Ring: A Vampire Novel

by Connie Myres

Bloodthirsty vampires, obedient gargoyles, and a creepy castle on the shore of Lake Michigan, just might give Cassie the alternative future that she thought she wanted. Cassie co-owns C & N Rare Books with her best friend Nicole in Black Water, Michigan. Desperately wanting to be a wife and mother, she decides her longtime boyfriend Derrick is the man she should marry, even though he wasn’t everything that she thought she wanted in a husband. Then an intriguing man enters the shop and Cassie reconsiders her options. Maybe Gustave was the right man for her—fate stepped in just in time. Will bookstore owner Cassie Fields marry her longtime love and have children before her biological clock runs out, or will the mysterious man and the found ring drive her to madness, causing her to lose everything she's ever wanted? Vampires, obsession, and a series of haunting events plague Cassie and influence her life decisions. Can she break the hypnotizing pull of the mysterious stranger, Gustave Veil?

Genres: Vampires

Kindle Edition

Published July 8, 2021

About the author

CONNIE S. MYRES is a novelist who writes psychological thrillers that explore the darker side of love and trust. She also writes horror, mystery, and science fiction. When not crafting stories about ordinary people in extraordinary danger, she works on her new hobby, junk journaling. She lives in Michigan, with her family and way too many projects to complete.

Connie's website: https://www.conniemyres.com

Reviews

[Mary Kirkland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassie owns a bookstore which I loved. That has to be my favorite job for someone in a book I'm reading. She thinks her long time boyfriend, Derrick is going to ask her to marry him and she's excited until a mysterious man walks into her bookstore asking for a particular book she has to find for him. When he leaves the ring behind that she has been looking at, she decides to get the book and take both the book and the ring back to him herself. But she makes the mistake of putting the ring on her finger after she forgets to put it in the safe and finds it in her pocket.

Gustave seems like one of those mysterious, rich guys that end up being sweet vampires in the vampire romances that I read. But he's been watching Cassie unbeknownst to her and putting the ring on her finger just put her in danger.

Gustave is not the romantic vampire type that I am used to reading. No, he's more the old Dracula type vampire who is ruthless, bloodthirsty and used to getting his way by any means necessary. We get a past look at how he's treated people to get what he wants and he's not a nice guy. The people who are with him are not nice either so when Cassie is able to fight the hypnotic pull somehow, he's not happy.

I love Cassie's friends and the fact that Derrick comes to fight for her. The story was good and I really liked all the other characters and monsters. There are gargoyles that are just as bloodthirsty as Gustave is and it made for an interesting story. The ending was really good and exactly what I needed to make this a fun story.

[Michelle Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lately, Vampires in novels have been all the rage, but they aren't the vampires of old, Dracula; they are new and romantic and everyone wants to be with them or be them. Well this is definitely not one of those stories! Ring, by author Connie Myers is so much more along the lines of the old Dracula style vampires. Which makes it that much more enjoyable to read, its different, unique and a story entirely unto its own.

Cassie is the co-owner of a rare bookstore, she has a steady boyfriend, but it isn't exciting, it's comfortable and although she wants a family and marriage, and she is getting older every day and her chances of becoming a mom are quickly passing her by, she isn't sure if she is ready to settle for comfortable. When a charismatic customer with a hand full of rings comes into the bookstore looking for a rare book, Cassie feels drawn to him in ways she doesn't understand. So much in fact that she says No when Derrick, her comfortable boyfriend asks her to marry him, just so she can explore what this pull is all about. Unfortunately for Cassie this pull isn't anything that love stories are made of, it has hints of evil and a twisted nature, as she finds out when she stops by his "home" to deliver the book.

Gustav is a vampire, and not just any vampire, he is the leader of this small clan living in Michigan in an ancient castle hidden away on the coast of Lake Michigan. Cassie feels pulled to him, but at the same time repulsed by the some of the other people living with him, although she doesn't know why. After a bottle of wine, Cassie is forced to spend the night, but she awakens during the night and over hears things not meant for her ears, that enlighten her into what is actually going on, and Cassie loses the attraction and it becomes a fight for survival.

Cassie also has loyal friends, some old and some new. Like the seer that she meets on the drive to Gustav's, they have only met once yet Kriska is more than willing to fight old demons and memories to help Cassie when the time comes. Then there is Cassie's business partner and best friend Nicole, who will risk life and limb to get Cassie away from Gustav, even before she knows anything about him. Even Derrick, the comfortable boyfriend shows his true colors when the time comes.

This was not the light-hearted romance story of vampires that has been making the rounds in books lately, this was darker and older, but it was such a good story. There were backstories from side characters that made you feel like this was not just Cassie's story, but that the tell had been going on for a long time and Cassie was just one player in the whole story. It was well written and kept me engaged the whole way.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story. Vampires, creepy castles and gargoyles. An awesome book to keep you intrigued I absolutely loved and enjoyed it.

[Jay Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The unknown castle in northern Michigan is the setting for a struggle against an eternal vampire. The story is about a woman from a store of an rare books. His delivery a rare book results in her capture by the leader of the vampires and gnomes. I enjoyed a location from a place in the United States in the forests of Michigan near the great lake. Suspense and danger keeps the book engrossing, and the descriptive of the vampires and paranormal servants is very imaginative. The characters are somewhat stereotype, but capture the environment well. The plot is imaginative. I recommend this book.

[William Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not your typical vampire story. It hearkens back to earlier stories of Bram Stoker and Dr. Polidori. Highly recommended, you will not be disappointed!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Candice Kamencik · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, let me say that this is a tiiiiiny bit of a cheesy vampire novel (aren't most of them?), but in a good way. It's got a lot of traditional vampire tropes, which is actually out of the norm for contemporary vampire novels, and I really appreciated that aspect.

The start of the book was pretty engaging - the main character works in an antique bookstore, and a mysterious man come in searching for an old book. Que the intrigue, the covert glances, and the thrall-type attraction and obsession.

The only negative part to the book was a lot of convenient plot devices - cars that suddenly won't start, lack of cell phone signals, etc, but at least it was placed in such a way that those issues could conceivably be covered under "mysterious vampire/evil powers made this happen," so they weren't just completely floating in the abyss. That negative was counter acted by very strong secondary characters, and a very nice back/secondary parallel story.

All in all, this was a good, quick read. If you like vampire novels, you definitely won't be disappointed in this one, so give it a try!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. Could not out it down. Finished a couple hours.

[Cami Eslick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all things vampire!!! A fun, quick read with an interesting take on vampires terrorizing an area.