We’ve received a few messages asking for good vampire books.
Mortal,
Why do you try my patience? Do you not value your existence? After all you have but one life, wretched and short as it is, and yet you carelessly toy with it as if your continued ability to remain breathing is of no consequence. Let me remind you that you are not me and eternity is out of your grasp.
Dromichaetes of Dacia
Master of the Dark Coven
Dear Dromichaets,
For the last time, there are no vampires in Jeaniene Frost’s latest work. It is very entertaining, it has dark creatures, it has transformations, and it has lots of violence and romance. I cannot make her write a vampire novel for you. I also cannot make her write faster.
Ilona Andrews
I am bored. Find me another one or else.
PS. I mean it.
Dromichaetes of Dacia
Master of the Dark Coven
Please allow me to welcome Elizabeth Hunter to the blog. She is a USA Today and international best-selling author of romance, contemporary fantasy, and paranormal mystery, and she has published over thirty works of fiction and sold over a million books worldwide. Some of those books are about vampires.
From Elizabeth Hunter
So I saw a book meme the other day. It had a picture of a Victorian woman lounging with a book in her hand and staring off into the distance. The caption was something like: “That moment when you look at your TBR and seriously consider becoming a vampire so you have enough time to finish it.”
Reader, I didn’t need to be called out that way.
I’m not saying that I wrote the Elemental Mysteries because I was thinking about vampire life (as you do) and trying to imagine what I’d do with eternity (I mean, it can’t only be me, right?) and decided that writing a book about a vampire whose eternal life revolved around books was a great idea that definitely didn’t involve way too much research into unsolved deaths of Renaissance Italians.
What I am saying is that if you’re a vampire lover who loves books and history and historical mysteries, then maybe you should consider adding A Hidden Fire to your eternal TBR. There are rare books. There are librarian action heroines. And there are fire vampires. Because of course I made the hero who searches the world for rare books and documents a fire vampire. (I have a twisted sense of humor and like putting my characters into impossible situations.) It’s so pesky when that archeologist stumbles onto personal correspondence from the 15th century and then donates it to a museum, but luckily, Giovanni is here to help. And maybe commit grand theft or bribery if necessary.
This series is four books long, with spin-off books and side series and bonus novellas and all sorts of goodies for those who love a giant, fat fictional world, but the first four books are complete and ready to binge. I really hope you might give them a chance, and I want to thank Ilona for letting me tell you about Giovanni, Beatrice, and the Elemental Mysteries series.
The explosive international bestseller where history, romance, and the paranormal collide.
A phone call from an old friend sets Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mysterious manuscript he’s hunted for over five hundred years. He never expected a young student librarian could be the key to unlock its secrets, nor could he have predicted the danger she would attract.
Now he and Beatrice De Novo follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, though the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation hundreds of years in the making.
From Ilona: Vampires on fire, figuratively and literally. Dromeo, eat your heart out. As always, your mileage will vary, Elizabeth is a friend, and you should read an excerpt before clicking the buy button.
Excerpt
Giovanni sat silently. He felt a small surge of triumph when she unfolded the note he’d left for her weeks ago and set it on her lap.
“So the job you mentioned, what kind of job is it?” she asked.
“A research position. Primarily computer work.”
“Why me?” she asked, her eyes still carrying a shade of suspicion as she looked at him.
So I can find out more about your father and his habits. So I have something to offer him in exchange when I do find him—which I will.
Also, you smell like honeysuckle.
He blinked at the last thought but shrugged nonchalantly. “You have more than the necessary skill set. Much of the information I need to search for is online now. Obviously, you can imagine why that is problematic. Caspar can help, but he’s neither as technologically savvy as you are, nor does he have your background in information sciences.” He paused before he continued. “Though he does make an excellent cocktail, and that shouldn’t be overlooked.”
“Thank you!” a voice called from the kitchen.
Giovanni and Beatrice exchanged a smile before she remembered she was being suspicious. She frowned a little and asked another question. “I’m sure there are plenty of people you could hire. Why me?”
He set his drink down and leaned back into the plush couch. “Well, you seemed to have handled the whole ‘blood sucking demon of the night’ thing fairly well, so I thought I’d take a stab at not having to meddle with the brains of every assistant I use.”
