Customer Reviews

The Bleeding Dusk: (Gardella Vampire Chronicles Book 3)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Colleen Gleason continues to prove to her editors and readers that she is a cut above other mass-market romance fiction novelists. In her latest installment of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles, Gleason has once again shown that she can lay a complex buffet for her readers to feast on. Who else could have come up with the premise of a Regency heroine vampire slayer that is originally and legitimately well done?

The Bleeding Dusk takes us to Rome this time, where Victoria must find a way beyond the trauma and chaos of the past year, and delve into her strength to become the new Illa Gardella. Armed with two vis bullae, she, Max, Sebastian and her Venators must prevent the combined dark forces of demons and vampires from opening La Porta Alchemica or the Door of Alchemy. It is path fraught with sacrifice. Gleason is not into pacification. She is not going to give us an easy read where we have the end game in our sights.

Gleason deliberately toys with us with regard to Victoria's love interests and more, stops on a dime, and reverses in another direction. In many ways it works.

Throughout this entire series, I was strongly reminded of Ken Russell's movie "Gothic" intermeshed with Buffy. And I haven't seen such painstaking attention to detail since Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

Gleason tamps down the romantic element-this series reads stronger as sci-fi/fantasy, not romance (even though its marketed as romance), though there are elements of it-but that won't detract readers by any means. This is how the genre is evolving. Romance seems to be an area of growth for Gleason, and I eagerly anticipate seeing it flourish. Particularly in balancing the romance aspects with suspense. The current conundrum of Sebastian and Max is a bittersweet torment-especially with the sacrifice that Max has to make. The finale...well... it's quite a finale. Grossly enrapturing.

Those watching should bear careful consideration: Gleason can only go up from here.

Unbelievable that this is a Signet Eclipse...which is a gentle warning to her editors....at this skill level you might not have her for long...Copyright(c)Nicola Mattos

I read the first two books in Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles (The Rest Falls Away: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles (Signet Eclipse) and Rises The Night: The Gardella Vampire Chronicles) and thought they were good enough to keep reading but not really anything special. This latest installment, however, has totally changed my mind.

Victoria has spent the past year and a half fighting vampires and learning to deal with the trauma that comes along with her dangerous calling. She still mourns for her husband that she herself staked, is coming to terms with the fact that a man she trusts killed her beloved aunt and wants to give in to the passion she feels for the mysterious Sebastian, whom she knows will just as soon betray her as love her. Now a dangerous daemon, a long-lost secret in alchemy and a demanding vampire lord are thrown into the mix and the vampire hunter needs people she can trust more than ever.

This book is sexy yet plot driven, action-packed yet tender, and a whole lot of fun to read. While you do really need to read the first two books in the series to understand what is going on in this book, the characters, plot and dialogue shine brighter in this than the previous two.

Like Ann Rice's Interview With the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles), this book explores the battle between good and evil and the gray area in between. There is a definite Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Seventh Season (Slim Set) vibe, but the story it truly unique and the characters are surprisingly relatable. While it takes place in the Regency era, Victoria is no Emma (Penguin Classics) or other Jane Austen heroine.

It's like watching a great TV action series only better. I did only give this book four stars because I still felt some of the exposition dragged, and I got a little tired of all of these seemingly strong male characters falling all over themselves to get at Victoria. But I can't wait to find out what happens next as I am sure Gleason's style and exciting tales will only get better.

I sit here having just finished a marathon reading of The Bleeding Dusk and my heart is pounding so strongly that if there really were vampires out there I would be announcing loud and clear that it is feeding time! My heart is in my throat and I am so tense I feel like I need to take a warm bath to relax...maybe get out a glass of red wine and put on some lite rock. Heavens above, the last 100 or so pages of this novel felt like riding on a roller coaster with a never-ending plummet! Whew, what a rush.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books in this series and am thrilled to say that Colleen Gleason's craft has kicked up another notch with The Bleeding Dusk. Speaking from a man's perspective, this book lives up to the heart-racing promises of the cover image and then some. I am not kidding. The tension of the last 100 pages wore me out.

