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    Dracula in Love
    Dracula in Love
    Dracula in Love
    Audiobook13 hours

    Dracula in Love

    Written by Karen Essex

    Narrated by Bianca Amato

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Karen Essex is an internationally best-selling author who has also published award-winning articles in major publications such as L.A. Weekly and Vogue. With Dracula in Love, Essex offers a lushly written retelling of one of literature's classic gothic novels. In the pages of her journal, Mina Murray confesses the erotic devilment and nocturnal horrors of her time with Count Dracula. And what she writes says as much about her desires as it does about the Count's-something no one, not even her fiancE Jonathan Harker, could ever understand. Readers everywhere will succumb to Essex's sumptuous prose and thrill to celebrated reader Bianca Amato's tantalizing delivery, the intoxicating effects of which will occupy listeners' minds through the darkest of nights.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 29, 2010
    ISBN9781449836511
    Dracula in Love

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    Reviews for Dracula in Love

    3.5/5

    144 ratings36 reviews

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    • 1/5
      IF it was not for the lovely scenery then I would have given up on this book a lot sooner. I found Mina to be meek and when she got really scared her voice would grate on my nerves. I only could put up with this and the lack of character interest until about 4 chapters into part 2. In this time there was hardly any interaction between Mina and Dracula. This book did not do anything for me to make me fall in love with Mina as a person.
    • 4/5
      While this book is called Dracula in Love it is really Mina's tale. I read Bram Stoker's classic book, Dracula, several years ago and while not necessary to enjoy Ms. Essex's delightful tale I do believe it helped me understand it on a different level than if I had not read it.Dracula in Love sets a mood from the very first page. As a reader you feel immersed almost in a mystical fog that pulls you along. Mina Murray is a child of Irish descent currently teaching in a very proper school for young ladies. She is very controlled as is desired for women of the Victorian era. She is engaged to Jonathan Harker, a young solicitor. She has been having disturbing dreams, dreams she doesn't understand and dreams she cannot tell anyone about for fear of being deemed insane. What she doesn't understand is that she is more than she thinks she is and older than time.The book is a marvel of weaving Stoker's Dracula - a book so full of obnoxious, overbearing men - with a woman's strength and control. Instead of this being a tale of an evil, blood sucking monster it becomes a story of an eternal love and a woman's power to choose.I found myself lost in that mystical fog throughout the book, angry when Mina was mistreated at the hands of men who in the supposed guise of helping her were only trying to control her and cheering when she took control of her strength and power. The women certainly triumph in this tale; living and dead.
    • 5/5
      So well written and so well narrated. The narrator is British (which is always best). It's a female perspective of the Dracula story but with the origin story of Dracula himself.
    • 5/5
      In DRACULA IN LOVE, Karen Essex has given readers a Gothic adventure of a very well known character and put a new spin on it. Taking the characters from the classic Bram Stoker Dracula novel, she has used extensive research to write a seductive and beautifully crafted new version from a totally different point of view-that of the female, Mina Murray. In Stoker’s novel, Mina Murray is the traditionally proper Victorian fiancé of Dracula’s lawyer, Jonathan Harker, and Mina becomes the innocent target of the Count’s evil act of revenge when he seduces her.As Essex has the story told from Mina’s point of view, it takes on the feel of historical fiction with Mina being anything but naive as she was in the original tale. Instead, she is a young women haunted by visions and dreams that leave her confused yet eerily fascinated. The nighttime escapades have her drawn to someone she is afraid of, but also desires, and this creature seems to know her inner most wishes and fears.Mina is a strong main character, as expertly portrayed by Essex, and that immediately drew me to her. She looks for answers to her nightmares by visiting an insane asylum where she comes in contact with Von Helsinger, a unsavory doctor who is experimenting with blood transfusions. He also happens to be fascinated with the feasibility that vampires exist. Other characters are introduced as we learn more about Mina including Jonathan Harker, already mentioned, as well as Lucy Westerna and journalist, Kate Reed. Kate again adding to the theme of strong women during the period when they were rarely written about.Of course, Count Vladimir Drakulya is there but isn’t a strong physical presence until later in the story when Mira has had dealings with Dr. Von Helsinger and the evil Dr. Seward in the asylum. I found that the asylum section had the most shocking and horror filled scenes in the book. Count Drakulya seemed to be a more contemporary, tolerant, and stable personality in contrast to the other males. Essex clearly made the connection between Drakulya and Mina very powerful.First to admit, not one who is on the vampire, book reading band wagon, my relationship to all things vampire comes from the Bram Stoker Dracula. I enjoyed the alluring, fast moving plot that Karen Essex has written and this rather lengthy book seemed to go by in a flash. I found myself drawn to it, much like Mina to Dracula, and unable to tear myself away. The extensive research that Essex put into this book built for me a time and place, as well as characters, that I could fully believe in and relate to. It also made me wonder how many other classic characters could be presented from another point of view like this and hope some astute writer, like Karen Essex, may try their hand at it.
