He’s loved her for lifetimes but this time around she’s his worst enemy.

 

Blood Orange, a wildly addictive, heat-filled dark vampire romance featuring Dracula from New York Times Bestselling author Karina Halle is out now!

 

Amazon  |  Amazon Worldwide

 

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Blurb

Once there was a man who fell deeply in love with a woman he could never have. When their affair was uncovered she was brutally murdered in front of him, and he discovered he was cursed, doomed to live forever as a vampire.

Over the centuries, he found his love again, and lost her again, until he was so broken he gave up on love entirely, sinking into the depths of depravity, losing his humanity.

Then one day, she came back into his life. A student of music studying under him at the conservatory in Venice, Italy where he was a professor. But even though he found her beautiful and intriguing, he didn’t recognize his fated mate at all.

Because this time she had to hide her true self.

This time she came back as a witch, whose destiny wasn’t to love him…but to kill him.

 

Blood Orange is a modern-day Dracula retelling about the “real-life” Dracula that inspired Bram Stoker. This is a dark vampire romance with plenty of content warnings (check interior of book for CW) and while it is a spinoff of The Dark Eyes Duet, it can be read as a standalone. It was previously referred to as “King of Darkness”

 

 

Add to Goodreads

 

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Review

A love so deep that it transcends time.
A love so strong it lasts beyond death.

5 stars!

A dark, gothic and sensual retelling of Dracula’s story, this is an emotional and wildly sexy paranormal romance with an epic love story. With the moody edginess that Karina Halle writes so well, I was instantly sucked into this book and read it in a day, unable to put it down, and I am obsessed!

Note – This book is a spin-off from the Dark Eyes series. There is a bit of character cross over, and some very minor reference to events in the original books, but this story easily stands alone, and is a strong start to its own duet.

Valtu is a centuries-old vampire whose story became the fabled tale of Dracula. But not everything in the book was correct, and here we get to meet the sexy yet darkly sensitive vampire as he is living his life as a music professor in Venice. Dahlia is a young witch who was taken in by the witch’s guild upon the death of her parents. She’s a trained vampire hunter, and Valtu is her target. She is to get close to him, and then take him out, and given that she’s on her last warning with the guild, she’s determined not to fail. But when the young music student meets her gorgeously enigmatic professor, not everything goes according to plan.

Oh holy damn, this book is all about the chemistry, and Valtu and Dahlia are dripping with it. From secret glances to tension-filled interactions, there’s a connection between them from the very beginning, and it’s an undeniable attraction that becomes impossible to resist once they get to know each other.

“I don’t want you to be ashamed of your darkness. I don’t want you to be afraid of it … what I want is your darkness to play with mine. I want to make it come so beautifully alive, so that we can revel in it together.”

I knew this book was going to be sexy – there’s even a content warning at the beginning about all of the sex, along with the associated trigger warnings, but I still wasn’t prepared. It’s hot and kinky, and seriously filthy, and there’s lots of it. And it shows the trust, the passion, and the incredible connection between these two.

“I am choosing you. And if you accept me, there is no turning back.”

And beyond the sex, there is a soul-deep emotion that develops between Valtu and Dahlia that is beautifully emotional. We get to see Valtu’s devastating history in flashbacks that broke my heart, and that made his relationship with Dahlia even more beautiful to see him finally opening up to somebody again. The added twists in the story about who Dahlia is and her presence in his life bring just the right amount of angst and intensity, and I could not read fast enough, desperate to see where the story was going to go.

Valtu was determined to call up my darkness, but more than anything I felt like I wanted to drown in his.

I love how Halle brings exotic locations to life in her stories, and this time, it’s Venice in the cold and gloomy lead-up to winter. The way that she writes about the city creates a dark mood that complements the story, especially because there is supernatural evil lurking, with bad vampires and a mysterious, magical book causing all sorts of spooky goings on. And all of those elements combine to create a wonderful back-drop to the love story which takes center stage, and I was completely captivated from start to finish.

This book is not what I was expecting, and I loved the way it all played out. It ends with a stunning and surprising twist, but still in a good place, and OMG, I am desperate for more of this story!

“My heart will always find yours.”

Such a fantastic read, I loved it!

5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Dark Eyes 

 

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Excerpt

My body wants to bring him to my apartment. I’m craving his touch like nothing else. But I can’t. Not in the state I left it and not with a possible demon still inside. I can only hope it left through the open window; I assume that’s how it got in. But my knowledge of demons doesn’t go very far. I never thought I would have to deal with any of this.

“I have an exam tomorrow,” I suddenly blurt out.

He widens his eyes and nods, taking a step back, though his hand is still firmly holding onto mine. “So you do.” He clears his throat loudly. “I’m guessing you need to study.”

I’d rather study you, I think, but I nod. “Yeah. Thank god I didn’t leave it all to the last minute like I usually do.”

He sucks on his lower lip for a moment and I want nothing more than to kiss him again. “I’m sure you’ll pass,” he says.

“It’s not enough to pass,” I tell him. “I want to get a good grade.”

“I’m sure you’ll get a good grade,” he says in a knowing tone.

Don’t you dare try to do me any favors,” I warn. “I need to get good grades on my own accord.”

“Help you? Wouldn’t dream of it.” He gives me a convincing smile. “Still, let me finish walking you home. I promise I’ll be out of your hair.”

So we walk hand-in-hand the rest of the way, until we’re standing outside my building.

“I’m going to go upstairs now,” I tell him.

He slides his hand around my lower back, holding me in place, while his other hand cups my jaw. “And I’m going to kiss you again.”

This time the press of his lips is so faint, so light, and yet it makes my knees tremble, my stomach to do summersaults. “Dahlia,” he says, murmuring against my mouth. “I don’t want you to be ashamed of your darkness. I don’t want you to be afraid of it. I am not a delicate man. I am brash, volatile, controlling and demanding and I always, always get what I want. What I want is your darkness to play with mine. I want to make it come so beautifully alive, so that we can revel in it together.”

He presses his lips to mine firmly then pulls away and I feel like I can’t breathe at all as he stares inches from my eyes. “I am choosing you. And if you accept me, there is no turning back.”

I try to swallow. “And what do I get out of it?” I whisper, my voice shaking slightly.

The corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk while his eyes narrow. “You get to feel things you’d only dreamed of feeling. You get to do things you were too afraid of doing. To live in the very darkness you run from. Isn’t that you want most of all? To be so pushed past the point of terror that you no longer fear anything at all?”

Holy shit.

“As I said,” he says gruffly, running his thumb over my lips, “I am not a delicate man. I can be rough. I can cause pain. I may make you hate me sometimes. But I will always be on your side. I will always make you feel chosen.”

I don’t know what the hell I’m agreeing to here but I’m nodding.

Because I have to.

Because I want you.

“Then choose me,” I say softly.

He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “I already did. First day I laid eyes on you.”

 

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Meet Karina

Karina Halle is a former travel writer, music journalist and screenwriter, and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of over 55 bestselling novels, ranging from horror and suspense to contemporary romance. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, and her adopted pitbull Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster, Hachette and Montlake. Her work has been translated and published in 20 languages.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

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