The Bleeding Dusk continues the adventures of Victoria Gardella, vampire slayer, not long after the events that ended Rises the Night. In this book Colleen Gleason is even more skillful in giving recaps of the previous story without making it feel like one is reading a book review. Events from the previous two novels are woven into this story with a deft hand, only included when they are an integral part of the story being told now. I was very impressed.

As in Rises the Night, the events of The Bleeding Dusk take place in Rome and this time involve a crumbling mansion, a mysterious door, and the inclusion of an interesting cast of characters, many of whom are familiar because of the previous novels. Multiple mysteries abound in this story which is so much more than a tale of a group of people fighting ultimate evil. I found the plot of this story to be so engaging. Each time I was sure I knew where Colleen was going with a storyline (sometimes in ways that I was sure I wasn't going to be happy with) she would turn the story a completely different direction and just sweep me off my feet.

Interwoven into the action and adventure there is a surprising amount of sadness and sacrifice. I found myself being very conflicted about the characters, even Victoria at times, and I chalk that up to the fact that these characters are becoming more real with each successive novel. My feelings on what should happen to various characters when this series ends are more jumbled than ever. To hint at anything more would spoil the experience for you.

I found the historical and architectural aspects of this book particularly interesting. I was excited to read that Colleen Gleason based the Door of Alchemy on a real object. It made the whole experience seem that much more authentic. And her descriptions of the hidden lair of the Venators, with its hall of trophies, brought so many interesting, detailed images to my mind. Those objects and their history, though just hinted at, give the story such a sense of time and ignite my curiousity to the point that I long to hear their story.

In all sincerity I found this to be an exciting and engaging read. As she has proven to do over the course of now three novels, Colleen Gleason balances the historical and romantic elements very well with the action and adventure of a story about a vampire hunter. With The Bleeding Dusk Colleen Gleason seems to lean even farther away from what I consider stereotypical in the romance genre and much more toward the style of books that are often shelved in the fantasy section of bookstores. As I have said before, this is in no way a comment meant to disparage the romance genre. What I am trying to communicate is that if the idea of reading a book shelved in the romance section of the bookstore turns you off, don't let that prejudice keep you away from this series. The romance is there, but Colleen weaves those threads into the story so well that you don't feel like you are reading a bodice-ripper. Make no mistake, there are a few spicy scenes in the book that one would expect from this genre, but Colleen writes those titillating scenes with such skill that they strike the necessary cord without being silly, obvious, or overdone. Those scenes are sensual, not sensational, if that makes any sense.

The Bleeding Dusk is a fantastic continuation of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. Colleen Gleason certainly leaves you hungry for more at the end of The Bleeding Dusk and I am glad I don't have to wait an entire year to have my suspense be quenched. Well done!

Not content to repeat herself, Bleeding Dusk continues the evolution of Gleason's Gardella Chronicles series. Here she continues to flesh out her cast as Victoria struggles to fill her aunt's shoes as the new Ilia Gardella, the leader of the venator's, as they fight not only vampires but also demons. There are surprises for us as Gleason gives us more insight into both Sebastian and Max and plenty of action in the more than decent plot set against the background of Rome during Carnivale bringing more pieces of the prophecy together and building to a climatic finish that raises more questions than it answers. This was a great read and I don't know how I can wait until August to find out what's in store for Victoria, Max and Sebastian.

If you are looking to start this series don't start here. Though Gleason fills in enough of the past that you will be able to follow along, the thing that really makes this series work is that evolution that I spoke of and the emotional cost that the characters must pay to reach that new place is really what adds the satisfying depth to the series.

