Hello everyone! I hope everything is going well for you and you all have been reading plenty of good books or watching good movies and/or tv shows. I must be the first to admit that I haven’t entirely left my love for vampires in my tween and teen years. I was very into the Twilight series and The Vampire Diaries series. I was also really into The Mortal Instruments. My mom introduced me to Buffy the Vampire Slayer at a young age. My first R – rated movie was Interview with the Vampire. I fell in love with Bram Stoker’s Dracula in my later teen years, which turned into a love for all things Gothic. Needless to say, I can’t resist a good story about those blood-sucking bastards. Let’s talk about A Dowry of Blood.

Constanta was left to die in the midst of a war when a handsome and dangerous stranger finds her. He turns her into something powerful and beautiful. She becomes a bride to her undying king. Constanta revels in her newfound power until Dracula draws in other brides. They all become entangled in his web of deceit and passion. She begins to realize that her husband is hiding dark secrets that he could use to destroy her. With the help of her fellow consorts, Constanta must find a way to escape from the deeply forged bonds of her unholy marriage.

I certainly enjoyed this novel. Constanta as a narrator is surprisingly human and vulnerable, despite her being a vampire. The novel does not lean so much into the lore as it does focus on the relationships between Dracula and his brides. I personally appreciated that aspect as it helped make the novel all that more immersive. With that being said, this is a book I only recommend to mature readers as there are graphic scenes of both violence and sex. They were very well written, though. It was an enjoyable and rather empowering read. If you are looking for something that is equal parts dark and sexy, then I would recommend giving A Dowry of Blood a read.