Rises the Night

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 about his past. Now I'm finding it close to impossible but looking forward to the next books. On the other hand, not nearly enough Max time.

Cons:
- The one sex scene felt extraneous. There was really no reason to even have it in the show more context of the plot and it felt shoved in there just to have one.
- This heroine continues to annoy me in how TSTL she is. I really cannot see how the characters around her have any faith that she is this amazing Venator. She seems to have common sense only 10% of the time and that tends to be at the end of the book when the author has no choice but to write her that way (although that is a bit of a stretch at places in this ending...). Max describes her as "headstrong" and "naive" and I don't find these as being strong enough words to describe her most of the time.
- Also, I feel like a lot of the problems they came across in this book would be solved if people would just speak to one another. This goes for Victoria's character too. I don't think that she would take some of the risks she does if someone would sit her down and explain some facts of their world to her. What was she doing that whole year in London anyway? Because obviously no one was filling her in on important details of their enemies. show less

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 è ben avviata verso un’originalissima Saga.
L’idea della Cacciatrice di Vampiri vestita di pizzi e merletti mi affascina, soprattutto per la collocazione di queste fascinose creature in un epoca fondata sull’eleganza e, perché show more no, sulle frivolezze.
In questo secondo libro ritroviamo Vittoria, Cacciatrice, furiosa ed in cerca di vendetta.
Un Max che sparisce per quasi un anno senza che nessuno sappia che fine abbia fatto per poi rispuntare fuori all'improvviso sorprendendo Vittoria e lettori. La profondità di questo personaggio, la complessità della sua anima sono tali da avviluppare il lettore ed allo stesso tempo tenerlo sempre in bilico fra una sorta di odio/amore nei suoi confronti.
Sebastian, viceversa, benché affascinate e indubbiamente ben fatto non riesco proprio ad apprezzarlo. Il suo essere doppiogiochista, vile, arrivista e maledettamente sfacciato mi ha più volte stizzita. Come mi ha stizzito Vittoria che, in preda (forse giustamente) al fascino si Sebastian finisce per farsi fregare ogni santa volta.
Travolgente, coinvolgente ed appassionante, attendo con ansia di poter leggere il seguito. show less

Great book, exciting story and caracters, fantasic story line, the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that it broke my heart. It would be hard to read this again, though good enough to read several times. Victoria has her family torn and ripped from her, he beliefs crushed, it left me with a feeling of no hope for her. I need a break before going on in this story, what a great author, she really drove the story home !

I had a great time reading this book and thought it was even better than the first book in the series. I have had the first three books from this series sitting in my review pile unread for a couple of years. I am so glad that I am finally reading the series because I am really enjoying it. I ended up reading most of the book in a single day simply because I didn't want to put it down.

This is the second book in the Gardella Vampire Hunter series and the series really does need to be read in order. This book really assumes that the reader knows everything that happened in the first book and picks up shortly after that installment ends. Victoria has been through a lot and seems stronger now as a result. I really felt for her as she show more struggled to find herself again. I thought that the opening scene of the book really did a fantastic job of illustrating how dark her world has become.

I really liked seeing how much Victoria has grown in this book. Everything she has been through has really changed her and she seems to have a harder edge in this book. She doesn't worry as much about society and actually has a lot more freedom in that area. She is both physically and mentally strong which she proves many times in this story. It was really wonderful to get to know some of the other characters a bit better. Sebastian was great in this book. I was never quite sure if he should be trusted but I really wanted him to prove to be trustworthy. I was never quite sure if I liked his character in the first book but I loved him in this one.

This book really had everything I hoped to find when I started reading. There is a whole lot of excitement and action spread throughout the book to really keep things moving forward. I love that the vampires in this book are definitely the enemy and are not romanticized. There was enough mystery in the story to really keep me guessing until the very end and a few shocking scenes that made me doubt everything I thought I knew. The chemistry between the characters was also really well done and a bit of a surprise.

I do recommend this series to others. It really was one of those books that are just really hard to put down. I can't wait to start the next book in the series so that I can find out what is in store for Victoria next!

I received a review copy of this book from Avid Press via Edelweiss. show less

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 show more 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. show less

In Rises The Night, Victoria finds herself in Italy and Rome (I think that the change of venue, from England, made this book many times better than the first). She has to find a way to destroy the Akvan's Obelisk. It has fallen into the hands of Nedas, son of the Vampire Queen, Lillith. The Obelisk has the power to wake the undead and basically cause hell on earth, which would be a draw to any evil vampire bent on destroying all of human kind.

This is one of those books where I don't want to say too much because any little slip can give a major plot away. But I will say that there are a lot of unexpected surprises and twists in Rises The Night. Victoria really comes into her own in Rises The Night and other characters, that were more so show more just wallpaper in the first book, become three dimensional.

What I love about this series is that Victoria is never idiotic. She thinks out her actions before she takes them. There is never a moment where I want to close the book and roll my eyes. In other words, she is never too stupid to live.

Oh, and let me not forget Sebastian. Love him. Sebastian is a mysterious character who I can't say much about because I don't know much about him. One of his secrets does come out in RTN but Colleen leaves us with so many more. Like why won't he take that shirt off? What more is this mortal man hiding? So many questions, so much more series to go.

While the first book was not as good as the second, both together made a great read. I also love that the books seem to be getting better with time. I'd take that over having a strong first book and a disappointing second, any day. show less

From the Publisher: In Italy, a powerful vampire is amassing the power to control the souls of the dead. Lady Victoria Gardella de Lacy - a vampire slayer for just over year - races across Europe 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, the truth will challenge all her powers as a Venator-and as a woman.

Comments: This is the second novel in Colleen Gleason’s Gardella Vampire Chronicles, the follow up to The Rest Falls Away. Rises the Night begins a year after a terrible tragedy befalls Victoria. She is beginning to pick up the pieces show more and get back into the life that she has been chosen to lead, that of Venator, one of the few who fights vampires and other creatures of the night.

Victoria leaves behind Victorian London to visit Venice and Rome, hoping to find and assassinate one of the most powerful vampires around. Author Colleen Gleason doesn’t miss a beat adding in the details of the time period and locations referred to throughout the novel. Victoria is as feisty and headstrong as ever and Sebastian as infuriatingly sensual. He is a mystery to Victoria and yet she finds it difficult to resist his charm.

It did not take long for me to get lost in the pages of Rises the Night. The novel is fast paced and chock full of action. For those who find the romantic story line the most appealing part, the book does not disappoint. Colleen Gleason demonstrates her great skill in building suspense and adding in elements of surprise with several unexpected twists. show less