Mortal Passions by Avery Curran

Pre-order: Publishes 20th May 2027
 
A gothic vampire romance by the author of Spoiled Milk, for fans of Stephen King, Sarah Waters and Elif Batuman.
 
Laura Wyck has waited her whole life to be chosen, but in the meantime, she chooses a PhD. Specifically, at the University of ---, a coveted and prestigious institution where she has spent the best part of her life.

But then Laura encounters Eli and everything changes. The stranger in the library, a dream of a butch, Eli is smooth, glittering, terribly seductive . . . and they set Laura's teeth on edge. They've been tasked by the University to oversee the dismantling of everything Laura holds close, draining the institution of its lifeblood.

As Laura is pulled into Eli's magnetic orbit and bodies begin to fall, the threat of death becomes a potent, shadowy force on campus. Consumed by her newfound privileges, Laura indulges in the beauty and grandeur of Eli's world, while her peers suspect that there is something festering and rotten behind Eli's charm. Is Laura in love, or is she being held hostage? Riotously delicious and utterly consuming, is at once an excoriating send-up of capitalism and a desperately sexy campus novel.
 
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'Curran writes with incredible precision on fear, desire and the insidiousness of authority.' - Julia Armfield
 
‘Swooning, sensory, and crystal-clear, Mortal Passions is, above all, overwhelmingly seductive. Laura and Eli are lovers for the ages, but Curran never loses sight of the extractions and temptations of the age we’re in; this is queer vampire romance that fulfils its every promise. I devoured it.’ - Sara Hinkley, author of The Red Sacrament
 
'Curran uses the anxieties of our current moment—decadence tipping perilously to decay—as the perfect backdrop for this deliciously gothic vampire romance. Sexy and brooding and smart; full of blood and feasts and crumbling architecture. I devoured this one.' - Ainslie Hogarth, author of Motherthing