Today, I'm featuring an awesome friend and author who shares my love for vampires. Find out more about Carmen Dominique Taxer's new book "Blood Pearl", which is Book 1 of the 'Shades of the Sea and Flames' series and a free download.
About the Book
Blurb:
Shades of the Sea and Flame: Blood Pearl (Book 1): A Sanguinem Emere Novel
A Dark Romance Horror with hints of erotica, set in the political and fictional city of New Babylon, "Blood Pearl" is the first of five novellas in the "Shades of the Sea and Flame" series and is free on Amazon. A vampire novel with a twist, "Blood Pearl" reinvents the old Dark Gothic Romance side to vampire fiction in an effort to revive the Romantic Vampire.
"From the moment we're born, we're told we are weak."
Weak girls marry for title. Weak girls do as they are told. Ida Blanchefleur is not weak.
When her wedding night devolves into a graveyard nightmare, a series of events begins to unfold that carries Ida towards one horrifying decision: To choose between her own happiness, as dark and mysterious as it is, and the family legacy she has been sworn to uphold. Will Ida choose to uplift her family and regain them the wealth and privilege their dark patrons have promised? Or will she follow her heart as it leads her into a darkness as deep as the ocean floor where the Livyatan lurk?
Excerpt:
“Please don’t do this,” he said.
There was a sigh from the Master, and he whispered, “I’m tired.”
Douveaux turned and he didn’t dare look back.
He almost feared some physical retribution but none came, save for a hand on his shoulder.
He turned in stunned incomprehension and looked into the Master’s burnt face, reaching immediately to support him, leaning precariously. The Master’s skin had grown paler with the effort. But his eyes still sparkled like diamonds in the night, the grey lighting up with illumination from the sky.
“I am sorry, my old friend,” the Master said in a whisper and gritted his teeth, teetering dangerously against Douveaux.
The Master was heavy.
The old man gripped him once more around the ribs and pulled him close to his side.
Somewhere in the distance, and not as far away as he’d like, Douveaux could hear screams and rioting cries of triumph. They were coming.
“Over there,” he pointed to a mausoleum which stood abandoned. The flowers in the urns at its door had turned to dried husks and webs decorated the corners of the slabs that made a home for the dead as large and more impressive than a chapel.
A sorrowful angel perched on top, standing as tall as the nearest trees at the edge of the cliff.
Douveaux could hear the roar of the ocean beyond that dangerous drop as they approached.
The Master leant forward, using his weight to break the brief lock and stumble inside. Douveaux helped him lean back against the nearest stone bench where a rosary lay abandoned on the stone. It, too, was dust-speckled and fine. It was made of rubies and gold, and still here in spite of its clear worth.
Douveaux took the beads and clasped them around his Master’s neck.
The Master chuckled, but the sound of it was fading, like laughter down a long pipe.
It woke terror in Douveaux.
“Giving in to… Superstitions?” he asked.
The old man swallowed at the sound of pained breaths and nodded.
“If you won’t allow me to keep you safe,” he whispered - unsure why until he realised that he always whispered around the dying, “Then leave me this one piece of assurance, that someone is watching over you.”
“You are true, and loyal, Mr Douveaux,” the Master managed to say through his gritted teeth.
Douveaux wiped at his eyes, bowing his head. He stood slowly, hating himself as he laid a warm hand on the Master’s forehead and whispered, “Rest now, my Master. You’ve earned it.”
But the Master’s eyes were already closed, and not a breath stirred in him. He looked for the thumping heartbeat, but the Master was gone.
Douveaux stepped from the mausoleum, forcing the door shut with the strength that he had left, wrapping his hands around the lock itself and bending the metal until it warped and was unsurpassable by anyone that did not know what they were looking for within.
Down the moorland he saw torchlight burning and behind him, past the cliff he heard the ocean moan.
He smiled through his tears.
The Master had always coveted the sea.
