Dracula In Love by Karen Essex
- Pub. Date: August 2010 /Released in Paperback/Hardcover July 2011
- Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Fromat: Paperback 368pp
"Karen Essex turns on the heat in this transporting and darkly haunting new tale of love and possession that puts forth the question: What if everything you knew about Dracula . . . was wrong?
From the shadowy banks of the River Thames to the wild and windswept coast of Yorkshire, the quintessential Victorian virgin Mina Murray vividly recounts in the pages of her private diary the intimate details of what transpired between her and Count Dracula—the joys and terrors of a passionate affair and her rebellion against a force of evil that has pursued her through time.
Mina’s version of this timeless gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into the dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and locked asylum chambers where she led a secret life, far from the chaste and polite lifestyle the defenders of her purity, and even her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, expected of her.
Bram Stoker’s classic novel was only one side of the story. Now, for the first time, Dracula’s eternal muse reveals all. What she has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than ever imagined. The result is a scintillating gothic novel that reinvents the tragic heroine Mina as a modern woman tortured by desire."
From the shadowy banks of the River Thames to the wild and windswept coast of Yorkshire, the quintessential Victorian virgin Mina Murray vividly recounts in the pages of her private diary the intimate details of what transpired between her and Count Dracula—the joys and terrors of a passionate affair and her rebellion against a force of evil that has pursued her through time.
Mina’s version of this timeless gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into the dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and locked asylum chambers where she led a secret life, far from the chaste and polite lifestyle the defenders of her purity, and even her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, expected of her.
Bram Stoker’s classic novel was only one side of the story. Now, for the first time, Dracula’s eternal muse reveals all. What she has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than ever imagined. The result is a scintillating gothic novel that reinvents the tragic heroine Mina as a modern woman tortured by desire."
Review: Karen Essex did an incredible job retelling Bram Stokers Dracula. Dracula in love was told from Mina's perspective, and I loved it just as much as the original.
The first half of the novel was a lot of background information on Mina, which I found interesting. The novel really picked up for me when we got to the asylum. I was reading Dracula In Love in the middle of the night so yes, I was slightly creeped out but couldn't stop myself from turning the page. Essex did a great job with keeping the suspense. I also loved how on point Essex was with the treatment of women during that time period.
Essex brought on new twists and turns that held my interest all the way to the very end. I was honestly rooting for the count in this one, which is why I was a little saddened by the ending. I felt as if Jonathan Harker did not deserve Mina. I seriously thought Mina would have picked the Count especially after learning about their past and how strong their love for each other was.
There is also quite a few passionate sexual scenes, which fit perfectly with the atmosphere that was created in the novel. Dark,Sexy, and Captivating describes Dracula In Love down to a T. If you are looking for an overall great read you will not regret picking this novel up.
The more I hear about this book, the more I become intrigued and want to read it! Great review!
ReplyDeleteConnie Fischer
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