Book #1 in The Gardella Vampire Chronicles
from the publisher:
"Beneath the glitter of dazzling nineteenth-century London Society lurks a bloodthirsty evil....
Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the Vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long ago taken over the world.
In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake. But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous moonlit streets, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her duty. And when she comes face to face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make a choice between obligation and love...."
My thoughts:
I'm always on the lookout for an interesting twist on the Regency/Victorian-era novel, and The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason has a unique combination of vampires, Regency-era romance, and magic.
The heroine, Victoria, is not your typical debutant; naturally, she's beautiful and refined by day and the perfect match for the handsome Marquess of Rockley; by night, she's ruthless and trained in martial arts -- the vampire huntress (or Venator, as she is called). She willingly accepts her destiny as the next generation of Venators...until she realizes that living a double life has become too difficult and dangerous for the one man she truly comes to love. Lilith, the Queen of the Vampires, desires an ancient magic book that is in Victoria's possession, and she will stop at nothing to gain the book and the powerful spells contained therein. A surprising and unexpected ending left me speechless.
A quick, fun read with promise, I hope, to develop further in the series the mysterious character of Maximilian, master vampire executioner, and Sebastian, the proprietor of the Silver Chalice, and their relationship/partnership with Victoria.
Title: The Rest Falls Away: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles
Author: Collee Gleason
Publisher:Penguin Group
347 pages
genre: paranormal romance
3 comments:
I loved this series, though I must admit, the first book I think was my favorite. I loved Philip and yes, I found the end absolutely devastating! The last book is my 2nd favorite, but they all have their charm and move the plot forward and Victoria grows up quite a bit in them, although it only takes place over the course of a few years.
Julie -- Does the series also delve into the history of the Gardella's legacy? That's smething I'm hoping to learn about in future reads. Thanks for your reviews of this series on your blog which prompted me to give it a try. :)
No we don't get a lot on the Gardella history, just smatterings here and there to explain certain things, it's mostly about Victoria and how she deals with her destiny and saves the world over and over again! LOL!
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