Meet Victoria Gardella, the latest in a long line of vampire hunters. In each generation a Gardella is born with the innate gifts allowing them to hunt and kill vampires. It is up to them is they accept the call. If they do they must first pass a test and kill a vampire. If they succeed they are given a piece of blessed jewellry, a vis bulla, that gives them extra strength, power and healing.

Set in Jane Austen times when girls have coming out debutant parties. Victoria has to balance her vampire staking duties with balls, picking out new gowns and falling in love. Some of the other vampire hunters (Venator's) believe that you can either be a Venator or settle down, marry and have children. Victoria particularly butts head with Max who is a Venator by choice rather than family calling. He lost family members to vampires and has devoted his life to killing them ever since. Victoria has other ideas though and her Aunt thinks the best thing is to let her take her own path.

Think Pride and Prejudice meets Buffy. The setting made it stand out from the many other vampire series out there although it does take a lot of inspiration from Buffy (I love Buffy though so that's not a bad thing!). There is a twist near the end which was not unexpected, but the final ending was. It ends on a sad note and I am glad that the story is not completely romanticised. It made it seem more realistic somehow. ( )

The author has billed her first novel (and soon to be series) as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Pride and Prejudice" and seeing as these are two of my all time favorite stories and settings- I was all over it!

I read it in one sitting, because after the first chapter I had to see how it all played out. Actually, it was around page thirty-about the time Ms. Gleeson laid out her idea of how the vampires came into being. (No Bram Stoker rip off this!) After I read it, I heard that familiar voice inside my head say "Oh, that's good!"- the same thing I always hear whenever I come across a plotline that gets me excited!

As this is the first in the series, I felt it was a good set up for what's to come. I adore Victoria and can't wait to get to know her better. I don't feel like I got the total picture on her yet however, but that can happen when starting a series. And too, Victoria is as new to the world of Gleason's vampires as we are! I look forward to discovering a bit more about her motivations in further stories. ( )

This was an enjoyable read overall. It's a bit of a different take on the idea of the "vampire hunter" with a touch of intrigue, a hint of romance, and some sexiness all rolled in together. I read the second book in the series first, so was a tad disoriented in the beginning of this one but will be checking out the other installments in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. ( )

The description of this book sounded like Buffy in the 1700's: Every generation one is chosen to fight the vampires and given superhuman abilities etc. Regency Buffy is basically what this book is. And that's not a bad thing.
The book starts off a little slow, and there are plenty of questions that never get fully answered (but this is the first book in a series so that is to be expected). The vampires are, for the most part pretty generic. I would have enjoyed having more of a defined character given to them instead of just vampire #1 etc. My biggest complaint, however,is when modern sensibilities are added to historical settings/characters (the scene in the carriage was ridiculous. That never would have happened.)
Still, I'm interested in seeing how this Slayer (or Venator as they are called in the book) develops and some of the romance elements that were planted turn out in the next book. ( )

I grew up reading historical romance novels, so I’m always love finding ones that also include the paranormal element. When I heard of Coleen Gleason’s Gardella Vampire series, they immediately caught my attention. It took me awhile, but I finally got my hands on the Rest Falls Away, the first novel in this series, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it.

We’re introduced to Victoria Gardella Grantsworth, who is getting ready for her first débutante ball. She is coming out in society and as she is preparing, she learns of another debut she is about to make. Her family has a legacy that has endured for centuries and it all revolves around vampires. They are Venators and they hunt to kill those offspring of Judas Iscariot who are bent on destroying mankind.

Gleason’s vampire mythos is much like that of the movie Dracula 2000; however, the first vampire wasn’t Judas, but his daughter, Lilith, who he turned into a vampire after he was damned by the devil.. The premise isn’t all that new, but it’s still unique in the fact that we’re watching the story unfold in Regency England. At least I think it’s the regency era, I’m not entirely sure since there isn’t any dates mentioned. Regardless, I had no problem getting into the story as Gleason spins the environment in a way that doesn’t draw the reader to those features, but they are there to enhance the story. We’re focused on the character of Victoria Gardella Grantsworth and the decisions she must make as she begins to move in the ton and learning the ropes of being a Venator. I have to say, I am impressed with the development of Victoria. She goes through many emotions as she learns to be a Venator and she has to make a few tough decisions - for instance, does she marry the man she has fallen in love with, even though he can never know about her Venator status? The roller coaster ride she goes through allows her character to mature faster without using any silly gimmicks or writer creativity.

The plot itself of the Rest Falls Away works for the novel. It’s not too flashy, where the heroine needs to be a kick ass fighter or excellent at magic; but instead, it flows around the circumstances Victoria finds herself in. While it’s not action packed, there is still enough action that it keeps the reader interested in what is going to happen next. We know the vampires are planning something, but the subtle way they go about it is kind of refreshing.

Overall, I have to say that I truly enjoyed the Rest Falls Away and I am continuing on with the series. One thing I am curious about is the relationship between Max and Victoria. Max is another Venator who has come to London to help with the vampire problem. Throughout the entire novel, I kept getting this sense that Max starts to develop feelings for Victoria, but since she was engaged to another man, he was being the perfect gentleman and being a complete ass about it. Not an ass in a bad way, but not very giving when it came to teamwork (hopefully you know what I mean). With the conclusion as it is, I’m left with the feeling that something could happen in the future. With that said, I’m off to start Rises the Night, the second novel, to see if I’m right.

http://www.literaryescapism.com/2008/... ( )