Buy link: http://www.sanguinememere.com/bloodpearlamazon
Shades of the Sea and Flame: Blood Pearl (Book 1): A Sanguinem Emere Novel
A Dark Romance Horror with hints of erotica, set in the political and fictional city of New Babylon, "Blood Pearl" is the first of five novellas in the "Shades of the Sea and Flame" series and is free on Amazon. A vampire novel with a twist, "Blood Pearl" reinvents the old Dark Gothic Romance side to vampire fiction in an effort to revive the Romantic Vampire.
"From the moment we're born, we're told we are weak."
Weak girls marry for title. Weak girls do as they are told. Ida Blanchefleur is not weak.
When her wedding night devolves into a graveyard nightmare, a series of events begins to unfold that carries Ida towards one horrifying decision: To choose between her own happiness, as dark and mysterious as it is, and the family legacy she has been sworn to uphold. Will Ida choose to uplift her family and regain them the wealth and privilege their dark patrons have promised? Or will she follow her heart as it leads her into a darkness as deep as the ocean floor where the Livyatan lurk?
Excerpt:
“Please don’t do this,” he said.
There was a sigh from the Master, and he whispered, “I’m tired.”
Douveaux turned and he didn’t dare look back.
He almost feared some physical retribution but none came, save for a hand on his shoulder.
He turned in stunned incomprehension and looked into the Master’s burnt face, reaching immediately to support him, leaning precariously. The Master’s skin had grown paler with the effort. But his eyes still sparkled like diamonds in the night, the grey lighting up with illumination from the sky.
“I am sorry, my old friend,” the Master said in a whisper and gritted his teeth, teetering dangerously against Douveaux.
The Master was heavy.
The old man gripped him once more around the ribs and pulled him close to his side.
Somewhere in the distance, and not as far away as he’d like, Douveaux could hear screams and rioting cries of triumph. They were coming.
“Over there,” he pointed to a mausoleum which stood abandoned. The flowers in the urns at its door had turned to dried husks and webs decorated the corners of the slabs that made a home for the dead as large and more impressive than a chapel.
A sorrowful angel perched on top, standing as tall as the nearest trees at the edge of the cliff.
Douveaux could hear the roar of the ocean beyond that dangerous drop as they approached.
The Master leant forward, using his weight to break the brief lock and stumble inside. Douveaux helped him lean back against the nearest stone bench where a rosary lay abandoned on the stone. It, too, was dust-speckled and fine. It was made of rubies and gold, and still here in spite of its clear worth.
Douveaux took the beads and clasped them around his Master’s neck.
The Master chuckled, but the sound of it was fading, like laughter down a long pipe.
It woke terror in Douveaux.
“Giving in to… Superstitions?” he asked.
The old man swallowed at the sound of pained breaths and nodded.
“If you won’t allow me to keep you safe,” he whispered - unsure why until he realised that he always whispered around the dying, “Then leave me this one piece of assurance, that someone is watching over you.”
“You are true, and loyal, Mr Douveaux,” the Master managed to say through his gritted teeth.
Douveaux wiped at his eyes, bowing his head. He stood slowly, hating himself as he laid a warm hand on the Master’s forehead and whispered, “Rest now, my Master. You’ve earned it.”
But the Master’s eyes were already closed, and not a breath stirred in him. He looked for the thumping heartbeat, but the Master was gone.
Douveaux stepped from the mausoleum, forcing the door shut with the strength that he had left, wrapping his hands around the lock itself and bending the metal until it warped and was unsurpassable by anyone that did not know what they were looking for within.
Down the moorland he saw torchlight burning and behind him, past the cliff he heard the ocean moan.
He smiled through his tears.
The Master had always coveted the sea.
Buy link: http://www.sanguinememere.com/bloodpearlamazon
My Review of "Blood Pearl"
I am a huge fan of vampire stories. My love for them started with Anne Rice’s ‘Vampire Chronicles’ more than a decade ago, and they are still my favourite. It is through her that I crossed paths online with Carmen Dominique Taxer. I first read her in-depth blog posts about vampires and literature, and then I moved on to her own stories and books. And I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed at all.
