Blood Veil

Red Masquerade #2

by Shaye Madison

Helena Quintrell has just reunited with Vince, the long lost love she thought was dead for six years, only to be betrayed by those closest to her. Ripped away from her new life by her brother and the vampire who wants to claim her, and dragged away to Europe for a marriage to a man she doesn't love, Helena knows her time as a mortal is drawing short.

Vince Thornton only just reclaimed Helena’s heart. Heir to vampire coven across the ocean, and torn between his duty and finding the only girl he ever loved in New York, his new identity has come with insurmountable power. But the Sire and his coven, so many miles away, are closing in, reminding Vince of the fate written in his blood.

Villains and foes surrounded Vince and Helena as they fight to once again find each other in this ruthless world of money, power, and bloodlust.

Blood Veil is the haunting conclusion to Vince and Helena's story. This is a dark and gothic vampire romance; please check the author's website for content warnings.

394 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2025

About the author

Shaye Madison writes dark and stormy romances, and when she isn't lurking around book stores and drinking iced chais, she's conjuring up gothic fantasy worlds she (sometimes) wished she lived in. Based in North Carolina, she lives with her partner and their cat, Phoebe.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 Stars (Rounded Up) | Right Vibes, Wrong Plot 💃🧛‍♀️🕯️

I would like to start this by saying that I think there are people who this book is for, I just happen to not be one of them.

What I liked: The vibes? Impeccable. We’re talking full gothic-glamour, flapper-fantasy realness, but with a hint of aristocracy. The art deco decadence, the smoky allure, the faint scent of blood and champagne — all still working beautifully. I also appreciated that we got slightly more character and relationship development this time around; it gave the story a bit more emotional texture amidst the glitter and gloom.

What I didn’t like: The plot was not for me. The plot that I loved in book one went careening off into left field. We spent so much time in this book with our heroine kidnapped and... staying around a while? And do not even get me started on the brother subplot — the vibes were weird. Book one had hints of dark romance, but this one cannonballed into it, and the “hate-fueled intimacy” angle lost me completely. Beautiful atmosphere, but narratively? This is not my cup of tea.

[Nya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good sequel! I loved the first book. But something about this just kept me wanting. The ending was anti climactic. I also didn’t entirely understand the Marcel storyline. And the Andreas storyline, the background of Vince, was all very convoluted, and I’m not entirely sure how that was important. It all seems to fizzle off.

Still very gothic and scandalous, I loved that. The writing is well done, and really draws you into the characters. It’s all very spooky. I could NOT put it down!! Just wish the plot had more going on after the second half.

[Shaye Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope you enjoy the heart racing conclusion to Vince and Helena's story! Content warnings can be found on my website: here.