Reading Contemporary Vampire/Werewolf Horror

I've been reading a lot of what I term, "contemporary vampire/werewolf" horror lately. What I mean by this is Interview with a Vampire type stuff, where creatures of the night exist in our (usually) modern day world--not old school Dracula-in-Transylvania mythos type lit. Here's a rundown of my favorites, or at least ones I've recently read. (Since I'm mostly talking about series of books below, I'm not linking most of them to sources. If you are interested in any of the following you can search for a title or author on Amazon.)

• Moon Called/Mercy Thompson Series
  This series follows Mercedes Thompson("Mercy"), a skin walker (one of Indian descent who can change into animals by using a piece of the animal's skin) who lives amongst weres and vamps. In this alternate universe, there are also Fae (magical, fairy-like folk) and ample magic. The Fae have "come out" to the rest of the modern world, but the weres and the vamps are still in the closet.
  
  Although Mercy's profession--mechanic--should keep her free from the issues and dangers surrounding the other supernatural folk, she is drawn into trouble on several levels and usually must mediate matters between the species.
  
  I've only read the first book, "Moon Called," but picked up the second ("Blood Bound") as well. The books are well written, but the subject matter tends to bore me. There was promise of more action and excitement, but I found mostly dialog about relationships (past and present), negotiations, and wordy explanations about the world the characters inhabit. A good read, but hard pressed to keep my attention.

  (Quick note here:  I don't like a lot of explanatory dialog, lengthy lessons in history and ancestry, and unnecessary/excessive sex in my horror. A lot of these issues are present in every Anne Rice book, which is why I didn't read many of her vamp stories. I originally liked the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels by Laurell K. Hamilton, but along about the 4th book Anita started having sex with anything that moved [her Meredith Gentry series is even worse, you'd be hard pressed to find a page without an explicit sex act]. Besides the sex content, Bitchzilla likes the stuff I do not--rich history and ancestry, less action, etc. The short story here is that I might discard a book because I don't find its content appealing, but BZ will enjoy it, read it, and we can compare notes. So I do get to experience the "other side" now and again.)

• The Nobel Dead Series
  This was a real find. On a lark I snatched "Dhampir " off the shelf at Borders and gave it a try. I loved it.
  
  The story follows Magiere and Leesil, two sort of grifters in a medieval/fantasy world (has some elves, etc) who travel from town to town exterminating non-existent vampires for cash. Magiere plays the part of the  hunter and her partner Leesil (who is Elven) plays a vamp when necessary. The two finally decide to retire to Miiska, where they run headlong into a real coven of vampires. During the encounters that follow, Magiere learns that she is a Dhampir--half-human, half-vampire--and uniquely suited to killing vampires.
  
  The series currently has 5 books.
  
  What I really like about the series is that it takes place in a fantasy setting, adding vampires (and I'm supposing) other denizens of the night. The fact that the books are extremely well written--by a husband-wife team yet--also add to the attractiveness of the books for me. Although I've only had time for the first few books, I have the rest of the series in immediate queue. Given the expansive plot, character development, witty dialog, and promises of surprises to come, I know I'll enjoy the rest.

• Dante Valentine
  In this series by Lilith Saintcrow, Dante Valentine is a necromancer. She's a very good necromancer, which makes a lot of people around her nervous, but she's used to a bit of loner mentality. Much to her surprise, one day a demon knocks on her door and presses her into service for the Devil (yeah, the big guy). The Devil is missing something and wants, er, commands, Dante to get it back. Valentine flexes some of her muscles, follows the trail across International borders, and dukes it out with some really bad dudes. She delivers, but loses her new friend (the demon that conscripted her) and ends up a half-demon.
  
  The series is pretty gritty, the characters rich, and the plot full. The second book, Dead Man Rising, is even more dark, but fitting for the characters and series as a whole.

• Riley Jensen, Guardian series (Keri Arthur)
  Full Moon Rising, the first book in the series was another rare find. What made this one rare was that I discovered it in audiobook form. That was a blessing--the setting of the books is Australia, hence the heroine is Australian, as was the narrator of the book. Listening to the book, with the narrator's Aussie accent made it even more enjoyable.
  
  In these books, Riley is a were and works for the "Directorate," a kind of paranormal CIA in Australia. Lots of evil stuff abounds and Riley gets put in the thick of it because of her job and the people she knows (or the people that know her). The setting is near-future, which enables the addition of some cool technology and spy toys.
  
  There is a bit of ancestry and history to consider in each book, given that Riley is part of a pack, has dated a few male weres outside the pack, has a brother that works on the more underground, secret police-side of the organization, etc. There is also ample sex and sexuality, since Keri Arthur's weres go into massive bouts of heat every full moon.
  
  Still, the books read like a James Bond book/movie with a female hero. There's lots of intrigue, a good bit of action, suspense, and page-turning pacing. This series has X books and counting, I'm looking forward to the rest.  (Note: If you are a fan of audio books and this series sounds interesting, see if you can find a copy of the one linked above.)

• Night Rising
  While I was on my "contemporary" kick, I stumbled across this book by Chris Marie Green. It had an interesting premise--Dawn Madison, a stunt woman by trade, goes searching for her missing father and stumbles into the hidden modern Hollywood nightlife of vampires and more. Unfortunately, and this is just my opinion--being an author I don't like to criticize other author's writing--I don't think Ms. Green was ready to be published. The book reads very unpolished, the plot doesn't flow well, the characters project promise but end up two-dimensional, and the ending is written as the perfect setup for "buy my next book."  There are also numerous misspellings and grammatical mistakes throughout.
  
  I'm still tempted to get the second book when it comes out, but when it comes down to picking it off the shelf, I doubt I will.