I ended up liking this book quite a lot. I have really had a great time with this vampire hunter series set in the Regency period and I was eager to see how everything would wrap up in this final installment. I had some ideas about where things might go in this book and I wasn't completely wrong but there were more than a few surprises worked in along the way as well. I am pretty satisfied with how everything came to an end.

Demons are making their way into the world. Demons are a danger not only to humans but vampires also have a lot to lose with their increased presence. Demons are hard to fight and even harder to overcome. There are a few special items that could help in defeating this enemy but in order to use them, Victoria and the other vampire hunters must enlist the help of one of their greatest enemies, Lilith, the vampire queen. I couldn't wait to see how things would finally wrap up with this master vampire and seeing the members of the group working with her was intense. She has had such a unique hold over Max throughout the series and I knew that things would get exciting when the vampire hunters were finally able to deal with her.

The characters in this series are really well done. The group of vampire hunters were on the road for much of this book so there were not quite so many characters throughout the book as some of the other books. Victoria has become such a strong leader and is willing to sacrifice if that is what is required of her. I do like the fact that she does still want things for herself and actively works to make those things happen. Max has been through a lot over the course of the story and he takes on another huge obstacle in this installment. He has proven that he will do whatever it takes to help make the world a safer place. Sebastian has also changed throughout the series. He isn't as afraid to show how much he cares and actively pursues what he wants in this installment. He is also a very brave man that can be very honorable when given the opportunity.

My one complaint about this book was the love triangle that took center stage at the start of the book. I really wish that this element to the story would have just been left out. One love interest was more than enough in my opinion. The love triangle was really set up in the previous installment in the series but this was where things were really dealt with. Victoria knows what she wants and doesn't waver in that decision which I really appreciated. I was pretty sure how the romantic element of the story would pan out before I ever started reading this book and I was right for the most part. The way that story worked out in the end made the whole triangle make a lot more sense to me and I was really satisfied with how everything turned out.

I would recommend this series to others. This is the fifth and final installment in a series that really does have to be read in order since each book builds on the last. I have had such a great time watching this group of characters change and learn to work as a team to make the world a safer place. I definitely plan to read more from Gleason very soon. ( )

"E quando avremo finito, non ricorderai neanche il tuo nome."

No, dico, ma quanta forza, sensualitĂ , brutalitĂ  e perversione emanano queste parole? Ve lo dico io quanta: TANTA!

Roba da farmi alzare ed attaccarmi alla bottiglia dell'acqua per 1 minuto, avevo bisogno di un breack. Questo libro è un concentrato di eleganza, sussualità, forza e... testardaggine!

E' incredibile, in genere detesto i finali delle saghe, mi lasciano sempre l'amaro in bocca in un modo o in un altro. In questo caso, a parte per un paio di particolari, ciò non è avvenuto. Considerando che ci ho fatto 4 di mattina finirlo per poi alzarmi alle 9... E' da maniaci, lo riconosco.

Max è Max. E' passione, ironia, forza, brutalità, possessività, testardaggine, coraggio ed egocentrismo. Ha l'assurda mania di decidere per altri, l'ha sempre fatto. Vuole fare l'eroe (e poi vuol essere salvato!) e la molla là, come una fessa!
E poi non possiamo sorprenderci se Victoria lo appende per i gioiellini di famiglia quando lo riprende, lo farei anche io. Peccato che non l'abbia fatto piuttosto. Sarebbe stato in perfetto stile Gardella, non aver seguito l'istinto è stato un tantino deludente ma un'ottima dimostrazione di quanto sia effettivamente maturata Victoria negli anni. LEI è maturata, Max, lei... Io No. io ti avrei appeso al muro... Lasciamo perdere.

Sebastian è un personaggio che mi ha irritata incredibilmente per i primi tre libri, non ci potevo fare nulla. Insopportabile.
Alla fine, povero, è quello che ha pagato più duramente di tutti in questa storia.
La scrittrice è stata piuttosto crudele ma..
Pensavamo davvero che dopo aver tradito i Cacciatori, la razza umana e la sua vocazione la VolontĂ  Divina non gli avrebbe presentato il conto?
Io mi sarei infuriata del contrario.
Per quanto posso provare pena per lui, questa scelta dimostra la coerenza della scrittrice che conosce davvero i suoi personaggi e che non da importanza solamente agli amanti del finale ''e vissero tutti felice e contenti''.

Victoria è una personaggio, una delle poche oserei dire, che impari ad apprezzare con il passare del tempo. Ha attraversato molte fasi, ha sbagliato, è caduta, si è rialzata... Incredibilmente è maturata, mantenendo comunque tutto la sua indole ribelle che è parte assoluta del suo fascino.

Unico appunto che proprio non ho mandato giù è stato: La cattiva!

