This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Published by Indie/Self Published
Released on December 13, 2014
Pages: 171
Format: eBook
Source: Author
There are certain figures in history that when I see their names I get this chill down my back and I don’t mean the good kind. And then I quickly proceed forthwith to read the story because I like reading about the big, bad scaries that keep me up at night. In this case, it is Erzsebet (or Elizabeth) Bathory, a Hungarian countess also known as the Blood Countess for the cruel butcheries of a frightening number of people particularly young girls. The author told a captivating modern-day romantic suspense tale set in Transylvania with the discovery of a never before known castle belonging to the Blood Countess. This atmospheric piece grabbed my attention from the beginning and left me chewing my nail over the exciting climax near the end.
The story opens with Serena Scott getting her new assignment to go with aggravating cameraman, to film a documentary piece about the new discovery of a castle in Transylvania thought to be another primary residence of Countess Erzsebet Bathory. Serena and Hunter will stay in the fifteenth century residence and shoot footage as Serena narrates the story of the Blood Countess and the tie-in to the castle. Serena is less than thrilled about the nearly silent Hunter Cole as her work partner and about the primitive housing. The location and the subject matter get to her as she researches and explores the gruesome place particularly Erzsebet’s hidden torture chamber.
It is then that Serena realizes that she may have misjudged Hunter. He is a stalwart companion and he has hidden depths once she starts to know him. She had a bad past experience with a man that colors her perceptions now. As they near the end of their assignment, they engage more with those down in the village and it is about that time the unthinkable happens. Serena and Hunter are caught up in a murder that harks back to the same way the Blood Countess tortured and killed her victims.
The author paces this one out steadily giving time for the reader to get to know the characters, the situation and feel the tension build both in the romance and the suspense. Serena is the first person perspective narrator and all is seen through her eyes. She’s fiery and prone to jump to conclusions, but she can be observant and fair too. I liked how Hunter is a bit of a mystery and he is slowly made known about the same pace as Serena starts to fall for him. They are a likeable pair and there is good chemistry there. The setting and background about Erzsebet Bathory set the tone and gave the murder mystery quite the boost in chills.
In summary, I found this a compelling bit of storytelling that I can easily recommend to Romantic Suspense fans.
My thanks to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Romance Roundabout #134
Mt. TBR #75
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Great review!!! This countess does sound pretty scary. Whew! I do love those exciting stories that keep you on edge. Man I definitely have to try this one soon.
She is pretty scary and mostly because she’s real and rivals Vlad the Impaler for her deeds. I had to go onto YouTube and watch a few documentaries on her after reading this. Brrrr!
I’m normally devouring anything I find about the Blood Countess, but this one is new to me. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure, Angela! The author, Melinda, is native to Blood Countess country so I think you might find this a treat.
Oh now this is an interesting theme for a story. I don’t think I’ve read many books about her.
This was my second to feature the Blood Countess, but the first time I realized that she was a real historical figure.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Sophia! XX
Melinda De Ross
You’re very welcome, Melinda! I enjoyed reading your book.
And thank you ladies for showing interest in my Gothic Romance. If you decide to try it, I would be delighted to hear from you.
Melinda
Oh that is an awesome setting/setup. You’re too funny diving into the ones that give you the chill bumps. I’m such a wuss with things like that.
Um, not brave usually, but for some reason certain scary historical figures excite me. But I draw the line at Walking Dead, Stephen King, true horror and stuff like that.
Oh my gosh. Yeah those would be a HUGE no for me. I’d never sleep again. lol Though I might end up with a cleaner house. heh
WOW! Five stars! That’s fantastic! This is fantasy, right? Romantic suspense I see. I loooove romance novels (I know you do too), so I might like this one! And it’s short. Sounds good! Excellent review, Sophia 🙂
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Sorry, not fantasy, but it does have a great atmosphere that make it feel unreal. Oh yes, we love our romance, Alyssa!
Sounds fun and twisted >:3! Love the review and wow you gave it a high rating.
When an author can slam all my senses and make me feel present in the story by creating a tone and compelling tale, oh yeah, 5 Stars it is.
Wow, now I wanna read this if your getting slammed in it. Lol
The modern day Transylvania setting makes this sound so intriguing.
Exactly! I enjoyed that a Romanian author told a suspenseful story about a famous bloody legend from her country.
This looks really interesting. Countess Bathory always catches my eye, but I’ve yet to read a story about her. I’ll have to check it out.
Oh, she’s a real life monster it sounds like and makes Vlad the Impaler out to be a choir boy. I read a vampire story with her as a character and she was a baddie in that one too. Brrr.
Is she the one that bathed in the blood of the young girls? Or was that some fiction I read? Sounds really interesting!
Yes, that’s her. Apparently, it happened for real, Lorna. Brrr.
This sounds good! It’s always great when the tension in the romance and suspense builds. It makes the story that much more exciting! Great Review 🙂
Lindy@ A Bookish Escape
Yep! The build was the part that got to me. I had no idea what was coming either so it took me on a great ride.