REVIEW: A Conclave of Crimson- Book One – Beverly Lee & Nicole Eigener

What do you do when love threatens to destroy?

A rare invitation takes master vampire, Clove, and his young charges, Gabriel, Moth and Teal, to Paris. A gilded, sixteenth-century manor house is a far cry from their home on the isolated, English moors. A French vampire, Vauquelin, will be their host, along with his new progeny/lover, Éric.

The difference in vampire bloodlines is soon very apparent, and a rivalry ignites between Moth and Éric. Moth’s appraisal of Éric can be summed up in two letters — F and U.

An evening hunt for the boys goes catastrophically wrong as an attraction surfaces between Éric and Teal. Neither of them know how to process it. Éric is devoted to Vauquelin… and Teal navigates feelings he thought he would never have.

But this spark does not want to die, even though it has no hope of life: and soon Éric’s relationship with Vauquelin is endangered as they both grapple to understand what’s unfolding.

For Gabriel and Moth a devastating truth takes form — that Teal may need more than them. And it’s up to Gabriel to try and stop Moth self-combusting — no easy task even with his cursed lineage.

Vauquelin battles against his emotions, laying bare his deepest fears to Clove. As their lives spiral out of control, Clove and Vauquelin must take matters into their own hands: but is this a flame even master vampires cannot quench?

With lush prose, vivid, emotional moments and richly detailed intimate scenes, these vampires will take you on a journey where high passions lead to even higher stakes.

A Conclave of Crimson: Book One is a Gothic, queer, horror romance with strong, dark academia vibes: the first volume of a trilogy uniting two, literary vampire worlds (Gabriel Davenport and Beguiled by Night) into a multiverse, but can be read as a standalone. There’s more if you want it…

For fans of The Night Circus, Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and The Song of Achilles, A Conclave of Crimson offers a unique character driven exploration of love, jealousy, and the dark magnetism of immortal desire.

Clove is a Master vampire living with his three charges, Gabriel, Moth and Teal in England.

Their home is dark and dreary and lacks any kind of amenities so when Clove and his three charges are invited to Master Vampire Vauquelins (V) luxurious home in Paris he readily accepts the invitation.

Upon arriving conflict immediately breaks out between Vauquelin’s lover Eric and one of Clove’s charges Moth. Moth took an immediately dislike for Eric which isn’t surprising since he dislikes most people. Moth’s lover is Gabriel and between them they take very special care of their brother Teal. Teal is not like everyone else he is vampire and part witch.

Eric is taken aback by Moth’s behavior towards him and wonders why V didn’t warn him in advance. It is no secret that the love between Eric and V is very strong, but Eric doesn’t understand why he invited the four of them to their home. Putting all the antagonism aside Eric tries to befriend the three vampires especially Moth only it seems to be an uphill battle.

Eric learns that there are so many differences between Clove and his three progenies, that different bloodlines effect so much. They hunt differently, Clove and his group hunt outside while V and Eric entice their victims to their home where they feed, kill and put the bodies in a vat of acid.

Things go from bad to worse between Moth and Eric drawing the err of the Master vampires but getting him under control proves harder than anyone could have imagined. Moth is determined to protect his brothers, and nothing will stand in his way of doing that.

Vauquelin was anxious for Eric to meet other vampires closer to his age when Eric had only been around V. He wants to broaden his horizons, but he has no idea what will occur and change everything he imagined.

Joining Moth, Gabriel and Teal in a hunt outside would bring changes that no one could have pictured, and those changes could have a dangerous effect on everyone.

There are surprises, secrets, sex and a constant display of emotions. This is only the first book so there is much more coming.