Fangover Books In Order

Publication Order of Fangover Books

Mixing romance and erotica is one of American author Erin McCarthy’s specialties, as she’s able to infuse the two into one intoxicating brew. With her strong characters and self-aware use of the common tropes found within the genre, she’s able to play with them in a style that’s both fun and filled with good humor. This is the case with the Fangover series, as it’s a great example of her working with what seems to be well worn territory, whilst creating something entirely new in the process. Going for straight up laughs this time, McCarthy really has her tongue placed firmly her cheek with this particular franchise and it shows. With crazy madcap situations from the outset, it manages to send itself up, whilst simultaneously keeping the reader hooked throughout. Then, on top of that, is her usual predilection for writing engaging and insightful romance, which is witty and well observed.

Sending up the series from the very outset, McCarthy really is in her element here, as she’s clearly having a lot of fun with the material. That’s not to say that it’s immediately disposable, though, as she’s also managed to insert witty and engaging characters into the narratives as well. Creating people and situations that resonate with the reader, there’s plenty more potential to be had with this franchise, despite having only two titles so far.

The Fangover

First brought out in 2012 on the 6th of November through the Berkley Trade publishing label, this was the book that established the series as a whole. Whilst it may have been a stand-alone book working on its own, it manages to convey a sense of what’s to come extremely well. Developing the style and tone, along with a sense of ambiance, it lays the groundwork for the entire franchise to follow.

With vampires being a returning topic for McCarthy as an author, having visited it before with the ‘Vegas Vampires’ series, she’s definitely no stranger to the genre. This shows, as she’s clearly in her element here, taking a lot of what worked before and reintroducing it into a more up-to-date setting. The sense-of-humor is also still intact and most definitely alive here, as it flies along at a breezy and brisk pace. Set in a grungy underworld, this title, and series, uses the tropes of the urban fantasy well to reflect the romance of the characters. Combining hard-drinking and rock music, it moves away from her more glitzy series written prior to this particular one. Taking her usual biting wit that has worked so well before, McCarthy is able to make it her own, which many of her fans will appreciate. Featuring Stella Malone as its central protagonist, it charts her relationship with the infamous vampire bass player Wyatt. Surrounding this relationship is a string of crazy, if not to the point of absurd, events and characters that add color to the proceedings. With a strong sense of fun, it creates a witty and vibrant style that carries itself along well, as there’s never a dull moment.

After the suicide of her brother Johnny Malone, a rock-god vampire, Stella attends the wake where the rest of his band, The Impalers, are mourning. It is prior to this that she meets the bass player Wyatt and the two of them have a tryst, leaving her as a bat the morning after. Following this a series of increasingly bizarre events occur, as the two of them fuel their passion for one another. Will they ever become an item? Who is the alcoholic priest unconscious in the bathtub? What will happen when she faces her first fangover?

Fangs for Nothing

Initially released in 2013 almost a year after the first, this was originally published through the Berkley publishing label. Whilst it doesn’t follow on directly from the first, it manages to recapture a lot of the style and the tone that made the original work so well. It also provides some twists and turns along the way in order to keep fans guessing, offering something new in the process.

Using her trademarked humor once again, this book really understands what it’s about, with a well developed sense of style and wit. The jokes come fast and the narrative is never bogged down by melodrama, making this a quick and easy read. With the themes and ideas from the first as well, it manages to recapture a lot of the essence that made the original book work so well. Featuring the character of Johnny Malone this time at the center of it all, it tells a different story featuring The Impalers, and an equally madcap set of events, just as in the previous book.

Johnny Malone finds himself waking up after one crazy night with his band-mates, following the celebration of their friend Saxon’s upcoming marriage to a dominatrix. When he awakes in a dominatrix’s dungeon himself, though, handcuffed to his friend Lizette, he realizes that things might not be quite as they initially thought. Not only that, but it seems that the Vampire Alliance are hot on their tail, and Saxon also needs to be located and quickly. Will they be able to find him before the Vampire Alliance? Can they find out what happened that night? What will become of them as they say fangs for nothing?

The Fangover Series

With a bright and breezy narrative arc, it progresses at a fun and steady pace, all the time with it’s tongue firmly in its cheek. As an author of fun and witty summer reads, McCarthy is really in her element here and a master of her craft. With such a busy marketplace for similar novels it’s easy to get lost in the mix, but McCarthy manages to stand-out by making it truly her own. Gaining her own momentum over the course of the series, it manages to build up, whilst simultaneously developing it as well. This is something her many fans have come to appreciate as time goes on, giving them more of what they want, whilst still providing some twists and turns along the way. With plenty more options to expand waiting on the horizon, there’s a lot more opportunities to take this series in new and exciting directions for some time to come.