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Married to Magic [Dramatized Adaption] #3
A Duel With The Vampire Lord [Dramatized Adaptation]
For romantic epic fantasy fans who loved King of Battle of Blood, The Bridge Kingdom, and Crave. Step into a world of hunters, vampires, and curses that run deeper than blood. This stand-alone is a must for fantasy vampire lovers.
On the night of the blood moon, the Vampire Lord must die.
Floriane's position as the forge maiden of Hunter's Hamlet is one of reverence, for it is her skill that arms and protects the vampire hunters. She knows her place and is a faithful servant to the Master Hunter and her community... until the night of the blood moon. Until her brother is dying at the hands of the Vampire Lord Ruvan.
Wanting to defend her home at all costs, Floriane fights the vampire lord, ready to give her life if it means taking his. But Ruvan doesn't want to take her life... he wants her.
Kidnapped and brought to the vampire castle, Floriane is now blood sworn to the vampire lord. She is bound in mind and body to her worst enemy. But Ruvan isn’t the fiend she thought he was. She learns the truth of the vampires: They are not mindless monsters, but a proud people, twisted and tortured by an ancient curse.
Ruvan believes that Floriane might be the key to ending his people's suffering. All Floriane wants is to defend her home. Loyalties are tested and the lines between truth and lie, hate and passion, are blurred.
When her dagger is at his chest, will she be able to take the heart of the man who has claimed hers?
A darkly-reimagined Snow White, meets inspiration from Beauty and the Beast, with vampires, in an epic fantasy world of enemies to lovers, found family, and deep lore. This stand alone is complete with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon worthy, enemies to lovers story.
On the night of the blood moon, the Vampire Lord must die.
Floriane's position as the forge maiden of Hunter's Hamlet is one of reverence, for it is her skill that arms and protects the vampire hunters. She knows her place and is a faithful servant to the Master Hunter and her community... until the night of the blood moon. Until her brother is dying at the hands of the Vampire Lord Ruvan.
Wanting to defend her home at all costs, Floriane fights the vampire lord, ready to give her life if it means taking his. But Ruvan doesn't want to take her life... he wants her.
Kidnapped and brought to the vampire castle, Floriane is now blood sworn to the vampire lord. She is bound in mind and body to her worst enemy. But Ruvan isn’t the fiend she thought he was. She learns the truth of the vampires: They are not mindless monsters, but a proud people, twisted and tortured by an ancient curse.
Ruvan believes that Floriane might be the key to ending his people's suffering. All Floriane wants is to defend her home. Loyalties are tested and the lines between truth and lie, hate and passion, are blurred.
When her dagger is at his chest, will she be able to take the heart of the man who has claimed hers?
A darkly-reimagined Snow White, meets inspiration from Beauty and the Beast, with vampires, in an epic fantasy world of enemies to lovers, found family, and deep lore. This stand alone is complete with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon worthy, enemies to lovers story.
12 pages, Audiobook
Published November 3, 2023
9 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Elise Kova
59 books17.3k followersJoin Elise's mailing list to never miss a giveaway, release, sale, and more: https://elisekova.com/subscribe/
ELISE KOVA is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions. She lives in Florida and, when not writing, can be found playing video games, drawing, chatting with readers on social media, or daydreaming about her next story.
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ELISE KOVA is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions. She lives in Florida and, when not writing, can be found playing video games, drawing, chatting with readers on social media, or daydreaming about her next story.
Say Hello!
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 2, 2025
A 4.5 rounded up to a 5.
This has been my favourite of the series so far. The world building, relationships, and characters all feel so whole and well rounded, even though it is a standalone fantasy.
Can't go wrong with the tried and tested vampire (or vampyre, as we came to know them).
This has been my favourite of the series so far. The world building, relationships, and characters all feel so whole and well rounded, even though it is a standalone fantasy.
Can't go wrong with the tried and tested vampire (or vampyre, as we came to know them).
