Rises The Night (Gardella Vampire Chronicles, #2) by Colleen Gleason

Apr 13, 2010 Zeek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr, hist-pnr, favorite-hero, vamps

Colleen Gleason's series, The Gardella Vampire Chronicles, is not your average paranormal romance. It's heavier on the paranormal rather than the romance and is multi-layered, textured, and a cut above the pack. Her stories are so much more then girl meets vamp, vamp bites girl, struggle ensues (i love him, but I shouldn't), vamp saves girl from outside evil and they all live happily ever after.

The big thing, and the thing that might drive average paranormal romance readers crazy in this series,...more Colleen Gleason's series, The Gardella Vampire Chronicles, is not your average paranormal romance. It's heavier on the paranormal rather than the romance and is multi-layered, textured, and a cut above the pack. Her stories are so much more then girl meets vamp, vamp bites girl, struggle ensues (i love him, but I shouldn't), vamp saves girl from outside evil and they all live happily ever after.

The big thing, and the thing that might drive average paranormal romance readers crazy in this series, is that each book will not necessarily tie up with a happily ever after. In fact, more likely than not, a story arch is continuing throughout the entire series and a reader finds they'll have to wait to get a little romance, if that's what they're looking for.

That isn't to say that romance, and even a bit of sex, isn't there, but it isn't a necessity. No, these stories rely on the art of the storytelling.

In the end, it's my gut feeling that if these books were marketed a bit different, they might find the audience it justly deserve.

But then again, I could be wrong on that, because despite the art of the storytelling and the excellent world building I find in her books, it's the romance (or hope of it!) that keeps me coming back.

Rises the Night is the second in Colleen Gleason's Gardella series. In the first, The Rest Falls Away, Victoria has just discovered she is the next in a long line of vampire slayers, Venators in Gleason's world. She's young, practically baby faced in her immaturity. By the end of the first book however, things are taking a turn. She, with the help of those around her, have defeated Lilith the evil Vamp queen, and, Victoria has lost a husband in the fray. (See, she thought she could have love and keep her job separate. Wrong, wrong, wrong Victoria!)

In Rises the night, Victoria emerges from her year of mourning, better, stronger faster. She wears the pants now, literally, and can hold her own in the martial arts. She's on the trail of some Vamps and the loyal group who protect them called the Tutela. A trail that leads her, her beloved Aunt- ex venator Eustacia-, her servants and, of all people, Sebastian- the ambiguous man who once seduced Victoria in a carriage only to promptly ditch her when she needed him most, straight to the foot of Rome where prophecy has it, the golden age of the Venators will end.

But first, they discover the Tutela are up to something. It seems Lilith's son, Nedas, is after an object, an object that would create a zombie-like army that he can control. Once in Rome, Victoria finds she must place herself in the heart of the dark Tutela to get close to Nedas so that she can stop him. But she quickly learns the danger is far greater than she assumed- for both her and her loved ones- and that someone she once trusted is there, already in the middle of them.

In Gleason's world, the Vamps are not the sexy heroes. They are the bad guys, (as well they should be!) Spawned by Judas the betrayer, they are dark, malicious, twisted and not the least bit of a turn on. I like this. I like when I can hate a bad guy because they're, well, bad. I don't like having to admire a bad guy's certain qualities because there's something charming about him. I can hate them. And I do indeed loathe the vamps in Rises the Night.

Another favorite part of Rises the Night, besides seeing Victoria's growth, is MAX! Max, my sexy, venator-by-choice, Max! The book really didn't start for me until he showed up. And the ending?? What a nail-biter! Max, it would seem, can't decide which side he's on, much like Sebastian, but one of them is not what he seems and other is exactly who his character has proven him to be- at least to us, the readers, if not to Victoria!(less)

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Aug 20, 2011 Kerra rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Rises The Night" is the second book in Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles series.

Victoria has grown up a lot from where "The Rest Falls Away" leaves the readers off at. The characters in this series are all interesting and though they may not be unique characters (I find myself comparing Victoria, Max, and Sebastian to Mac, Jericho, and V'Lane from Karen Marie Moning's Fever series [which I loved] often), they are definitely likeable.

One thing that didn't bother me as much in the fir...more

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Mar 16, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire-romance

Book 2 in the Gardella Vampire chronicles. This book is good, but I didn’t think it was as good as her first. Maybe because I felt this is a little darker in nature. I marked down the stars simply because I was having a little trouble following the story line, the different characters, and the new vampire “object” which would help the vampires rule the world (this time it’s Akvan’s Obelisk, and the bad guy is Lilith’s son- Nedas). This book reminded me of The Empire Strikes Back , because it is...more

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Dec 30, 2009 FlibBityFLooB rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-paranormal, read-in-2009, love-triangle, era-regency-pre-victorian, vampires, twists-i-didnt-see-coming, urban-fantasy-or-paranormal

*Whew* The author was not afraid to go places that a lot of authors would not take their characters. I loved that it was so difficult to tell who was good and who was bad in this book.