    • 4/5
      Strange and charming book where the paranormal is the "normal" and the horror is the real life. A book about power plays more than love.
    • 5/5
      Superb blending of existing 19th century myths and folklore present with the exploration of the effects a male dominated society had on women, this retelling of Dracula from Mina's pov is smart, sexy and fascinating.
    • 3/5
      If you loved reading the original Dracula, you will really enjoy this book! The author keeps to the original atmosphere and doesn’t disappoint. The style of writing used by the author is so similar to that used in Dracula, with overly detailed explanations and almost excessive use of adjectives that it almost feels as if Mr. Stoker wrote the works himself!

      Personally, I find books written in a past time period to be rather stuffy and hard to identify with; however, I was pleasantly surprised buy the engaging and identifiable characters as well as the unexpected path this story took.

      I don’t know if I will read it a second time or not, but I’ll gladly keep it on my shelf.

      BTW… I’m happy that I won a free copy of this book, as anyone who has enjoyed Dracula and enjoys paranormal romance are sure to agree.

      **Warning**
      I’m not a literary major & the above review is just my personal opinion. Anything that I may have said that offends you, your intelligence, your profession, or beliefs is unintentional and irrelevant to my personal review. If your opinion differs from mine, please, feel free to make your own comments and disagree.
    • 2/5
      An interesting concept for sure: the Dracula story as told by Mina, and of course everything is quite different from what one's been led to expect. And some good sequences of writing. But holy cow melodrama & Mary Sue-ism! It was actually a pretty decent read for laying sick in bed, but I can think of better.
    • 4/5
      A retelling of the classic vampire tale. Karen Essex draws deeply on the suppressed Victorian mindset in creating the elements of this gothic novel. Mina Murray is engaged and set for a conventional existence when she is disturbed by strange dreams, the adventures of her fellow female friends, and her fiance's descent into madness. While predictable at times, Mina's journey results in an awakening of her own power and discovery of her own past and provides a unique take on the Dracula legend. While not completely satisfied with the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would definitely recommend it!
    • 2/5
      Dracula in Love is basically the sub-conscious story told by the original. Instead of Dracula “possibly representing a fear of independent and sexually liberated women”, he is exactly that. And Mina has to decide if she wants the life she has always imagined for herself or if she’d rather be with Dracula. This book is her story, setting the record straight for those of us who have only read the story told by the men. This is a bit of a coming of age story and a lot of that is her sexual experience, so thing get pretty explicit at times. Never anything I found offensive though, except of course for some of the male characters incredibly Victorian views of women and sex.This was by far the creepiest of all the dracula re-tellings I read and like Dracula: The Un-Dead it wasn’t at all what I expected. I expected a romance. What I got was a crazy hodgepodge that included a coming-of-age novel, a romance, border-line erotica, horror, paranormal elements, and a mystery. Sometimes it was a bit too much and I wished the book would make up its’ mind! The author also went a little overboard introducing mythologies. We got explanations of vampires as traditional vampires, saints, the Sidhe, and as a medieval cult. We do eventually get to the heart of things and it wasn’t too confusing, but again I think the book would have been better had the author just picked one thing to do. Finally, the ending, especially after Dracula: The Un-Dead, really disappointed me. This one wasn’t just depressing, it was needlessly depressing because of choices our protagonist made. Despite my other critiques, I think I could have liked this book much better otherwise. Depressing endings can really ruin a book for me and this one was no exception.
