'The Rest Falls Away'

by Colleen Gleason

Fiction/Paranormal Romance, 2007
Signet Eclipse (Penguin) mm pb, 346 p.
The Gardella Vampire Chronicles- Book #1
(#44 for 2007, R.I.P. II Challenge- #3)

Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long ago taken over the world.
In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy, 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 duty. And when she comes face-to-face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make a choice between obligation and love….

I kept hearing about this vampire series on various blogs but with Carl dangling a tantalizing prize pack as incentive, it seemed only logical to give in and read them now.
Well, I had much more fun reading this than Dracula. It had humour, action, romance, a bit of everything really. Juggling vampire slaying with society outings in Regency era London certainly allows for some fun details. A small thing perhaps but I also really got a kick out of the chapter headings. I usually tend to skip over chapter titles so the fact that I read them and chuckled over many of them is no small feat. And while these books will likely never be nominated for the Booker Prize, this was a fun, page-turning read, and a good introduction to the series. I immediately started the 2nd book after finishing this one so that’s got to say something!

My Rating: 3.5/5