Tanya Huff: Complete Blood Ties / Blood Books Series
“I should write these guys a good vampire book.”
The Blood books center around three characters caught in a love triangle—as well as involved in mysteries with a supernatural slant, from demons, to werewolves, to mummies…
Tanya Huff’s classic urban fantasy series The Blood Books follows the adventures of crime fighters Vicki Nelson, a Toronto private investigator; her former partner, Mike Celluci, who is still on the police force; and Henry Fitzroy, a Tudor-era vampire and romance writer. Huff’s Blood Books series was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.
Huff told Vampyres Only what inspired her to write the Blood Books series: “I was working at Bakka Books, an SF bookstore in Toronto, and I realized that vampire readers are incredibly loyal. They’ll buy anything with fangs in the hope of finding something worth reading. So I thought, I should write these guys a good vampire book —they’ll have the story they want and I’ll be able to get a mortgage and we’ll all be happy.”
Scroll down to find out more about the Blood series—as well as the spinoff Smoke series starring young wizard Tony Foster, which features a “gothic” twist, promising a mix of ghostly mystery, paranormal horror, and dark humor. Also below is an anthology featuring stories that celebrate both series…
About the Author
Tanya Huff’s fiction has been published since the late 1980s, with several fantasy and science fiction series, a list that includes the Blood Books series, as well as the Keeper’s Chronicles series, the Quarters series, the Peacekeeper series, the Valor series, and the Enchantment Emporium series.
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The Blood Books series
Blood Price (Blood Series #1)
Vicki Nelson, formerly of Toronto’s homicide unit and now a private detective, witnesses the first of many vicious attacks that are now plaguing the city of Toronto. As death follows unspeakable death, Vicki is forced to renew her tempestuous relationship with her former partner, Mike Celluci, to stop these forces of dark magic—along with another, unexpected ally…
Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, has learned over the course of his long life how to blend with humans, how to deny the call for blood in his veins. Without him, Vicki and Mike would not survive the ancient force of chaos that has been unleashed upon the world—but in doing so, his identity may be exposed, and his life forfeit.
REVIEW: “The concept behind this book is pure genius. What kept this book fun, and what makes me want to read more by Tanya Huff, is that the author’s voice is light and engaging and there’s a great sense of humor in the book.” (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books)
Blood Trail (Blood Series #2)
For centuries, the werewolves of Toronto have managed to live in peace and tranquility, hidden quietly away on their London, Ontario farm. But now, someone has learned their secret—and is systematically massacring this ancient race.
The only one they can turn to is Henry Fitzroy, Toronto-based vampire and writer of bodice rippers. Forced to hide from the light of day, Henry can’t hunt the killer alone, so he turns to Vicki Nelson for help. As they race against time to stop the murderer, they begin to fear that their combined talents may not be enough to prevent him from completing his deadly plan.
REVIEW: “Blood Price is a good vampire/police tale. Blood Trail is even better, with great pacing and plenty of tension.” (Errant Dreams)
Blood Lines (Blood Series #3)
An evil being has been sealed away for centuries in a sarcophagus never meant to be opened, waiting patiently for his chance to rise again. Now, brought to the Egyptology Department of Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, the seals and spells that imprisoned him chipped away from his discoverers, he has reached forth to claim the minds and souls of Toronto’s unsuspecting citizens. And only three people had any sense that something was wrong….
For Henry Fitzroy, it began with terrifying images of the sun, a marker of death for a vampire. Fearing for his sanity, he turns to his sometimes-lover, private investigator Vicki Taylor, for help. As the two struggle to cope with Henry’s obsession, Vicki’s closest friend and former partner Mike Celluci, is following up on two mysterious deaths at the museum, certain that a force from beyond the grave is responsible for everything.
REVIEW: “There’s plenty of danger as the mummy is really powerful—so powerful that even Henry is afraid to face him alone. This one is really an all-hands-on-deck and everyone-doing-their part thing. Of course, things get further complicated when Vicki is essentially kidnapped when they need her most. Yikes! All of this gave the story a great pace and kept things moving right along.” (Way Too Fantasy)
Related: Mummy Fiction Books by Tanya Huff, Anne Rice, Bram Stoker, R.L. Stine, more
Blood Pact (Blood Series #4)
Vicki Nelson has received the call that no daughter ever wants to receive—that her mother has died. Marjory Nelson’s coworkers at the Queen’s University Life Science Department told her that she suffered a heart attack, and that they’d be waiting for Vicki to arrive in Kingston to make the funeral arrangements.
But what begins as a personal tragedy turns into the most terrifying case of Vicki’s career, when her mother’s body disappears mysteriously from the funeral home. Someone at the University is determined to learn the secret of life after death…and they’ve decided to make Vicki’s mother part of their horrifying experiments.
REVIEW: “Explosive and heart-rending, and leaves plenty of questions for the next book. Blood Pact is overwhelmingly creepy (in a good way), and definitely the best of the series.” (Fantasy Literature)
Blood Debt (Blood Series #5)
A ghost has invaded his home, beginning a dangerous nightly game in which Henry is allowed to ask a single question. If the answer is no, an innocent and unsuspecting person is killed. Henry soon comes to the horrifying realization that this wraith—and the others who join it—is using him to wreak vengeance on the people it holds responsible for its death.
