Carmilla and Laura

by S.D. Simper

In the late 19th century, Laura lives a lonely life in a schloss by the forest, Styria, with only her doting father and two governesses for company. A chance accident brings a new companion, however – the eccentric and beautiful Carmilla.

With charm unparalleled and habits as mysterious as her history, Carmilla’s allure is undeniable, drawing Laura closer with every affectionate touch and word. Attraction blossoms into a temptation Laura fears to name, a tantalizing passion burning brighter than the fires of hell. But when a mysterious plague begins stealing the lives of young women in her home and the village beyond, Laura wrestles to reconcile the truth – that the gentle, fragile woman she loves may be a monster cast out of heaven.

Carmilla, the classic vampire novella written by J Sheridan LeFanu, receives new life in this gorgeous retelling, centered on the provocative, controversial leads of the original, Carmilla and Laura.

Genres: Lesbian, Vampires, Romance, Fantasy, Queer, LGBT, Gothic

159 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2018

About the author

SD Simper is a bestselling horror author, award-winner of fantasy romance, and understands that the true secret to writing great villains is living with cats. She and her wife share a home with four cats, a Great Dane, and innumerable bookshelves.

Reviews

[Farah]

An absolutely beautiful love story that should be read by everyone, even if you're not a fan of creatures of the dark.

A good looking vampire, despite with fangs, she bewitched me with her words from such beautiful lips and gripped my heart a little with her backstory.
" Darling, darling, the dark has never hurt a soul. Perhaps be more concerned for its inhabitants "
Carmilla

Her soulmate, Laura took some time to bloom but she was just as lovely. Her determination to fight / to pursue for things the world considered as damnation wowed me.
" That night, I began to dream. For if it remained a dream, it could not be a sin "
Laura

The epilogue, triggered two emotions - goosebumps and bliss.
Highly recommended, free on KU, what are you still waiting for ?

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud]

Carmilla & Laura is a sexier, faster-paced retelling of Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.

In her isolated castle, Laura isn’t unhappy, but she’s lonely. When a carriage accident brings a young woman to the schloss, Laura is immediately entranced by her new companion. Carmilla is beautiful and full of wit, despite the strange disease she suffers from. The attraction between them grows every day, undeterred by the plague that seems to be killing young women around them.

S.D. Simper’s version is pretty close to the original, with two main exceptions: the relationship between Carmilla and Laura is explicitly physical and Simper’s ending goes further than Le Fanu’s. The tone is different too, Le Fanu’s novella a cautionary tale, Simper’s a celebration.

While I would have loved it even more if Simper had drawn further away from the original, added more of her own imagination, she created a delightfully eerie atmosphere, which Lois Ridge carries seamlessly into her narration. Her Carmilla is charming and seductive, Laura couldn’t have resisted even if she had wanted to. I enjoyed Laura’s discovery of her desires, her journey to acceptance, and all the angst and yearning and longing…

Carmilla & Laura is a rather short listen, which readers of dark fantasy and lovers of lesbian vampires should enjoy.

[lov2laf]

Rich, romantic, and atmospheric is how I would describe this retelling of the classic sapphic vampire story. Unfortunately, I haven't read the original "Carmilla" so I'm not sure how much of this version is canon and how much this author is using dramatic license or original ideas. I can say, though, that I liked it.

Laura plays the role of an eighteen year old girl isolated in a castle with her loving father. Her days are interrupted by the arrival of Carmilla, a highly affectionate but ill young woman that is strangely attached to Laura.

The story unravels for the reader both in the build up of the romance and the true nature of Carmilla. I really enjoyed their chemistry and Laura's POV as she comes to terms with her love and adoration for Carmilla.

I don't think there were any "gotcha!" moments...well, there was one nice little easter egg at the very end...but I was really curious how the climax would play out. Overall, I found the execution of "Carmilla and Laura" to be fresh and I enjoyed it.

There are also many beautifully written passages that I made a point to highlight.

I'm really loving this author's writing style and recommend this and all of her works.

