The Rest Falls Away

The Gardella Vampire Hunters, Book 1

By: Colleen Gleason

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Beneath the glitter of dazzling nineteenth century London Society lurks a bloodthirsty evil . . .

Just as Lady Victoria Gardella is preparing for her debut into London Society, she learns the shocking and impossible truth about her family legacy: she is one of the very few who has the power—and responsibility—to hunt and slay the evil vampires that infest the city.

With infinite questions (where will she hide her stake? how will she know a vampire when she encounters one? how will she sneak out at night?), Victoria agrees to shoulder the responsibility and carry the stake—despite the societal restrictions and expectations of her as a female.

But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous moonlit streets, juggling the expectations of her mother and the requirements of her obligations, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her dark, dangerous duty.

And when she comes face-to-face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make a choice between duty and love.

©2007, 2014 Colleen Gleason (P)2023 Tantor

Waiting for years for this to become an audiobook

The books have been a favorite of mine for years. I had hoped for an audiobook version for years. The books are an easy read with a less sexy take on vampires.

The narrator for me was a bit of a let down. I felt the British accent was trying to hard and Victoria's voice comes out simpering which made it hard to listen to at first. I also had to speed up the voice to 1.25 since the breathy lispy ness drove me up the wall.

I would still recommend the books but wouldn't be surprised if the narrator is difficult to listen to.

Bridgerton meets Buffy

This series is Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Bridgerton and I love it.

This is by far my FAVORITE series. I first read the books in 2007 and have found myself comparing other books to them since then. I rarely re-read books because there are always so many new books to read, but I've read this series several times over the years so I was really excited when Colleen Gleason announced it would be available on audio!

Not only does Victoria have to navigate the ton, London's elite society, having just come out; filling her dance card with eligible bachelors and finding herself a husband, she is also thrown into the paranormal world; her Aunt was a powerful Venator or Vampire Hunter, and now the legacy has passed on to Victoria, only the third ever female Venator.

The Rest Falls Away is full of action and emotion. Despite warnings from her fellow Venator, the always moody and sarcastic Max, Victoria continues to lead a double life, dancing and socializing during the day and killing vampires at night. At some point her two worlds will collide and it is devastating. Will Victoria go back on her vow to become a Venator and instead lead a normal life, ignorant of the danger waiting in the shadows?

There are three interesting men in Victoria's life.
Max, the tall dark and sarcastic Venator.
Phillip, the Marquess and love interest.
and then there's Sebastian... Vampire club owner, bronze, blonde and alluring. He's strong and seductive. He is the one character that has stuck with me for 15 years.

Jayne Entwistle did a great job narrating the story, she added that extra bit of flare with the accents that you don't get when you read it yourself.

#TeamSebastian