I love this series. In this latest book, The Bleeding Dusk, Victoria is still in Rome, recovering from the death of her Aunt and she is now the leader of the city's vampires hunters. Victoria is still hunting and slaying vampires when she finds that a demon is among them and is allied with the vampires. She reunites with Sebastian for help, still not sure if she can trust him or not, after all he is the Grandson of a Vampire. Max returns, another Vampire Slayer, but he is still in thrall to Lilith, the vampire queen. With the help of Max, as well as Sebastian, Victoria attempts to destroy the demons plot. There are a lot of surprises in this book. Victoria starts to fall under the thrall of Sebastian's Grandfather, Victoria desires Sebastian. This book moves along at a fast pace and is action packed, the ending keeps you on the edge of your seat. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I seldom buy books, choosing to borrow from the library instead. But Colleen Gleason's series is on my "must buy" list! I was shocked when I realized her third book had come out and I didn't have it yet! I started reading it right away and did not want to put it down -- the pacing of the book was very good and I enjoy being able to see parts of the story from other character's perspectives, not just Victoria's.

I love the triangle aspect of the book, and think it's brilliant that the author has created Max and Sebastian so that they are both believable and appropriate love interests. Too many times it's just so obvious who the "good/right" person is and who is the "wrong/bad" person. The author has set it up so that I could actually see Victoria being happy with either Max or Sebastian. It keeps us all guessing, but I am rooting for Max!

Despite my love for the first two books, this one took me a bit to get into. There was quite a bit if repetition and explaining all shoved into the front, meant to bring people who'd not read the previous two books (or had forgotten bits of the previous two) up to speed. While some of this is necessary, in this case it felt more like an info-dump than something subtly and cleverly worked in.

Once the initial recap was over, however, the story picked up considerably. And by 'considerably' I mean 'couldn't put the book down'. Granted, a lot of it was a bit clichéd and predictable, but there were still elements that set this book apart from a typical romance novel. The characters struggle with serious moral dilemmas, and don't always make the right choices. And even when they do make a good (but difficult) choice, the repercussions remain and must be dealt with. There are no completely fairytale endings, and while there are a few convenient bits of plot (and a fair amount of supernatural gobbledegook, but, c'mon, it is a book about vampires, I suppose it's to be expected), it still brings a decent amount of gritty realism. The ending... while I wasn't completely happy with it, I suppose it was necessary to further the storyline, and I'm just going to have to read the next book in the series to see how it is resolved.

The one thing that struck me as slightly off about this book is how easy it was to read parts of it as a modern story. When things like social customs and clothing weren't being discussed, it was easy to imagine the same conversations taking place today. And while I like the idea of an independent woman having the same standing and respect as a man as much as the next person, realistically it didn't really happen back then. So if you're a stickler for historical accuracy (and yet can overlook the inclusion of vampires into said history) parts of this book might bother you. If you can gloss over those minor imperfections, it's a great twist on a typical historical romance.

This book was very exciting to read. But don't be fooled - it is not a romance novel. I think it should be in the fantasy or science fiction aisle. It is 3 parts vampire hunting and 1 part sex (not even love). There is not one iota of romance written in this book.

Romantic yes - in the true sense of the dictionary term...but not "amatory" in any way.

I've read the previous two books and devoured the third just as quickly.

Things I love:
* The fun titles at the beginning of the chapters
* The characters. Flaws and all.
* That we have viewpoints from most of the characters
* How Ms. Gleason has taken actual events and given them a fictional spin.

I've really enjoyed this series. The love triangle is intriguing (continues to be so)and there have been so many surprises along the way. As others have said, these books aren't heavy on the romance. Great stories.

As the other reviewers have commented, this book, which is the third in the series is getting better and better. Our heroine has evolved over the course of the series into a tough but vulnerable vampire hunter. This book is heavy on plot and lighter on romance, which I think is a plus. The heroine is caught between our two heroes, Sebastian and Max. I love Max- tall, dark, handsome, and arrogant! Another plus is that Ms. Gleason is very prolific. The next book in the series comes out in August, so that wait between episodes is not interminable.