A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson

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“I initially believed that this would be an off-shoot of Stoker's Dracula and an exploration into the three mysterious "women" that Harker finds when he's roaming Dracula's castle but unfortunately, that was not the case. It had its interesting moments and some potential but in the end it devolved into smut.”

⭐⭐

Pros: It started out with potential, since I thought it would tie into Stoker's Dracula and be an interesting offshoot but it wasn't.

Cons: Since the back of the book says that Constanta was Dracula's first bride, I was led to believe that the Vampire in the book, since he's never given a first name, was, in fact, Dracula, but, I was wrong/The timing of everything was just hilariously wrong, let's plot out this whole, dangerous, betrayal, all while the villagers are storming the castle. I guess when you're immortal, your time management skills falter.  

Full Review: 

Amidst the burning wreckage of her village, Constanta lies on the side of the road, dying, discarded like a piece of meat. She's waiting for death, when it finds her, in the form of a terrible and beautiful man. He promises her eternal life and vows to treat her as his bride. And so, Constanta, takes him up on his offer and is turned into a Vampire. She lives with him for Centuries, all the while being hidden away from the public eye. Though, when they go to meet another royal, Magdalena and he decides to take her as his second Bride, Constanta can't help but feel a bit jealous. Though she quickly falls in love with Magdalena as well, for her quick-wit, indomitable intelligence and gentle but mischievous ways. 

Of course, Constanta does begin to wonder how long Magdalena and her Husband were corresponding, since when they first met, they seemed to know each other intimately. And so, she breaks the #1 rule and enters his study, determined to find correspondence. Only, she uncovers a lot more than she bargained for. She finds out that there have been others. Other Brides, other Husbands, all of them bound to him and now, they're nowhere to be seen. 

Their eternal life goes on and he takes on another lover, Alexi. They all love one another, in their own ways and they are beginning to understand how controlling and abusive their Sire is. Since Constanta is armed with the knowledge that he's had other Brides/Husbands before them, she knows that they have to get away, their very "lives" depend on it. 

Though this book had promise, since I thought it was going to be an intriguing off-shoot of Dracula, I was disappointed. Once the book hit its stride, it had some interesting plot points and betrayals but in all honesty, the majority of this book was plain and simple smut.