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The convoluted chronicle of Vauquelin — a queer, ancient vampire — unfolds in a tapestry of paradoxes. Born into the tumultuous backdrop of elegant, monied, 17th-century France, an ill-fated broken carriage wheel alters the trajectory of his life for eternity.After centuries of ennui, his blood-stained past provokes him to seek new horizons: he emigrates to the United States. There he witnesses Los Angeles evolve from primitive dirt roads into its present-day incarnation: a sprawling, soulless metropolis. His life in self-imposed exile is peaceful and relatively carefree: until one night it's abruptly shattered. The very fabric of time itself begins to unravel without explanation, casting him adrift in the chaos of mid-century LA and beyond.Vauquelin fumbles his way through history in reverse, ripping the scabs off of old wounds and mourning the loss of his futurepast joys, while attempting to keep certain skeletons firmly locked in their closets where they belong.But the past has a way of making its presence known, especially when one is reliving it. As the threads of his history fray, the vampire finds himself ensnared within the fragmented labyrinth of his existence. Vauquelin’s mundane modern existence is systematically erased, compelling him to confront all his missteps over the last three centuries and acknowledge his defeats. The cobblestoned streets of old Paris beckon, and he is obligated to confront his own macabre history: but with newfound clarity.An unanticipated glimmer of hope emerges amidst the chaos of his unravelling timelines: a chance for reconciliation, for atonement, tantalisingly presents itself. Yet even as the wheels of time threaten to grind to a halt, uncertainty looms large. As he regresses through time, he surrenders to his brutal nature and faces an unexpected choice that could alter his life completely, and in turn, extinguish the only true happiness he ever knew.What will become of Vauquelin when — and if — time begins to march forward again? He has two choices: emerge from the wreckage reborn, or be forever ensnared within a bloody web of his own making.Content guide: Beguiled by Night is a steamy, horror romance with mature themes of bisexual relationships. Reader discretion is advised. View the author’s website for detailed content lists.
This is a novel that's not exactly easy to categorize. There's horror and romance, vampires and time-travel. There's history and travel and adventure, after a fashion. I am not in any particular way the target audience for this novel, and yet I found it extremely enjoyable, one of the few books I've been able to read and complete this year.- The prose is very well-written. There is a certain affectation to the writing style that brings to mind something from an earlier era, but it is extremely digestible. I was able to sit and read this novel for hours at a stretch, which of late is almost impossible for me.- The characters are engaging. I'm not a reader who goes out of their way to enjoy monster-as-protagonist stories, but this one delivers because the main character is frankly, rather miserable and lonely. Perhaps this book landed at the right time (I'm reading this in Spring 2021), but overall I was rooting for him to succeed in his endeavors.- There's a good balance of genre material. There's horror and gore, there's romance and sex, there's history and mystery, there's food and fashion and music and architecture. I am a very detail-driven reader and I love noticing when an author has taken the time to accent little details. I cannot verify the accuracy of those details, nor do I really care. For me, the ring of authenticity is more important in a story than the authenticity itself.- The story has an excellent pace. The narrative doesn't languish too long at any point, so it encouraged me to keep reading and moving through the tale even when nothing dramatic was happening, because things were constantly evolving.I am not sure how I would recommend this novel based on genre, but I will recommend it based on overall quality and engagement. I have been extraordinarily picky about my reading as of late, but I finished this novel in a relatively short amount of time and was eager to keep reading as time went on. Right now, that is a significant achievement. Do you like vampires? History? Horror? Romance? All of the above? Read it.