Just for a Taste

Blood, Books, and a Bargain with Vampires

Cora Bowling, a Vampire History major, knows the cardinal rule of life: never trust a deal that seems too good to be true. But with her thesis on the Medici family stalled and bank account empty, the chance to study in a secluded Sicilian abbey owned by the Medici's themselves seems like divine intervention-until she discovers the job description.

Cora is bound to become the exclusive blood partner of Duca Zeno d' Medici, a reclusive yet charming virtuoso who is cursed by vampirism: a fatal genetic condition that causes photophobia, hemophilia and a fragile, blood-dependent existence. In exchange for a life spent away from high society, he must choose someone to nourish him-and the more he drinks from Cora, the more he hungers for something beyond blood. Like a moth to a flame, Cora finds herself equally drawn to his world.

But the Medici's, who prefer to keep their old money and older sins contained, detest outsiders, especially those who snoop around. The more Cora probes into their past, the deeper she traps herself-and leaving might not be an option.

With dark academia undertones, Just for a Taste is a slow-burn gothic novel about desire, sacrifice, and the cost of falling for someone you can never truly have.