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A Dowry of Blood

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A Dowry of Blood

By: S.T. Gibson
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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'DARK, LUSH AND HEARTRENDINGLY ROMANTIC' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. . .

A deliciously dark retelling of Dracula, A Dowry of Blood is a saga of obsession, desire and the lengths to which we'll go to protect the ones we love.

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.

Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

Includes a bonus short story, "An Encore of Roses", which is set after the events of A Dowry of Blood.

Praise for A Dowry of Blood:

'A thrilling and seductive Gothic rife with spine-tingling tension and dark romance. A Dowry of Blood left me breathless' Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

'Stunningly gorgeous and devastatingly romantic, you won't want to miss this one!' Katee Robert, author of Neon Gods

'A Dowry of Blood is an intoxicating perfume that lingers - an undying love story where beauty and horror clasp hands' Rachel Gillig, author of One Dark Window

'A powerful tale of possession and liberation. This is a Dracula retelling unlike any other - undeniable and unforgettable' Rose Szabo, author of What Big Teeth

'A dizzying nightmare of a romance that will leave you aching, angry and ultimately hopeful' Hannah Whitten, author of For the Wolf

'Atmospheric and lush. . . it will haunt you in the best possible way' Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart

'A dark seductive tale. . . intermingling love, pain, fear and anger in mesmerizing prose' Publishers Weekly

'Seductive, lyrical and rich with period detail . . . a dark triumph' Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel©2021 Sarah Gibson Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Gothic Horror Paranormal Paranormal Romance Scary Romance Marriage Short Story
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Critic reviews

Stunningly gorgeous and devastatingly romantic, you won't want to miss this one! (Katee Robert, author of NEON GODS)
A powerful take of possession and liberation. This is a Dracula retelling unlike any other - undeniable and unforgettable (Rose Szabo, author of WHAT BIG TEETH)
A dizzying nightmare of a romance that will leave you aching, angry and ultimately hopeful (Hannah Whitten, author of FOR THE WOLF)
Atmospheric and lush. . . it will haunt you in the best possible way (Genevieve Gornichec, author of THE WITCH'S HEART)
Dark, lush and heartrendingly romantic (Lyndall Clipstone, author of LAKESEDGE)
A thrilling and seductive Gothic rife with spine-tingling tension and dark romance. A Dowry of Blood left me breathless (Alexis Henderson, author of THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING)
A Dowry of Blood is an intoxicating perfume that lingers - an undying love story where beauty and horror clasp hands (Rachel Gillig, author of ONE DARK WINDOW)
Seductive, lyrical and rich with period detail . . . a dark triumph (Mary McMyne, author of THE BOOK OF GOTHEL)
A dark seductive tale. . . intermingling love, pain, fear and anger in mesmerizing prose (Publishers Weekly)
A delectable jewel of a tale, shimmering with dark, beautiful prose (Tori Bovalino, author of THE DEVIL MAKES THREE)
Mesmerizing prose. Thorny, fast-paced and unabashedly queer (Publishers Weekly)
All stars
Most relevant
Story you can easily get in to, but it often felt like the author had forgotten to put some back story in or skipped a chapter, as it just kept rushing on to the next bit, without additional time for character development or deepening the story.
Still, an enjoyable and easy listen.

Good story, but feels like something is missing.

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A fantastic vampire story. Beautifully written and a fantastic performance. I really enjoyed the found family aspect and the growing of the main protagonist from helpless to powerful. The story does not contain much lore but is more centred around the growth of characters. It's dark and enthralling. Loved it.

Dark and enthralling

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Constanta and magdelana's accents suddenly change during the book with no explanation of why. and this really irritated me as it was quite a stark change and altered the characters personality quite dramatically for me. The book however , was fantastic . Wonderdul , delicious story with beautiful descriptive writing.

why did they change their accents?

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I had no idea what this book was about and when I heard the trigger warnings I was a little apprehensive.
Even though this is a fantasy story the trauma in the story is very real, and I wasn’t sure if I’d have the strength to read this story because I’ve lived through similar, but I did and I cried at the end.
It was beautiful and so very raw, please check the triggers before going in to this story, always put your mental health first.

𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅: “You liked me best when I was like an oil painting; perfectly arranged and silent.”

“I have one final promise to make to you, one I hope I will never break. I promise to live, richly and shamelessly and with my arms wide open to the world.”

“I simply broke under the weight of thousand tense nights, a thousand thoughtless, soul-stripping words.”


unexpected

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I have heard so many people raving about this book. It was fine, but nothing special in my eyes. Just not my genre perhaps. Good narration

Overhyped, but ok read

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