But his gamekeeper sees something different when he looks at me.
Sir Clifford Chatterley turned me into a vampire to prove a theory — that feral creatures like me could be domesticated, civilised, and made acceptable for his aristocratic world. He keeps me chained and starved, drowning my hunger in silver and ash while he moulds me into the perfect Progeny wife.
Oliver Mellors doesn't want to tame me. He wants to unleash me. In the dark woods beyond Wragby Hall, he teaches me to hunt. To feed. To feel. He shows me that the wildness my husband is trying to suppress isn't shameful — it's my power.
Between the lord who wants to break me and the vampire who wants to free me, I discover a hunger that has nothing to do with blood. And everything to do with taking back what's mine.
My body. My desire. My rage.
You know the story.
But you don’t know my story.
“When I was human, they told me desire was a sin. Now I am a monster, I live to be sinful. I think maybe you do, too.”
Let’s be honest, Lady Chatterlys’ lover was scandalous for its time; a book that dared to write a woman with passion, sexual desire and a disregard for societies expectations of her as a woman and an aristocrat. And I think Connie would’ve loved this.
This dark fantasy reimagining uses a rich backstory of vampire aristocracy to deepen the metaphor of women being by treated like creatures, shamed for their own wants and moulded into whatever shape their husbands wanted.
Connie and Mellor share their narration, giving us two perspectives to their growing relationship and the dangers it brings - the writing was intoxicating, poetic, with a seductive edge that just pulled you in. Each chapter is quick, but rich in detail, with language that feels appropriate for a 1920’s English countryside but not fully compliant so it might be difficult for a modern reader.
Connie takes most of the story, leading us through her recent imprisonment and a type of vampire rehab, giving us insight into the world she lived in before she was Lady Chatterly and what the world knew of its own vampires- which had it’s own lore and place in key moments of history.
It was hard not to love Constance right away — her defiance, her sense of self - and to find the mirrored meanings in her imprisonment and torture by her husband. Her instant obsession with Mellor was a curious one, even in the original, I find myself almost believing in the first sight infatuation where in general I just can’t get behind it.
“Already, even though i do not yet know all the ways in which I will come to love him, I would follow him anywhere.”
Now, if you’re not into a spicier kick to your books, this just isn’t for you — there is deliciously graphic, visceral sex scenes that play with the ideas of kink and submission; and aside from being a cheek-flushing addition the story, they add a devilish layer to explorations of giving and taking control throughout the book.
For me, there’s a few recurring word choices that always throw me out of any sexy scenes that are used here, so I wasn't personally into them but that's personal taste. There is also some other darker themes that are explored, the author does a fantastic job of not falling into a pitfall of letting the more abusive, monstrous elements of the characters become romanticised or glamourised.
A feral, desperate tale about a dangerous woman finding her power and control — and of course, love.
⭐⭐⭐
- I was gifted a reviewers copy of this title, thank you to the IBT team for organising this tour.
- This book contains potentially upsetting content including abuse, violence, death, as well as graphic sexual content and BDSM dynamics.
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