June 11, 2025
4.0 ★— Alright, so, I know that if I had read this book, I probably would have enjoyed it far less than I did listening to it as an audiobook.
This wasn’t a unique story in any sort of way, but as a Graphic Audio production, it was entertaining enough for me to finish it.
As a general vampire lore lover and Castlevania fan, I really enjoyed the softer type of vampire MMC. Ruvan was respectful, kind, and genuinely a thoughtful sort of man. Not super broody, and the right amount of tortured good leader™ just trying to do the right thing.
The FMC was a forge maiden, so written as someone with significant bodily strength and grit. Her devotion to her village and family was steadfast throughout the story. I liked that she retained a healthy sense of skepticism in her situation and that she had situational intelligence. She was a total badass, and I really enjoyed the fighting and action scenes throughout the book. The creatures, the combat, the tension. It was all super fun.
Now, the enemies-to-lovers plot and romance… I found the romance a little half-baked. Via bloodbond (a type of soul bond), the MMC and FMC quickly build an attraction to each other and… to be honest, it was a little boring?
The FMC went through the same fights with him multiple times, and it was a little tiring to have the same conflicts in their budding romance come up for the umpteenth time.
The central storyline was, like I said, a very generic sort of fantasy story. It was fine, mindless entertainment - a good dramatic backdrop for the romance - but nothing that really grabbed me.
But let me say it again: I loved the vampire lore. I’m a lover of vampire stories, and this one scratched that itch really well. The world had enough cool, creepy elements to keep me interested, especially with the Graphic Audio format bringing it all to life.
I think this really sums it up: this book - and I gather this applies to the standalone books in this series - is the equivalent of gummy bears or anything else sweet. A perfect snack, something that can make you happy and that you enjoy in the moment or in between heavier stuff, but not something you can really dig deeply into.
But that’s perfectly fine! I think this was a really fun listening experience, and I’m definitely going to listen to the rest of the series.
This wasn’t a unique story in any sort of way, but as a Graphic Audio production, it was entertaining enough for me to finish it.
As a general vampire lore lover and Castlevania fan, I really enjoyed the softer type of vampire MMC. Ruvan was respectful, kind, and genuinely a thoughtful sort of man. Not super broody, and the right amount of tortured good leader™ just trying to do the right thing.
The FMC was a forge maiden, so written as someone with significant bodily strength and grit. Her devotion to her village and family was steadfast throughout the story. I liked that she retained a healthy sense of skepticism in her situation and that she had situational intelligence. She was a total badass, and I really enjoyed the fighting and action scenes throughout the book. The creatures, the combat, the tension. It was all super fun.
Now, the enemies-to-lovers plot and romance… I found the romance a little half-baked. Via bloodbond (a type of soul bond), the MMC and FMC quickly build an attraction to each other and… to be honest, it was a little boring?
The FMC went through the same fights with him multiple times, and it was a little tiring to have the same conflicts in their budding romance come up for the umpteenth time.
The central storyline was, like I said, a very generic sort of fantasy story. It was fine, mindless entertainment - a good dramatic backdrop for the romance - but nothing that really grabbed me.
But let me say it again: I loved the vampire lore. I’m a lover of vampire stories, and this one scratched that itch really well. The world had enough cool, creepy elements to keep me interested, especially with the Graphic Audio format bringing it all to life.
I think this really sums it up: this book - and I gather this applies to the standalone books in this series - is the equivalent of gummy bears or anything else sweet. A perfect snack, something that can make you happy and that you enjoy in the moment or in between heavier stuff, but not something you can really dig deeply into.
But that’s perfectly fine! I think this was a really fun listening experience, and I’m definitely going to listen to the rest of the series.
July 24, 2025
Basic Plot: A human woman who smith's weapons to kill vampires finds herself caught up in an attempt to break their curse.
The romance was realistic, and the barriers that kept them apart were some of the most believable I've seen. The curse plot was twisty and turny and kept doing so up until the very end. The secondary characters were interesting, but barely got any "screen time" as it were, and that was mildly disappointing. But there was a lot going on in this book as is, so I'm not complaining. As always, Graphic Audio makes everything even more amazing. I enjoyed it.