    • 4/5
      The idea that a well known story is not the way things really happened is not a new concept for a book, but in Dracula in Love Karen Essex manages to make the idea seem quite fresh and creative. Retelling Stoker's classic from Mina Murray Harker's perspective, Essex reveals a Count Dracula who is perhaps more akin to Shakespeare's Puck than Bela Lugosi's movie monster stereotype. Mina herself is entirely reinvented from the original book. She is not the helpless victim of a terrifying fiend but rather a strong willed woman with unexplained and somewhat mystical secrets from her childhood. Dracula is not out to destroy her but rather to awaken her own supernatural side. He is her soul mate, who has sought her through multiple lifetimes, rather than a predator intent on her demise. All of the details of Stoker's work fit within the context of Dracula in Love but the expansion and explanations of these details - especially Lucy Westenra's tragic role in the story - provide a thoroughly engaging new perspective on the well known events. Equal parts chilling and romantic, this is definitely a book for fans of the original, and especially for fans of the original who thought Stoker's female characters needed a bit more moxie.
    • 4/5
      I really wanted to enjoy this book considerably. There were definitely parts that were more than worthwhile. It is always interesting to see a book from the viewpoint of a different character and this one takes Mina's view of Bram Stoker's Dracula but insists that this is the true story.I enjoyed how the story gave more background and I liked where it differed from the story that we all know. But, alas, the end was a huge disappointment for me. If you only have time to read one retelling of Dracula from the viewpoint of Mina read Dracula, My Love instead.
    • 4/5
      Dracula in Love by Karen Essex is a wonderfully intriguing tale. This is the first book that I have read by Essex and I was pleasantly surprised at how well Mina Murray Harker was written. Despite all the mysticism surrounding Mina throughout the book Essex was able to keep Mina's character a true woman. She reacts to situations the way a real woman would and because of this I feel she did great justice to the character of Mina. All of the charters in this book are amazingly written and the story keeps you wanting more.
    • 3/5
      The beginning of the book moves a bit slowly but then picks up pace. It is told from the first person point of view of Mina. A character that is contradictory. We do not really learn all that much about Dracula. The idea of the story is that Mina and Dracula were actually in love, yet that does not come through too strongly. There is not much elaboration on the past that they shared together. It is a bit scattered and seems to be cut short in the middle of telling it. I feel more detail and elaboration would of helped prove the point of their love and make the story itself more interesting. The author came up with her own version of the origins of vampires, that is unique, however I just do not find it appealing. The choice that Mina makes between Dracula and Jonathon is too underplayed to be touching. Though I sound negative I enjoyed the overall concept of the book and the writing style. In my opinion the book really needs to be read with an open mind and without discrimination in regards to the original story for one to enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      Dracula in Love by Karen Essex Until now we have never been told the trueth about the woman who awoke the deepest depths of Dracul’a passion. Every story has two sides and finally Nina’s story is told.Karen Essex draws you into the life of Nina with a gentle hand bringing you into her world with words that paint the picture of her life. Essex’s characters are written in exquiset detail, from the main characters to the “supporting actor’s” like the old fisherman who brings Nina to tears. Unlike many other aurthors who try to write books on vampires but end up only regurgitating the same story over and over again, Essex takes the classic points and shines them under a new light.If you are going to read anything this year add this book to your must have’s and keep an eye out for more from Karen Essex.
