I admit that I am not a big reader of paranormal romance involving humans and vampires (or werewolves for that matter).
However, since childhood, I have long been big on vampire-human romances on television and in the movies. My guess is that the popularity of this coupling in Hollywood productions mirrors that of fiction.
I believe that humans are drawn to romances that stray outside the lines, but are still within reason. Romance between a man and sheep would be bestiality or a perversion few would be attracted to. However, vampires and humans are close enough in appearance, desires, habits, histories, and such, that the attraction is an acceptable one for fans of paranormal romances. After all, vampires were once human, which could never be said about sheep or other mammals (unless a shapeshifter; but even then the attraction would not be there while the human was in sheep's wool, so to speak).
The male vampire, in particular, is a natural attraction in romance fiction. He is, in effect, a substitute for the dark and handsome, sexy and mysterious, human male in series and contemporary romance fiction. Think Dracula and any woman, before and after being sired. Or Barnabas Collins, the vampire of Dark Shadows gothic soap opera, who charmed and romanced a number of women such as Maggie Collins who bore a striking resemblance to his first love, Josette
Of course, in modern paranormal romances, there are just as many female vamps who are able to charm human males the same way as human women would--by being beautiful, shapely, sexy, charming, and desirable--only with the perhaps even more alluring vampire's edge.
Moreover, many paranormal romances involve vamp-vamp romances. Or some other non human pairing.
The main point is that so long as the romance involves characters in human form with all the strengths and weaknesses of humans as we know it, the alter egos such as vampires in disguise is merely giving readers the true and tried with an added element to keep things lively and interesting.
Are you a big fan of vampire fiction?
What are you favorite vampire books, movies, or TV series?
3 comments:
I think vampires go above just being dark, sexy and mysterious. They are also super verile. In every vampire/human romance movie I've seen, the vampire is super verile and elicits animalistic attraction.
Maybe the allure for these movies is the fantasy that appeals to our most basic, feral yearnings.
It also helps that a lot of the vampires were gentlemen (and ladies) on the surface (at least those of the past era...haven't seen many modern day ones).
I actually have enjoyed a fair amount of SF with human/alien romances in them. I don't think that was usually the primary plot of the story but it was one aspect.
The vampires in J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series are the best I've ever read. They are very urban and don't prey on humans.
Last season I loved The Gates on ABC, but it looks like that one's not returning. Recently I started watching season one of HBO's True Blood on Netflix. It's a very hot, strange, quirky show, but I'm loving it!
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