The Rest Falls Away

The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
#1 in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles
Romance
2007 Signet
Finished on 6/19/08
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)




Product Description

In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy of vampire slaying, 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 enigmatic ally, Sebastian Vioget. And when she comes face to face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make the choice between duty and love.

I'm probably one of the last in my circle of blogger friends to read this series, but I finally picked up The Rest Falls Away last month and was immediately sucked in! (So to speak.) I had to set it aside for a little while so I could read The Sparrow for book club, but the short break didn't upset the rhythm of the narrative and I was quickly immersed back in Victoria's world of high-society balls and vampire slayings.

It's been years since I read Ann Rice's Interview With the Vampire (which I loved), and although I've enjoyed Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga, I'm not chomping at the bit to read Eclipse. However, after reading a couple of vampire books, I realized how much I enjoy the genre. I rarely ever read romances, though, so I have to admit that I was a little nervous about reading Gleason's debut novel (albeit, one of a paranormal nature), in spite of all the great reviews that I've read here and here and here. I won a copy of the second in Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicle series, Rises the Night, a few months ago from Booklogged and decided to buy The Rest Falls Away with a birthday gift card. (Thanks, Jen!)

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was very pleasantly surprised with The Rest Falls Away! This book has a greater level of sophisticated writing than the handful of romances I've read over the years. The pacing is even, maintaining the tension from start to finish, the dialogue is entertaining and believable, and I love the subtle humor. I'm anxious to see where the developing relationships lead and am eager to read more in the series to see who Victoria winds up with! I plan to read Rises the Night later this month, but I think I'll save The Bleeding Dusk (and When Twilight Burns, which comes out on August 5th!) for my trip to Virginia next month. I prefer trade paperbacks to mass markets, but now that the airlines are charging for luggage, smaller books are looking better. Hmmm, maybe it's time to buy a Kindle!