    • 4/5
      While this book is called Dracula in Love it is really Mina's tale. I read Bram Stoker's classic book, Dracula, several years ago and while not necessary to enjoy Ms. Essex's delightful tale I do believe it helped me understand it on a different level than if I had not read it.Dracula in Love sets a mood from the very first page. As a reader you feel immersed almost in a mystical fog that pulls you along. Mina Murray is a child of Irish descent currently teaching in a very proper school for young ladies. She is very controlled as is desired for women of the Victorian era. She is engaged to Jonathan Harker, a young solicitor. She has been having disturbing dreams, dreams she doesn't understand and dreams she cannot tell anyone about for fear of being deemed insane. What she doesn't understand is that she is more than she thinks she is and older than time.The book is a marvel of weaving Stoker's Dracula - a book so full of obnoxious, overbearing men - with a woman's strength and control. Instead of this being a tale of an evil, blood sucking monster it becomes a story of an eternal love and a woman's power to choose.I found myself lost in that mystical fog throughout the book, angry when Mina was mistreated at the hands of men who in the supposed guise of helping her were only trying to control her and cheering when she took control of her strength and power. The women certainly triumph in this tale; living and dead.
    • 5/5
      Mina is a woman on the verge of obtaining all that she has ever wanted. Soon to be married, she and her fiancé Jonathan have already planed out how their future lives together will be, where they will marry, the location of their first home and even the names of their children. Everything was perfect, then the dreams began. But these were no ordinary dreams being as vivid as waking life and Mina begins to question not only her life but also her sanity.Meanwhile, Jonathan is called away on business and in his absence Mina begins to see all her dreams of a future with him crumble. Slowly, as her dream world collides with reality, Mina begins to see a different future, one that spans not only her present life but stretches into forever. But that is a future not with her fiancé but with another man, a man who had always been with her in one way or another. Mina must discover who she is and what she wants as she descends down a path that will either bring her closer to her hearts desire or to a life unfulfilled.Dracula in Love from its first pages presents you with a story that promises to be something extraordinary. A story of a woman faced with an ageless love and an inhibiting social conscious, told in a time where woman are seen as either delicate angels or seductive villainesses. Here the supernatural and demonic Dracula is retold in a more realistic but no less fantastic version where the real monsters are not those demonic creatures of the night but the very men who claim heroism through brutal means. Murder, betrayal, scandal and desire all play a role but at its heart this is a story of eternal love.
    • 5/5
      I must confess, I have never read Stoker's Dracula. Never. I know I should have, but somehow, I never have. So, this is my first foray into the infamous legend. Now that I think about it, I've never really even heard the story. As a result, I was amazed by this story.This book is delicious. Love, ahem, abounds. And this love that I speak of is very detailed. Not for the faint of heart. The Characters are well drawn.Let me say, I read this book in two days. Two. That should be enough said.In the end, I found myself wanting Mina to be her old self, her super old self.
    • 4/5
      I absolutely loved this new take on the old Dracula tale. It had been so long since I read the original and I didn’t quite remember everything in it. But I like the way that Karen Essex put a whole new spin on the book. She too what was already a great supernatural book changed the POV and took it even more into the supernatural world. I will admit that in the first hundred pages I was not sure that she was going to pull off a very good book. It was written very slow and not much had really happened. Mina had experience a few weird sleepwalking episode but other that there had just been background story development. It was not a bad story up to here but it was slow. So if you don’t like slow beginnings I wouldn’t suggest this book for you. If however you love a great overall book this is for you. Somewhere around page 120 I started to get engrossed in the book and couldn’t put it down until I found out how Mina knew the Count. If she would really marry John Harker and what was going to happen to the beautiful Lucy. While poor Lucy’s story is not a happy one I feel that the story as a whole had a happy ending. You are left with the upbeat hopeful need to believe that eventually all wrongs were righted.
    • 1/5
      I don't have anything against re-imaginings of other stories when they are done well (Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin - re-telling of Jekyll and Hyde - comes to mind). I'll admit being a bit wary of this one because I just don't want to continue to swim in the tepid sea of godawful vampire books, but I decided I'd give it a chance. This might be really good, but I was so turned off the opening scene of near-rape that appeared to serve no purpose beyond its shock value that I found it hard to continue. Add to this the stilted pseudo-Victorian writing style and I decided that I just didn't need this book in my life.
