This book absolutely captivated me. [a:Karina Halle|4785031|Karina Halle|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1595957874p2/4785031.jpg] impressed me with this story that is fun and sexy, but also romantic and layered. If you're a fan of gothic literature and clever, spicy (and hella kinky) romance, you will love this modern-day Dracula retelling.

Here's an excerpt from the opening paragraph:

    "I write this down because I don’t trust Bram to write his novel without twisting my story around. [...]

    I used to pray for the day I would forget all the pain, for the day I could burn my memories of her to ash. But I know that one day I will have to remember her. To forget her would be to forget what it’s like to be human, and I’m dangerously close to losing myself all together at times. And so I will write down all I remember of her, in hope that our love might bring about my humanity. One can only dream. I have been doing a lot of dreaming.”

Potential triggers: blood, on-scene pregnancy loss, murder, explicit sexual scenes including a variety of kinks: degradation, praise, BDSM.

The infamous Dracula has a real name, and it's Valtu Aminoff. As a vampire, he has lived for centuries, enduring immense tragedy and causing unimaginable bloodshed along the way. He is now a music professor in Venice, Italy, trying to balance his vampiric needs with an attempt at living an honourable life.

Dahlia Abernathy is a witch, chosen and trained by her witch's guild to be a vampire slayer. And her next target? Valtu Aminoff. The one they call Dracula. Under the guise of student, her mission is to get close enough to Valtu to murder him. Of course, this is a common — dare I say, overused? — trope, but Halle managed to make it unique; Dahlia is Valtu's soulmate, lost to tragedy centuries ago and reincarnated in modern day.

Dahlia is a complex character. As a slayer, she is bold and confident, but as a person she is misunderstood and lonely. She has no family, and friendships, no matter how promising they seem, always end up to be fleeting. She is an old soul, never quite fitting in, and I loved this realistic, vulnerable part of her. And the way Valtu is able to understand her? It warmed my heart.

“I don’t want you to be ashamed of your darkness. I don’t want you to be afraid of it. I am not a delicate man. I am brash, volatile, controlling and demanding and I always, always get what I want. What I want is your darkness to play with mine. I want to make it come so beautifully alive, so that we can revel in it together.”

I've read a couple of Halle's dark fantasy books, and while I wouldn't consider her prose to be overly poetic or flowery, I appreciate the cleverness in her words, the detailed settings and the edge of humour that is always there. The Venice setting is absolutely enchanting and adds to the gothic atmosphere, the vampire and witch lore is clever and easily digestible, and the commentary on [a:Bram Stoker|6988|Bram Stoker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1202438456p2/6988.jpg]'s [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387151694l/17245._SY75_.jpg|3165724] is impossible to miss. The elements of historical romance in this story, told through Count Aminoff's journal entries (a nod to [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387151694l/17245._SY75_.jpg|3165724], I am certain) added an emotional depth to this story that I was truly craving from her. These historical scenes were my favourite!

This sex in this book is kinky so be prepared for that, but based on the content warnings I actually expected more. I loved it all though. Seriously, it's dirty, hot, primal and passionate! Valtu may be my favourite sex-crazed vampire of all time. Underneath all the kinks I found the romance to be very sweet, which is the best combination in my opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There is an element of suspense throughout as dark magic has fallen into the wrong hands, and dangerous monsters seem to be lurking around Venice. I found some elements of the plot to be predictable, albeit still engaging, but the ending absolutely shocked me!! Karina, how dare you!?



My only real criticism about this book is that I wish it was longer. It was originally supposed to be a standalone and I'm a little disappointed that it’s being split into a duet instead — I would have really loved this as one thick novel. But that is a personal preference. Regardless, I am impatiently waiting for [b:Black Rose|62923533|Black Rose|Karina Halle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1665348691l/62923533._SY75_.jpg|98742485] to drop because I need it.

I have not read any of her other books that exist in this world ([b:Nightwolf|57661722|Nightwolf|Karina Halle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634523349l/57661722._SX50_.jpg|90317435], [b:Black Sunshine|57236414|Black Sunshine (Dark Eyes, #1)|Karina Halle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615476571l/57236414._SX50_.jpg|89587620], [b:The Blood is Love|57661690|The Blood is Love (Dark Eyes, #2)|Karina Halle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624373257l/57661690._SX50_.jpg|90317401]) but I definitely want to now!