Morgan D'Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody

Morgan D’Arcy is an English nobleman, a concert pianist…and a vampire…

Some readers may remember meeting the handsome Lord D’Arcy in my reviews of the novels Sinner’s Opera and Cardinal Desires. This time around, the man described by one character as having a face belonging in the Sistine Chapel and his soul in Hell, recounts several episodes in his Undead existence . . .

As always, the character of Morgan himself is a deeply conflicted one. In human form, he’s charming and witty; in vampyre mode, he’s blunt and ruthless but at the same time ambiguously hesitant to kill those to whom he’s grown fond.

“I am not a monster. Not a living corpse. I’m a mutation. A blood-borne pathogen altered my DNA but I do drink blood . . . “

His blatant sexuality is always at the fore though he readily admits he doesn’t love anyone. At the same time, he’s secretly looking for that specific someone . . . to love him in spite of what he is . . . the one woman to whom he’ll give the gift of immortality so she may travel the centuries with him. Through his story runs that single thread . . . Morgan may find a woman but he always loses her, because she isn’t the right one.

Author Nightingale’s writing has a lyrical quality, darkly poetic in some aspects, but always descriptive and entertaining. She has a way with words bordering on the style of Oscar Wilde, teetering on the epigram, bon mots with a deeply sensual attitude.

Though her other novels were delights to read, Morgan D’Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody is the best to date, a tour de force of luscious description and elegant passages. Her own particular take on the vampire genre is an original idea embellished by descriptive prose.

Lovers of paranormal romance will enjoy this book as much for the subject matter as for the lush imagery the writing evokes.


This novel was supplied by the publisher and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.
This review is an excerpt from the full-length one written for the New York Journal of Books.

I'm an avid reader of vampire novels and have come across a variety of approaches to the whole vampire origin story. This one particular author chose to go the viral mutations of human DNA route. I had not read other books featuring the world of Morgan D'Arcy. This one is a collection of short stories about this character that take place throughout different periods of his immortal life in different locations. The author smartly included some references to events going on in the other books, which, for me, intrigued me enough to want to read these other installments. I don't think one needs to read these other books prior to reading this one, which I appreciated. It was a good introduction to Morgan and this whole philosophy behind the viral mutations of human DNA causing vampyrism. The author tied this concept in nicely. Each story has a lust interest, but this didn't saturate the story too much. Morgan is a fairly complex character whether in human or vampyre form. I'm looking forward to getting to know more about him.

This is a vampire story. It is part of a series. The heroine is in love with the hero. Her memory is taken away. I wish I had read the rest of the series. .