    • 4/5
      Dracula in Love by Karen EssexThis a a re-telling of the classic from the view of Mina. Now I haven't actually read the original Dracula, just seen movies, so I can't be sure of all the deviations and I really can't compare to the original. But I did like this well enough. It was spooky and atmospheric. Some reviews have complained that Dracula showed too late in the book but he didn't really. He was there all along, Mina just didn't know it. Dracula has been waiting for centuries and several lives of Mina for her to join him as an undead. It is part romantic love story, part Gothic thriller. And I am definitely going to read the original.my rating 3.5/5
    • 3/5
      too slow for me. i didn't even finish the book.
    • 3/5
      This book was not as I expected. I admit, I had some preconceived notions before reading this novel. The story of Dracula is fairly well known so it's was hard not to already have certain expectations. I'm a huge fan of Dracula stories and was intrigued by this one. First, I love the cover. It's dark, gothic feel invites you to dive into this book. As I said before, the storyline was not what I expected. Karen Essex took the tale we are all familiar with and mixed it with Irish folk/faerie tales. This made for an interesting story. The plot is mysterious and very sensual. The story is told from Mina's point of view, some of which is in diary entries. The only part of the story line that drove me crazy *SPOILER ALERT* was several mentions of how feeble and weak women are. I'm not a feminist but I did want to beat some of the characters over the head with my copy of this book. According to Karen Essex, this came from actual physicians notes. I am glad that I was born in this time period because they would have definitely locked me up! *SPOILER OVER* Karen uses many of the same characters we have all come to know but also introduces us to some new ones. I really like Kate, she has lots of gumption. I am sad to say, I didn't really care for Jonathan. To be honest I was pulling for Dracula the whole time. Overall I liked the story. It was a compelling read. This was the first novel I have read by Karen Essex. I definitely want to check out more of her work.
    • 2/5
      I think this was supposed to be a feminist take on Dracula, but I didn't find it very empowering. The women are brutalized by men, Dracula is bossy, many of the men are evil, Lucy is unpleasant, and Mina seems to gain power only from Dracula. Not sure how this equals a feminist take, and I'm not sure what the point of this retelling was.
    • 3/5
      I’ll be upfront, I read a few early reviews and wasn’t so sure this book was for me. I decided that I still needed to give it a chance though. After reading it, I decided that it wasn’t the book for me and I like vampire stories and have a very deep affection for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This book followed the same epistolary style but was told from Mina Murray’s point of view. Mina is a character that I happen to like from the original and that was the reason for my deciding to give it a go.Mina Murray is teaching and happily waiting to become Mrs. Jonathan Harker and begin her married life. Wanting to be prepared for their future together, Jonathan takes a short sojourn working for a foreign count to help their finances and further his career. While Jonathan is away, Mina visits her friend Lucy Westenra and becomes involved in her friend’s love affairs. She also starts having odd dreams and feelings that she can’t share with anyone. When she gets a letter telling her that Jonathan is gravely ill, she rushes to his side to nurse him back to health. In the coming weeks, Mina’s strange dreams start to become her reality, her husband confesses an affair, her friend dies, and somehow she ends up in an insane asylum. It is then that her dream lover comes to her rescue.Several of the reviews I read noted the amount of sex; some found it too much, others didn’t seem to think anything of it. The story takes place in Victorian England so sex, while deeply thought about, wasn’t much talked about, and yes, that is a big part of the story here as it was in the original as well. The sex, amount of or lack of depending on how feel about these things, didn’t bother me but the silly references about it were annoying and slightly cumbersome in places. While most of the same characters appear (Dr. Seward, Arthur Holmwood, Jonathan Harker, Dr.Van Helsing, Lucy Westenra) they have been changed slightly and some have become so maddening that I wanted to slap a few --- Seward in particular who seemed to diagnose each and every woman he met with some sex related disease of the mind. What I found annoying about this was that I felt I was once again being reminded about the Victorian sex mindset and I didn’t need that.The last 100 pages of this book were much better than the 267 preceding pages. And though I won’t mention it here, Mina’s character is given a new, life shall we say, that adds an interesting, if somewhat strange twist, to the story. It didn’t work for me, but as long as you’re not a purist, it probably won’t provide the “really?” moment for you as it did for me.If you’re looking for a vampire/Dracula story with a little different take, this one might be for you. I found it a bit sluggish but a relatively fast read for a weekend.