Her expression was carefully blank as she absorbed his words. He leaned forward and sipped his drink, noticing her watching him carefully. “Go ahead,” he offered quietly.
“What?”
“I can see a million questions swirling around that brain of yours. Just ask them.”
She squirmed in her seat. “I didn’t want to be rude.”
He stretched a long arm along the back of the sofa. Though he was usually a secretive creature, he found himself curious what she would ask. “Go ahead.”
“You drink whiskey.”
“Yes.”
“So do you eat? Do you need to?”
“I have to drink blood to survive. Human is the most nutritionally satisfying and tastes the best, of course—”
“Of course.”
He smiled. “But I can also survive on animal blood if I need to. Many immortals choose to do that, they just have to feed more often.”
“How often?”
“Drinking human blood? About once a week.”
She perked up. “Oh, well that’s not so bad. Unless—”
“I don’t have to ‘drain’ a blood donor, Beatrice. I don’t have to kill to survive.”
She paused, a small smile ghosting her lips. “Unlike us, who kill animals all the time.”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to mention that if you weren’t.”
She met his eyes, a tentative warmth creeping into her expression. “Why do you order coffee and not drink it?”
“I only like the way it smells. It tastes absolutely vile. I don’t know how you drink so much of it.”
She grinned and became the girl she had been before she knew. “You drink blood. That smells and tastes vile, if you ask me.”
“Touché.”
“Thank you.”
She was bolder now. “So, the wooden stake through the heart thing is apparently a myth, but you can be killed by fire. Anything else?”
“Should I be concerned that one of your first questions is how to kill me?”
“What?” Her jaw dropped. “No! I was just curious.”
“You can remain so.”
Buy Links: Amazon | Apple Books | BN | Kobo | Googleplay
Vampires! Books! Snark! I’m so excited! Thank you !!!
I LoVE when you recommend books! Thank you!
I do not need another tbr. I do not need another tbr. *ignores inner voice of reason and clicks buy it now*
Your inner voice of reason just met my inner voice of reason, and now they’re wildly clicking together.
😂😂😂
Can I borrow someone’s inner voice of reason? {{Slaps hand reaching for “buy it now” button…}}
The BDH’s “voice of reason” will just help you rationalize the need to get all the books.
This is an awesome recommendation. Simply love Beatrice and Giovanni! Not to mention Tenzin, Carwyn, Ben, the whole world is awesome.
Tenzin rules!
I love Tenzin! She’s like a tiny bundle of murderous chaos and I love it lol.
I totally agree with this recommendation. EH does an amazing job of world-building, character development and storytelling. These are two authors that I can read their stories over and over again and throughly enjoy each time.
I love Gio and B! The world building and characters are so fun! I hope the BDH picks it up and keeps going especially for Benzin<<my 😍 favs.
I went Amazon to add this to my “possible” list.
Surprise! I evidently bought it when it came out and forgot to read it. (Or read it and forgot to look for the sequel? It has been a while…)
I have read Elizabeth’s books before but wanndered away from the other series.
Thanks for reminding me just how good she is.
Yay! I love Gio & B! I was reading these before she finished the first 4. I may have read everything she’s ever published! I may love her FB group! BDH X HUNTER CROSSOVER ACHIEVED
Worth a try. I am always happy to find something new.
Elemental vampires! Read these books years ago and absolutely love her writing. The romance portion is beautifully done.
Highly recommend!
Totally agree in regard to the EH vampires-good world building; good plots and characters.
Run don’t walk to grab these books if you haven’t read them yet! Just like anything written by House Andrews is an auto-buy, I will buy anything and everything that Elizabeth writes.
I Was first introduced through her Cambio Springs series (shapeshifters) and quickly devoured everything else.
Hope to see many of you over on HuntersHaven (her FB group) soon!!
Ooooooohhhhhhhh, Cambio Springs! I didn’t make the connection. (Drops forehead on kitchen table.) Welp, more $$$$ gone.
Oh, just loved the Cambio Springs books! Read them after reading Gio and B’s books. Highly recommend all of them!
