Citizens of Shadow: A Vampire Tale (Beguiled by Night Book 2)

Can an immortal ever truly learn the hidden costs of tampering with fate?In Beguiled by Night Vauquelin, an ancient, queer vampire living in present-day Los Angeles, finds his time unwinding like a spool of dirty thread... til he’s re-deposited into seventeenth century France. He seizes the chance for redemption.In the sequel, Citizens of Shadow, Vauquelin grapples with the grim realisation that his blood-soaked past is a delicate filigree — impossible to replicate without flaws. Each moment squandered is a haunting apparition, a reminder of the fleeting nature of time. On the verge of executing a plan to grasp some semblance of security, a chance encounter pulverises Vauquelin's dubious theories into dust.Confronted with the ephemeral nature of happiness, Vauquelin finds himself paralysed by fear. Unlike the cold embrace of Death, which offers a finality he has grown accustomed to, happiness tantalises him with its fleeting brilliance: its transient nature is a perpetual harbinger of impending loss. Even so, in a moment of desperation, he dares to defy his unreliable timelines — and offers an historic proposal that, if accepted, will alter the course of two lives for eternity.In this precarious dance between hope and despair, Vauquelin confronts the immutable truth that happiness, like a fragile bloom in the dead of night, may wither all too soon. Eternity casts a punishing shadow over his every fleeting moment of joy. Still, in the depths of his immortal soul, he yearns for a reprieve — however brief — from the unyielding grip of time. What glory might unfold when you open your heart to what else is to come … and what rewards will you reap when you embrace your authentic self?Centuries of upheaval and cruel uncertainty have wrought havoc on the vampire's spirit. At this critical juncture in his immortal existence he is faced with a profound decision: whether to succumb at last to the shadows of despair, or to muster the courage to wage a relentless battle... in defence of the unexpected beacon of love that illuminates his path.Citizens of Shadow includes a joining with Beverley Lee’s Gabriel Davenport trilogy. More vampires are waiting in the shadows for you…Content guide: Citizens of Shadow is a steamy, horror romance with mature themes (specifically MLM and bisexual queer relationships). View the author’s website for detailed content lists.

Beverley Lee, author of The Gabriel Davenport series, The Ruin of Delicate Things, The House of Little Bones, and The Sum of Your Flesh

The writing in this is nothing short of magical. Nicole Eigener wields her words as masterfully as a surgeon wields a scalpel, laying down emotion and turmoil and the true sense of gothic in a way that is rarely seen. And the historian in Eigener is clearly very much on show - the reader is transported back in time, into the blood-soaked depths of France, into Los Angeles before it became what it is now. Sublime prose. Lush descriptions. Unapologetically queer. Beautifully sensual. Devastating outcomes.

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