The Brides

Charlotte Cross’s debut novel, The Brides, just came out this week. This is for all the Dracula fans out there: In this retelling, we get accounts from Mafalda Lowell, Lucy North, schoolfriend Eliza, and lady’s maid Alice from their travels to Budapest and Transylvania in 1884. Twenty years later, Dr. John Seward is a psychiatric doctor at an asylum in Oxford. He’s been trying to forget his experience with Count Dracula a decade before, but a new patient is forcing him to revisit that horrific chapter of his life. A sort of prequel and sequel to the horror classic, this Gothic novel shines a light on the women who were meant to be Dracula’s brides.

What I Liked:

• Mirrors the epistolary format of Dracula. Like its source of inspiration, The Brides is told entirely through letters and journal entries. It also has the same slow pace and formal writing, making it feel like it was truly written during the eras in which it’s set. The author has expertly matched Bram Stoker’s storytelling and writing style.
• Centered on the women. Dracula was mainly told from men’s perspectives. In The Brides, however, most of our POVs come from women. I enjoyed getting their insights into the freedoms and limitations women faced in the 1880s. It’s a feminist take that tackles harassment from men, the push to get married, and women saving themselves.
• Sapphic main characters. Two of the protagonists here, Mafalda and Lucy, are secretly in a relationship. Given that it’s 1884, there are few options for two women who wish to build a life together… and Mafalda and Lucy don’t always agree on what the right path forward should be.
• Mental health advancements. Dr. John Seward is working on better understanding the mind in 1903. He’s at the forefront of advancements in recognizing and treating mental health issues, and I found his perspectives in this regard fascinating.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Too slow. Like the original novel, The Brides does feel a bit meandering and not quite scary enough. I found myself wishing for more movement in the plot and a more gripping delivery.

Audiobook:

Anna Popplewell and Sam Woolf narrate the various characters in The Brides. While Sam Woolf takes on John Seward’s parts, Anna Popplewell carries all the women’s voices—including the use of Yorkshire and Hungarian accents! Both narrators capture the tone and setting perfectly, making for an immersive listen.

Final Thoughts

The Brides is faithful to Dracula, but also brings new perspectives and a feminist edge. It will most appeal to people who have ready the classic novel before, but it stands on its own as well. I look forward to reading more from Charlotte Cross!

Special thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Brides here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

The Brides by Charlotte Cross
Audiobook Narrator	Anna Popplewell; Sam Woolf
Audience	Adult
Genre	Horror
Setting	Romania; Hungary; England
Number of Pages	400
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	July 7, 2026
Publisher	Hanover Square Press

Official Summary

Before Dracula, there were The Brides. . .

1903. Sir John Seward, survivor of Count Dracula’s murderous campaign ten years before, takes up a post as a psychiatric doctor at an Oxford public asylum. There, a new patient arrives whose traumatic experiences resurrect horrors John has spent a decade trying to forget.

1884. Mafalda Lowell journeys from London to Budapest to care for her recently widowed aunt Reka. She uncovers the chilling truth about her uncle’s death, and writes to her secret love Lucy North for comfort. Chaperoned by former schoolfriend Eliza and lady’s maid Alice, Lucy travels across the continent to be with her beloved.

Only Alice, beset by nightmares and terrifying visions, notices the strange black-clad man who seems to follow them wherever they go. When Eliza is struck down with a mysterious wasting illness, her doctor orders her to take the healing waters of Transylvania, a journey with devastating consequences.

There was meant to be four . . .

A dual timeline novel, told through letters, diary entries, psychiatric reports, that places women at the centre of literature’s most famous vampire story.