Ugh, my typos. ^written, not worn. I will *buy* anything, not buy anything
Fixed. 🙂
🤣🤣🤣 Cute! 👍
Love, love, love EH’s Elemental “world”! (I had to put world in quotes, because one of the series is Elemental World, but I love ALL of them.)
Such a well developed world, and series!
I have read this series. Very good. I think it’s a good fit for House Andrews fans.
I love these books! So many good characters! I enjoyed the idea of every vampire being of a different element! The world building is excellent! The spin-offs from the books in the Elemental Series are also terrific.
My other favorite author! You 3 are wonderful at world building and characters! Is it totally silly to be happy you are friends?
I have read EVERY book she has written, including the short stories. I love her world.
She also writes a paranormal mystery series set in Palm Springs. I’ve read the Cambio series too!
Isn’t great when your favorite authors recommend each other! Adds to the community feeling.
Nice to see you recommend Elizabeth Hunter – I have read most of her books although I am a bit behind on the Elemental World stuff… need to catch up at some point.
For anyone who enjoys shapeshifters rather than vampires, I can also highly recommend her Cambio Springs series of small-town shifter romances. They’re underappreciated and you can read them all on Kindle Unlimited. The Irin Chronicles series is also excellent (and complete, with a satisfying conclusion), although no longer available on KU.
I’ve read almost all her vampire books*, and they are a lot of fun. Two thumbs up.
___
*and a couple are in my TBR for no good reason.
I liked elemental mysteries a lot. Elisabeth Hunter also has a very good shifter series with a different take, I really loved her Cambio springs series.
I’ve read them all! EH’s JF’s. What next?
I didn’t know you were friends with Elizabeth Hunter!!!
I started her Elemental books on a whim. She’s so good at connecting the reader to her characters. I also don’t usually like books that switch points of view from book to book or switch main characters…but I absolutely didn’t mind it at ALL with the elemental world. SO many compelling characters.
Also so many amazing settings!!!
Benzin is peak, though. We stan Benzin
Why is it always that the interesting books are out when I am broke and I have to wait until I get money into the bank to be able to buy the new book. such is life without a wife,I would get one, but my husband would not want me too.
they are all available via ebook at my local library in New Zealand. if you live somewhere without a library I’d happily share my card with you to borrow them online.
I love Elizabeth Hunter and own all her books and consistently do re reads, so now I will have to re read Hidden Fire and books that follow.
Don’t worry Ilona’s books get lots of love and re reads too.
I just finished this book 15 minutes or so ago. Guess I’ll be looking for the second book.
Yessss. I’ve been looking for a new vampire series and I looove history, libraries, pondering eternity, and mysteries!
The BDH will act in kind, I’m sure. I hope Ms. Hunter is prepared. *cue cackle* 😉🤭
I really enjoyed that excerpt, which is not always or even often the case. I will be looking for those once the current TBR pile is whittled down (found the remaining three of Madeleine Brent’s books that I hadn’t read, and am holding off on them until taxes are completely done).
Thanks! Somehow I missed her books. Can’t wait to start.
Yes, I totally agree with Sue. Elizabeth Hunter is one of the few authors besides IA that are on my “pre-order w/o question” list of authors. And I enjoyed Sunshine. FYI, my other auto buy authors are Nalini Singh, Patricia Briggs, K.M. Shea & R.J. Blain (+pseudonyms). Just to get a feel for my tastes.
I will admit, as much as I adore B and Gio, Ben and Tenzin are my favorites. They took a long time to get their stuff together lol, but it was worth it! The two of them are just great, and create all kinds of hilarious chaos together.
Same here! All of the books are fabulous though!
They are! The stories are great, and I love all the characters in them. Even the bad guys are interesting. I got the first books 4 in hardback when they came out. They are beautiful and I love them!
Perfect timing! I just finished re-reading all of the Ilona Andrews’ series and shorts, and started a re-read of all of KN Banet’s books. I need a new, long series to read and this one sounds great. I already ordered the first two books. Thanks for the recommendation!
read and loved all of these. Tenzin rocks
His surname is “old” while hers is “of the new”: nice!
Thank you for sharing. I’ve read everything Elizabeth Hunter has written. Loved all of it. Greedily waiting for the next installment.