I can't give away my shocking moment without spoiling the book. So, I won't. But, I did gain a lot of admiration for the author when something major happened near the end of the book. WOW. :)

I will definitely be continuing this series. Love the love triangle. Love the characters. Love the historical angle. Love the...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Miraphora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampiri, paranormal-romance

La domanda mi sorge spontanea: perchè? Si, diciamocelo, ho comprato il seguito per scoprire se Victoria e Max cominciavano a intrallazzare. Avrei dovuto chiamare Chi l'ha visto già a metà libro...quando ho scoperto che Max mio era relegato nell'ultima parte - e poco, pure - mi sarei strappata i capelli dalla disperazione. Ok, al fine narrativo lui doveva stare là, fare quello che ha fatto eccetera, ma questo non significa che mi debba andare bene, no? Anche perchè ad essere sinceri a me, Sebasti...more La domanda mi sorge spontanea: perchè? Si, diciamocelo, ho comprato il seguito per scoprire se Victoria e Max cominciavano a intrallazzare. Avrei dovuto chiamare Chi l'ha visto già a metà libro...quando ho scoperto che Max mio era relegato nell'ultima parte - e poco, pure - mi sarei strappata i capelli dalla disperazione. Ok, al fine narrativo lui doveva stare là, fare quello che ha fatto eccetera, ma questo non significa che mi debba andare bene, no? Anche perchè ad essere sinceri a me, Sebastian, non piace. Capisco Victoria, ma giovane mia anche gli ormoni si quietano di fronte a certe pugnalate. Dopo lo sfogo iniziale su Max, arrivo al libro. Il secondo episodio delle avventure di Victoria, giovane cacciatrice di vampiri, è decisamente meglio del primo: ha una trama più studiata, ha una serie di episodi interessanti e molti personaggi secondari che agiscono attivamente nella storia - fa una comparsa anche Polidori - e poi la fine, seppur quasi scontata, è stata gestita bene (avevo capito la profezia praticamente da subito). E' un romanzo più fluido, dove i vari punti hanno avuto il loro degno spazio e sono stati gestiti discretamente bene. Non ci sono grandi lacune nella storia, non ci sono mancanze evidenti - tutto, ovviamente, escludendo Max - e anche la 'storia' tra Sebastian e Victoria è stata un interludio piacevolmente piccante nella trama. Mi ripeto, Sebastian impallidisce di fronte a Max, e spero che si levi di torno per un pò. Si è preso di prepotenza il posto di principale personaggio maschile a questo giro, ma non è detto che lo sia anche nel prossimo. Victoria è passata dall'essere fanciullina a vedova nel giro di due libri: ora è diventata Illa Gardella e sono curiosa di vedere come la Gleason gestirà il suo conseguente cambiamento comportamentale. Si spera che non stia in lutto per mesi, come succede dopo la morte del marito, e spero anche che diminuiscano i suoi impulsi da ragazzina 'facciotuttoiochesonolacacciatrice'. Per fortuna che non mi ha fulminato piacevolmente, altrimenti morirei agonizzante di fronte all'anno di attesa che mi divide dal terzo romanzo. Che fatica, queste saghe. (less)

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Dec 31, 2012 Clary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Con La Condanna del Vampiro continua la saga Cacciatori di Vampiri, di Colleen Gleason, pubblicata dalla Newton Compton e dedicata alla cacciatrice di vampiri Victoria. Sin dalle prime pagine è possibile notare quanto questo secondo volume sia nettamente superiore al primo, sia per quanto riguarda lo stile dell'autrice, sia per quanto riguarda la trama: se Cacciatori di Vampiri non era riuscito a convincervi del tutto, La Condanna del Vampiro riuscirà a farvi ricredere e a convincervi a dare una...more Con La Condanna del Vampiro continua la saga Cacciatori di Vampiri, di Colleen Gleason, pubblicata dalla Newton Compton e dedicata alla cacciatrice di vampiri Victoria. Sin dalle prime pagine è possibile notare quanto questo secondo volume sia nettamente superiore al primo, sia per quanto riguarda lo stile dell'autrice, sia per quanto riguarda la trama: se Cacciatori di Vampiri non era riuscito a convincervi del tutto, La Condanna del Vampiro riuscirà a farvi ricredere e a convincervi a dare una seconda possibilità ad un'autrice che, a mio parere, ha saputo dare vita ad una saga originale e coinvolgente.

La Condanna del Vampiro riprende un anno dopo gli avvenimenti del primo volume: Max è scomparso e da mesi ormai nessuno ha più sue notizie, Sebastian sembra essersi a sua volta volatilizzato senza lasciare tracce e Victoria ha messo da parte la sua preziosa vis bulla, rinunciando temporaneamente al suo compito di cacciatrice perché ancora sconvolta dall'improvvisa e crudele morte del marito, il marchese Rockley.
Tuttavia la tranquillità non può durare a lungo: un nuovo nemico è infatti alle porte, pronto a risvegliare un antico e malvagio potere capace di distruggere centinaia di vite umane. Si tratta di Nedas, il vampiro figlio della crudele Lilith, il quale ha intenzione di attivare l'Obelisco di Akvan e di utilizzarne il potere per controllare le anime dei defunti. La nostra cacciatrice è così costretta ad indossare di nuovo la vis bulla e a recarsi in Italia, per infiltrarsi tra i nemici e sventare i piani di Nedas.