“Blood Pearl” is the start of a series that revolves around characters that are hard to pin down and put into words. And to me, therein lies their fascination. Just when thought I had figured them out, they surprised me again. And I love it when a book keeps me constantly on my toes without being too complicated or obscure to follow. The plot has many threads that are woven together, not always without knots and not always for the naked eye to see, and that has me sufficiently intrigued to move on to the sequels such as “Blood Deluge”, Book 2 of ‘Shades of the Sea and Flame’ (which has a beautiful title with a hidden meaning).
While this is a novella and not a full-length novel, it captivated me and made me think long after putting the book down. There are some typical vampire elements in the story, but mixed with something that seems like the author’s own lore and magic. I am curious to know more about it. Ida strikes me as strong yet vulnerable, and the Gens is utterly fascinating, in the past as in the present.
If you are looking for a refreshing, somewhat daring and nicely intellectual change from the usual vampire novels, then I can highly recommend “Blood Pearl”.
Rating: 5/5
“Blood Pearl” is the start of a series that revolves around characters that are hard to pin down and put into words. And to me, therein lies their fascination. Just when thought I had figured them out, they surprised me again. And I love it when a book keeps me constantly on my toes without being too complicated or obscure to follow. The plot has many threads that are woven together, not always without knots and not always for the naked eye to see, and that has me sufficiently intrigued to move on to the sequels such as “Blood Deluge”, Book 2 of ‘Shades of the Sea and Flame’ (which has a beautiful title with a hidden meaning).
While this is a novella and not a full-length novel, it captivated me and made me think long after putting the book down. There are some typical vampire elements in the story, but mixed with something that seems like the author’s own lore and magic. I am curious to know more about it. Ida strikes me as strong yet vulnerable, and the Gens is utterly fascinating, in the past as in the present.
If you are looking for a refreshing, somewhat daring and nicely intellectual change from the usual vampire novels, then I can highly recommend “Blood Pearl”.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Bio:
Carmen has been a writer for 19 years, but has only recently become what she considers to be an author, fighting the struggle against her inner demons and writing down the words that want out.
She writes Dark Romance, Horror, Erotica, and what she and her co-author coined as Gaslight Vamp - A look at vampires through a fictional Victorian setting, utilising their fictional creation, the City of New Babylon, a city ruled by vampires, or the Lords of Night.
Carmen uses the presence of vampires in a fictional setting to give voice to the struggles and successes of humanity, painting a portrait of the world that is both dark and beautifully highlighted with love conquering death above all else.
Carmen started writing vampire stories with the inspiration of Anne Rice, Jeanne Kalogridis, and Poppy Z. Brite. She runs a vampire fiction critique website called Vampire Bibliographica and has written extensive discourse on vampire literature in order to better understand the archetype of the human monster.
In real time, Carmen works as a Writer, Lecturer, Sometime-Journalist, Freelancer, Ghost Writer, and Mother. Writing isn’t just a passion, it’s a necessity in an ugly world where beauty can be found in the darkest recesses of the human psyche.
Links:
Website - http://www.vampirebibliographica.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SanguinemEmereBoughtInBlood
Carmen has been a writer for 19 years, but has only recently become what she considers to be an author, fighting the struggle against her inner demons and writing down the words that want out.
She writes Dark Romance, Horror, Erotica, and what she and her co-author coined as Gaslight Vamp - A look at vampires through a fictional Victorian setting, utilising their fictional creation, the City of New Babylon, a city ruled by vampires, or the Lords of Night.
Carmen uses the presence of vampires in a fictional setting to give voice to the struggles and successes of humanity, painting a portrait of the world that is both dark and beautifully highlighted with love conquering death above all else.
Carmen started writing vampire stories with the inspiration of Anne Rice, Jeanne Kalogridis, and Poppy Z. Brite. She runs a vampire fiction critique website called Vampire Bibliographica and has written extensive discourse on vampire literature in order to better understand the archetype of the human monster.
In real time, Carmen works as a Writer, Lecturer, Sometime-Journalist, Freelancer, Ghost Writer, and Mother. Writing isn’t just a passion, it’s a necessity in an ugly world where beauty can be found in the darkest recesses of the human psyche.
Links:
Website - http://www.vampirebibliographica.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SanguinemEmereBoughtInBlood
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