Henry can’t find the source of these murders on his own, so he calls on the one person he trusts to help—private investigator Vicki Nelson, with the small hope that they can stop these otherworldly forces, without losing their lives.
REVIEW: “Me is happy happy…. There is something about them that always makes me smile. It is sad they are almost over.” (P.S. I Love That Book!)
Smoke Series starring wizard Tony Foster
Smoke and Shadows (Tony Foster Smoke series #1)
Fans of the X-Files and Twin Peaks will love acclaimed master of contemporary fantasy Tanya Huff’s twisted version of vampires, wizards, and TV terror.
When Tony Foster relocated to Vancouver with his vampire Henry Fitzroy, he knew it was his chance to get his act together. In an example of art echoing life, Tony landed a job as production assistant for the syndicated TV show Darkest Night, a series about a vampire detective. And except for his unrequited crush on the show’s handsome costar, Lee Nicholas, Tony was pretty content.
Until everything started to fall apart on the set.
It began with shadows—shadows where they didn’t belong, that almost had an existence of their own. Tony tried to ignore it—until he found Nikki Waugh’s body, and felt the shadow’s touch, and a stunt crash went wrong for no discernible reason—and Tony knew that he had to find out what was threatening everyone on the set.
REVIEW: “The Smoke trilogy is a spin-off of Huff’s popular Blood series, focusing on everybody’s favorite wise-ass street punk, Tony Foster. All three books are fun, fast, and nowhere near as frothy as they initially seem—they suck you in with humor, and then slam you repeatedly against the wall with engaging characters, believable dialog, and situations that move swiftly from cliche to crisis.” (Seanan McGuire)
Smoke and Mirrors (#2)
Tony Foster, a former street kid, is given a second chance by vampire Henry Fitzroy, when they both relocate to Vancouver. Tony lands a job as a production assistant for a TV show, Darkest Night, about the adventures of a vampire detective.
Everything is going fine until shadowy forces from another dimension attack the crew, and Tony discovers he’s a fledgling wizard.
Things have been quiet on the set since the defeat of the shadows. Then Chester Bane, head of the company, rents Caulfield House, a long-deserted, turn-of-the-century mansion, to shoot an episode about a haunted house. It should be an easy week, with a perfect setting, but there’s one little hitch—Caulfield House is really haunted.
REVIEW: “Not since Hell House has a haunted house horror story been so frightening.” (ReviewCentre)
Smoke and Ashes (#3)
Tony Foster, fledgling wizard and now trainee assistant director on Darkest Night—the syndicated vampire detective show—is hoping that they only supernatural events he’ll be caught up in are those in the script.
But that isn’t meant to be, for a demonic convergence is about to begin, creating weak spots through which lesser demons may enter the world. To complicate matters, Leah, the incredibly seductive stuntwoman who freelances for the show, is an immortal Demongate. Should Leah die, the Demongate will open and her sensual demon master will wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting human race.
Can Tony—with the help of Leah, Henry, a tabloid reporter, a Mountie, and the cast of Darkest Night—halt a demonic invasion and stave off the end of the world?
REVIEW: “This spinoff from Huff’s popular Blood series stands alone as an entertaining supernatural adventure with plenty of sex, violence and sarcastic humor.” (Publishers Weekly)
Anthology celebrating both series
Blood Shot: Stories from the Blood ‘Verse (Blood + Smoke Series anthology)
Tanya Huff’s darkly thrilling Blood novels introduced readers to vampiric P.I. Victoria Nelson and her life amongst the paranormal. Here are some of Tanya’s best short stories featuring Vicki and other unforgettable characters from her world…
In “Quid Pro Quo,” Vicki’s policeman lover, Mike, has been kidnapped by a man who wants her to turn him into a vampire. But she’s about to show him just how terrifying that can be…
In “Songs Sung Red,” Vicki finds herself contending with a seductive and savage siren in a case that may lead her into the middle of a murder being investigated by Mike…
Vicki tries to help a young woman being tormented by a malevolent jinn who is granting her wishes with some very deadly consequences in “If Wishes Were”…
In “No Matter Where You Go,” Vicki finds herself in a lethal realm of nightmarish creatures when some reckless teens open a portal to another dimension—with no way of getting back…
“Blood Wrapped” follows young wizard Tony Foster and vampire author Henry Fitzroy as they search for a missing little girl—and try to figure out just how to deal with Vicki’s upcoming birthday….
Sniping sisters Ashley and Brianna Bane uncover some strange goings on at their school when the walls start speaking—and Bri decides to test her wizarding skills against this unknown foe in “After School Specials”…
And in “See Me,” Tony investigates when an elderly man is found dead in an alley with no identification, leading to a seriously awkward situation involving a lady of the night who may have designs on Tony’s boyfriend…
Full of action, passion, heart, and humor, these short stories deliver all Tanya Huff’s fans have come to expect.
REVIEW: “Tanya Huff’s Blood Shot: Stories from the Blood ‘Verse is an anthology [that] involves characters from both the main vampire novels and a spin-off series centered on a wizard. All in all this is a delightful anthology, and it makes me want to go back and read all of the Blood and Smoke books.” (Errant Dreams)
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