Come ho già anticipato all'inizio, La Condanna del Vampiro è nettamente superiore di livello a Cacciatori di vampiri. Il primo aspetto che è possibile notare è lo stile dell'autrice, che diventa più scorrevole e meno altalenante: se nel primo volume spesso le descrizioni infinite erano seguite da poche righe sbrigative che spiegavano eventi importanti, in questo secondo romanzo l'autrice dà la giusta importanza ad ogni momento, riuscendo a mantenere ugualmente una scrittura particolare e ricca di dettagli.
Un altro aspetto che è migliorato è la trama e il suo sviluppo: in questo libro la storia è molto più complessa e articolata, senza tuttavia diventare mai incomprensibile.
Un nuovo aspetto invece che l'autrice ha introdotto in questo romanzo e che mancava nel precedente è l'analisi dettagliata delle emozioni e dei pensieri di Victoria. Mi è piaciuta molto la capacità della Gleason di trasmettere al lettore il senso di smarrimento e confusione derivato dalla morte del marito della cacciatrice, oltre ai primi dubbi riguardanti il suo compito: vale la pena rinunciare ad una vita normale per poter eliminare creature malvagie come i vampiri?
Tutto questo, insieme alle numerose emozioni contrastanti della protagonista, riusciranno a coinvolgere il lettore e a renderlo partecipe delle avventure vissute in prima persona da Victoria.

Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, i miei pareri rimangono quelli del primo libro. Sebastian e Max sono i miei preferiti, mentre Victoria non riesce ancora a conquistarmi del tutto. L'ho trovata più di una volta alquanto immatura e impulsiva, entrambe caratteristiche che la portano a ritrovarsi nei guai ogni due secondi. Guai da cui riesce a sfuggire puntualmente grazie all'aiuto di qualcun altro, di solito uno dei suoi amanti. Tuttavia non è un personaggio fastidioso, anzi, ribadisco il mio apprezzamento per il fatto che, a differenza di molte protagoniste di libri YA, ha un carattere forte ed è capace di prendere decisioni per conto proprio.

La Condanna del Vampiro è un libro che nel complesso mi è piaciuto di più del primo romanzo, Cacciatori di Vampiri, specialmente negli ultimi capitoli dove l'azione aumenta notevolmente portandoci ad un colpo di scena inaspettato e alquanto doloroso. Il finale lascia molte questioni in sospeso e invita a proseguire con la lettura del terzo libro: La Rivolta dei Vampiri.

http://clary-booktime.blogspot.it/201...(less)

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Oct 07, 2012 Mrs. S rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd like to start out by saying "Rises the Night" is a MUCH better book than the first one in this series "The Rest Falls Away" which I would have rated a 2.75 to 3 if I had written a review. The pacing is steady and character development is much improved from the first book.

Victoria, the female Venator (vampire slayer) is ending the official mourning of her deceased husband, Phillip. Desiring to avenge his death, she searches but finds very few vampires to slay. She discovers that Lilith (Vampi...more I'd like to start out by saying "Rises the Night" is a MUCH better book than the first one in this series "The Rest Falls Away" which I would have rated a 2.75 to 3 if I had written a review. The pacing is steady and character development is much improved from the first book.

Victoria, the female Venator (vampire slayer) is ending the official mourning of her deceased husband, Phillip. Desiring to avenge his death, she searches but finds very few vampires to slay. She discovers that Lilith (Vampire Queen) has fled London and is in hiding. Max (Venator), who helped her fight in the previous book, has been out of contact and missing for almost a year. Returning characters include her Aunt Eustacia, the only other living female Venator and Sebastian (love interest). Nedas, the vampire son of Lilith, has found an ancient Obelisk that once activated, will give him all encompassing power and help to destroy the Venators.

Even though the scenes in this book are much more believable than the first, there are still gaps in logic and blatant implausibilities. For example, that one of the leaders of the Tutela (protectors of vampires) would allow a complete stranger into the inner sanctum of their organization, especially so close to the completion of the Obelisk activation. These flaws are not plot-killers and though, especially because the characters of Max and Sebastian are well developed and the story is interesting. Victoria still is a little 2-dimensional for me, but the action and scene development is very good. We learn what has happened to Max and really important info about Sebastian's background. We also find out what the prophecy means and the difficult choices that have to be made.

The last scene between Nedas and Victoria is conveniently implausible, especially given how quickly vampires can move, at least in all the previous scenes except this one. LOL Victoria really should have been dead before she could do anything in her weakened state. Even with the flaws, after I got through the first quarter of the book, I found it quite readable and enjoyed it. I have to say, the excerpt from the next book in the series, "The Bleeding Dusk", has whetted my appetite for more of Max, Sebastian and Victoria (in that order).(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. There are a total of five books in this series. If you enjoyed the first book, you will enjoy this one. The world broadens some and Victoria is less care free than in the first book.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ BOOK 1 IN THIS SERIES.

