London, 1889. A missing woman. A photograph someone wants destroyed. A stranger the oldest vampires cannot explain.
Photographer Vivienne Sorel knows when a portrait has been altered. When a client disappears and the Ash Court claims her photographs, Vivienne begins following the evidence into a city where elegant houses conceal a trade in human blood.
Her unexpected ally calls himself Samuel. He offers help, answers questions selectively and survives encounters that should have ended him. As their wary alliance becomes an intimate attachment, Vivienne must decide how much trust a man can ask for while concealing the truth about himself.
The Court answers their interference with captivity, deception and violence. Behind its dynasties lies a forbidden history of hunger and a supernatural power older than their rule. Bringing people home will demand more than defeating a monster. It will mean refusing the kind of peace that turns the rescued into possessions.
Before Blood Had Kings: The Complete Victorian Gothic Vampire Saga brings the nine-volume first arc into one complete eighteen-chapter prose novella, with an ending that resolves the London blood war. Expect gaslit suspense, monstrous confrontations, lasting loss and a hopeful adult romance.
For adult audiences. Contains blood, feeding, violence and strong language. Romance is consensual and non-graphic.
