Dandelions in the Garden and The Hidden Will of the Dragon

I recently read Dandelions in the Garden by Charlie Courtland. It is the first book in the series about the Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Written from the perspective of her closest lady in waiting it is the historical fiction written about the descendant of Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler. Amara is the characters name who tells the story and I fell in love with her from the beginning. She is timid at first but really comes into her own in this story. While it is Elizabeth's story it is also Amara's. Elizabeth is strong willed, wild and stubborn where Amara is quiet and reserved. The more time Amara spends with Elizabeth though her wildness and willfulness rubs off on Amara. Elizabeth is forced to marry and takes Amara with her, it is during this tough time the girls bond is sealed for life. They go through hilarious situations that they get in to, finding love, hatred and sorrow and everything in between. Elizabeth loses it a little through out the book and punishes anyone who gets in her way or crosses her, quite violently. Amara is often times shocked at what goes on but is loyal nonetheless. I was totally drawn into the world of lords and ladies and arranged marriages and scandal. Its a wild ride and I couldn't put the book down. The story is quite dark at times and very descriptive as to the cruelties Elizabeth invokes on her subjects. Not for the faint of heart. I give it 5 stars.

I finished the second book The Hidden Will of the Dragon a few days ago and while this book was quite different from the first I still enjoyed it. This book was much darker and more strange. It really got more into Elizabeth sort of going off the deep end and getting into "experimenting". This books deals with more of the things that the rumors and legends came from. Elizabeth was known as the Blood Countess and she was rumored to be into vampire-ism. It was also said she bathed in virgins blood. Many people who went into her castle did not return. This book also covers Amara going through love and loss and really changing as a person. Rather than just be a spectator she becomes part of Elizabeth's plots. People around the two really start to realize how unbalanced Elizabeth is. I still love Amara's character in this book but Im not sure how I feel about Elizabeth. In the first I loved her spirit and determination but in the second book she is slightly manic and insane. Still a very good read and I was totally sucked in to the story and these women's lives. If you were unsure about reading the first one don't read this one. Its quite descriptive and gory. I also give this 5 stars.