"Carmilla and Laura" is available on Kindle Unlimited and I'm running off to Scribd to read the original "Carmilla".

[AnnMaree Of Oz]

Gothic Lesbian Vampire!

Gorgeous writing and prose, truly beautiful. You can really feel the words and the environment captured in the text. It's really enthralling and I highly recommend it if you're into dark paranormal tales. On Kindle Unlimited, but also onsale at the moment for 99 US cents on amazon.

[gloria .☆ﾟ.]

➥ 3.25 Stars *:･ﾟ✧

"You give in to your passions with the fearlessness of one already damned, but Carmilla, my love, my heart..." Sobbing now, I managed a gasping breath, my thoughts boiling over. "Carmilla, I am afraid."

Carmilla reached up, brushed the stray locks of my blonde hair away from my face, and whispered, "Come with me."

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

This is a tough one for me to review 🥴. On one hand, I enjoy this author's writing, as I have in her Fate of Stars but I felt this one didn't work as well for me. I actually haven't read the original Carmilla yet, though I've been hoping to remedy that. This means that I didn't anticipate the references/plotpoints of the story.

Yet...I was still left feeling indifferent about it? Maybe that's not the right word, because I do hope to articulate my thoughts - lol - but I was left really unimpressed and...untouched.

My disinterest in the romance was surprising for me. This could have been partly due to the extremely fast paced writing, but I actually felt that, within the 200 pages, more development could have occurred, both in terms of characterisation and romantic growth.

I felt that the reason I didn't find the romance compelling was because of three main reasons. 1) The old-fashioned/formal (yet obviously suitable) writing acted as a barrier between my being able to feel that Carmilla and Laura's relationship was genuine. 2) Laura as a character was less compelling than the romance as a whole. She unfortunately acted so childishly that I could not believe she was 19! She spoke as though she were a twelve year old and I just couldn't take her seriously. 3) The romance was established too early one. The first I love you comes extremely early on and definitely by 40% both women are enamoured. I would have liked to have seen them have more captivating and significant interactions, rather than watch them say I love you for the last 60% of the book. It could have come later at a more dramatic moment, perhaps. (Perhaps? I never say 'perhaps' but I'm stuck in the writing style of this book).

In the upstairs parlor, I sat, the cadence of Shakespearean English becoming a pattern in my head, when a sudden hint of breath by my ear caused my heart to start.

Hands slowly slid down my shoulders from behind, and when I turned my head, I saw Carmilla leaning over me.

“These violent delights have violent ends,” she whispered, reading the text on the page. I felt her lips smile against my ear.

Now that I've finished it, I'm left wanting to shrug. Carmilla's character was more compelling than Laura's, definitely, but I wanted to see a more evil/seductive side of her. On that note, why was this so tame? Of course, sex scenes are never requirements of a novel, but I've read another one of this author's books and she didn't shy from writing them, and I actually think it could have aided the romantic development, in this case. The end, was startling, especially that description of Carmilla's beheading *shivers* but I'm just glad they got a happy ending. I was worried they wouldn't! Also, the whole story was sort of framed by a modern character reading Laura's diary? At LAX? And it closes with him finishing reading her diary too - I didn't really love that decision. Sorry to be a party pooper once again with one of the QLLC reads! 😣💔

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[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?]]

This world was not made for lovers such as us.
Bud do not fear, instead we shall build our own.

A sapphic vampire retelling with a bit of spice 🌶
Yes, please!

Absolutely loved it.
The writing, the characters, the drama, the love 🖤

[Meredith is a hot mess]

*eek* This did not work for me 😬

The original Carmilla by Le Fanu is a favorite, and I'm always on the lookout for characters reminiscent of Carmilla. I like retellings as well, and when I saw this book I immediately bumped it up on my reading list.

