Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

Since PNR seems to be the popular choice of the group, our new Discussion Challenge is geared to the genre. Our focus will be the ubiquitous PNR hero - vampire.

Vamps are popular heroes. They are such classic badboys. "They get to sleep all day, party all night, and play with their food."...LOL..

Not to mention the sexiness, the angst, the mystery...and...oh..don't forget the fangs!

So ladies, write down your favorite dentally-impaired heroes...Name, book, author and a brief description.

Jean Claude from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. Jean Claude is a gorgeous, French, bi-sexual vamp who feeds off of lust and sex to gain power. He is the powerful Master of the City of St.Louis and head of a triumvirate which includes Anita and Richard (a hot werewolf). Jean Claude was involved in a 20-year long ménage à trois with fellow vampire Asher and Asher's human servant, Julianna.

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Lori,

Great choice for our first vamp. I think JC is one of the hottest vamps ever put in print. The pages just sizzle with his presences..LOL..*checks fingers for burn marks*

Lori, excellent excellent choice. :)

I think I'm going to go with Wrath from J.R Wards Dark Lover. Wrath is a part of an ancient brotherhood of vampires that exist to protect humanity. Wrath is their king. He's 6 feet 6 inches of pure muscle, he has long black hair and he wears sunglasses because he is pretty much blind but still gorgeously hot.

Makes me want to read over Dark Lover... lol

I love me some Jean Claude but I really have to choose Asher.

His whole story and what he has suffered makes me have a soft spot for him over JC.

Zsadist
Lover Awakened by JR Ward

A tortured former blood slave, Zsadist reeks of anger and hatred, that even his "brothers" keep him at a distance. Scarred both physically and emotionally, his path to redemption lies in the hands of a beautiful, strong-willed vamp who refuses to give up on him.

The vamp in Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood who has my heart. I still can't reread some parts of his book, without being emotionally upset.

"I was dead until you found me, though I breathed. I was sightless, though I could see. And then you came...and I was awakened." -Zsadist

Ohhh well how about Zarek?

They are technically vampires but then again not.. right?


His story was one of my favorites in the hunter series.

This is for you Tricia...

Nothing better then Jean Claude and Asher together :)

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I wish I could credit the artist but I found these and a few more on Photobucket with no reference to who drew them.

oooh!!! sexy!

This was drawn by BeElleGee. See http://beellegee.tripod.com/purplepas... for more of her work.

Thank you Jodi! I'll send her an email and let her know I've posted some of her pics. She has captured the characters beautifully.

Acheron, Who can resist 6 ft 8 in. of a hot looking goth guy. Get him to take off his sunglasses and WOW! Those eyes. *gasp* *can't catch breath*

Vishous
Lover Unbound by JR Ward
Black Dagger Brotherhood series

Tall, dark and icy...LOL..okay, he might seem remote and cold, but boy, does this vampire burned hot in the bedroom, especially with his "unconventional" sexual predilections.

Raised in an extreme warrior camp, this super-intelligent vamp (hey, he designs video games for kicks and giggles and speak 18 languages) is plagued with visions of the future. With a curse that prevents him from getting too close with others, he found a friendship and a love where the supposed curse becomes a blessing in both relationships.

Famous lines:

Quoting from memory, but will check accuracy when I get home:

"When I want you to beg, I'll tell you when."


V: I don't do farm animals.
Butch: What? You don't like hay in your leathers.
V: Or wool in my teeth.

Yz,
I agree with you about Vishous. He is my #1 sexy Vamp. I love the famous lines you wrote. I don't know if they are accurate or not, but they are close enough. Love his wicked sense of humor, the brains and naturally his "other obsessions" (penthouse)

Yz,
I'll also agree with you on Vishous. He has been my favorite so far.

Yes, after Z, V is my next favorite brother.

I know a lot of folks dislike Jane's "condition" at the end of his book, and in some way, at first I was part of that bandwagon.

But after thinking more about it, I think it is pretty sweet that V's cursed hand, that he hated, becomes a wonderful blessing to the two people he cared the most, Butch and Jane.

V is my favorite brother for all the reasons you stated...plus the fact that he lusted after Butch. Gotta love a guy who's not afraid to love another man.

I too was kind of put off by Jane's condition all the while trying to tell myself it's ok because he's with her now. V would have been so devastated without Jane. So yes I finally came to peace with the choice that had to be made.

You guys are making me want to read over V's story... and I don't own his book. damn.

Okay I am asking this question b/c I really want to know. Are all vamps gay? I have not started BDB yet. I have the first 3 books. I am just wondering.

in the BDB series, certain scenes there were allusions to V being in love with Butch, and Blay and Quinn having a possible hookup. But nothing ever came out of it. I don't know why she went that way just to leave everyone hanging.

But no, the rest of the vamps are straight.

Thanks...I don't have a problem with it, I have just never noticed the vamps being gay in anything I have ever watched. Except now that I think about Interview with a Vampire, I felt like it may be an implied relationship between Lastat and Louie.

Wendy,

Have you read "The Interview that Didn't Happen?" where you have JR Ward visiting Butch and Vishous? I think that little piece enlightened me more about the unique relationship Jane and V has, and made me accept Lover Unbound's ending better.

Jess,

How can't you not have V's book?..Shame on you..LOL...

Stephanie,

As far as I know, only one vamp in the BDB world has openly admitted he is "gay"..LOL..One or two might "dabble"..LOL..but almost all of them are pretty straight..LOL..

I guess you are what you are whether you are human or not!

Vishous, yes, I definitely agree with that one. The bathroom sink scene was hot.