The romance was realistic, and the barriers that kept them apart were some of the most believable I've seen. The curse plot was twisty and turny and kept doing so up until the very end. The secondary characters were interesting, but barely got any "screen time" as it were, and that was mildly disappointing. But there was a lot going on in this book as is, so I'm not complaining. As always, Graphic Audio makes everything even more amazing. I enjoyed it.
June 26, 2025
First time listening to graphic audio. I liked it. And I was probably only able to finish the book due to it being GA.
December 13, 2023
4.24/5
July 17, 2025
Changing my ratings for the production because listening to it the second time i was more appreciative about the whole team's efforts and less sensitive about mistakes and the miscasting of the fmc.
Nonetheless i'm not deleting my previous review.
.
I had two big pet peeves with this.
The soundtrack. The transitions were not smooth. Sometimes it wasn't aligned with the mood of the scene.
Jazz music might be a good choice for when two people are begining to talk in an intimate way. But when someone is injured and they've just taken refugee in a dusted room of a Gothic castle, that might not be the best option don't you think? And it didn't end with just those kind of moments. There were a couple instances where a male voice read the lines of another female character. And if I hadn't read the book, I would have been confused.
My other related issue was with the narrator of the fmc. Except for maybe the last 10% where she was leading us through the emotions of her character, the majority of it it felt almost disconnected and rushed.
Nonetheless i'm not deleting my previous review.
.
I had two big pet peeves with this.
The soundtrack. The transitions were not smooth. Sometimes it wasn't aligned with the mood of the scene.
Jazz music might be a good choice for when two people are begining to talk in an intimate way. But when someone is injured and they've just taken refugee in a dusted room of a Gothic castle, that might not be the best option don't you think? And it didn't end with just those kind of moments. There were a couple instances where a male voice read the lines of another female character. And if I hadn't read the book, I would have been confused.
My other related issue was with the narrator of the fmc. Except for maybe the last 10% where she was leading us through the emotions of her character, the majority of it it felt almost disconnected and rushed.
August 2, 2025
I won’t lie, I’ve been putting off reading A Duel With The Vampire Lord since it was published because it’s over 500 pages long. For some reason, I’ve never thought of checking out Elise Kova’s books, so when the dramatised version of this popped up I decided to give it a go.
I’m not sure if I’d listen to this type of audiobook again, not for a story I don’t know anyway. At points I had the ebook open to follow along and I noticed that not all of the content was involved. There were moments that described how the characters were feeling and what they were doing that were missed out.
I did enjoy the performance though. The ambient noise and full cast narrative made the experience extremely immersive and the acting was pretty good. The voice actor for Floriane was probably the weakest of them all though. She felt quite monotonous at times and the difference between the descriptive narrative and her character talking was a little jarring at times.
I did enjoy the story of A Duel With The Vampire Lord, but it’s probably my least favourite of Elise Kova’s I’ve read so far. The vampir lore was interesting and I loved the gothic setting but I do worry that I missed a lot by listening to this version. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters and I honestly didn’t care about their relationship. I’ve learnt my lesson for the next book, don’t listen to the dramatised audiobook.
This is the shortest and most lukewarm review I’ve ever written for an Elise Kova book. I’m usually singing her praises but this production did not do her book justice.
I’m not sure if I’d listen to this type of audiobook again, not for a story I don’t know anyway. At points I had the ebook open to follow along and I noticed that not all of the content was involved. There were moments that described how the characters were feeling and what they were doing that were missed out.
I did enjoy the performance though. The ambient noise and full cast narrative made the experience extremely immersive and the acting was pretty good. The voice actor for Floriane was probably the weakest of them all though. She felt quite monotonous at times and the difference between the descriptive narrative and her character talking was a little jarring at times.