The problem? Carmilla and Laura was wayyyy too similar to the original. It was so similar I felt it lacked creativity and inspiration. This story followed the same beats and included many of the same events from the original. The differences weren't enough for me, and I felt it failed to "breathe new life" into the story. I was looking forward to the more overt erotic elements in Carmilla and Laura's relationship, but it fell flat. This retelling also lacks the atmosphere and deliciously creepy vibe of the original Carmilla.

I should note I think the author is talented, and if she had taken more liberties with this retelling, and had it been more original I probably would have loved it. I will still read more books from this author!

I was slightly let down by the erotic elements of this book....I think I've been spoiled by Tanith Lee. Since reading Tanith Lee she's raised the bar. Tanith Lee wrote f/f love scenes with vampires where you can feel the seduction. It's both tangible and atmospheric. I loved Althena and Rachaela in Personal Darkness and the strange Court of Virgin Girls in Vivia.

I suppose I have specific tastes and while this didn't live up to my expectations I would still suggest it to people looking for a f/f vampire tale. It's not too long and since Carmilla retellings are few and far between this is worth checking out.

I do hope more authors will write Carmilla retellings, but perhaps add their own unique spin.

[Netgyrl (Laura)]

4.5 Stars - I think I have found my new yearly Halloween read. Lush and gothic. I would love to see this particular version of the tale made into a movie.

[discostar]

over the years i’ve found that there can only ever be 1 of 2 reactions to finishing a book. one is a feeling of relief. usually it means that a book was either okayish or so utterly bland. the second reaction is so visceral, and depending on my attachment to the book and the outcome of the story, i’d feel something of an ache in my heart (ranging in differing degrees of severity) at the prospect of having to move on.

it feels kind of ridiculous that ‘carmilla and laura’ managed to evoke the latter reaction from me through the mere span of 159 pages.

the writing was so perfectly atmospheric and absolutely riveting but what i think is the biggest triumph of them all here is that the author S.D simper managed to retain the essence of the original story while gloriously embellishing certain other aspects at the forefront of which is the relationship between carmilla and laura which, in this retelling, is bolder, braver and yet, softer. a combination that is rarely unfamiliar to the act of loving another woman.

and really, at her absolute core, carmilla is quite possibly the original u haul lesbian. i mean here’s a woman that’s lived century after century, propelled solely by the promise of a relationship with another woman. and before you know it, not only has she moved in but in true toaster oven style, has converted laura into a lesbian AND to the “dark side.” nothing really screams u haul lesbian more than convincing someone to follow you to the death. -

“‘Come with me’, she repeated, with all the ardor of our nightly passions. ‘Come with me, even unto death, my darling, darling—‘ Her lips stole mine.”

(like? are you kidding me?? the only thing she didn’t do was whip out a pride flag and wave it over their heads.)

the writing was so heartbreakingly beautiful, with simper expertly weaving in christian metaphors in her descriptions of love between these 2 women. with carmilla often describing her condition to be so monstrous that not even hell could claim her, laura’s unconditional and unwavering love towards her remains the holiest, most sacred form of acceptance and belonging in her long, long life.

“But her hands touched every part of me, my soul fully open to her presence, and I wondered if heaven was not a place, no, but a state of being, the time where one might exist with God or whatever deity they claimed.
Carmilla did not believe in God, but she believed in me.”

and,

“She placed a kiss upon my brow. ‘Sleep, my love,’ she whispered. ‘This world was not made for lovers such as us. But do not fear; instead, we shall build our own.’”

so, if you’re looking for a short read that will absolutely hook you in from the get go and maybe even make you shed a tear or 2?? this one’s absolutely the one for you. i cant recommend it enough!

ps. the epilogue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sapphic Books]

3.5 (would probably be a 4 had I read the original).

A beautifully paced and skillfully written retelling of J. Sheridan LeFanu's Carmilla. With its short captivating tale of star-crossed, lesbian vampire lovers, it delivers everything you could want in a gothic romance.

[Carrie]

A quick read

Laura lives a lonely life with her father on an inherited estate. They witness a carriage overturn on a walk one evening. They agree to take in a sickly young woman, Carmilla, until her mother returns in a few months time.

