Courted by Death

by Marie Kelly

Vampires are real! Those who choose to conform have been integrated into society, living alongside humans and vampire hunters—they protect innocents from those vampires who refuse to change their deadly ways.

After being left for dead in a cemetery, Eleanor, a fierce vampire hunter, must uncover the new threat that has invaded her district. Worried she has lost her edge and isn’t strong enough to rise to this challenge, she must decide if she will face it alone, or finally allow those around her the chance to help her.

Accepting help from Gustave, a dangerously alluring French vampire, may come with bigger consequences than either of them could imagine. This forces Eleanor to decide if there is more to life than just being a hunter and if love between a vampire and a hunter could truly exist.

A hunter’s life may be short, but she must choose if it is worth living.

423 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 12, 2026

Reviews

[stacey Elizabeth Coombe · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Courted by death is written from multiple POVs. The world building was immersive and the idea of vampires being integrated into society and categorised into safety levels was fascinating and well thought out. The fmc Eleanor is a vampire hunter and watches over her district for any vampires that step out of line, killing them for the safety of the public if needed. We have a taskforce that assists her and 2 colleagues who come along for the ride and become more like family. When a new vampire comes to town it's her job to keep an eye on them and when Gustave moves to her district she's on high alert after getting a call that 3 girls have been reported missing but after she enters his home ready to kill him she discovers he's nothing like she thought he'd be and has an instant attraction to him. Gustave is a cat 2 vampire and only feeds off willing hosts, he's charming and feels an instant connection to Eleanor and literally does anything to get close to her but even if the feelings are reciprocated a hunter and vampire having a relationship together is very much frowned upon but as events happen, bringing them closer together the feelings they have towards one another become impossible to ignore. Can I start by saying the title 'courted by death' is genius! I read this book in just over 24 hours and really enjoyed the storyline. It's a slow burn romance with any spice fading to black. The found family eliminate was beautiful with the idea that vampires and humans could truly live in harmony. I laughed out loud so many times whilst reading this book, the sarcasm and banter was fantastic. I fell in love with the characters and equally hated the villain which made the ending really intense and thrilling. I'm excited to see where this series goes next and will definitely be picking up the next book!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC by PaperWild Publishing.

I really enjoyed the plot of hunter and vampire. It was a different take to vampire fantasy and I thought it was done brilliantly.

Eleanor is our FMC and she is strong willed, stubborn but also very caring. As she is the hunter she puts up this front which slowly unravels when she gets to know our MMC Gustave. Gustave is a vampire who from the beginning is intrigued by Eleanor. The plot follows; forbidden love, friends to lovers and of course different kinds of vampires.

The story also involves friendships between humans and vampires and how they interact with each other in a community. I really enjoyed the different categories of vampires and where they belong within a society. I also liked the back story of Gustave and of course our villain Celine.

Overall, I think the author done a great job with this book as the character and world building were engaging, thoughtful and interesting. I also liked how the female was the hunter✨

[Leanne Friday · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC Read* Thank you so much to PaperWild Publishing for giving me a copy of the book.

I have been brought up watching and reading a lot about vampires so I knew this was definitely my kind of book and it did not disappoint!
I found it really interesting about the different categories that the vampires were put into, how they integrate into society and about rehabilitating them as well so they can work and live around humans without causing harm to them.
I loved the relationship between Eleanor and Gustave and it reminded me so much of the love/hate relationship with Buffy and Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer! It did make me laugh at times with the banter between them!
Another thing that I really enjoyed about the book was the flashback chapters especially with how Eleanor and Gustave's relationship developed over time as well as Celine's history.

I really enjoyed the book and honestly can't wait to see what happens in the next book!