Ha reso la vita un inferno a Max pur di averlo e, quando lo ha lo baratto per 5 anelli? Un tantino troppo facile.
Secondo appunto: Max uno dei più grandi cacciatori in circolazioni non è mai riuscito a farla fuori e, arriva Victoria che, in 4 mosse la polverizza. Puuf!
Beh, non esageriamo, dai qua avrebbe potuto fare di meglio ^^'

Nonostante ciò "Il bacio del vampiro" è un ottimo finale di un'ottima saga, non c'è che dire! Scritto magistralmente, narrato altrettando bene e soprattutto coerente.

Forse ci sarà un seguito, per il moemnto la scrittrice si sta concentrando su un'altra saga vittoriana riguardante i vampiri che, però, assicura non sono i Gardella.

Forse un giorno riprenderĂ  in mano questa saga per narrarci della splendida creatura in arrivo. Di Sebastian... E di quanto possa essere pericolosa la vita coniugale quando si parla ci Victoria e Max! ( )

This is the fifth and final book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. It did a nice job of tying things up and resolving the main story. I really enjoyed the characters, the action, and the plot involving the evil Lilith.

This time it is not vampires who threaten Victoria Gardella, but demons. In order to fight these demons the Venators must do the unthinkable and team up with Lilith. Lilith is still obsessed with Max, and the Venators are forced to use her obsession with him to aid in the fight. Victoria has become a wonderful leader to the Venators but her heart is in turmoil. Sebastian appears to be the perfect companion for her, he loves and respects her and fights fiercely by her side. Unfortunately Victoria’s heart is set on Max and since Max has given up being a Venator that means that Max is a bit of a liability. Then there is the matter of Victoria needing to provide an heir to the Gardella line..

All of the characters we have come to know and love are here in this book. There is lots of Sebastian, Max, Lilith, and Victoria. They must hunt for the five rings of Jubei in order to obtain an orb of Lilith’s that will allow them to send the demons back home.

There is a lot of angst between Max and Victoria in this book. Max doesn’t want to be involved with Victoria because he feels that his human status will put her in danger and make it so that he can’t protect her like he should. Victoria knows that Max loves her and is unwilling to give up that love for something safer. There are lots of deliciously tense scenes between these two and they have excellent chemistry together. Really these interactions really made the book and they are what we’ve all been waiting for from book 1!

I felt very bad for Sebastian throughout. Victoria has made her choice clear, but Sebastian refuses to give up. He goes the extra mile again and again for Victoria trying to grab her attention. He truly and strongly believes that Max is unfeeling and uncaring and totally not worthy of Victoria. We learn a lot about the tension and history between Sebastian and Max in this book as well. Sebastian’s story is the only one that is really left at loose ends.

I love the quest-type feel to the story as well and how our heroes have to hunt down these strange objects. Adding to the plot is the idea of Victoria being the last Gardella and how she has a duty to continue the Gardella line. It was interesting to watch her try to cope with the idea of her having a child with her current duties as a Venator.

There are some excellent action scenes where Max, Sebastian, and Victoria all fight back to back in some wonderfully demonic battles. As with previous books this book continues to remind me of a Victorian Buffy the Vampire Slayer...with more adult sex scenes.

This book was a fun and quick read. It was engaging and entertaining and did a wonderful job wrapping up the series. The only loose end really is Sebastian’s story. Imagine my excitement when I heard that Sebastian’s story will be continued in a spin-off series starting with Roaring Midnight, which released on June 18th!

Overall a very well done and satisfying conclusion to this series. I love the interactions between Victoria and Max and enjoyed learning the history between Max and Sebastian. There are some excellent action scenes as well and I enjoyed the quest-like feel to the plot. The addition of demons added a whole new level of danger to the story too. This whole series is recommended to fans of vampire slaying stories that have a bit of romance in them. I absolutely cannot wait to read Sebastian’s story in Roaring Midnight! ( )

This is the last book in the series, and I think it was well worth the wait. Victoria finally makes her decision about which man she wants to share her life with, and the final battle with Lilith finally commences. I was very happy about that because let's face it, the showdowns with Lilith were pretty repetitive. Of course, there are more demons to thwart in order to save the world. There are still plenty of loose ends, however, that were not tied up so neatly. Sebastian's fate is somewhat cryptic, and I'm not convinced that he can adequately substitute for the person he is meant to replace. I also don't understand how he is supposed to fulfill that role where he plans to go. (Sorry, don't want to spoil it for anyone by saying too much!) I think there's still enough room for more volumes in the series should the author wish to write some. ( )

I would have given this 5 stars if Sebastian's ending would have been different. I thought that was completely unnecessary to the story and just a cop out to tidily get him away from Victoria & Max. And I am definitely Team Max, I never liked Victoria with Sebastian, but wasn't it enough that he had to be the loser in that situation? Even though I didn't like Sebastian with Victoria, I still liked him, but he was no self-sacrificing, noble Max, and sacrificing himself was so out of character, Giulia or not.I also would have been happier to see Max be a little nicer/more affectionate to Victoria in this book, but I know that would be out of character for him and I guess I need to accept that. :) ( )