    • 3/5
      There's lots of vampire fiction out there to choose from and I am rather picky on which ones I sink my teeth into. (Sorry couldn't resist) Dracula in Love by Karen Essex appealed to me as it is written from Mina's point of view. Mina, of course was at the centre of Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula. Mina acknowleges that another novel has been written about what transpired, but it is false and she wants to tell the true story.Essex cleverly uses many of the characters from Stoker's novel and completely retells the tale with Dracula not as a monster, but as a protector and lover of Mina. I enjoyed the historical detail of the time and period. Essex has done a great job with bringing 1890 to life. Her descriptions of the asylums and 'modern' psychiatric methods in women's care were chilling, even more so as they are fact based. This theme is in direct contrast to Mina's awakening sexuality and plays a pivotal role in Essex's re imagined Dracula. The sex scenes read as very mild erotica.I was completely caught up in this altered tale and actually liked Dracula, hoping he and Mina would finally end up together. But Dracula is not the focal point of Essex's novel. Rather it is Mina and Lucy who take centre stage. The depictions of all characters were strong though and fairly leapt off the page.Essex has taken great pains to research eternal life through the ages with an eye to explaining the presence of vampires in the world. It's very well done, but I found myself glossing over a bit during these pages. I was in a rush to see what the final outcome would be.Not your usual vampire fare - instead an intriguing mix of history, romance and the paranormal that combines for a pleasurable read.
    • 3/5
      First things first, I must confess that I have never read Bram Stoker's Dracula, nor have I seen the movie. You must also know that I only know very little of who Mina Murray is. I know she and Dracula have always been linked together but as to the nature of their relationship - that was a mystery to me... "was" being the key word since this book did clarify that.Told through Mina's perspective, we learn of the dark stranger who has been a key figure in many of her dreams since childhood. We also get glimpses into Mina's upbringing and lifestyle now as a woman. Throughout the story you meet various characters - that while I'm not familiar with, I have come to learn that they are well-known within the classic vampire lore - Jonathan Harker, journalist Kate Reed, Lucy Westenra and even Dr. Seward and the infamous Dr. Von Helsinger who run a creepy asylum together. Count Vladimir Drakulya (a/k/a Dracula) is not as present as I would have liked. He does create great ambiance for the story though. He is a figure that although not physically present for much of the story, he is crucial to it and much of what shapes Mina's thoughts. If you've read Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, you'll be able to relate. Some things you may or may not know about this book - Ms. Essex does a great job of describing the relationship between Mina and Dracula, you really get a grasp for the appeal she holds over him. Not to mention you can tell she did her homework with her details to the time frame the story is set in. Notwithstanding its Victorian setting, and although she does abide by the restraints woman had to adhere to at the time, Mina is a strong-willed woman, she's passionate and brave. I really liked that she was not fragile and delicate as some related stories may lead you to believe... a wilting flower, if you may. She stood her ground when it came to her beliefs. The more (ahem) sexual scenes were graphic and well ... on the passionate side (if you catch my drift). The scenes in the asylum were downright horrifying and even nightmare inducing. It's not that great of an idea to read this late into the night or while home alone. If you're like me you'll be scared out of your wits by anything that goes bump in the night.I did have a few complaints though - I thought the first half of the book would never end. It dragged for me for a few hundred pages - luckily I did stick it out and it eventually picked up. I thought there were a lot of filler pages and even whole areas that could have just been edited out (that whole near-rape scene at the beginning - what was that about?) The parts that really kept me interested revolved around the asylum scenes - and I was mostly terrified reading these. All in all, this will definitely appeal to historical fiction fans as well as to those who love classic Dracula lore... It is fast- paced (once you are half-way through), with many a twist and turn. Sadly, for me it just didn't work - and I'm truly saddened to say that because I really wanted to like it.
