My Five Favorite Vampire Romance Characters

Every once in a while I like to have some special fun with my blog and post about favorite movie couples or TV leading men, etc., and today, along those lines, we're talkin' the five literary vamp males who have appealed to me most. Because it's my blog and I can if I wanna. *Stomp*

;) Just kidding. Mainly it's because I like sexy vampires.

I was actually discussing this topic with a good friend, avid reader and lifelong vamp fan, hoping to bounce some ideas off her about what makes the most appealing vampire males, and we discussed the danger factor, the wild half-human, half-animal aspect.  But each of the following vampire men have something unique in the way of situation and personality to offer that is magnetic beyond the wild appeal, and that's why they're my favorites.

Here they are (in no particular order) for your reading and viewing pleasure, and do bear in mind that I could easily have doubled this list, so go right ahead and post your faves and link us to a pic and explain why they own your heart...and other parts. *drumroll please!*

SPIKE, from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Series:

Spikey Pants!! Ah, how I love his always somewhat bored, insulting, British-punk, bad-ass character. He's a complicated one, Spike, never quite completely edging into "good", but coming really close.  

Quote: 

"Come on! Vampires! Grrr! Nasty! Let's annihilate them, for justice, and for... the safety of puppies... and Christmas, right? Let's fight that evil! Let's kill something! Oh, come on!" 

DAMON SALVATORE from The Vampire Diaries Series

Anyone who doesn't find this character insanely sexy is mentally unstable or pure evil. 

Damon is the ultimate in sinister, messed up, biting (no pun intended) bad boy-ness. Kind of like Spike, above, Damon has a real tough time embracing his inner goodness.  You get fewer flashes of good from Damon than most of the others listed in this blog post.  His character insults everyone he sees, murders heartlessly one minute, and broods in love the next. It's wrong, it's dangerous--it's sexy as hell.

Quote:

"When people see good they expect good. And I don't wanna live up to anyone's expectations."

WILLIAM MADDOX from The Light Series

Aside from his being one of my book characters, I'm quite certain I'd love William regardless of who had written him. He revealed himself to be unassuming, mysterious, smirking and bemused by most things that would anger others, but that doesn't mean he's above putting a certain Sentient in her place. Combine that with a rarely spoken need for acceptance that leaves you pretty sure he's good...but it takes to the bitter end to know whether you're right or whether you're mistaken. William isn't constantly running around offing people, and he avoids argumentation with his naysayers, as well, often leaving them feeling suspect about where he stands.

Quote:

"Do you intend to get any closer or is arm's length the new black?"

Edward Cullen from the Twilight Series

I admit it. I find the over-protective, borderline stalker-ish, super old fashioned Edward to be appealing in his own way.  And this isn't without much soul searching and anguish on my part, mind you, torn back and forth between loving and loathing his character.  But the fact is, while some of his almost prissy conventions make me want to smack him, the larger picture of his behavior is dangerously uplifting. 

Let me explain. I say uplifting because I realized, in a strike of DUH, that what truly attracted so many women to him, young and old, was the absolute honor with which he treated the woman he loved.  There was never a question in the reader's (or movie watcher's) mind about whether he respected her, whether he valued her as a person and wanted what was good for her.  And in a world where men tend to treat women with as minimal respect as they can get away with in order to get sex, purposely avoiding the whole pesky "she's a person" thing...well...it's made a host of women demand a hell of a lot more from men, which is the dangerous part, btw. 

And lastly...

Eric Northman of The Sookie StackHouse Mysteries (Or True Blood)

Of all the hotties listed above, Eric Northman is probably the most traditional in his intentions and his philosophies as a vampire.  He takes few prisoners and shows little shame or remorse in taking a nice long swig and then brushing a lesser being (namely a human) to the side without regard.  In his mind, aside from Sooki, who he cannot resist, humans are the weaker link. And this is not to say that he doesn't occasionally show sparks of what good might be buried way, waaaaay deep down inside after eons, but overall, he'll keep his own vamp code and you don't want to screw with him. 

Still, because of his devotion to Sookie, those very few instances of vulnerability that shine through in the series are even more torture for gaggles of women who want the Nordic vamp to make them his.

Quote:

“You’re blood…it tastes like freedom, Sookie. Like sunshine in a pretty blonde bottle."

END. Le sigh.