Victoria is recovering from her husband’s untimely end in Book 1. Things between her and Sebastian are heating up. She ends up going to Rome in an attempt to uncover a new vampire...more This is the second book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. There are a total of five books in this series. If you enjoyed the first book, you will enjoy this one. The world broadens some and Victoria is less care free than in the first book.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ BOOK 1 IN THIS SERIES.

Victoria is recovering from her husband’s untimely end in Book 1. Things between her and Sebastian are heating up. She ends up going to Rome in an attempt to uncover a new vampire cult involving Lilith’s son. Supposidly Lilith’s son has recoved an ancient artifact that can raise masses of the dead. Max has disappeared for a long time (8 months) and Victoria is surprised to find he is heavily involved in all of the intrigue in Rome.

The book was a fun and engaging read. Victoria is taking on more responsibilities as a Venator, although she still makes some immature decisions. Instead of acting blindly with vengeance she is finally learning to consider how her actions affect the bigger picture. Victoria is less happy go lucky and a bit more mature as a result of dealing with her husband’s death; she’s grown up a lot.

Sebastian is in the book a lot. He is just as sexy and mysterious as ever. You can just never tell exactly which side he is playing. We learn a lot more about his history and background in this book.

As I mentioned in my review of the first book, think of this series as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Pride and Prejudice. The whole book is very Victorian in tone, but there is a lot of fighting and a good chunk of romance as well. There is also a lot of intrigue and mystery throughout the story.

The book is well written and easy to read. The main mystery is solved in this book, but new storylines and questions are opened.

Overall I enjoyed the book and will continue reading the series. It’s not spectacular but it is a very entertaining and fun read. I enjoy the characters, the setting, the witty banter, and the intrigue. Recommended to those who enjoy historical vampire hunter types of books. (less)

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Dec 20, 2009 The Flooze rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to The Flooze by: Shannon

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, vanquished_2009

This installment is frustrating and thrilling. Victoria's tendency to be stubborn and impetuous leads to numerous close calls, and make me want to shake the woman. But the results are nail-biting scenes that had me frantically worrying about the final outcome. Others are right--it seems this series does get better and better!

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Dec 28, 2008 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, romance, supernatural

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 24, 2012 Blake16 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Sep 27, 2012 Yukino rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: miei, 2010

OH SEBASTIAN, PERCHè SEI TU SEBASTIAN?

Parbleu!
ovvero Perbacco! che libro!
oh se solo ci penso! che miscuglio di emozioni! dall'amore all'odio, dalla felicità alla tristezza: è un mix di tutto!

Sulla copertina c'è scritto "Sexy, terrificante e sorprendente" (detto da J.R. Ward, n'artra che coi suoi libri c'è da morire talmente sono belli!) e io che posso dire di più?

A parte che ho sperato, sospirato, amato, odiato, sofferto e pianto!

l'ho appena finito e..non ho parole! Non so da dove iniziare a rac...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Killian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: challenger-books

Pros:
- After finishing this book, I immediately looked up the rest of the series. I wanted to know if the 5th was the last and I was not surprised that it is. I felt like there was definite movement of the plot and character revelations that you just don't see from open-ended series a lot of the time (I'm looking at you Charlaine Harris). I love moving forward as opposed to standing in place.
- Learning more about Sebastian was... interesting. He is a hard character to like even before you learn...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Romantika rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampiri

ok adesso si ragiona! Il primo libro mi era piaciuto ma era un pò noisetto, per via Philip (sarò cattiva ma finalmente ce lo siamo tolte dalle balle XD) e per il fatto che era una sorta di introduzione. In questo secondo libro finalmente si sviluppa il potenziale che era rimasto assopito nel primo volume. Victoria cresce e sembra più matura e la trama si fa ancora più interessante. Quando ad un certo punto si pensa che Max sia passato dalla parte dei cattivi(non ci ho creduto nemmeno un secondo...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Rosy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review was written for The Review Diaries: http://reviewdiaries.blogspot.com/201...

This book was a bit of a step away from the first in the series ‘The Rest Falls Away’. I loved the first book because it was a combination of two of my favourite things – vampires with some regency romance thrown in. It was brilliantly written and very engaging with enough danger to make it really exciting.

I was expecting more of the same from ‘Rises the Night’ but it was a lot darker and scarier than the fir...more This review was written for The Review Diaries: http://reviewdiaries.blogspot.com/201...

This book was a bit of a step away from the first in the series ‘The Rest Falls Away’. I loved the first book because it was a combination of two of my favourite things – vampires with some regency romance thrown in. It was brilliantly written and very engaging with enough danger to make it really exciting.

I was expecting more of the same from ‘Rises the Night’ but it was a lot darker and scarier than the first.
It was a very sad note on to end the first book, so I wasn’t expecting high romance, balls and fabulous gowns. Ok I tell a lie, I was expecting a bit of that, but I didn’t really get it. I loved the entrance to high london society we had in book one, so in a way it was good to have a change of pace and setting, but I did find myself missing the relative safety of the ton.