Carmilla is odd and suspiciously amorous.

Laura isn't sure what draws her to Carmilla, but she is positive it is wrong, evil, and sinful.

Laura finds herself having to come to terms with the future she desires and if she has what it takes to secure it.

This was fairly short and quick to get through. I don't think I felt the 'love' as much as I should have. Definitely chemistry, though. And I thought the intimate scenes were really beautiful. Not clinical or smut like. Instead they seemed romantic.

Not as good as her 'Sting of Victory.' But OK and entertaining enough. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[štœnetheelysai]

I LOVE LESBIAN VAMPIRES SO MUCH

[Mads Browse]

3.5

[fulcrum]

3.5 ⭐️

i really enjoyed reading this. it gave me exactly what i needed: lesbian vampires, romance, and a touch of smut (nothing too explicit, but enough for a book in this setting). sweet and dangerous.

that said, as a retelling, it doesn’t bring much new to the table. the characters are almost the same as in the original, and the ending… well, i wish we’d gotten something less rushed, it needed more depth and a stronger point. this book almost reads like a fanfiction: heavy on romance, fast-paced and beautifully written in parts. the horror is toned down, which makes this version of carmilla feel a little tame. i missed that eerie, seductive tension, her dangerous but subtle pull. still, her charm works, especially in the way she moves around laura: tender, persistent, and very compelling. and it works for laura too, who falls pretty fast.

here’s the thing: i like rating books based on what they’re trying to do, and how well they pull it off. and i think this one knew exactly what it wanted to be. if you’ve read carmilla and thought, “i love these girls, but i wish there was a little more intimacy,” then yeah, you’ll probably enjoy this one as much as i did.

[Sava (Fang Runin’s version)]

3⭐️
Gay is in
Gay is hot
I want some gay
gay it’s gonna be

Overall a corny and a little bit smutty fanfiction of Carmilla, I got what I kinda wanted, I didn’t expect a good book, but if the author could make the story more of a slowburn with a better writing, I would have given it a higher rating.
This is a fanfiction from its core, but I didn’t expect anything else

[Gabriella]

4.5 stars. This is such a beautiful, immersive novella. I’ve seen the web series (and read its fanfiction), I’ve read this, and now I need to read the original Carmilla! Read for Sapphic Saturday.

[emily]

First actual vampire book for the queers👏 yay us. Great retelling.

[Anna Avian]

I loved this story even more than the original for the few differences that made the romance between Carmilla and Laura become a celebration rather than a tragedy. Beautifully written.

[cloverxheart]

I haven't read the original Carmilla but I absolutely adored this.

[:3]

4.5

[Zayne]

LET S GO LESBIANS!!!!!!!!!! LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOO.
THIS IS BETTER THAN CARMILLA AND TWILIGHT COMBINED !!!!!!!!

[Lindsay]

The amount of time that it took me to read this is not indicative of how much I enjoyed this novel. I read the first 3 chapters on the 8th but school started up and I put it down. I launched back into it on the 30th and I finished it quickly. Often with 19th century gothic books even retellings that plot seems to drag but this narrative is somewhat more fast paced as it was only 159 pages. The author did a ton with the page count but I would have loved more information about the Epilogue. What did Carmilla and Laura do after the original narrative from Le Fanu ends?

Sapphic vampire fiction.
Carmilla/Mircalla is so romantic and one can see how she bewitched many other girls but she does change for Laura a bit not too much because she is still a vampire. Let’s just say I am well over the angsty, what if I kill someone vampire trend. I am so happy that S.D. Simper avoided making Carmilla into a female Edward because that would have killed the aesthetics of the original which I have read.

I struggle with gothic horror in general. The settings are just a little too much. I have trouble buying into the fear factor of the original Dracula and Carmilla. I like that this book showed good times in the imposing castle on the hill. Laura is isolated by her father and lacks friends but she still finds things to treasure - outdoor exploring and eventually her romantic love with Carmilla.

