When I ordered Rob Rosen’s books Queerwolf and Vamp, as much as I wanted to jump into reading them as soon as they landed in my mailbox, Vamp arrived first. It was also his newer title. I had a funny feeling the two were going to be connected and I’d be reading them out of order if I delved into Vamp first. And I was right! So let’s start off with Queerwolf!
Queerwolf
Author Rob Rosen’s sense of humor, horror, and horny is all apparent as soon as you begin reading this novel about a man who finds out he comes from a lineage of werewolves. But first, he wakes up covered in blood and unable to remember the date he had the night before.
This is all out fun and a wicked fast read. It’s campy, comic, sexy and naughty, and an adventurous story of a werewolf, his hot new man, and the unexpected gang—including a Republican grandfather, a drag queen, a dude in a wheelchair, and a tough female “bodyguard”—who must go up against San Francisco’s most fierce (as in vicious, in this case) pack of werewolves. On top of all that, our leading man/werewolf has to contend with another big problem…the chronic hard-on that comes with growing hair on your balls (and everywhere else).
Written in first person, this is a light and playful narrative that never gets heavy and doesn’t deal with downer issues that come with being gay. It’s strictly a horror sex comedy about gay werewolves. Perfect.
Vamp
This time around, we meet a guy who inherits a mansion—and the family “bloodline,” complete with an Igor! He also falls for one of the werewolves from Queerwolf, who, along with a bunch of other vamps and werewolves, must find out who or what is tossing spears nonstop at the mansion—spears that can mean certain death to a vampire!
Just like Queerwolf, Vamp isn’t a novel of terror. It’s a comic horror that focuses on the challenge of being a monster, not on victims being hunted by the monsters. While the humor is in the same style as Queerwolf, Vamp has less of the sexy situations present in Queerwolf—noticeably less. I personally enjoyed the playfully erotic segments of Queerwolf and actually missed their presence here. Vamp will probably be enjoyed more by those readers who are put off by “unnecessary sex” (can’t understand the concept of sex being unnecessary). I also happen to like my men big, hairy, and aggressive, not moody and pale, so it’s no surprise I preferred the werewolf novel over the vampire novel!
It will be great if Rosen continues writing novels that take us along on more adventures with these characters. I can’t help but enjoy Rob’s books, especially since he’s a fellow author dedicated to writing gay horror novels that aren’t afraid to be fun…and a little perverted!