Victoria fairly quickly finds herself in Italy, where EVERYONE seems to be up to no good. I kept trusting new characters and then wishing that I hadn’t. I mean seriously, was Italy just filled with people wanting to be vampires? Actually that wouldn’t surprise me…

So yeah, lots of bad people, even worse situations, and a few people I used to trust turned traitor.
I had kittens over a lot of what happened, and seemed to spend most of it in a state of high tension convinced no one was ever going to get out alive. I was wrong – mostly – but it did leave me wanting a break before I launched into the third book.

I love Victoria, and this continuation of her character growth, particularly her through her grief was brilliantly handled. She irritated me, but it didn’t make me dislike her, it was more a ‘silly girl what did you do that for? Here have a blanket and some tea’ irritation. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing how the events of the second book affect her through the third book, and how she handles the new problems she’ll face.

Ah Sebastian, I could spend hours shaking you just to see if you retaliate/get some sense knocked into your head.
I go from page to page genuinely unsure about his actions and motives. I just don’t trust him, even when he seems to be trying to help Victoria, it’s just all one twisted game. That does frustrate me, as whilst I like the uncertainty with him to a point, there does come a moment where it just feels like I won’t trust anything he does ever, because you can guarantee he won’t actually be being helpful in the way he’s meant to be. I’d like to see more character development with him, and a bit more consistency, otherwise no matter how yummy and seductive he is, I will just lose interest in him.

Overall I loved the book, it was darker, it was scarier, and there is never a moment where you feel that the outcome will be predictable. There are so many twists it’s untrue, and it’s all one big rollercoaster of a ride.
I miss London, and hope the books will take us back there soon, but in the meantime I love the development and set up and am looking forward to seeing what Victoria does next.(less)

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May 08, 2011 Debora rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: preferiti, ebook, fisicamente_posseduto

Ed anche questo secondo volume della Saga dei Gardella è andato e devo ammetterlo questo è nettamente superiore al precedente! Le premesse ufficiali che la Gleason aveva fatto erano quelle di tentare di portare nel XIX secolo la cacciatrice di Vampiri Buffy e, nel primo libro, i collegamenti con la famosa saga televisiva erano piuttosto evidenti, a partire dal famoso ‘Puff’ del vampiro che viene colpito con un paletto. Con questo secondo volume le ‘similitudini’ sono sempre meno e la Gleason si...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance

Second in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles series based in 19th century London.

The Story
A month after Philip's death, Victoria finds herself out on the streets hunting vampires. Anything to distract herself from the pain of his death and her own guilt. But an incident on the street causes her to draw back and it isn't until another year has passed that Victoria again takes to the streets hunting vampires where she finds a bit more than she bargained for. A sigil and the news out of Rome forces Vi...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Kiki Dufoulon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Several months following the horrible incident with Phillip, Victoria is out patrolling and loses control nearly cutting a human scumbag to pieces. Shocked by her behaviours she hands back her 'vis bulla' and takes some time off as Venator. One year later she is back with a vengeance's and soon finds clues which lead her to major vampire trouble in Italy... Lillith's son, Nedas, is planning to raise the dead and cause her a lot of heartache. Decision made Victoria and Eustacia head to Italy to s...more Several months following the horrible incident with Phillip, Victoria is out patrolling and loses control nearly cutting a human scumbag to pieces. Shocked by her behaviours she hands back her 'vis bulla' and takes some time off as Venator. One year later she is back with a vengeance's and soon finds clues which lead her to major vampire trouble in Italy... Lillith's son, Nedas, is planning to raise the dead and cause her a lot of heartache. Decision made Victoria and Eustacia head to Italy to stop him, accompanied by none other than Sebastion. As Victoria inserts herself into the enemies world trying to find answers she is shocked to be reunited with an old friend - if he can be called that anymore!!

I was totally caught up in Victoria's world, even more so than before in fact. I loved this book!! I literally couldn't put it down, devoured it in less than a day. From the word go there is nothing but action, suspense, betrayal, and lust. Ohh... but how I love those things!! LOL. Once again the sexual tension between Victoria and Sebastian steams up the pages. Every chance he gets Sebastian is rubbing up against Victoria, or kissing and teasing her, and now that there is nothing to stop her acting out her desires, well, you get the idea. All I'm gonna say is boat deck, parlour, carriage. Grr... lol

There are so many unexpected twists and turns in this book that I didn't know what to think anymore. I didn't know who to trust. Poor Victoria wasn't getting it easy that's for sure. From false party invites which should have led to her death, to sex with gorgeous men who knock her out and hold her prisoner for the enemy!! OMG!!! I can't believe the craziness with Max!! I fell for him in the book, thought he was gonna be this big amazing hero type person, and he went and broke my heart. Not to mention Victoria's. I refused to hate him right till the end, hoping he'd redeem himself in some way. But no, he had to do be an even bigger dick!! And lets not not even mention the ending - OMFG!!!! It was crazy!! Had me falling right off my damn chair, I swear it will shock the hell out of you. Grab a copy and check it out for yourself!!(less)

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Feb 20, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, vampires

Synopsis: In Italy, a powerful vampire named Nedas is amassing the power to control the souls of the dead by activating Akvan's Obelisk. Nedas is Lilith's created son. Lady Victoria Gardella de Lacy-a vampire slayer for just over a year-races to Italy to stop what could be the most deadly army the Gardellas have ever faced. She is accompanied by Sebastian Vioget, a man as tempting as he is untrustworthy. But when Victoria discovers that she has been betrayed by one of her most trusted allies, th...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Crystal ♥ RBtWBC rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Series Review:
04.20.2011
http://paranormalromanceaddict.blogsp...

