Book Review: DRACULA IN LOVE by Karen Essex

"Dracula In Love" by Karen Essex is due to hit bookstores everywhere August 10, 2010. In the past ten years I have steered clear of vampire reads. Though I have in the past read all of Anne Rice’s series “The Vampire Chronicles”. I found that my taste has changed and one of the big reasons I loved the Rice series is because I was really into the historical aspect of her books which eventually led me to historical fiction. I do have to admit that I did buy the whole “Twilight” series because so many people were into it.  Sadly I could not get past page three and ended up giving the books to my nephew. I did watch the movie after my mother coerced me into it only because they filmed part of the Twilight movie where she lives. I would have to say that Essex has astonished me with her “Dracula In Love” because she combined Anne Rice’s sensuality and historical practicality with Twilights modern romantic edge.  “Dracula In Love” held all of the adult components that Twilight was lacking for me.

The emerald eyed beauty Mina hooked me into her mysterious life, even she really was not sure why she was having crazy dreams that within the first chapter lead her to sleep walking outside her home where she was an etiquette teacher at a boarding school for girls. When she suddenly awoke she realized she was outside in her nightgown being attacked by a man who happened to come across her wandering the night.  Luckily her savior came in the form of a handsome man that she vaguely recognized. After running away it became clear to her that it all started with her dreams. The dreams were erotic and sensual which later led Mina to confide in her long time best friend Lucy.  Since Mina had no living family and she had spent all her childhood at the girls school and later became a teacher there, in the summer time when the school took its off time Mina decided to go and visit Lucy at her home in Whitby.

Mina’s visit to Whitby was anything but normal and her nerves had been on edge since her dearly beloved fiancée went on a business trip for his uncle to manage a high-end client that was a Count. Not having word that her beloved had arrived safely gave her reason to worry but even her BFF Lucy gave her a whole different reason to worry. Mina was constantly covering for Lucy who was having a sordid love affair with an American painter Morris Quince. She had heard from the locals the tales of Whitby and really did not think too much of them until one day a ghastly looking ship crashed on Whitby’s coast with the whole crew murdered. As Mina and the crowd watched the events unfold with the ship all of them were astonished to see a silver colored dog emerge as the soul survivor of the ships ordeal. Slinking off with hound and wolfish like features they watched the dog jump ship and trot right past them towards the town cemetery. Everyone looked for the strange animal but only Mina picked up that something was going on in Whitby and she felt that something or someone was out there calling to her.

5/5++ I loved this book, especially since I have not read a vampire book in a long time. Essex has made the perfect vampire book for the avid historical fiction lover. I loved and enjoyed that it was darkly mythical with a distinct flavor of erotic historical fiction that was completely mysterious all at the same time.  I really enjoyed the fact that Essex was compelled to appeal to more of the “mythical” aspects of the Bram Stokers original Dracula. Essex has succeeded in making Dracula sexy. I would recommend this read for HF lovers who would like to give a good vampire read a chance. Let this be the book that ensnares you into trying something different. I do have to admit that I have not devoured a book in less than three day in quite some time but this one trapped me into Mina’s mysterious world and I even found myself yearning to read more when I had things I was suppose to do.

R-rating, definitely erotic at points but in not the typical erotic sense, very sensual and a bit of violence. I would not recommend this book to people who want prim and proper.
FTC: This book was sent to me by publisher.

Amazon, Dracula in Love

I decided to do something a little different since I loved this book so much. I made the lovely graphic below to honor the upcoming release of "Dracula In Love". Anyone and everyone is allowed to take it and use it but my only thing that I ask is if you put it up you link it to Karen Essex's website, http://www.karenessex.com/

Enjoy the pretty button and I hope that all of you get a chance to read this really sexy book!