Review – The Rest Falls Away (Gardella Vampire Chronicles, Book 1) by Colleen Gleason (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 288 pages
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Release Date: May 26, 2008
ISBN: 978-0749079567
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. There are five books in this series. I have had these five books on my bookshelf to read forever and was excited to finally start reading this series. It is a fun series that is pretty much just pure entertainment.

Victoria Gardella finds out it is time to take up the vampire hunter mantel of her ancestors, but she must also still debut in polite society. She ends up finding herself torn between the handsome Marquess she meets at her debut, the stern Maximilian who helps her out in training, and the mysteriously alluring Sebastian who she runs into when she ventures into the seedier parts of London. She deals with all of this while trying to help solve a mysterious murder case and prevent the vampire Lilith from stealing an ancient and dangerous book.

Think Buffy meets Pride and Prejudice and that’s a pretty good description of this book. Victoria channels a lot of Buffy here, she is a pretty girly girl who just happens to also have vampire hunting capabilities. She is determined to succeed both as a vampire hunter and as a society girl.

The book is set in London in Victorian times, I love reading about London and enjoy the intricacy of Victorian times.

There is a love…square of sorts as mentioned above. When Victoria ends up falling in love with the Marquess her stealthy night time activities become even more difficult to maintain.

This was a fun read, purely a light fun read and not much more than that. The characters were likable and interesting, but I never got super attached to them. The banter between characters is witty and fun and I enjoyed it alot.

Overall I enjoyed the book and will definitely read the next one. This is a great series to read for a little vampire hunting fun, some romance, and a bit of escapism. Recommended to fans of humorous paranormal romance who enjoy historical settings.

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