Published October 22nd 2026 by One More Chapter
Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Gothic Ficiton, Romance Novel, Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Vampire Literature
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
In the gaslit dark, love is never tender. It’s teeth at your throat. Blood on silk. It is the sweetest surrender – and the most exquisite damnation.
By day Lady Euphemia Butterworth is a dutiful daughter – corseted, perfumed, and groomed to marry a lecherous duke twice her age. By night, she dreams of freedom, the dangerous thrill of adventure and a life not dictated by men with money and cruel smiles. But when a vampire attack shatters her world, Effie is branded hysterical, locked away and desperate to escape and prove what really happened.
Liam Rafferty has ghosts of his own. Orphan, ex-boxer, ex-patient of the asylum, he stalks the shadows as a reluctant hunter, his body inked with sins and his soul fraying at the edges. He finds refuge in a travelling circus, but it cannot silence the devil whispering in his ear – or the fangs waiting in the dark.
When Effie’s gilded cage collides with Liam’s world, the sparks are as dangerous as the bite of the monsters they hunt…
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MY REVIEW:
After coming face to face with a vampire that kills her beloved brother, Lady Ephemia Butterworth knows she has one purpose: to find and kill the creature that took Cedric away from her. But her father won’t believe what she saw, locks her in her room and has her treated for hysteria. So Ephemia makes her escape. Her path soon crosses with Liam Rafferty, a circus performer by day who stalks the streets hunting vampires by night. She asks Liam to teach her how to hunt and the sparks soon fly between them. As they search for the vampire who took Cedric, Liam and Effie find themselves falling deeper into danger.
Darkly atmospheric, mysterious, transportive and witty, this was an addictive read. A swoonable forbidden romance merged with blood-sucking vampires, this was the perfect read for spooky season. Skillfully written and cleverly choreographed, Michelle Maxstone has crafted a love story with a bite that held me in her thrall. It’s quite the rollercoaster ride; there are emotional moments one minute, then shocking twists the next and I could never predict what crazy situation would happen next. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop and I devoured the book in under twenty-four hours.
The story is set in Yorkshire in an alternate 1800s and I was immediately transported back to the dark, gaslit streets. Evocative imagery brings the story to life and I never doubted for a moment that any of it was real. I felt like I was walking besides the characters at every step in this place drenched in nightmares, where sharp-fanged creatures stalk their prey. My heart was in my throat as I read, terrified of what horrors would happen next.
The story is told by Effie and Liam in alternating chapters. Likeable and easy to root for, I loved reading both these characters. They are such different people from very different walks of life, but they share similarities too. Both of them are determined and will do anything for those they love. There’s an undeniable chemistry between them from the start and I loved their forbidden upstairs/downstairs romance.
A gorgeous gothic vampire romance, add this to your spooky season TBR now.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
Thank you to One More Chapter for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michelle Maxstoke was born in Solihull but has lived in Leeds for the past 15 years. She worked for the NHS before completing a PhD in nutritional epidemiology and working as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Leeds. She has published over 25 articles in a number of scientific journals and magazines. Michelle started writing fiction after taking a creative writing course with the London School of Journalism. In 2017 she won the Rose Simmonds prize, the British Dietetic Association’s most prestigious award for an original research publication.
She lives with her husband, two sons, and a hyperactive Labrador. As a scientist and mum, her hobbies include mulling over the complexities of the universe, treading barefoot on Lego, and chipping dried Play-Doh from fabric surfaces.
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx
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