Simper has created a brilliant combination of gruesomely dark fantasy and scorching romance. Evie Drae, author of Beauregard and the Beast Simper failed, but because she succeeded so very, very well. One that left me uneasy and completely unsure how to feel.

This is a beautiful retelling and is perfect for anyone who likes darker-themed romance, horror stories, or plain ol’ lesbian vampires.Beneath the fantasy and horror, a simmering love story brews. She starts off tentative and unsure of her own wants concerning her future, not that women had much of a choice in the 19th century, but Laure still desires and discovers herself when Carmilla opens her mind to other possibilities. Even though the book is short (as is the nature of a novella), we see a good amount of character growth with Laura. The prose are beautiful and Simper uses such vivid imagery to describe scenes. The writing in this book is elegant and seems true to the time. We also see this in her Fallen Godsseries (to an even darker extent) which also features a lesbian vampire. It’s a step farther than “ice-queen” because, unlike an ice queen who is merely perceived as being a cold hearted bitch because of some traumatic misunderstanding, a monster commits monstrous acts and is loved anyway by the hero. One thing I love about SD Simper’s work is that she embraces the “romancing the monster” type theme. Love overrides all trespasses though when Carmilla’s true nature is revealed and the two women provide each other with a new life. However, girls are falling ill and dying in the nearby areas and Carmilla looks an awfully lot like a monstrous visitor Laura saw 13 years prior. Carmilla is a romantically inclined girl who shares her affections with Laura openly and, as the relationship progresses, Laura returns those affections in stride. Laura and her father agree and a summer romance ensues. The one condition is that Carmilla not be requested to admit any of her history. After a carriage mishap, Carmilla’s mother asks if her daughter can stay with Laura and her father as she continues her urgent travels.

The story continues via first person by Laura, the journal’s narrator, as she describes the account of her time with Carmilla. Professor Hesselius is reviewing the journal of a French girl from the 19 th century while waiting to fly to France to present the documents to the Historical Preservation Board. Scenes, however, Simper’s are more blatant and graphic. That’s a spotty summary as it’s beenĪlmost a decade since I read the original, but I do remember there being lesbian-themed Sheridan Le Fanu published in 1872 (thereby free on project gutenberg)Īnd is about a lesbian vampire seducing a lonely young woman whose health I’m keeping the spirit going with Simper’s Of the horror-themed books have to be put in with the Halloween décor and stored Everyone had a happy Halloween! Just because October is over doesn’t mean that all

Carmilla and laura sd simper