    • 2/5
      The advertisement for Dracula in Love by Karen Essex said: “If you read only one more vampire novel, let it be this one.” That’s a pretty bold statement so I took the bait. Dracula as told by Mina? Sounds pretty tasty, right? I bit (pun intended) on the posting for an advance copy. In hindsight, I should have probably just followed my gut telling me there’s too much vampire-fiction out there for all of it to be worthy of the hype.While reading, I found myself comparing Essex’s retelling of Dracula with the original (how could I not?). It’s been several years since I read Stoker’s Dracula so I don’t remember all the details, but everyone knows the basic plot. Nearing the end of Dracula in Love I pondered the basic question any reader should think of when perusing a spin-off: Is the spin worthy of the original? I asked myself if Essex’s retelling was really anything new or original or markedly better. In the end I decided that Bram Stoker’s novel is a classic tragedy, making Karen Essex’s version a copy of a tragedy which came out underwhelming and fairly lifeless (which, although necessary for a vampire, is not so good for a novel). Her love scenes were hot and heavy, but her frequent use of the word “preternatural” annoyed me to no end. Knowing what happens in Dracula meant I knew what would happen in Dracula in Love, and although the story should to be in the telling, Essex didn’t inspire me with her version like good historical-fiction should.For those of you in search for the next vampire novel, sure, maybe you’ll enjoy Dracula in Love because it’s got vampires and they’re attractive and it’s got women taking control and all that good stuff. But for me, if a writer is going to tackle something as venerable as DRACULA, they had better do it well. In this case, the aim fell far from the mark and the resulting product was another paperback to add to the growing pile of fang-related books on the market these days. Sigh.
    • 3/5
      Since I have read Bram Stoker's Dracula I thought I was familiar with the story of Mina Murray and her husband Johnathon Harker, and how the Count comes between them, but I was wrong. Dracula in Love is an amazing story from Mina's point of view.Dracula in Love sets the record straight about Mina and relives what really happened, starting with her engagement to Johnathon and going from there. I enjoyed the story about Mina's friend Lucy who was admitted to the asylum Dr. John Seward treats the insane. Lucy was admitted to the asylum for nymphomaniac. The letters that Lucy wrote to Mina about what horrific things she was forced to undergo, made Mina vow to find out what really happened to her friend by volunteering at the asylum.But Mina soon finds herself in the same position as Lucy when her sanity is questioned and she becomes a patient in the asylum, subjected to imprisonment, drugs, and torture, all sanctioned by her now husband Jonathan who thinks it’s for her own benefit. After almost dying from the “water cure” Mina is rescued by the mysterious stranger from her dreams, who brings her into a world of magic, blood, and immortality.As much as I enjoyed reading Dracula in Love I have to say I was disappointed with the ending. I don't want to give too much away, but I can't understand how Mina could make the choice that she made. It was a selfless and noble act, but it was unexpected. Growing up I read Dracula more times then I can remember but reading Dracula in Love was a whole new, wonderful adventure. Mina's version was a fresh and unique take, yet dark and bewitching. Overall it was a great read and I enjoyed revisiting one of my favorite classic stories. Karen Essex gives new life to classic characters, with very imaginative back stories.
    • 5/5
      I love Bram Stoker’s Dracula and I loved this book from Mina’s point of view as well. There is some very clever workmanship on the author’s part. She was able to make the story coincide with the original story quite well. When I began reading the book, it didn’t read as much of a vampire novel, I’ve gotten so used to the modern stories of vampires where authors dive right in to the supernatural. Instead it is drawn out as the story builds and builds, giving us a fully rounded life for Mina instead of focusing on what Dracula brings to the table. Characters like Lucy are written with such passion, it is easy to see that Essex loves the classic tale of Dracula as well. The “modern day” (for the time period within the novel) excuses for the way women behave have a scary-real feel to them as their treatment within mental institutions also coincides with reports at that time. This gothic vampire tale is sure to please those craving more classic vampire tellings.