The Brides - PREORDER

Pub Date: July 07, 2026

Creepy, sumptuous and incredibly gripping, The Brides is a feminist gothic horror about the three women who became the brides of Dracula - and the fourth who managed to escape . . .

"THE BRIDES is DRACULA'S worthy successor: a gothic, sapphic epistolary novel that thrills, chills, and delights in equal measure. I loved every page!" --Johanna Van Veen, author of Blood on the Tongue and My Darling Dreadful Thing

"Come to me, and be mine for eternity."

1884. When Mafalda journeys to Budapest to care for her grieving aunt, her secret love, Lucy, hurries from London to comfort her, with chaperone and lady's maid in tow.

But lady's maid Alice, blessed and cursed with the Sight, is tormented by terrifying visions. When chaperone Eliza falls prey to a disturbing wasting illness, the women hope to seek the healing waters of Transylvania. At a nobleman's invitation, they set out for Castle Dracula.

In the depths of the forest, miles from civilization, their host reveals his true intentions; a monstrous ambition which will tear the women apart.

And not all of them will survive.

Charlotte Cross writes historical speculative fiction, having been fascinated by stories of the past since she was a child. She grew up in southern England in a small town with a rich history, and spent many happy hours at the local museum where her grandmother was a volunteer. Charlotte now lives in central Scotland with her partner and their opinionated ginger cat. When not writing, she enjoys yoga, reading Victorian novels, and exploring her adopted country. The Brides is her first novel.