Citizens of Shadow: A Vampire Tale, in which Vauquelin’s story continues. A queer dark fantasy of vampires, time travel, and sinister secrets that threaten to unravel an eternal existence. (expected June 2023). Click above to add on Goodreads.
Beguiled by Night
A VAMPIRE TALE
“A feast of Gothic delight”
⸺ BEVERLEY LEE
Louis de Vauquelin is an ancient French vampire created in 1668 and now living in modern-day Los Angeles. His life in self-imposed exile has become peaceful and relatively carefree until time suddenly begins to unravel, forcing him to navigate the already chartered waters of his past.
As his mundane modern existence is systematically erased, he surrenders to his brutal nature and faces an unexpected choice that could alter his life completely, and in turn, extinguish the only true happiness he ever knew.
Beguiled by Night is a complex tapestry of time, horror, and beauty woven with gore and redemption, rooted in elegant violence.
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Signed hardcovers and paperbacks with free bookmark are available directly from Polidori Press.
Book Extras
Pronunciations
For non-French speakers, I have compiled audio pronunciation tracks for the main characters and locales in Beguiled by Night. Amusez-vous bien.
Soundtrack
The vampire Vauquelin has been alive for centuries. As you might imagine, his taste in music can be quite bizarre. Listen along on Spotify for a moody accompaniment to Beguiled by Night. If, like Vauquelin, you love classical music, jazz, darkwave, and goth, you’ll love this soundtrack (and the book).
About the Author
Nicole Eigener
she/her/they/their
I am a lifelong student of French history and the macabre. My fascination with vampires dates back to the age of eight, when I saw ‘Salem’s Lot on television. Many years later, my love for haemovores became a beautiful marriage with my obsession with French history and culture, specifically of the seventeenth-century.
Beguiled by Night is my first published novel, although I have been writing since childhood. Growing up, the words of Toni Morrison were always bubbling beneath my dark surfaces: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” And so I did. I hope you love Vauquelin and my French vampire world as much as I do.
I am excited to share Book Two, Citizens of Shadow, coming soon.
Recent Reviews
Beguiled by Night is a sensuous, spellbinding, beautifully-written tale that I blazed through in only a couple of days. It also now joins Lost Souls, They Thirst, and Salems’ Lot on my list of favorite vampire novels.
⸺BRIAN BOWYER
author of Perpetual Dread, Flesh Rehearsal, Sinister Mix, Noctural Blood
I love it when a book surprises me. I love it even more when a vampire book surprises me!
May I introduce you to Beguiled by Night and The Vampire Louis de Vauquelin. Born to darkness in the year 1668, we first meet Vauquelin in modern day Los Angeles, where he has just donated his extensive collection of clothing to a museum.
And then everything changes….
The mystery grabs you. Why? What purpose is there in making a vampire relive his life?
I’m not going to go into the details because they’re best left for a reader to discover, but we learn, through a catalogue of vivid scenes and events, exactly how Vauquelin came to be. We learn of his loves and his losses. Of his mistakes.
Beautifully written and with sumptuous historical detail, Beguiled by Night is a feast of Gothic delight and a worthy addiction to any vampire lover’s library.
I very much look forward to the next offering from this author.
⸺BEVERLEY LEE
author of The Gabriel Davenport Trilogy, The House of Little Bones, The Ruin of Delicate Things
A lush, eloquently-written novel that will transport you through time. The experiences of Vauquelin, a French vampire made in the year 1668 and now living in modern day Los Angeles, are by turns sensual, disturbing, and poignant.
Fully human in his flaws and longings, while at the same time being much *more* than human, Vauquelin is a singular hero. His journey through the past, present, and “futurepast” makes for a riveting, unexpected story. A unique spin on the Gothic vampire tale. Highly recommend!
⸺PAULETTE KENNEDY
author of Parting the Veil
Eigener brings her own beautifully poetic prose to the fore, and the reader is drowned in atmosphere.
Let’s clear one thing up – I am not a vampire fan. I think the trope has been done – well and not so well – again and again, so when a vampire book grabs my attention, it’s nothing short of miraculous. And that’s what I think this book is – nothing short of miraculous.
When you read it, and you really should read it, you’ll know that Nicole has poured her heart and soul into the book. That detail, love, the attention to atmosphere, can’t come from any other place. The time you spend in the novel is ultimately rewarding; You do not want to leave the time period Vauquelin lives through, it is frustrating to have to live, work, sleep, spend time away from [Nicole’s] world.
Beguiled by Night is simply remarkable. Meticulously written, outstandingly edited, enthrallingly presented.
⸺AUSTRIAN SPENCER
author of The Sadeiest
Beguiled by Night is a darkly evocative story with a luxurious gothic feel.
Louis de Vauquelin is a French aristocrat born in 1668 now living in modern-day Los Angeles. After donating his collection of now historical clothing to a museum, his long self-imposed exile away from other vampires is dragged from his grip, sending Vauquelin back into a world he had both hated and loved.
From the first page, the author entices you into Vauquelin’s story with beautiful prose, artist notes and lavish historical details to delight all the senses. There is a beautiful quality to the writing; the details are elaborate, fitting the gothic feel, but never over flourished without purpose.
There is no putting this book aside; the vampire calls to you, gets inside your head, tugging at your thoughts. I devoured the book with eager lust. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.
⸺BECKY WRIGHT
author of Mr. Stoker and I, Priory, The Final Act of Mercy Dove, Daughters of the Oak
Blog
Citizens of Shadow: A Vampire Tale (Beguiled by Night Book 2)
Indie horror authors Beverley Lee and Nicole Eigener collaborated on a new novelette, bringing their extraordinary vampire worlds together.
Crimson is the Night: A Vampire Novelette Now Available
Indie horror authors Beverley Lee and Nicole Eigener collaborated on a new novelette, bringing their extraordinary vampire worlds together.
A Vampire Novelist’s Top 10 Vampire Movies
It goes without saying that as a writer of vampire novels, I am also a lover of vampire film and movies. But there are so many horrible vampire movies that it’s tough to slog through them all.