Regency Draculia - Book 01 - The Vampire Voss

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a totally unexpected but amazingly enjoyable read. I have been wanting to read the Gardella Vampire Series by Colleen Gleason, recommended to me by a Goodreads friend, for quite some time now and just never seemed to get around to it. The Vampire Voss was therefore the first of her books that I have picked up and I must admit I am adding Colleen Gleason to my favourite author list right after I finish this review. This book spoke to my romantic side as much as it gave me my much needed vampire fix.

SUMMARY

This book follows Voss, Lord Dewhurst, a 140 something year old Vampire living in regency England. As I don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who have not read the book as yet I shall stick with the Goodreads summary on this one, which goes something like this:

Regency London – a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men. But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer’s own. Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member of the Dracule – a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls – the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral… until Angelica. Angelica Woodmore possesses the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger – for her body and blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him – to protect her.

WHAT I LIKED

The Vampire Voss has everything that I like in a book. It is set in Regency England, it’s a romance with a fantastical twist and has a dark and sinister edge. What more could one really want? I absolutely loved the characters in this book. The author fleshes out the characters to such an extent that it allows you to really connect with them and become invested in what their futures will bring. At first Voss’ arrogance and pure obsession with the pursuit of pleasure is quite irritating and it seems that he has no hope of ever being likable in any way. But you soon realise that this is exactly the intention of the author with the development of this character and is an ideal description for a vampire over a hundred years old who does not have to answer to anyone or anything (except Lucifer that is). The world created by the author is very believable and this new twist to vampire lore was very interesting. I love that the characters are not portrayed as inhumanly perfect as characters some times are, but that they have their own faults and failings to deal with throughout the book.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Although there was a lot of action in this book I would not say that it was truly a page turner. I am putting this comment in the “Didn’t Like” Section of the review, although it did not really bother me that the book was not very fast paced. I still finished the book in one sitting, reading until well into the early hours of the morning. At singular points throughout the book I became a bit irritated and felt like the author was pushing Voss’s obsession with satisfying his lusts a bit too far but I must admit that this did not hinder my overall enjoyment of this book. To tell the truth there was not much that I disliked about this book and it’s really not just because I’m feeling generous at the start of the weekend.

SO WHAT’S THE VERDICT?

A good solid read that puts a very interesting spin on all things Vampire. This book is an absolute must read for any vampire/history/romance fan! I cannot wait to read more of this series! Two thumbs up without any doubt!

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Vampire Voss is followed by The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason and having had a glimpse of Dimitri in the first book in the series I cannot wait to read more about him.

A BIG thank you to Harlequin through Netgalley for granting me the opportunity to enjoy this book!

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