Pages

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

'Dracula in Love: A Novel' by Karen Essex

Genre:  Historical Romance Fiction

About: A new take on Bramstoker's Dracula but told from the POV of Mina.

Descriptive Words: compelling, romantic, sexy, seductive....

Location or characters you met:
  • Mina: I liked Mina when I watched the movie "Bramstoker's Dracula" and honestly it was Winona Ryder's face that I envisioned as I read this story. She is a character that I could relate to. She's someone who wants to please others, doesn't want anyone to think ill of her, yet she has this dark side that she's reluctant to admit to or even to talk about with her closest friends.
  • The Dark Prince :  Call me twisted, but I fell in love with Dracula a bit in this book. He has waited hundreds of years to be with Mina and yet, he doesn't force her to be with him. He wants everything to be her choice and is willing to accept her wishes, even though some of them will break his heart...again.
  • Jonathan:  I thought he was a namby-pamby...(is that a word?) What a weak man! Some of the things that he allowed to happen to Mina made me want to slap him. And the fact that he had carnal knowledge of more than one woman just meant that they (the temptress) were sent from the devil. Now, if a woman wanted to liberate her sexuality...watch out because they locked them up in the asylum for being nymphomaniacs! 
  • Dr. Von Helsinger and his gang of men- egomaniacs, control freaks, and men who were afraid of strong women.
What worked for me:
  • Reading the story from Mina's point-of-view. This was brilliant and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her and also I was cheering her on to be with Dracula.
  • The sex scenes. I will admit to re-reading them more than once! Holy smokes were they scorching!
  • I felt immense empathy for Dracula and never really thought of him as a monster. I guess that would probably mean I would let him suck my blood!!!!
  • Dark, gothic, and Victorian- what more could you ask for?
  • Never a dull moment...this was a page-turner and I couldn't put it down!
What didn't work for me:
  • I honestly enjoyed everything about this book. I have nothing bad to say about my reading experience. 
Recommend? Yes! For those who don't care for explicit sex scenes then you may want me to black out those passages for you, but if you're a fan of Dracula and find yourself intrigued by a GROWN-UP version of vampire love....then look no further because this is a great read!


My Rating: 4.5/5

Source:  Shelf Awareness
Author: Karen Essex

Published: August 10, 2010
Publisher:  Doubleday
Pages: 370 (Uncorrected ARC)
Genre:  Historical Romance Fiction
ISBN: 9780385528917
 
© 2010, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

22 comments:

  1. Well, scorching sex scenes - what could be bad?!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds wonderful. I'll have to pick this up. Great review, Staci!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just won this book and am excited it's coming my way!! Glad to hear that you liked it as well!!

    I am co-hosting a read along for The Historian -- have you read the book? I'm re-reading it because I love it so -- jump onto my site or email me and let me know if you'd like to join -- I'd love it if you could!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. love your phrase "intrigued by a GROWN-UP version of vampire love". I would guess you're referring to the Twilight series?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not a genre I normally read but every once in awhile I enjoy it. So glad you liked this one. The author is on Facebook quite a bit and I've seen lots of posts regarding the book.

    Black out the sex scenes? LOL. You're too funny.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Everyone seems to love this book but I'm still hesitant to read it for some reason.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, I was kind of on the fence about this one, do I really want to read another Dracula book...but then you made it sound so good :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. For me there weren't enough sex scenes! Haha. :P

    I actually didn't like this book much. I agree with you about Jonathan, but I never connected with Mina, and Dracula was absent from the majority of the book.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Will probably give this one a try and see if I am in the mood. I had to put down a book that had wayyyyy too much sex and language in it that it overpowered the story this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  10. OMG I so want to read this now ... not that scorching sex scenes swayed me in any way LOL. Great review Staci!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The scorching sex scenes actually scare me a bit, but I am still keeping this one on my list!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Not my usual genre but I loved reading your review. I like it when you really love a book. That Dark Prince sounds pretty romantic.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hehehehehe feels a little hot in here!!! I think I need to read this one! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow I am sold, I am running out and getting this one this weekend. Awesome review.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've never read the original Dracula. I know I watched the movie when it came out but remember little about so I don't know that I'd get as much out of this one as you. Unless I just wanted to read some hot sex scenes ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ooh ... I just got this novel for my birthday. I am so glad you loved it! And explicit sex scenes are icing on the cake. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I want to read this book and also see the movie all the way through. So far all I've done is seen bits and pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  18. This book has been on my wishlist and I didn't score a copy from Shelf Awareness. Your review has me even more hooked...I definitely want to read this one. I haven't read the original Dracula but am realizing that this is another classic I need to read along with Frankenstein! I've not seen the movie Bramstoker's Dracula either, another to add to the wishlist:)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I am dying to read this book! And yes namby-pamby is a word. Glad you enjoyed this one.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The love story, the sensuality, and the paranormal all weave together and make this read unforgettable!

    ReplyDelete

Hello Friends!! I want to take this moment to say thank you. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and thank you for leaving me a comment.

* Because of the excessive spam I have decided not to allow anonymous users to comment.

Happy Reading!