I adore Elizabeth’s Cambio Springs series, and was thrilled she came out with a new one not too long ago. Fingers crossed for another in that series sometime, although she’s kind of hinted that’s not in the works at the moment.
I also like her other series a lot, including the Elemental Mysteries, but for me, Cambio Springs is like comfort food crossed with fun…
Yes! I was intensely happy when she produced the last book for this series.
Loved these books…time for a reread ❤️
Well this is some strange serendipity, as I just finished the first book in the series yesterday, after reading her Cambio Springs series, which I enjoyed a lot. Will read the rest soon, as they are well written and have an intriguing world.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I wouldn’t say I’m over vampires, but I would love some books with dragons – shape-shifter or not…
Oh some one I have not read, as my TBR is too big… but then again. I may retire one day….
Thank you<3
I love everything Elizabeth Hunter writes *all the exclamation points and big heart eyes*
Same page here.
p.s. also Dragons (LOL)
snicker
I have read this entire series. I love them SO much, I even got the Audible copies. HIGHLY recommend!
huh. apparently I bought it in 2013. I can do a reread…
Me, too. Although I’m not sure I read it at that time.
EH rocks! Love everything she does.
❤️❤️❤️
Like IA, EH=take my monies, please!
Delightful to see so many fans here in the comments!
I can attest – as most of the Elemental Mysteries and spin-offs are in my library – that they are wonderful well-told stories 🙂
This whole series is really great, as are the spinoffs. Highly recommend!!
my daughter and I have enjoyed Elizabeth Hunter’s books for years. she writes in so many genres and they are all fun and engrossing.
second only to Crran, Giovanni is one of my favorite heroes. this series is chef’s kiss
I got the box set in sale and enjoyed them. I don’t normally read paranormal romance (I didn’t quite realize that’s what they were at first), but there was lots of story and vampire politics and great characters (like Carwyn and Tenzin!) and a rich world to play in, so it turned out great.
I went on to read a lot of the sequels and novellas. She has lots more in that world, so if you like the first set, there’s definitely more to explore.
Oh, Elizabeth Hunter is right up with House Andrews and several other authors on my auto-buy list. Who am I kidding? It’s more like a dozen authors and that is me restricting myself. I adore all of Elizabeth’s book series. I think I started with her Scribe series so that will always have a special place in my heart.
Omg I love Gio and Beatrice books – so well written.
I read a few of the extra works but this has made me go and see why new goodies are available for me to add to my TBR – currently halfway through The Lies of Vampires and Slayers, HoFaS, and next is Trials of Conviction.
Really too many of my favourites have books out – I need to go on holiday to a beach somewhere just to catch up!
Elizabeth Hunter’s springs novels are also great and do remind me a little of IA.
Ugh that should be Cambio Springs novels 🤦🏻♀️
Do you think that pretty much all immortals are vampires (excepting our favourite megalomaniac) because it’s the only way the characters wouldn’t go insane having to come up with ideas for dinner every night for eternity?
Nice. Bought it. Thanks for the tip.
Oh 💩💩💩. I think my tbr pile is about to increase 😂😂😂😂😂
Elizabeth Hunter books are great! I read them in and around Ilona Andrews books. Always room for more good books 🙂
Update . Just bought the first 4 books as a boxed set & saved £10. Bargain of the day☺️☺️☺️
I love the Elemental Mysteries series – frequently re-read it, and many of the spin-offs.
So glad Elizabeth Hunter will get more fans from this post.
Elizabeth Hunter writes excellent books! Just be aware that, like IA books, it sometimes takes a couple books for the couple to end up together. Cambio Springs are Hunter’s shifter books and they are like a warm hug. I reread them when I need a pick me up.
I co-sign this endorsement. I’ve read the entire Elemental Mysteries series and thoroughly enjoyed it!!! I also loved Deborah Harkness’s Discovery of Witches series. But Elizabeth Hunter’s had a more satisfying conclusion IMO.
My Fellow BDH,
Are you looking at your TBR listlessly? Where are the good books? Why can’t House Andrews write faster? Need something to fill the void? These books are awesome. They are absolutely Bad Decisions Bookclub material. (C’mon, who needs sleep?) You may find yourself yelling at characters because Hunter makes you care THAT much. Trust me, you want to read these.
