so well and the conflict is so tangible and easy to get invested in. The plot is a little slow at times but those slow moments aren’t wasted, the found family dynamic is always showcased and developed in these moments so they never feel wasted, and it definitely picks up when it needs to. I’m already ready for the sequel, I adore this.
― Winter Goldsmith, E. Shaver, booksellers, Savannah, Georgia | Buy from E. Shaver, booksellers
Arthie runs Spindrift, a tearoom that doubles as a bloodhouse for vampires. It’s not exactly legal, but Arthie holds enough of people’s secrets that the authorities haven’t been able to get to her yet. That changes, though, when Spindrift is threatened by the current monarch, and Arthie is forced to plan a heist under the noses of the government and the vampire society, which leads to even more secrets coming out, including Arthie’s. A heist novel that will appeal to fans of Six of Crows, with plenty of action and romance.
― Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, South Carolina| Buy from Fiction Addiction

About Hafsah Faizal

Hafsah Faizal is the New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars, and the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else. When she’s not writing, she can be found designing, deciding between Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim, or traversing the world. Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in North Carolina with her husband and a library of books waiting to be devoured. hafsahfaizal.com

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Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite by Zoraida Cordova, Natalie C. Parker

Diversity & Multicultural, Short Stories, Vampires, Young Adult

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These stories are well-written, fresh, and compelling – they explore what it means to consider and consent to becoming a vampire; how human bodies, with all their imperfections and different abilities, are and aren’t changed by vampire magic; and how individual identity might be enhanced or overridden by the new identity of Vampire. I think the introduction says it best:

“Of the vampires in our collective imagination, which is admittedly Western-focused, nearly all resided in stories about power. Despite rampant queer subtext and outstanding nonwhite examples like Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories, the vampires were predominantly men, white, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied, and we were ready for stories that reimagined that default.”

This collection doesn’t seek to negate the appeal and influence of classic vampire stories – I think, instead, it reworks some of those ideas with sharper, more politically and socially aware eyes. And the book as a whole feels like the beloved creation of people who just love vampires – love the idea of them, love the lore, love the good and bad of them, the romantic and the frightening. To me, the sheer joy of everyone involved just shines through each page.

Vampires Never Get Old : Tales with Fresh Bite by Zoraida Cordova, Natalie C. Parker (List Price: $17.99, Imprint/Macmillan, 9781949199734, 9/22/2020)

Reviewed by Rachel Derise, Friendly City Books in Columbus, Mississippi

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