A Vile Season

To regain his lost powers, a vampire must win a duke’s hand in this tense queer gothic romance from Ferraro (The Alchemy of Moonlight). Centuries-old English vampire Lucian Cross narrowly escapes hunters after they drive him from his castle. As recompense for Lucian’s disappointing near capture, the vampire god Vrykolakas demands that Lucian prove himself “worthy of being a vampire” and turns him human, promising to restore his immortality if he can win a Bachelor-style competition to marry conceited Duke Ambrose Harclay. Determined to both complete the quest and uncover his hunters’ identities, Lucian accepts. Yet as he connives to seduce the duke, human emotions overwhelm him, and he finds himself growing attached to the duke’s youngest brother, Maxwell. While helping Maxwell look into the disappearance of the middle Harclay brother, Lucian also develops friendships with the other competitors. But his and Maxwell’s investigations are complicated by a vampire turned by Lucian, whose arrival threatens to expose his past. Unexpected twists add grit to Ferraro’s sophomore effort, an inventive blend of reality-dating and queer-normative high society that has supernatural flair. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Eva Scalzo, Speilburg Literary. (Oct.)