My Vampire Duke

By: Amy Horikami

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

***UPDATED with REVISIONS (2024)

Pride and Prejudice meets TWILIGHT! In this Paranormal Regency Romance that is a MUST READ!!!

Left destiture by their father's debts. Ellie and Lucy (two sisters) leave the London scene to try and make a life in their country estate in Wotton. Ellie gets hired as a maid in the mysterious Duke of Melbourn's household, but all is not as it seems. With danger lurking around every corner and a mysterious Duke who will not show his face, but touches Ellies heart in a cold and thrilling way, she wonders if moving was such a good idea.

A Hilariously Weird Review

Imagine Jane Austen and Edward Cullen teamed up to co-author a bonkers Regency romance—and then someone accidentally invited a vampire Duke into the ballroom dance of words. That, dear reader, is My Vampire Duke in a nutshell.

We begin in the pallid drawing rooms of a crumbling English estate called Wotton, where two penniless sisters—Ellie and Lucy—arrive, having inherited not a fortune but a mountain of their late father’s debts  . If scandalous financial ruin were a Regency dance, they’d be clashing under the chandelier.

Ellie, ever the plucky sister, secures a position as a maid in the Duke of Melbourn’s household. Of course, he’s mysterious, shadowy, and probably brooding behind a velvet curtain—or maybe hiding under his own cape—touching hearts with the subtlety of an icy caress  . It’s like Pride & Prejudice had a Twilight-themed mashup with a gothic undertone.

Weird Winsomely Imagined Highlights
• Swoony, Shadowy Duke Vibes: The Duke of Melbourn is basically “Mr. Darcy, but nocturnal.” He hides his face, yet manages to be irresistible—like riddle wrapped in a dark secret, dipped in smoldering desire.
• Pride Meets Paranormal: It’s sweet, stiff-upper-lip Regency etiquette squeezed into the sleek, fang-tipped world of vampires. Think proper tea parties by day, clandestine fang-adjacent whispers by moonlight.
• Atmosphere of “Should I Be Worried?”: Danger lurks “around every corner,” because what’s a vampire romance without the faint smell of garlic—or better yet, the fear that you are the garlic?  .

According to Audible, the narration clocks in at around 2 hours and 35 minutes—short but (non-)sweet—and garners an “Overall” rating of 3.5 out of 5, with the story itself getting a middling 2.5 . In other words: Entertaining, if you don’t expect highbrow—or highbite.

In Other Words…

If you’re craving something that feels like wearing a velvet gown with a bite, this is your bizarre ballroom. The narrative prances between Regency charm and vampire chills, occasionally tripping over its own shadowy charm. It’s not profound, but it is a guilty, gleaming pleasure—like sipping tea one moment and fang-dripping cocoa the next.

So, leave your expectations at the door, maybe bring a garlic clove as a punchline, and dive into this uncanny pairing of etiquette and eternal night. My Vampire Duke is not so much a literary masterpiece as it is a theatrical delight—charming, occasionally cheesy, and absolutely weird in the best possible way.

Inauthentic 

Y’all this is not an authentic regency story. It screams “21st century author poorly writing regency era fiction”. I have yet to finish this story but it’s aggravating because I did not want a 21st century interpretation of a regency story. I wanted a regency story. This ain’t it. Even the idioms used are not dated correctly!! Definitely needs developmental editing.

I found the story truly lacking

There was no meat to the story. Just when it really got started it was over. It was like some one gave you the first chapters to wet your mind and then stopped. This could have went so much better if they had went further into the story to fight the bad vampires and ware wolves. Maybe had one gone missing and they have to rescue them. BUT NOPE spoiler alert the women just discover who they are and it’s over. REALLY. The virtual voice isn’t that bad actually.

great and clean

love this book. good clean and fun. I love fantasy and romance without the sex and fowl language. Amy knows how to do it right.

All Potential, No Payoff

My Vampire Duke is a very quick read/listen, and while the premise has strong potential, the execution ultimately falls short. The story moves from event to event with little to no character development or narrative buildup. Each chapter feels like a separate moment rather than part of a cohesive story, and the overall flow is barely there.
The characters themselves are thinly developed. Most of them are identified by titles rather than names, which made it difficult to connect with anyone or keep track of who was who. On top of that, there is a repetitive writing quirk where characters constantly “pinch their lips.” It appears so often that it becomes distracting rather than descriptive.
Although the book is presented as historical fiction, it does not seem to respect the social norms of the time period it is set in. Young women being alone with men would have been considered scandalous, yet both sisters repeatedly wander off alone with the duke or the earl without any mention of chaperones or social consequences. This lack of cultural grounding breaks immersion and makes the setting feel superficial.
Romance is another weak point. Characters seem to fall in love without any real reason or emotional buildup. By the end of the book, I was left wondering how — or why — these feelings developed at all.
Lastly, there is a noticeable lack of common sense in characters who are supposed to be educated women. Their decisions often feel illogical or careless, which further undermines their credibility.
Overall, My Vampire Duke had the foundation for an engaging historical paranormal romance, but the lack of development, authenticity, and emotional depth keeps it from reaching that potential. It may appeal to readers looking for a fast, low-investment read, but those hoping for rich characters or meaningful storytelling will likely be disappointed.