Review - Rises the Night (Gardella Vampire Chronicles, Book 2) by Colleen Gleason (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: June 5, 2007
ISBN: 978-0451221469
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

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 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.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Paranormal Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge