Book: A Betrothal So Bloody by Mary Dublin; Anne Kendsley
Reviewed by Weird | weird.reads.books
Rating: 5/5
We’re in a vampire resurgence trend at the moment, and this one goes in the DEFINITELY RECOMMEND pile of vampire romance books. As a massive fan (see: superfan) of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , I’m always hyped and slightly trepidatious when a piece of media advertises itself of having a Buffy -esque feeling. It delivered on that blend of humor and drama fans of Buffy may be seeking.
Set in 1560s Italy, the story follows 26-year-old Ariya, a slayer belonging to an ancient order of women devoted to protecting the world from evil. She’s assigned on her first undercover mission to secure a betrothal to nobleman the organization suspects is a vampire. She’s steadfast in the cause and determined to prove her worth. However, the Florentine nobleman Dante D’Agonisto makes this slightly difficult.
Dante is precisely the suave and snarky type of vampire I absolutely love to see in stories. He’s He’s clever, infuriating, and brings absolute S-tier banter, which totally reminds me of Spike (I’m told Astarion lovers will also love him, but this reader has ashamedly not played Baldur’s Gate 3 ). He’s determined to find a cure for his vampirism and live a mortal life. With these motivations, Dante proves entirely irresistible to Ariya (and the reader). 🥰
The narrative had such a steady pace where every scene felt very intentional. The ending is satisfying to where it has you aching for the second book and happy there’s no cliffhanger. And oh man I’m such a sucker for this book that I’m so glad I’ve already pre-ordered a physical copy and cannot wait to dive into a reread. Definitely check this out for a fantastic fall romantasy read!