Angelica Winthrop loves reading -- and writing -- horror tales. She soon finds herself in the middle of a real life gothic romance. Her neighbor, the enigmatic and eligible Duke of Burnrath, is London's Lord Vampire. Once Angelica discovers Ian Ashton's secret, he must decide the best way to keep her quiet, forever.
I don't read many vampire romances, but I couldn't resist BITE ME, YOUR GRACE. It's set near the end of the Regency period, at a time when gothic tales by the likes of Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, and Dr. John Polidori are all the rage. It's Dr. Polidori's story "The Vampyre" that has some people looking askance at Ian Ashton, Duke of Burnrath. He's determined to track down the doctor and put an end to the rumors.
Angelica is determined to make her own way in the world as a writer of gothic stories. She breaks into the duke's home because she thinks it would make a good setting for one of her books. She's a very modern-thinking young woman, and sometimes perhaps a little too fearless for a 19th century woman.
Dr. Polidori is a secondary character in the book, and I enjoyed how author Brooklyn Ann wove real-life facts from his life into the story. It made the novel that much more interesting to me.
BITE ME, YOUR GRACE is an entertaining story and a good choice if you enjoy vampire novels and Regency romances.
Angelica Winthrop wants nothing more than to ruin her reputation to avoid marriage and be a gothic authoress like her idol, Mary Shelley. Unfortunately, all her schemes keep backfiring and the wedding noose is tightening. To find inspiration for her next story, she breaks into the reputably haunted home of Ian Ashton, Duke of Burnrath. But when she tumbles down the stairs, Angelica finds something far more dangerous than ghosts.
Ian is the Lord vampire of London and is currently at his wit’s end. Thanks to a vampire craze spawned by the publication of John Polidori’s The Vampyre, tongues are wagging and wagers are being made about his nocturnal proclivities. The solution to his problem tumbles into his lap in the form of the vivacious heiress.
The duke destroys Angelica’s plans by publicly proposing marriage to save his reputation. Sparks fly as the authoress attempts every impropriety to dissuade the vampire and he retaliates with his skills of seduction.
After a quirky courtship and a tender wedding night, their rocky marriage of convenience is played out before the scandalized eyes of the ton. If that weren’t enough, a vampire hunter and John Polidori himself are also watching…and plotting.
Subgenres: paranormal regency romance, historical paranormal romance, vampire romance, gothic paranormal romance, regency vampire romance Tropes: arranged marriage romance, grumpy romance, grumpy sunshine romance, enemies to lovers romance, angsty romance, age gap romance, medium heat level
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