The Stats

Title: A Long Time Dead

Author: Samara Breger

Publisher: Bywater Books (16 May, 2023)

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Historical Fiction

Trigger Warnings: Sexual Situations, Death, Blood, PTSD, Emotional Abuse

Read if you like: Twilight but wish it was Sapphic, Portrait of a Lady on Fire but wish it had vampires

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Thank you to Samara Breger, Bywater Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an electrical Advanced Review Copy of A Long Time Dead. All opinions mentioned in this review are my own.

A Long Time Dead available everywhere May 16, 2023!

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The Review

A Victorian romance with a bloody (pun intended) twist. Poppy, a London sex worker, wakes up in an unfamiliar house to discover that she is now a vampiress. In her confusion, we are introduced to Roisin, the mysterious homeowner who prefers to don men’s attire in her solitude. Rosin takes Poppy under her wing and vows to help Poppy adjust to her new life. The two women quickly become attached, but Roisin has plenty of secrets from her over-a-century-long life. As they navigate the world of vampires, pirates, opera singers, nobles, and French women, they soon encounter a threat that could destroy everything they hold dear.

I was drawn to the free download on NetGalley because of the cover. I am not a romance reader. This may actually be the first “officially marketed” romance novel I have ever read. However, I believe this is what people in the genre classify as a slow burn. I say this because for the first third of the book, I felt that the story dragged. The whole time we were waiting for Poppy to learn how to resist the urge to suck humans dry, there wasn’t much to note. In fact it was too slow (for me) that I continually fall asleep instantly while reading it.

This all changed once I made it to Part 2. This is when the story really begins to pick up. The addition of The Brood, a found family of queer vampires, introduced conflict that helped propel the story beyond the superficial first part. Which is when I realized, I did not like the pairing of Roisin and Poppy. I was much more interested in Poppy’s integration into this wealthy family of vampires, and the relationships she built with member over her trying to force a relationship with Roisin.

As the book went on, Roisin and Poppy’s interactions did get better; but still not to the level of intimacy I was hoping for. The spark wasn’t there for me, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t. Their interest in each other appeared to stem primarily from Stockholm syndrome (which Roisin specifically stated was why she wanted space from Poppy while she chased after Cane, so they could grow a natural connection once she is freed). However, the plot never provided these two to the option to fully form a deeper connection.

I give “A Long Time Dead” 2.5 out of 5 stars, rounded to 3 stars on Goodreads, as I would still recommend this novel to those interested in Sapphic romance.