In 1881, an innocent young Englishwoman who ventures into mysterious Baron Dalca’s Romanian castle may lose her life, her soul...or her heart. Miss Michael Cargrave is desperate when the death of her bookseller father leaves her in a dire financial state. When she finds a letter from a mysterious foreign aristocrat, Baron Dalca, requesting that her father come work for him, she decides to risk everything by traveling to the Carpathian Mountains and claiming the position herself. Vasile, Baron Dalca, expected an elderly gentleman scholar. Instead he finds on his doorstep a vibrant, courageous young woman who stirs him in a way that no woman has since the long-ago death of his wife. But for her sake, he can’t fall in love. He can bring nothing but danger to Michael Cargrave. “As Vital as Blood takes the reader into the heart of Dracula country for a tale of dark romance and suspense. Amanda DeWees deftly blends classic vampire lore with Gothic romance, mystery, and thrills.” —Dacre Stoker, author, great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker

Book 2 in the Victorian Vampires novella series by the author of the Daphne Award-winning gothic romance With This Curse. Just as Ned Alter leaves the British army to marry the lovely Rosamond Cargrave, his father and uncle inform him that he has a new mission—as a vampire hunter. Ever since Ned's grandmother was bitten decades ago, the Alter men have sought revenge. But soon Ned's loyalty is tested by a beautiful woman named Bianca, who claims to be a vampire...and therefore the enemy of his family. Carefree vampire Bianca had no intention of seducing another woman's fiancé, especially when he's a mortal. Yet she and Ned share a passionate connection. When they are forced into an uneasy alliance to pursue a dangerous vampire foe, can Bianca convince him that she is not his enemy—and can he convince her that a mortal and a vampire can find happiness together? A love triangle, revenge, and undying evil collide in this unforgettable vampire yarn of about 100 pages, laced with rich period atmosphere and the author's trademark sly humor.