I was enthralled from the first page of The Rest Falls Away and was captivated until the end of As Shadows Fade. I devoured all five Gardella novels with in a week.

The Gardella Vampire Chronicles is a historical paranormal romance with a heroine, Lady Victoria Gardella Grantworth de Lacy, struggling to balance her normal life with her not so normal. I don't want to give any spoilers but she has a lot to deal with throughout the ser...more

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Apr 18, 2010 Steph rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, 2010-favorites, series-ended, author-웃, series-i-love

Rises the Night picks up one year after The Rest Falls Away left off. Victoria is mourning the loss of Phillip. Now she must resume her fight against vampires. She's anxious to kill and release some of her anger for what happened with Phillip, but she cannot find any vampires.

Her aunt hasn't heard from Max in over 8 months and is beginning to worry about what has happened to him.

Sebastian is also MIA since the battle at the Silver Chalice.

Victoria must now stop the son of Lilith, Nedas.

Agai...more

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Aug 11, 2009 Lois rated it 3 of 5 stars

Began by skimming this book, but was drawn in probably halfway through.

I'll definitely read the whole series because I want to know if she ends up with Sebastian (that's who I'm lobbying for) or Max. I can see it going either way. Max falls into the dark, silent, aloof hero mold from Harlequins 20 years ago. So does that mean she'll end up with him, even though she's had sex with S. a couple of times?

I can see it playing out two ways: Sebastian sacrifices himself and she ends up with Max, a la T...more

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Aug 07, 2009 Natasja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lady Victoria Gardella Grantworth recently learned that she is the next in line to be a Venator vampire hunter and she is fighting vampires for over a year now and it costs her more than you can imagine. Her beloved husband Philip was turned into a vampire by her enemy Lilith, the Vampire Queen and the only thing she could do to really save him, was to kill him for good. After a year of mourning she is back on the streets, killing vampire like no other and stronger than ever.

Victoria discovers t...more Lady Victoria Gardella Grantworth recently learned that she is the next in line to be a Venator vampire hunter and she is fighting vampires for over a year now and it costs her more than you can imagine. Her beloved husband Philip was turned into a vampire by her enemy Lilith, the Vampire Queen and the only thing she could do to really save him, was to kill him for good. After a year of mourning she is back on the streets, killing vampire like no other and stronger than ever.

Victoria discovers that a group of humans are loyal to the vampires, calling themselves the Tutela. A trail from London leads Victoria to Italy, where she, her aunt Eustacia, some other venators and Sebastian discover that this is bigger than they could have imagine.

Nedas, Lilith’s son has built him quiet an impressive army to become the dominant race on
Earth and use humans as the food supply. Nedas is after an object that could provide him with the power he desperately seeks. The only way to stop him is to infiltrate into the Tutela and gets as much information as she can. But she quickly learns that danger is just around the corner, because someone she once trusted as a dear friend has joined the enemy.

Rises the night by Colleen Gleason is the second novel in her Gardella vampire chronicles and a great novel, she really created a world similar to “Buffy the vampire slayer” but then with the historical timeline.

Victoria Grantworth is a strong young woman that recently lost the love of her life. She was warned that love and a place in society were not getting a long with her job as a Venator vampire hunter, but she wanted to try. It costs her husband Philip his life and she is full of hate towards Lilith, the Vampire Queen who is responsible for Philip’s turning. But first she has to deal with Lilith’s son Nedas, who wants to power to control the vampires and use the humans as food.

Of course Victoria is not alone on this journey, her aunt Eustacia is there to support her with every step she takes, guiding her to become the next leading Venator. Sebastian Vioget, her ex-lover is there by her side, trying to convince her he is the man in her life, but can she trust him, it seems he has a secret life of his own. And then we have Maximilan Pesaro, one
of the other vampire slayers who left London right after Victoria lost her husband, but he turns up in Italy in some weird company, can she trust him or will he be the traitor in the group. Victoria knows she is about to find out.

