Carmilla and Laura

By: S D Simper

Narrated by: Lois Ridge

In the late 19th century, Laura lives a lonely life in a schloss by the forest, Styria, with only her doting father and two governesses for company. A chance accident brings a new companion, however - the eccentric and beautiful Carmilla.

With charm unparalleled and habits as mysterious as her history, Carmilla’s allure is undeniable, drawing Laura closer with every affectionate touch and word. Attraction blossoms into a temptation Laura fears to name, a tantalizing passion burning brighter than the fires of hell. But when a mysterious plague begins stealing the lives of young women in her home and the village beyond, Laura wrestles to reconcile the truth - that the gentle, fragile woman she loves may be a monster cast out of heaven.

Carmilla, the classic vampire novella written by J Sheridan LeFanu, receives new life in this gorgeous retelling, centered on the provocative, controversial leads of the original, Carmilla and Laura.

©2018 Endless Night Publications (P)2021 Endless Night Publications

Critic reviews

"The writing is gorgeous, the story is enthralling, and the characters are lovable.... I would recommend this story to anyone who loves vampires, adores sweet historical romance, and/or who wants a delicious little snack of a book to while away an afternoon." (Evie Drae, author of Beauregard and the Beast)

"This is a beautiful retelling...perfect for anyone who likes darker-themed romance, horror stories, or plain ol’ lesbian vampires." (The Lesbian 52)

Excellent book but the voice acting is a bit lacking

The voice actor, while an excellent reader with a clear voice, read the dialogue in a way that vividly put me back in high school English class. Every line of Laura or Carmilla was read with the same monotonous strangely loud either nasal (Laura) or mean-girl-like tone (Carmilla) that made what I wanted to be breathless bosom heaving clandestine intimacy into very bland and often obnoxious line reads that pulled me out of the moment instead of losing myself in the story. The voice actor was wonderful between the dialogue but their character voices could use a little more delicacy and inflection, especially for a more spicy forbidden romance read like this one.

Soft sapphic retelling of Carmilla and Laura

Liked the story overall but left some characters undeveloped. Unfortunately, the narration often didn't match the tone of print. Higher pitched voice when the MC was supposedly annoyed and grumbling in the a.m....situations like such were frustrating and I had to really push past it to continue listening. I expected slightly more detailed moments during sensuous entanglements, but there was neentanglement, Almost as if the author or editor censored the content.

Good and satisfying adaptation

At the beginning I wasn't sure if I was into it, but as the story progressed and we learn more about Carmilla's motivation and background the story gets pretty interesting. The author did a great job by expanding on Carmilla's and her mom's story, which we don't see much in the original novella.

The narration wasn't bad, but Laura's voice just wasn't as I imagined. In my opinion the narrator's Carmilla voice would make more sense being Laura's and vice versa. But overall, pretty enjoyable read. I would recommend!!! :)

🥰

love the elaboration of the original. it makes me sad that the two girls find a love that most of us only can dream and long for. the tragedy is the story is that most of us will reach the end with no carmilla to save or Laura to save us. I thank that's why I love the story. the original let's you make your mind if carmilla was a monster or sincere with her actions. the story also circled around to tie up the loose end of the mother. thanks for the continuation!!

New ending

I love that Laura chose her ending in this rendition of the story, SD Simper has a new fan 🖤

Terrible Narrator, Sweet Story

This is probably a dream come true for a teen girl discovering herself. I’m glad stuff like this exists for them today. This story is a nice retelling of the original. However, the narrator is terrible. Not so terrible that the story is ruined. But, pretty close.

change the perspective, change the story

this was a highly enjoyable listen if you're a queer person who loves blood sucking love.

AMAZING

everything I wanted and more!!!! I would love if they made a movie about this book. The audible just made it soooo much better!!!! Absolutely beautiful and amazingly written

Amazing Retelling

While the original Carmilla was a fascinating story to a weird lesbian like myself, it wasn't without its flaws. I had gripes with the pacing, lack of strong character development, and the poor resolution; great idea, poor execution.

This retelling completely resolved all my issues with the original. It was faster paced while keeping all the important story beats, we witness character development that's interesting and dynamic, and it ties up a lot of loose ends that are unresolved in the original work. For the freaks out there, the original only teases us with woman on woman romance, but Simper's retelling fully delivers what I was craving.

Excellent work and a grear performance. Huge recommend

You’re A Monster, But You Love Me 🥺

Yes it’s a trope, but I couldn’t care less when the trope works. This is such a perfect listen for a night in, or a long drive. A perfect balance of romance, adorableness, intrigue, schmexy bits, and a lovely dash of looking-the-other-way for the morally grey romantic interest.

This listen is a treat 😚👌