Sunday, August 3, 2008

The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason

Oh, nuts to it. I've already read it. I'm skimming as I go. *sigh*


As Rome prepares for its Carnival, the new leader of the city's vampire hunters--Lady Victoria Gardella Grantsworth de Lacy--must prove herself as never before. For, in order to gain access to the secrets of a legendary alchemist, Rome's vampires have allie themselves with creatures as evil and bloodthirsty as they are.

Reluctantly, Victoria must turn to the enigmatic Sebastian Vioget for help, just as Maximilian Pesaro arrives to help his fellow slayers--no matter what the sacrifice. Desire puts her at the mercy of Sebastian, while loyalty binds her to Max, but can she trust either man? Especially when a seductive vampire begins luring her into the shadows...


Four months have passed since the end of Rises The Night. Victoria is again trying to get past her grief and move on. Max has been given an option, but he's not sure if he's going to take it. I'm not sure where Sebastian is at this point. Things are all a bit discombobulated, but they slowly, but surely get their lives all back in order.

Something fishy is going on in Rome and Victoria, as the new Gardella, wants to solve the mystery as quickly as possible. It's going to be a race against time as she tries to find the key before the vampires do.

She finds herself working with Max in her efforts to find this key. Max is struggling with a major decision that will change his life forever. He's more than willing to help her out, but his mind isn't exactly on his duties to help her. The choice is major, major, major and it's a major theme throughout the entire novel. It seems that the story is nothing but choices and ramifications.

Sebastian is back. The attraction is still there. Major flirtations and other things...again. Mistakes are made. See, it's all about the choices.

In fact, here's just a tiny snippet of conversation between Victoria & Max. You'll see why I say this seems to be the major theme.

"The right decision isn't always easy or evident. You'll find yourself making more and more of those choices as time goes on."

Isn't that the truth?

At times throught TBD, it's extremely obvious how young Victoria is. 21 and she's had more heartache than most people do in a lifetime. In TBD though, she seems to be whining a bit more. Temper tantrums, etc. However, it's not annoying, because if you've read the last two books, it's easy to see why she is the way she is. If you were 21 and had so much riding on your choices and decisions, wouldn't you go a little batty?

Ramifications from choices Max made back in RTN seem to be haunting him in this book. There are a few things he can't seem to get away from, including his ex-fiance. Oh, the humor that brings to the table. Max is nothing but determined to forget he was ever engaged to her, while she seems to go out of her way to smack him over the head with it. Fun!

The search for the key remains the big thing throughout the book. If it's found...well, that's not good. The characters are led on a merry chase.

The end of the book? Totally shocked me. Is she? Isn't she? What exactly transpired? Say what? Those were just some of my thoughts whilst reading that. And now, the next book comes out on Tuesday! I can hardly wait.

So, for my last thoughts. Who will Victoria choose? Will she choose either or remain alone? Did what I think end up being what actually happens? Cryptic much? LOL! Sorry.

Excellent story, beautifully rendered location, scary moments, funny moments. Sexy as always. Nice twist on the typical vampire slayer stories. Can't wait!


My Rating: A

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