This historical romantic fantasy novel is definitely worth to read, it’s full of intrigue plots, danger and friends who seems to be enemies and visa versa. You have to read the next novel to find out what will happen, because the books in this series do not have the normal happily ever after when you finish them. I can tell you this I’m looking forward to read the next to see if I’m right about some thing.
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Sep 02, 2008 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of paranormal historicals

Shelves: paranormalfiction

After a lull in vampiric activity around London, Victoria Gardella Grantworth de Lacy is visiting the burnt out site of the Silver Chalice when she encounters a vampire in the company of a demon, a combination so rare as to be unheard of. She also finds a mysterious token, which turns out to be the new symbol of the Tutela, a group of humans who act as protectors for the vampires. Infiltrating the Tutela may give Victoria the answers she seeks, particularly about the mysterious son of Lilith, Ne...more After a lull in vampiric activity around London, Victoria Gardella Grantworth de Lacy is visiting the burnt out site of the Silver Chalice when she encounters a vampire in the company of a demon, a combination so rare as to be unheard of. She also finds a mysterious token, which turns out to be the new symbol of the Tutela, a group of humans who act as protectors for the vampires. Infiltrating the Tutela may give Victoria the answers she seeks, particularly about the mysterious son of Lilith, Nedas, and the Akvan Obelisk he intends to use to raise the souls of the dead. Victoria's plans to stop Nedas will take her to Venice and to Rome, where she may find herself betrayed by the one man she needs to trust the most.
The second of the Gardella books is darker than the first, without the leavening touches of clumsy dance partners and gossiping mothers, but it is also more action-packed, suspenseful, and emotionally involved. Victoria is a sadder but wiser girl, confident in her powers and assertive, and granted greater freedoms by her widowed status. I'm not quite certain a widow of the time would have enjoyed as much freedom as Victoria enjoys here, but much of the time she is playing a role to better infiltrate the Tutela. Romantically speaking, Victoria is torn between two men, Sebastian and Max, both of whom have their secrets. Sebastian, owner of the Silver Chalice, once patronized by both humans and vampires, does not see the vampire question in the black and white terms a Venator must; here we finally get to (at least partially) see the reason why. Although he may not be heroic or wholly trustworthy, Sebastian's healthy sense of self-preservation makes him at least predictable, while his overtures allow Victoria a chance to explore the playful side of her sexuality. Max, on the other hand, survived a battle of life and death to become a Venator although he is not a Gardella, and Victoria came to depend upon him in the past. However, he has been bitten by the powerful Queen of the Vampires, Lilith, and unlike other vampire bites it will not heal, but pulls at him constantly. When Max first disappears for eight months, then turns up as the future son in law of a Tutela member, Victoria begins to wonder whether he is as reliable as she has come to expect. It's an interesting choice Gleason made, to give Victoria two potential lovers with such secretive natures, and I'll be interested to see how long she can keep the triangle fresh. Right now, I'm quite anxious to see how it plays out, and where Victoria's adventures take her next.(less)

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Jul 26, 2008 Inara rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like vampire and slayers

Shelves: novels-vampires, novels-paranormal, novels-romance-historical, novels-romance-suspense

The story of Victoria Gardella Grantworth picks up one year after the events of book one. Max has gone back to Italy, Sebastian has disappeared and Victoria has come to terms with her guilt and loss and is finally ready to hunt vampires again. One night after a fight she finds a strange disk which sets the following events in motion...
Most of the book is set in Italy, more specific in Venice and later on in Rome and of course we meet Max and Sebastian again. But Max is behaving strangely and see...more The story of Victoria Gardella Grantworth picks up one year after the events of book one. Max has gone back to Italy, Sebastian has disappeared and Victoria has come to terms with her guilt and loss and is finally ready to hunt vampires again. One night after a fight she finds a strange disk which sets the following events in motion...
Most of the book is set in Italy, more specific in Venice and later on in Rome and of course we meet Max and Sebastian again. But Max is behaving strangely and seems to have changed – but not for the better, Victoria fears. In fact he seems to be quite familiar with the Tutela, a vampire worshipping organization and has forgotten his duty as a Venator. Has he really converted to the other side? And Sebastian? Where and especially with whom lies his real loyalty?
In this book more information about the past of both men in Victoria´s life is revealed. We get more background information why they make the decisions they´re making whereupon Max is assigned the role of the tortured hero who has to make terrible sacrificies and doesn´t come out of it unscarred. Sebastian seems to be more the seducer and Victoria fights her attraction to him with all her might. There is only one sex scene – if I remember correctly – and when I´m honest it didn´t sweep me off my feet. I have read better ones but I really didn´t mind. I was more focused on the storyline anyway which is suspenseful and intriguing although when I first started to read the book I thought it to be a repetition of the first one because the plot seemed to be awfully familiar, only this time the foe is Nedas, Lilith´s son who searches after an artifact (Akvan´s Obelisk) to rule the world. But thankfully I was proved wrong and the story doesn´t only repeat itself with new protagonists, no there´s a lot of action and surprising twists and a shocking peak which made me gasp for breath but it definitely worked for me. New characters appeared like the vampire Beauregard who will be important for the continuation in the next book.
I had only one "problem" – when Victoria was with Sebastian I thought she should be with him, it just felt right, but in the scenes with Max I was equally convinced that Max is the one for her.. darn! I assume she can´t have both in this series, what a bummer!
I´m on the hook of these Venators and I´m sure they won´t let me off till I know the end of their story! By the way I never had the difficulties other reviewers had with the fact that Victoria was hiding her stake in a garter belt or corset, I really don´t mind if that´s possible or not – these minor faults don´t lessen my enjoyment of reading these books!

