Aug 3, 20223 min read

A Duel With the Vampire Lord by Elise Kova

A Duel With the Vampire Lord

by Elise Kova

Published by Silver Wing Press

Book 3 in the Married to Magic series

On the night of the blood moon, the Vampire Lord must die.

Floriane's position as the forge maiden of Hunter's Hamlet is one of reverence, for it is her skill that arms and protects the vampire hunters. She knows her place and is a faithful servant to the Master Hunter and her community... until the night of the blood moon. Until her brother is dying at the hands of the Vampire Lord Ruvan.

Wanting to defend her home at all costs, Floriane fights the vampire lord, ready to give her life if it means taking his. But Ruvan doesn't want to take her life... he wants her.

Kidnapped and brought to the vampire castle, Floriane is now blood sworn to the vampire lord. She is bound in mind and body to her worst enemy. But Ruvan isn't the fiend she thought he was. She learns the truth of the vampires: They are not mindless monsters, but a proud people, twisted and tortured by an ancient curse.

Ruvan believes that Floriane might be the key to ending his people's suffering. All Floriane wants is to defend her home. Loyalties are tested and the lines between truth and lie, hate and passion, are blurred.

When her dagger is at his chest, will she be able to take the heart of the man who has claimed hers?

Genre:

Fantasy Romance

A Duel With the Vampire Lord is the third book in Elise Kova's hit Married to Magic series, and centers around Floriane, a nineteen year old woman who is the forge maiden of Hunters Hamlet, a community that hunts vampires. Floriane may want more in her life, but she is loyal to her people and community, and will do her duty. Until the night of the Blood Moon, when she senses her twin brother is in danger. When she finds her brother barely alive, and at the hands of the Vampire Lord Ruvan, she vows to kill him, to end the vampires and save her people once and for all. While she is determined to kill him, he doesn't want to hurt her. He wants her help. He brings her to his castle, and offers her a deal she cannot refuse: if she helps him break the curse on his people, he vows he and his kind will never enter the mortal realm again. Bloodsworn to finalize the deal, Floriane devotes he time to helping the vampire and his court. She learns more about the vampire, and how wrong her people are about them. Loyalties are broken, and lies are exposed in A Duel With the Vampire Lord.

I was given a physical and digital ARC of A Duel With the Vampire Lord, and asked to give an unbiased review. Wow. Just wow. What a book! I didn't think any book in this series would top A Deal With the Elf King, but I was wrong. Elise Kova has, in my opinion, has written the best book in the series to date. A Duel With the Vampire Lord felt different, yet still felt very much like a Married to Magic book. It was darker, and more mysterious. More perilous. The relationships felt more adult. The characters were unique and interesting, and I truly was invested in each and every one of them.

A Duel With the Vampire Lord checks all the boxes a reader wants in a fantasy romance. We get to live this story through a strong female lead, and fall in love with the true, compassionate leader Ruvan is. Best of all, the romance doesn't get in the way of the rich story Elise Kova has woven. I honestly cannot wait to see what else Elise has for us in the future.