I haven’t read her vampire books but she has 3 wonderful midlife paranormal mystery series. Each series is based around three women who suddenly develop paranormal powers and then find themselves solving various crimes, but although the basic idea is the same, each series is completely different. They are:
– the Glimmer Lake series (set in a quiet CA mountain town and starting with Suddenly Psychic)
– the Moonstone Cove series, my personal favorite, (set on the CA coast)
– the Vista De Lirio series (set in Palm Springs).
I also just finished the third in her Cambio Springs shapeshifter series. Highly recommend all of these.
Thank you so much for the recommendation! How can I not have heard of this author? I don’t care how many books are in my TBR list, this is a binge opportunity and I haven’t spent my monthly book budget yet. Getting the tea and cookies ready. Thanks again.
So glad you’re recommending this series, I just checked & I read Hidden Fire way back in 2013, meant to keep reading and I fell off the wagon. So I’ll have to re-read it & get the rest of them.
I love the Cambio Springs books as well.
when I got my first Kindle over 20 years ago I found out that you could get some books for free. I tried a book called A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter and wound up being a fan, reading anything and everything she writes is a joy of life.
I feel pedantic, I tried (a little anyway) not to respond. I got my first Kindle for Christmas in 2007 and I thought it was brand new then. Googled and found the first Kindle was released in November 2007. That Kindle bit the dust, but I’m the happy owner for Kindles, with the Kindle Oasis being used most frequently.
Thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole!
I discovered Elizabeth Hunter a number of years ago and love all of her different series. So delighted you have become friends. For any of the BDH who have yet read her book have fun.
I have read every single book Hunter has wrote. While she writes in different genres occasionally, her Vampires are absolutely the best. After the initial four, there have been quite a few spinoffs and they are all terrific.
Complete series only 9.99 for ebook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-elemental-mysteries-elizabeth-hunter/1117913081?ean=2940045571067
I love Elizabeth Hunter’s work. If you’re looking for smart, snarky MCs, like the ones House Andrews writes, her work definitely fits the bill. I have read (via audiobook ) almost all her work. The first four novels at least twice.
The book’s narrators don’t annoyingly mispronounce words. Sounds like a low bar, but after yelling ‘HEARTH, not heerth’ at the speaker repeatedly last week, well, I realize I’m a bit picky. Just about language, pronunciation, grammar, syntax, and word repetition, though. Not much.
🤣 me too!
Love the author and love the series!
I recommend Elizabeth Hunter. I’ve read her Elemental Series, her Cambio Springs Series and some of her Women’s Paranormal Series. I’ve enjoyed reading all of them. Her world building and detailed characters pull you in to her tales.
I forgot the women’s paranormal series. I love those and could go do a reread! 😜
Ben and Tenzin =D
I have read the ENTIRE Elemental world series. But everyone should start with the first 4 which is the Elemental Mysterys. It’s an awesome world to get lost in.
Tenzin rules!
A Hidden Fire is one of my favorite books! I love the Elemental series
thank you so much – new author to explore – and vampires….clearly I need to up my lust of them to the rest of the Horde!!!
I LOVE Elizabeth Hunter! She also has a shape shifter series (Cambrio Springs) and a series about the descendants of angels (Irin Chronicles). And one of her newest books, The 13th Month is about time travel. You won’t regret reading any of them.
Turns out I already own A Hidden Fire, but haven’t read it yet. Thanks to you it has moved closer to the top of my tbr list (only library books are a head of it).
Elizabeth Hunter’s Elemental series (and the spin-offs) are on my auto=buy list just like HA books! Just one word … TENZIN!!
I haven’t read any of the spinoffs but the original Elemental Vampire books are fantastic! Thanks for reminding me about them. It’s been a while. You know, my tbr pile would stop growing if I didn’t have so many amazing “already read books” that I like to reread~sigh.
Yes!!! 100% one of my fave vampire series! I love that Ilona andrews is promoting this author because her work is awesome 🫶🏽
Elizabeth Hunter is a delight. I’m a huge fan of this series and so many of the characters. A regular reread, along with my Ilona Andrews books, and Patricia Briggs,
Of course, the million pound question is… having dangled the flammable, intriguing vampire and books before the BDH, did Elizabeth Hunter’s book and ebook sales only triple overnight, or did they increase tenfold?