Website of the author: http://www.colleengleason.com/
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Feb 11, 2008 Kit rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. again, any lack of consistency in the plot is forgiven by the good pace she sets, which managed to keep me entertained throughout the book. mike gave me a few weird looks from time to time, since the cover looked like just another romance novel. i was afraid to take out the book and read it during school; it would've been fairly embarrassing. but uhh, anyway. the death of a certain character wasn't very unexpected, and i much expected the whole good and evil switching back and forth thing alread...more again, any lack of consistency in the plot is forgiven by the good pace she sets, which managed to keep me entertained throughout the book. mike gave me a few weird looks from time to time, since the cover looked like just another romance novel. i was afraid to take out the book and read it during school; it would've been fairly embarrassing. but uhh, anyway. the death of a certain character wasn't very unexpected, and i much expected the whole good and evil switching back and forth thing already, but one thing i can't quite ignore: what happened to the little opening plot about a demon and a vamp together? it was mentioned and never touched on again, or even clumsily explained away somehow. we know it has to do with the tutela. mind enlightening us, ms. gleason? but the most unbelievable thing is that the characters don't even remember this, or realize that whoops, they forgot this very important detail which must also mean something. guess they didn't take the vamp hunting very seriously after all.

also, polidori's involvement with the tutela was never completely divulged--why bother to bring up a point and not explore it further? it seems just like the author randomly picked at names for a desperate way to open the plotline for this book. not to mention, what about what kind of vamp nedas was? which classification did he go into? what color eyes? come on, you don't go around building classes for the vamps and not even tell your audience what group the main villain belonged to. another random thing--where the hell did max get that damn cool sword? i'm not of the impression that it can be easily hidden, anywhere, among a crowd of worshipping vamps. due to their aversion to silver they would have surely sensed something made of silver of that size, i'm sure. so now i am convinced that max must be quite the houdini himself.

see, it's the random events like this that jars the mood of the book.

but i forgive that, because like i said, pacing was amazing. however, one thing i really wish would change: victoria seems to lust after every man she meets. will this continue any further? i mean at times it can be made somewhat more realistic at least (the encounters between max and vic) but her encounters with sebastian are random, and somewhat out of character for her, since she's supposed to be stubborn and not give in easily. she tries to write it off by saying it's because of her grief that she gives in so easily, multiple times--but it should be because of her grief that she is so stubborn not to give in. she must not grieve very much then, eh? again, a repetition of this shallowness, i can't quite stand. i really wanted to like her, but looks like the angst is the only improvement. however, i'm still going to be rooting for max--a relationship has to have real conflict for it to be interesting. sebastian seems altogether too passive at times to convince me that he cares for her deeply. or, at least, i'm of the opinion that he doesn't care for her as much as max does. and will she stop using the word "poof" already, if it's even a word? it makes me think of marshmallows, down pillows, and fluffy clouds.(less)

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Sep 06, 2011 Duchess Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-pcs, y-complete-series, read-in-2011

So much better than the first book! I don't know if I'm more frustrated with Victoria, Sebastian, or Max. But I have a feeling my faith with at least two of them will be restored, though I'm guessing that that one of the big questions of the series is: who will Victoria end up with? Sebastian shows a bit more empathy, though there is still plenty of his sarcastic, cocky humor. While the 'darkly brooding' Max is absent for a good bit of the first half of the book, he more than makes up for it in...more

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May 06, 2013 Adriana Munno rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

questa serie è sempre più bella.
questo secondo volume, come il primo, è carico di avvenimenti, aspettative, sentimenti contrastanti tra cui odio e amore, dolore con l'aggiunta di più sensualità è passione.
la trama è stata veramente ben elaborata, tutti i personaggi, cattivi compresi, hanno avuto e continuano ad avere ruoli ben precisi e mai banali. notevoli i colpi di scena che non mancano mai.
non sono particolarmente felice dell'ambientazione storica ma non la disdegno affatto essendo piacev...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Roberta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

Come tanti altri prima di me, confermo che questo romanzo è migliore del primo (e mi convince a procurarmi prima o poi il terzo volume e - se non ci saranno brutte sorprese - i successivi). Se nel primo libro la lettura scorreva piacevole grazie all'ambientazione vittoriana e all'incongruenza di una cacciatrice che fa anche parte della buona società britannica, in questo secondo abbiamo una trama più densa e più accattivante, che ci spinge a girare velocemente le pagine, grazie anche allo stile...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Aimee rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this second novel in the series, the vampire-slaying action moves out of London and into Venice and Rome. Victoria suffered a staggering loss at the end of the first novel, but she will discover that this was only the beginning of her sorrow and sacrifice. Making things even more difficult, she can never be sure if Sebastian or Max or can be trusted, but she knows that she can't save the world all alone. Who will prove to be the truest ally?

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Rises The Night (The Gardella Vampire Chronicles #2)

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