I did enjoy the story of A Duel With The Vampire Lord, but it’s probably my least favourite of Elise Kova’s I’ve read so far. The vampir lore was interesting and I loved the gothic setting but I do worry that I missed a lot by listening to this version. I didn’t feel a connection to the characters and I honestly didn’t care about their relationship. I’ve learnt my lesson for the next book, don’t listen to the dramatised audiobook.
This is the shortest and most lukewarm review I’ve ever written for an Elise Kova book. I’m usually singing her praises but this production did not do her book justice.
May 7, 2025
I personally really enjoyed this book. was actually surprised IDK why I thought it would be a bad story. I listened to this with GA. My only complaint is Which it probably just me is the Triyan has to young of a voice for me. but she is 19 in the story But still she sounds just to young for me and kinda cringe through make out sessions only because her. voice seems like she is way younger than 19. Love Danny's voice as always . But yeah I did not think I would enjoy it as I did. I love how the author made some cool stuff out of the realm of traditional vampire jargon. I did not enjoy the very first one in this series I am hoping all the ones after this one are just as good. LOVE the fact it's stand alone but in same series and it's a HEA. tired of the TBC with horrible cliff hangers some cliff hangers are fatal but lately seems all books give you death cliff hangers and you have to wait god knows how damn long for the next if you don't check beforehand to see if it's complete. don't get me wrong the gental fall CH are not that bad. anyways I really liked the GA of this book
May 5, 2025
Puh ich weiß nicht genau wie ich das hier bewerten soll.
Ich liebe die Geschichte (hab das Buch vier mal gelesen und das normale Hörbuch mehrmals gehört) aber diese Version war... naja.
Ich weiß das das hier eine gekürzte Version ist aber die Geschichte wurde an den blödesten stellen gekürzt. Zwischendurch wurden Sätze einfach mittendrin abgebrochen, einmal sogar in der Antwort auf eine Frage (warum?!), manchmal wurden Dialoge von den Falschen Charakteren gesprochen und dann wurde einmal ein Dialog von einem Falschen Charakter gesprochen der gar nicht in der Szene war und später erst dazu geholt wurde?
Die Musik im Hintergrund ist an einigen stellen unpassend und die Hauptsprecherin des Hörbuchs bringt nicht einmal 10% der Gefühle rüber als die anderen, es fühlt sich an als würde sie eine Geschichte erzählen die nicht ihre ist.
Also Fazit, die Geschichte ist toll, die Umsetzung hier ist leider nicht die beste.
Ich liebe die Geschichte (hab das Buch vier mal gelesen und das normale Hörbuch mehrmals gehört) aber diese Version war... naja.
Ich weiß das das hier eine gekürzte Version ist aber die Geschichte wurde an den blödesten stellen gekürzt. Zwischendurch wurden Sätze einfach mittendrin abgebrochen, einmal sogar in der Antwort auf eine Frage (warum?!), manchmal wurden Dialoge von den Falschen Charakteren gesprochen und dann wurde einmal ein Dialog von einem Falschen Charakter gesprochen der gar nicht in der Szene war und später erst dazu geholt wurde?
Die Musik im Hintergrund ist an einigen stellen unpassend und die Hauptsprecherin des Hörbuchs bringt nicht einmal 10% der Gefühle rüber als die anderen, es fühlt sich an als würde sie eine Geschichte erzählen die nicht ihre ist.
Also Fazit, die Geschichte ist toll, die Umsetzung hier ist leider nicht die beste.
February 16, 2024
The men in this series are too good for the main female characters. Floriane is quite a character. She’s stubborn, cares about her family more than herself. Ruvan is a gentleman with his head stuck up his ass when it comes to his species history. But I love them together. There’s also a side couple that o think is adorable. It does have a happy ending. It’s not really a slow burn like the other two books before. These characters are working to break a curse as quickly as possible and don’t have much time to think about their sexual desires which is refreshing. I recommend the graphic audiobook. I think this one could be read anywhere in the series. It doesn’t have to be the third one. It focuses more on the vampire than other realms in The Fade. There’s not a lot of talk of what happens outside the vampire walls besides the hamlet in The Nautral World.