Is the mysterious ‘BDH factor’ simply a myth, or a discernable phenomenon?
(Accidentally conjuring images of the Bermuda Triangle and/or El Nino, but if it walks like a dangerous extreme weather event, and talks like a…)
I just wanted to add that I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Hunter’s as well. Her characters are really well done and her plots are nice and tight. She clearly researches the heck out of locations and plot points. She and Thea Harrison along with Ilona Andrews are 3 must reads for me. (Although I think Ms Harrison has taken a hiatus due to health issues?)
I discovered the Elizabeth Hunter Hidden Legacy series several years ago and LOVED them. I keep an eye out for whenever a new adventure is due. Her Cambrio Springs series is great, too, in a different direction.
Hey Mary, there’s a bit of a confusion, Elizabeth doesn’t have a Hidden Legacy series 🙂 . That’s Ilona Andrews. Maybe Elemental Mysteries? Here is a complete list of Elizabeth Hunter’s books https://elizabethhunter.com/reading-order/
Yes it is and she has a recent book in the Cambio Springs series that was very good.
I clicked on the Amazon link to go buy the first one and saw that previous me had already purchased it, but it got buried in the pile. Current me loves it when I go to get a book and previous me already took care of it! Such a nice surprise for myself. I’ll download it and move it to the top of the pile. 😄
Thanks for sharing! 🤗
Hope many will check out this series and the Irin Chronicles as well. Good reads are good reads so you won’t be disappointed + the audible versions rock.
I need to reread this one! And maybe consider buying next the rest of the books in the series/world.
Love Elizabeth Hunter books also. So heartily agree with the suggestion.
Me: Going to Amazon to check out A Hidden Fire
Amazon: You purchased the Kindle edition on August 14, 2012.
Me:
Elizabeth Hunter is great – and not just for her numerous (!!) elemental series’ featuring vampires, but also her Irin chronicles, her shifter romance series (Cambrio Springs) and her several series in Paranormal Women’s Fiction(Glimmer Lake & Moonstone Beach & more..). I’ve read much of the above but, what with one thing and another, I cannot keep up with them all. Other authors keep interrupting with tantalizing reads, especially on Fridays!
YES!
I have read this series (several times) and all her other books too! She is awesome!!!!
😉 I love several of her series. Couldn’t for the life of me decide which is my utter favorite
I would seriously consider becoming a vampire to be able to finish my TBR.
Thank you for putting this series back on my radar … it had been lost in my Kindle since… “You purchased this edition on May 25, 2013.” … and now I get to binge!
I love this series! Read it years ago and for some reason, Tenzin is my Roman Empire. I think about her often and now I must reread the entire series again. Enough time has passed that it will feel newish.
These are good! There goes my reading budget…
Elizabeth Hunter is on my automatic buy list, whatever she writes I know it will be awesome! Highly recommend this series.
I have read all of the Elizabeth Hunter books. Everyone, go read all if them! So good.
I love love love Elizabeth Hunter’s books! I’ve read them all, more than once. Along with you she’s on my very short list of ‘will buy anything they write’ and even shorter list of comfort reads. I also adore the idea that you are friends, I’m now imagining all my favourite authors having tea together :-). Fellow BDH members, if you have not had the joy of reading Elizabeth Hunter’s elemental vampire books, get onto it!
Elizabeth Hunter is the bomb!! I LOOOOOVE her Elemental Series and the spin offs with Vamps, and have been reading them for years. The characters in her books are fabulous and wonderfully diverse in everyway possible – culturally, racially, gender-wise, ethnically, age-wise, etc. Gio, B, Tenzin, Ben, Carwyn, Baojia, Makeda, Lucian, and all the connected characters that she dreams up and shares on paper are FAB! Elizabeth has some other really good series as well; some with shifters, some w/ other magical people and some with folks who aren’t magical but have magical stuff happen in their lives. Definitely recommend her books, especially the Vamp ones!!
There were enough recommendations from the Horde that I decided to buy all four! I’ll be back with my review. 😜
These are great. I read them long ag…a. few years.
Reading now, thank you!