Bloodlust and Bonnets

Georgette Heyer meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this smart, funny graphic novel by Emily McGovern, the award-winning author of My Life as a Background Slytherin. The year is 1820, and bored young debutante Lucy knows there must be more to life than embroidery and engagements - no matter how eligible the bachelor might be. Some bachelors, she has discovered, are less 'eligible' than they are 'bloodthirsty,' however... literally. It turns out that there are a lot of vampires in late-Regency England, and Lucy has an eye for spotting them and the desire to rid the world of them. It's not long before Lady Violet Travesty, leader of a mysterious vampire cult, spots Lucy's talents and offers her a place amongst her vampire acolytes. Unfortunately, Lady Violent is most horribly slain by the famous Lord Byron before Lucy can accept. Lucy instead joins Lord Byron and his enormous, psychic eagle Napoleon in their ongoing fight against evils such as bloodsucking ghouls and bad taste. Before long they're joined by the mysterious Sham, an androgynous bounty hunter, who catches Lucy's eye. The trio lie, flirt, fight and manipulate each other as they make their way across Britain, disrupting society balls, slaying vampires, and making every effort not to betray their feelings to each other as their personal and romantic lives become increasingly entangled. A balm for the soul for readers who love Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, novels by Eloisa James and Jane Austen, and the action and adventure of Xena, Warrior Princess, Bloodlust & Bonnets is the most modern action-heavy love-story set two hundred years ago that you'll read this year.