Publish Date: July 5th 2011
Format: Paperback edition 384pp
Synopsis (From the Publisher):
" 'Reader, you are about to enter a world that exists simultaneous with your own. But be warned: in its realm, there are no rules, and there is certainly no neat formula to become—or to destroy—one who has risen above the human condition…The truth is, we must fear monsters less and be warier of our own kind.'
London, 1890. Mina Murray, the rosy-cheeked, quintessentially pure Victorian heroine, becomes Count Dracula’s object of desire. To preserve her chastity, five male “defenders” rush in to rescue her from the vampire’s evil clutches. This is the version of the story we've been told. But now, from Mina’s own pen, we discover that the story is vastly different when told from the female point of view.
In this captivating, bold act of storytelling, award-winning author Karen Essex breathes startling new life into the characters of Bram Stoker's Dracula, transporting the reader into the erotic and bizarre underbelly of the original story. While loosely following the events of its classic predecessor, Dracula in Love deviates from the path at every turn.
The result is a darkly haunting, propulsive, and rapturous tale of immortal love and possession.
From the shadowy banks of the river Thames to the wild and windswept Yorkshire coast, Dracula’s eternal muse—the most famous woman in vampire lore—vividly recounts the joys and terrors of a passionate affair that has linked her and the Count through the centuries, and her rebellion against her own frightening preternatural powers.
Mina’s version of this gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into Victorian England’s dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and terrifying asylum chambers, revealing the dark secrets and mysteries locked within. Time falls away as she is swept into a mythical voyage far beyond mortal comprehension, where she must finally make the decision she has been avoiding for almost a millennium.
Stoker’s Dracula offered one side of the story, in which Mina was a victim bearing no responsibility for the unfolding events. Now, for the first time, the truth of her secret history, and of vampirism itself, is revealed. What this flesh and blood woman has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than the Victorians could have expressed or perhaps even imagined."
My Review:
Bram Stoker's Dracula has been captivating readers for over a century, with its chilling tale of unnatural forces, combined with an elusive love theme that's ultimately overshadowed by the sinister plotting of Count Dracula himself. It is this mysterious love that is the focus of Karen Essex's novel, Dracula in Love.
Told from the vantage point of Mina Harker, the reader is given a fresh and evocative take on the haunting tale. Plagued with dreams of passion and desire, Mina soon realizes she is not merely dreaming, but instead experiencing a passion that has been fated for her throughout the centuries. As the story unfolds, we learn of how Mina comes to be controlled by Dracula and the passion that drives them together, not out of evil purpose but by choice and need.
When I first began reading Dracula in Love, I was amazed at how quickly I was drawn into the story. The first paragraph captivated me in such a way that the book might as well have been Dracula beckoning me close for a bite. Karen's talent for weaving Bram Stoker's classic novel into her own work, yet allowing the story to have strong and original take, was brilliant. Her use of scenery was also brilliant, and I often felt myself chill as the story enveloped me like an eerie fog. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with the story of Dracula and is looking for a novel to be consumed by.
Dracula In Love Tour Schedule...
Tuesday, July 5th
Review at The Book Buff
Author Guest Post at Book Flame
Wednesday, July 6th
Review at Book Flame
Thursday, July 7th
Author Guest Post at The Book Buff
Friday, July 8th
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at To Read or Not to Read
Monday, July 11th
Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at The Bibliophilic Book Blog
Tuesday, July 12th
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
Thursday, July 14th
Book Highlight at Books Devoured
Friday, July 15th
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Monday, July 18th
Review at Jenny Loves to Read
Tuesday, July 19th
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Tina's Book Reviews
Thursday, July 21st
Author Guest Post at Jenny Loves to Read
Review at Just One More Paragraph
Friday, July 22nd
Review at My Reading Room
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Just One More Paragraph
Monday, July 25th
Author Interview & Giveaway at All Things Historical Fiction
Tuesday, July 26th
Review at Book Rat
Wednesday, July 27th
Author Interview & Giveaway at Book Rat
Review at All Things Historical Fiction
Thursday, July 28th
Review at Debbie's Book Bag
Friday, July 29th
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Monday, August 1st
Author Guest Post at Debbie's Book Bag
Review at Broken Teepee
Review & Giveaway at From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, August 2nd
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at vvb32 reads
Wednesday, August 3rd
Review at P.S. I Love Books
Thursday, August 4th
Review at The Muse in the Fog Book Review
Friday, August 5th
Author Guest Post at The Muse in the Fog Book Review
Monday, August 8th
Review at Black Lagoon Reviews
Tuesday, August 9th
Review at vvb32 reads
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Black Lagoon Reviews
Copyright © 2011 Svea Love. All Rights Reserved.
FTC: I received this book from the publisher. As always, these are my own honest opinions.
6 comments:
I was quite taken with your post . . . the entire Dracula thing has been sort of passed over in favor of newer and more exciting vampires in modern fiction, but there really is something about the Victorian age, with its oppression and stiff-necked insistence on propriety in all its forms. That there was a whole other world existing alongside the prim and proper one is a world that I hope will be more fully explored in romance fiction. It is fascinating, to say the least.
I thought that this was a wonderful book! I have not read Dracula, but I have seen the movies and my boyfriend gave me the rundown of the book. I love how Essex expanded up the original and fit it right into the Victorian age. Great review.
Excellent review darling. Glad you enjoyed it so much :)
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This sounds like an excellent novel, and one that I've been seeing everywhere recently.
I love that it is told from the perspective of Mina (in the original Dracula, her letters/journal entries were the most interesting to me). I'll have to make sure I sink my teeth into this one soon!
This one's interesting. Hopefully it's available locally.
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