Review- When Twilight Burns (Gardella Vampire Chronicles, Book 4) by Colleen Gleason (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: HIstorical Paranormal
Size: 354 pages
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: August 5, 2008
ISBN: 978-0451224750
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles
Source: Swapped
Rating: 4/5 stars


This is the fourth book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. There are five books in this series, the fifth is As Shadows Fade and is already out. I thought this was the strongest book of the series yet. Victoria has really stepped up to her position of head of the Gardella.

Victoria returns to London to deal with her husband’s estate. However, while there she uncovers a strange murder done by a vampire that can walk in the sun. Mysteriously she seems to be at a number of the murder sites at inopportune times and it appears that someone is trying to blame the murders on her. To make things more difficult it looks like Lilith is back in town as too.

This was a great continuation of this series. Victoria has really stepped into her position as leader of the Gardella nicely. I love that she has to train to keep her kick-butt moves and strength and that she does so faithfully. I also love that she saves herself more often than not, but is not afraid to call for back-up when she needs it. She has developed into a strong and admirable heroine who is a far cry from the woman we meet in the first book of this series.

We see a lot of both Sebastian and Max in this book and there is finally some wonderful resolution around this love triangle. Both Sebastian and Max are wonderful male characters, they each bring a lot to the story.

Lilith is back in the story and is just as creepy as ever. It was nice to see the storyline featuring Lilith moving forward and I am incredibly curious to see how things play out in the final book.

One of my favorite parts of these books is the incredibly witty banter between the characters, it makes me laugh and is very entertaining. These are just such fun books to read. The series continues to remind me of a Victorian Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The book was well written, engaging, and easy to read. This is a book that is just pure fun and escapism. I thought it wrapped up well but am dying to see how everything wraps up as this series comes to a close.

Overall a great continuation in this series, probably the best book yet. I love the inclusion of a new type of vampire, I love Victoria as a character, and enjoy both the fighting scenes and the witty banter between all of the characters. This is a very fun series to read. I would recommend to those you enjoy Victorian vampire stories with streak of romance, mystery, and some good action scenes. I can’t wait to read the final book, As Shadows Fade.

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