If you have Kindle Unlimited 100% give this book a shot. Honestly, I would probably be willing to pay for it which says something because I avoid purchasing books like the plague. If you want a vampire lesbian romance but don’t want just pure smut this a good book for that. This book adheres to how the 1800s writers would imply things but not explicitly do them.

[Landice (Manic Femme)]

I put off reading this for ages because I wanted to read the original version first to better understand the story, but as my Sapphic September readathon came to a close, I realized Carmilla & Laura would fulfill 3 of my 4 remaining prompts and decided to go ahead and read it anyway. This was at once deliciously dark and also fluffy, and so full of yearning, then love and lust. Simper's prose, as always, is superb, and now I'm going to need her to write more historical romance. Highly recommend, perfect novella to kick off the spooky season!

Love sapphic books, too? Let's be friends! Bookstagram | Booktube | Book Blog | Twitter

[Dani]

What a beautiful Gothic love story. It’s got lesbian vampires, forbidden love, and a sacrifice to save a lover. A quick read that’s hard to put down once started. I love the ending and would mind reading more of Laura and Carmilla’s life together afterward.

[Kiupi]

Carmilla and Laura by S.D. Simper is a retelling of Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.

I want to begin my review by saying that this is not a bad book. However, I can't rate it higher for many reasons.

Firstly, I have to highlight the importance of Carmilla in literature. Carmilla is one of the earliest vampires in literature and even inspired the creation of Dracula.

In the classic novella, Carmilla is a wolf in sheep's clothing. She appears sweet and innocent when she is a blood sucking monster that seduces her victims, pretends to be their friend, and gets them to invite her into their homes and hearts. That's how Le Fanu imagined vampires to be.

On the other hand, Laura is actually innocent and awfully lonely, so she falls under Carmilla's spell.

The original book has many queer undertones, but ultimately, Carmilla is a predator, and Laura is her victim.

The main problem I have with Simper's retelling is that it's almost identical to the original, but it has the exact opposite message.

Carmilla and Laura is an unoriginal book that copies and pastes the events of the original, but adds a subplot about suitors, has Carmilla and Laura become official lovers, and gives them a happy ending.

The story is terribly repetitive, too. If only I could have a dollar for every time Carmilla and Laura fall into each other's arms, or for every time Carmilla rests on Laura, or for every time they proclaim their love for each other.

This version of the story gives Carmilla a sympathetic backstory and explains that she doesn't feed on people (a.k.a. kills them) because she wants to, but because she has to. She also truly has feelings for Laura and just wants to be with her forever.

It's like Simper wanted to have her cake and eat it too while writing this book. She wanted the events of the book to remain mostly the same as the original, but with a forgivable Carmilla whose feelings are sincere.

But even so, Carmilla is not forgivable for the things she does in this book. She takes human lives, and the author doesn't realize that this is not a minor detail that the readers can just ignore.

The villains of the book are the people who try to stop Laura from being with Carmilla after finding out she's responsible for the deaths of multiple people.

I find it especially ironic how, in the original book, some queer aspects have aged like milk, and Simper could have improved those aspects in her retelling to be more appropriate for the current time period. Instead, she compares lesbians to vampires, as if being lgbtqia+ has anything to do with harming others.

Generally, I like the added lore, and Simper tries to fill some of Le Fanu's plot holes, but she doesn't truly make the story hers.

If she had been a bit bolder and taken the story in her own hands, she could have made a phenomenal retelling.

Finally, I have to say that this feels like fanfiction most of the time and not like a published book. I can't say that it isn't a pleasant read, but I also can't give it more than ★★☆☆☆ for the reasons mentioned above.

P.S. Simper really wanted to make the readers believe that Madmoiselle De LaFontaine would just let Laura go out alone and find the monster that's responsible for so many murders and literally bit her in order to kill her.

[aadri ♥]

“Hell spoke of demons, but Carmilla has spoken only of love.“

i love retellings so much, esp when they finally give us queer characters instead of just major homoerotic tension <33

[em ✧]

for the girlies who want to read classics but need a little help

[Guerunche]

4.5 stars

I haven’t read the original on which this is based, but I loved this novella!

[MaxDisaster]

3,5 stars
A classic.
Well, at least a retelling of a classic so close to the original I sometimes thought there was no need to transcribe it, because it felt exactly the same. Thankfully it deviated from Carmilla often enough that it didn't get boring.
But as far as the story goes: on some level I'll always prefer the web-series, because that was one of my first introduction to ale media, so I'm probably biased against this book (and the book it's based on).
But it was very solid and there is a reason, why Carmilla and various retellings of this story remain a staple.

(Yes, I shelves it as wlw-retelling, even though the original was also sapphic, I just don't have a more appropriate tag)

[Iris]

Firstly, the original 'Carmilla' by Sheridan Le Fanu is a classic: It's gothic, it's moody, it's tragic and it's hella gay. So of course when I heard that there was a retelling of sorts by a queer author, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And 'Carmilla and Laura' is...fine. It does a decent-enough job of communicating the original story--for the first half of the book.

It starts off a little lazy, if I'm being honest. The author pretty much just translates the first half of the book with slightly more modern language, maybe a little more dialogue. The scenarios play out exactly like the original, so much so that 35% into the book I wondered out loud why I bothered with this book; I mean, if I wanted the story of Carmilla then I could just re-read Carmilla. What did this book have to offer that the original didn't? And then the overtly gay began and I thought, 'ah: here we go.' This author removed the guesswork and-some would say-wishful thinking from the story. Carmilla and Laura are gay and they are in love. And they act on it. A lot. And oddly enough, I think that's where the story starts to lose its wonder. Laura and Carmilla engage in a very physically intimate, if emotionally reserved, love affair. They are over the top in their expression and asserting of their love, prone to dramatics like yanking at their clothes or falling to the ground. Now this normally doesn't bother me, except this time, in this story, it didn't feel earned.

For all the book tries to sell you on their fervent emotion for each other, you don't actually feel like the girls are in love. There isn't enough build-up to their bond and their physical scenes fall flat. To make matters worse, S.D. Simper loses the atmosphere of the original; there is no mystery, no dread. Laura is aware of what Carmilla is and all but shrugs her shoulders in a very naïve, love-conquers-all type attitude. Where is the torture? The torment? This person you love is ruthlessly murdering your friends and staff, does that not matter to you? A little crisis of conscious goes a long way into making a character compelling. And Carmilla herself is, dare I say it? a bore! She is so desperate for Laura, so clingy. None of the cool, somewhat calculated seductress of the original remains. None of her apathetic attitude that evokes and/or awakens the dormant ardor from Laura. She's more of a simp than anything else, and it's not sexy.

Simper also takes away the doubt; what I loved most about the original is the doubt that creeps into your mind. Did Carmilla truly love Laura? Or was she a game to her? That anxious, nervous energy when you love someone and worry that they won't/don't/can't love you back makes for a delicious read as you root for a happy outcome. But Carmilla states that she loves Laura and Laura takes it as face value. The duplicity in Carmilla's nature apparently does not apply to Laura, her "one true love" in a rather cheesy storyline where they are fated to be together. Laura doesn't cower--doesn't blink!-- at the true nature of Carmilla once it is revealed, and the light shined upon it subdues and dampens the appeal of this taboo relationship.

One thing I thought the author did well, however, was show us how dramatic teenaged girls can be. Consumed by each other they let every other aspect of their lives fall to shit around them. Only their love--their NEED to be together mattered. It was funny, though I'm not sure it was supposed to be. I thought it could have been a fun/dark aspect of Carmilla's character: she killed teenaged girls because they were easy to manipulate. But Simper doesn't take that route. She tries (and fails) to turn this story into a star crossed lovers take on the world tale, and it pales in comparison to the original.

But it wasn't all bad; I liked it well enough. 3/5 It just wasn't the epic tale it once was.