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  • Vasilisa Drake
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  • A Bargain So Bloody

A Bargain So Bloody

Kingdom of Dark Magic #1 / 2
by Vasilisa Drake
A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic #1) by Vasilisa Drake
Unrated

She’s trapped in a magical prison. To break out, she’ll make a deal with the most dangerous prisoner of them all.

Sentenced for a crime she didn’t commit, Samara is bullied by guards and tormented by the screams of her fellow prisoners. She’s resigned herself to enduring her fifteen-year term… until she learns that the freedom she's been promised is the cruelest lie of all.

Now she's faced with a choice: resign herself to dying in the cold walls of Castle Greymere, or do the unthinkable and escape. But no one leaves Greymere alive. So to break out of the prison? She’ll have to use one of the undead.

Raphael is the worst kind of monster: a vampire with a thirst for blood, the mortal enemy of witches, the same breed that killed her mother. And most importantly, he’s unspeakably powerful, his supernatural strength tamed only by the enchanted cuffs forced on him.

He’s her only chance at a life outside the prison walls.

The deal is simple: Samara unlocks his shackles, and he'll help her escape. But although Raphael agreed to help her leave Greymere, he never promised to let her go…

A Bargain So Bloody is the first book in an exciting new romantasy series, perfect for readers who love slow burn romance with morally grey heroes who fall first and hard and heroines who find their own strength.

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FantasyRomantasy
Release date: May 17, 2025

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Vasilisa Drake

Vasilisa Drake writes the kind of fantasy romance that sinks its teeth in and refuses to let go. Her stories pulse with dark magic, dangerous bargains, and heroines who refuse to bow to fate. Based in New England, Drake describes herself as “constantly moving from one overpriced apartment to another,” a restless spirit who finds her anchor in the worlds she builds, places filled with dragons, witches, and the kind of monsters you might secretly want to love.

Her writing blends the sensual with the supernatural, balancing power struggles and emotional vulnerability in equal measure. In the Shifted Fates series, she explores the bond between strength and sacrifice through shapeshifters and queens who claw their way back from betrayal. Her newer work, A Bargain So Bloody, begins a fresh descent into a kingdom ruled by magic and blood, where a witch imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit must bargain with a vampire for her freedom.

Read more ...

Drake’s fascination with morally grey heroes and women who fight for their own salvation shapes every story she tells. Her characters don’t wait for rescue, they make choices that blur the lines between love and survival. Readers drawn to dark fantasy, paranormal romance, and stories steeped in both danger and devotion will find her books rich with tension and unexpected tenderness.

Though still an emerging voice, Vasilisa Drake has quickly gained recognition among readers who crave fantasy romance with bite. She writes late into the night, guided by a lifelong love of dragons and myth, crafting stories that ask what happens when the monster isn’t something to be feared, but something to be understood.

Kingdom of Dark Magic

In a land where power is born from blood and every bargain demands a price, the Kingdom of Dark Magic series draws readers into a world where nothing is freely given, and even love can be a weapon.

It begins with A Bargain So Bloody, where Samara, a witch condemned for crimes she didn’t commit, is locked within the stone walls of Castle Greymere. Her only path to freedom lies in the hands of Raphael, a vampire prisoner whose hunger is matched only by his thirst for vengeance. Bound by an impossible deal, their uneasy alliance sparks a slow and dangerous pull that blurs the line between savior and captor. What follows is a story of forbidden magic, fractured loyalties, and the cost of survival in a kingdom built on ruin.

Read more ...

Through shadowed corridors and blood-soaked promises, this dark fantasy romance unravels a tale of power reclaimed and desire that defies reason. The series weaves together gothic atmosphere, enemies-to-lovers tension, and the haunting beauty of a world where monsters and mortals are not so easily told apart.

For readers drawn to stories steeped in danger, passion, and the lure of forbidden magic, Kingdom of Dark Magic offers a journey where love is both the curse and the key to freedom.


Kingdom of Dark Magic consists of one book and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

A Bargain So Bloody (Kingdom of Dark Magic #1)
Unrated
A Magic So Deadly (Kingdom of Dark Magic #2)
⧗ 8.76 / 4


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