February 25, 2024
Eu nunca tinha ouvido um audiobook "dramatizado" e agora não sei como vou voltar para as narrações normais.
Esse é o meu livro favorito da série até agora. Eu amei acompanhar tanto a Floriane quanto o Ruvan percebendo que as coisas que eles conhecem sobre o povo inimigo não necessariamente é a verdade e que ambos são vilões na história um do outro.
Apesar de entender que ela cresceu odiando e temendo os vampiros, a Flor me irritou muito no começo duvidando de tudo e qualquer coisa que o Ruvan falava pra ela, mesmo tendo feito um juramento/ligação de sangue com ele na qual ambos eram impedidos de mentir um pro outro.
Eu adorei a história, mas a narração com vários atores, som de fundo e efeitos sonoros, elevou minha experiência de uma maneira. A melhor coisa que eu fiz foi trocar o ebook pelo áudio... Agora quero viver essa experiência com os volumes anteriores.
Esse é o meu livro favorito da série até agora. Eu amei acompanhar tanto a Floriane quanto o Ruvan percebendo que as coisas que eles conhecem sobre o povo inimigo não necessariamente é a verdade e que ambos são vilões na história um do outro.
Apesar de entender que ela cresceu odiando e temendo os vampiros, a Flor me irritou muito no começo duvidando de tudo e qualquer coisa que o Ruvan falava pra ela, mesmo tendo feito um juramento/ligação de sangue com ele na qual ambos eram impedidos de mentir um pro outro.
Eu adorei a história, mas a narração com vários atores, som de fundo e efeitos sonoros, elevou minha experiência de uma maneira. A melhor coisa que eu fiz foi trocar o ebook pelo áudio... Agora quero viver essa experiência com os volumes anteriores.
March 7, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Elise Kova is always gonna be one of my favorite fantasy writers. Her worlds are really well build, she always has the most interesting ways to describe it without being boring or too much. But the highlight of her books are always the male characters, the way she builds them is just chef kiss. The longing, the slow burn, the trust build in all of her books are amazing and in this one is no different!
This book was really well written, interesting from start to finish, the characters were amazing too. I just felt that the ending was a little rushed and wished we could enjoy a little bit more of the aftermath.
(I actually listened to this one on audible and really recommend it, the dramatized version is super cool and exciting)
Elise Kova is always gonna be one of my favorite fantasy writers. Her worlds are really well build, she always has the most interesting ways to describe it without being boring or too much. But the highlight of her books are always the male characters, the way she builds them is just chef kiss. The longing, the slow burn, the trust build in all of her books are amazing and in this one is no different!
This book was really well written, interesting from start to finish, the characters were amazing too. I just felt that the ending was a little rushed and wished we could enjoy a little bit more of the aftermath.
(I actually listened to this one on audible and really recommend it, the dramatized version is super cool and exciting)
March 18, 2025
Wow. What an experience. Pretty sure the dramatized adaptation elevated this story from a 4⭐️ to 5⭐️ for me. The main characters' voices, the sound effects, the dialogue, everything pulled me in and truly made me feel like I was watching a movie. Floryan's voice was fun and relatable and the Vampire's Lord had the perfect contrast. And having voices and nuances for each character (instead of the same one doing a sometimes unnatural change in interpretation) was such a win!
I did enjoy the plot too, pretty original for basically a vampire romantasy. Loved the added history and curse plot, it created suspense and mystery.
So, overall, I really recommend!
I did enjoy the plot too, pretty original for basically a vampire romantasy. Loved the added history and curse plot, it created suspense and mystery.
So, overall, I really recommend!
June 26, 2024
Loving the Dramatized audio books except the music in the background when it has the twang sounds like it is off key. Or a whisper that is much quieter than the rest of the book.
The story itself is the next step in Married to Magic series, the Humans and Vampire fighting and killing one another. Floriane a forge maiden comes face to face with a vampire while trying to save her family and village. Learning the connections between folklore and truths allows this would be unalive-match to work together and try to break the curse.