I'll also add Lucan (Dark Need) and Jaus Valentin (Twilight Fall) from Lynn Viehl's Darkyn series, both very alpha, sophisticated Europeans and both with the same, ahem, proclivities as Vishous (penthouse), LOL.

They both have their demons. Lucan is possibly the most destructive force known to man and has been the pet assassin of the vampire king for centuries, while Jaus can force anyone to tell the truth with a touch.

Yz wrote: "Wendy,

Have you read "The Interview that Didn't Happen?" where you have JR Ward visiting Butch and Vishous? I think that little piece enlightened me more about the unique relationship Jane and ..."


Yz, I did read the interview that didn't happen and loved it. I was only commenting on Lover Unbound. (truth be told I forgot about the interview)*hangs head in shame* And yes, it was very enlightening about V and Jane. Sorry for the confusion.

new_user wrote: "Vishous, yes, I definitely agree with that one. The bathroom sink scene was hot.

I'll also add [b:Lucan|1264695|Dark Need A Novel of the Darkyn (Darkyn, Book 3)|Lynn Viehl|http://photo.goodreads...."

New_user, I have both Dark Need and Twilight Fall on my TBR list. Going by what you said I think I will have to get into these real soon.

Yz wrote: "Wendy,

Have you read "The Interview that Didn't Happen?" where you have JR Ward visiting Butch and Vishous? I think that little piece enlightened me more about the unique relationship Jane and ..."

I actually only have the first and second book, the others I got from the library. Which I didn't mind at the time because I didn't really like the other novels as much to spend money. But I just bought V's book through my kindle because I just HAD to reread it lol!! - gotta love the kindle, instant gratification :)

LOL, Wendy, I recommend it. ;)

V most definitely is at the top of my list of fanged hotties. Followed just as closely by Acheron - prob so close behind V I'd accept a m/m novel with 'em both hah =)

Too funny Tosca, Yeah I'd accept that novel too! LOL

I'm jumping on the V bandwagon; definitely my favorite Brother. He's got the sexy thing going, the smart thing going, the badass thing going, and that tortured soul... (only truly sexy in romance novels, though. Tortured souls not so fun in real life.) And yeah, I think his secret pining for Butch only made him more attractive.

Has anyone mentioned Bones from Jeaniene Frost's books? I think he may actually boot V from my #1 vamp spot. He's clearly based on Spike from Buffy, only HOTTER. Frost writes him so that I can actually hear the British accent in my head pretty easily, which ups the sexy factor.

I'll be starting Frost's series this month. I can't wait because I've heard so much about Bones. I LOVED Spike! He was so hot...

V & Acheron...I'd pay good money for a little of that action.

I'm almost done with Halfway to the Grave, and definitely a big YES on Bones joining the hot vamps in print list.

Put me on the Bones bandwagon. I'm almost finished with Halfway to the Grave now... and I have already put the other books in the series on order because my library doesn't own them.

Cian MacCionaoth
Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts
Circle Trilogy

Torn away from family and home after being changed into a vampire by the evil Lilith, Cian, after many centuries, found himself reunited with his sorcerer brother and a band of people tasked with the job of saving the world. Having to fight his own kind, and his own growing attraction to the quiet but steadfast Queen of Gaell, Cian's fiercest battle might not be the war against the vampires, but whether he can face eternity without love.


I was surprised how much I like this trilogy, despite its slow start. Cian's story is my favorite and I actually cried at the later part of it.

OH.. I'm torned between Cian and Bones as well. I think I'm leaning more toward Bones since he is more outspoken in the book. I feel like I get to know him more. Cian is more mystery but still hot... The mirror scene still makes me blushed.. :)

Amy: Cian is all sexy and broody, but Bones is just off-the-wall bad boy hot..LOL..

Who say's we have to choose among these hot vamps?..LOL..

I just read and LOVED A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix, so I have to nominate Dante.

I think what I love about him is that he does not fit the same boring old "vamp hottie" mold.
He breaks two rules in particular:
1. He's not HUGE. He's only 5'9, and he's thin and wiry rather than muscular. (Though, being a vampire, he does have super strength.)
2. He's not thousands of years old. In fact, he's actually quite a bit younger than the heroine; he's only 23, while Heather's 31. I thought that was kinda hot. ;)

I just finished the same book, Nichole, and I was fascinated by the whole concept and of Dante's character in particular.

Yes, he can definitely be added among our fanged hotties. I mean, the boy is angelic gorgeous, super mysterious, endowed with mystical powers and has enough torment in his past to overshadow other vamp heroes.

I loved Dante as well. It was very cool to read about a young vampire and the introduction of a new species that I had never read about before. Loved that book.

This is bad for me.. I keep getting new books suggestion from you guys and now my TBR is way too long. :) I will have to add A Rush of Wings on my list as well.

Oh Amy...just wait. I have 241 books on my TBR list now and it continues to grow. I will NEVER be without a book to read and the great thing about these groups is that I know that every one of those 241 books has been recommended by people who have the same taste in books that I do. Happy Reading!

Amen to that, Lori.

It's crazy, Amy, but that is part of the fun only we, book addicts, can understand..LOL..

I've tried to keep my TBR list down.. but everytime I read one of the books from the list, I find another 4 to add. lol. It's now up to like 215 or something. damn. lol.

OMG I'm going to agree with JC and Asher/Acheron!! I love them both lol.

A good site for an extensive list of Vamp books is http://www.vampirelibrary.com/

I just found out about this site yesterday. It looks really helpful!

Yeah they obviously don't have all books about our fanged hotties, but it's quite extensive.

Oh wow, that's a great site Sarah. Thanks! Another list of things to feed my addiction :)

thanks for posting Vampire library details Hilda::another one is lovevampires