The story itself is the next step in Married to Magic series, the Humans and Vampire fighting and killing one another. Floriane a forge maiden comes face to face with a vampire while trying to save her family and village. Learning the connections between folklore and truths allows this would be unalive-match to work together and try to break the curse.
August 3, 2025
I really enjoy the way Elise Kova writes her stories. She gives her own twists to the tropes found in romantic fantasy. I was intrigued by the Forge Maiden character concept and enjoyed the way she was fleshed out with detail. The adventures and settings captured my imagination. Even though Kova's stories are only mildly spicy, they are nicely romantic. Graphic Audio did a great job with sound design and Danny Gavigan is one of my favorite voice actors in this company.
September 27, 2025
3.5⭐️
This book was very slow at the beginning. If it wasn’t for the GA I’m not sure I would have finished it. They did a great job as always, though I will say the “kissing/love” scenes could have been better.
The book began to pick up in the middle and the ending was predictable but good. Lastly the book was longer than it needed to be. I will not be reading the fourth book. At least not at this time. I definitely need a break.
This book was very slow at the beginning. If it wasn’t for the GA I’m not sure I would have finished it. They did a great job as always, though I will say the “kissing/love” scenes could have been better.
The book began to pick up in the middle and the ending was predictable but good. Lastly the book was longer than it needed to be. I will not be reading the fourth book. At least not at this time. I definitely need a break.
December 29, 2024
4.25 stars! Although I did prefer the 1st one a little more. I enjoyed the overall development of the two factions. I had a slight issue with the FMC feeling the need to act like a badass half the time, and I'm not really a fan of the recurring miscommunication trope. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the performances and the ending was at least satisfying.
May 30, 2025
I wouldn’t have been able to finish this book if I’d been reading it instead of listening to the dramatized. The story was very generic which is fine and I did expect it to be given the other books I’ve read in the world this book is in.
The voice actors did a great job and it was a nice filler book to listen to when I couldn’t sit down and read others on my TBR.
The voice actors did a great job and it was a nice filler book to listen to when I couldn’t sit down and read others on my TBR.
April 6, 2024
Vampires, humans, blood curses, and blood sworn magic. Elise Kova’s married to magic series is a beautiful collection and this one adds to the magic. If you’re a fan of Romantasy then you will love this book. I highly suggest this series in Graphic Audio - they are fantastic!
May 9, 2024
I like the story. I’m not so sure about the drama version of the audio book tho. I think some of the feel of bookish imagery is lost. Like I feel that scene like love scene aren’t as juicy… ?! Maybe ? Not sure
September 3, 2024
4 ⭐️. Graphic Audiobook.
“You might be torture and temptation incarnate, but you are strength and power — You are damnation and salvation trapped in curves that should be forbidden” 🫨
This series is absolutely my guilty pleasure and I wanna hear nothing negative about it.
“You might be torture and temptation incarnate, but you are strength and power — You are damnation and salvation trapped in curves that should be forbidden” 🫨
This series is absolutely my guilty pleasure and I wanna hear nothing negative about it.
January 25, 2024
3.5 stars - this book started with a lot of excitement and had some lulls, though it picked up again. Overall I found it enjoyable - I really do enjoy graphic audio.
March 14, 2024
Best one of the series so far. Ruvon has my heart.
April 25, 2024
This was a solid 3.5 star listen for me. I've been really enjoying this series but there were some very cheesy lines in this that took me out of the moment.
April 29, 2024
My least favorite of the series so far, but it's a good one to pass the time.
June 10, 2024
One of the better books in the series.
June 17, 2024
The graphic audio as always was amazing. But the story itself was a bit too long for my liking. I'd say that this was my least favourite book so far in this series.
July 7, 2024
This was an interesting take on vampires. That's what made this book interesting. No explicit sex or language.
August 1, 2024
Final rating 3.5 ★
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews