I loved this book! This is the third book in The Gardella Vampire Hunters series and my favorite installment so far. This is a series that does need to be read in order since so much of the story builds on events from previous books. I have had this book sitting on my Kindle for several years and I do have to say that I am a little mad at myself for neglecting for so long because it was excellent. I didn't want to put it down for a single moment and was kind of mad that I had to do responsible things, like go to work, instead of read once I started with the book. I had a fantastic time with this story.

This book picks up right after the events of the previous book. Victoria has had a lot to deal with since becoming a vampire hunter. She is now Summa Gardella which means she is now the leader of the group of vampire hunters. Rome is very busy with Carnivale not to mention vampires and demons. Dead bodies are piling up and Victoria and the other vampire hunters are doing their best to keep the city safe.

I have really had a great time watching the characters in this series grow over the course of the series. Victoria is so much stronger than she was at the start of the series. She has been through a lot that has changed her outlook on the world. She cares less about what society thinks of her and feels responsible for the safety of others. When her mother and her mother's friends show up in Rome, she does conform to society's standards but only to make them happy. Max is not in a good place at this point and there are some pretty pivotal changes for him in this installment. Sebastian plays a very important role in this book and some pretty surprising developments with his character that I did not expect.

This was a very exciting book. There were a lot of different things going on and plenty of action to keep things interesting. I was really nervous for the characters several times and I wasn't quite sure how things would work out. I thought that there was a perfect balance between action filled scenes and scenes more focused on the characters.

I would highly recommend this series to others. I love that the series is set in the Victorian period and believe that adds an interesting element to the story. Everything seemed to come together in this book and some really important developments were revealed. I had such a good time with this book that I bought the next book in the series right away because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to Victoria and the other characters next!

I received a review copy of this book from Avid Press via Edelweiss. ( )

Ed ecco che anche questo terz volume è termina. Sono veramente entusiasta di questa saga che mi prende sempre di più ad ogni nuovo volume. Non c'è nulla da fare! Victoria è finalmente scesa a patti con se stessa e con la sua missione. E' sicura, ribelle ma 'umana' dato che, una volta tanto, non abbiamo davanti una superwomen che ad ogni capitolo sembra munirsi di sempre maggiori superpoteri potenti s pericolosissimi. Decisamente un personaggio ben riuscito! Poi c'è ovviamente Max che adoro con tutta me stessa anche se lo trovo un po' troppo votato al martirio. ma credo che sia questa sua aria da duro a renderlo così affasciante. Vioget non lo sopporto, sono gusti personali ovviamente dato che è un personaggio costruito ad arte e dobbiamo riconoscergli i suoi meriti, ma proprio non riesco a soffrirlo in tutto questo suo balletto da una parte all'altra. I tradimenti le bugie... nono non farebbe per me ^^' Perfino Lilith che all'inizio mi era sembrava una cattiva messa là tanto per fare... diciamo che con le poche battute finali mi sono riscoperta a comprenderla molto più che in tre libri. Questa Vampira non è una mascherina come avevo temuto, semplicemente era 'troppo' per immischiarsi con gli affari e le guerre del 'figlio' o dei demoni con i Cacciatori. Lei manovrava i fili dalla sua torre dorata soddisfatta e pigna come un gatto che ha intrappolato il topo ma non lo divora per il gusto di poter osservare la sua paura. Ora, con il tradimento di Max... beh, sono certa che nel 4° volume vedremo qualcosa in più di questa 'cattiva' . Ne sono certa.
Quattro stelline perchè è una libro coinvolgente, originale e scritto/tradotto molto bene! Lo consiglio a tutti gli amanti del genere e non solo. ( )

Victoria struggles to recover from her losses along with trying to lead the Venators in this third installment in the series. Still in Rome, she must battle a new evil as well as her conflicting desires with regards to Sebastian and Max. Who can she really trust? And she has to do all of this whilst trying to keep her mother and friends, who arrive unexpectedly from London, in the dark and out of the vampires' clutches. Will Victoria lose her life, or, even worse, her humanity? ( )

Original review - in French - on my blog: http://moncoinlecture.over-blog.com/article-the-bleeding-dusk-gardella-vampire-c...

My favorite in this serie for now. When I pick Gleason's books, I know what I will find, with the some cliches, vampires who turn to dust with a "poof" and fun dialogue. But at the same time, the author has daring moves and I exclaimed "ooooh, she did it" on a few occasions. And I like that. ( )

This is the third book in the five book Gardella Vampire series. In this book Victoria really starts to step into her role as the head of the Gardella. I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was the best book in this series so far.

Victoria has dealt with a lot of heartbreak over the last two books. Still she is trying to pick up the pieces and assume her role as head of the Gardella. When strange piles of animal carcasses are found in Rome, Victoria is forced to investigate. She finds that someone is trying to open an ancient and mysterious door that holds something of value. Fortunately it needs three keys to be opened, unfortunately one of the keys was with Victoria’s Aunt Eustacia when she died and has gone missing. It becomes a race to see who can find the missing key.

This series still very much reminds me of a Victorian Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Victoria goes through a lot of heartbreak but is still soldiering on and trying to fill the large role she is thrust into. She does an excellent job and has grown a lot from the woman we meet in the first book in this series.

This is a very solid plot here involving demons, secrets doors, Beauregard, and Lilith. There is also a heavy element of romance as well. Victoria is constantly torn between Max, a fellow Venator who she trusts but who seems to despise her, and Sebastian, who she does not trust but is drawn to.

All the characters are complex and interesting. We learn a lot more about both Max and Sebastian and why they are how they are. There are some surprising and heartbreaking twists and turns. The story really starts to take on more depth and become much more engrossing than the last two books. Things are more serious and less fluffy in this book. There is quite a bit more action than in previous books and the book is fast-paced.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. All of the characters grow a lot and the plot broadens quite a bit. Victoria is stepping into her new leadership role well. The scenes between her and Sebastian and her and Max are full of wonderful tension. The plot is solid and takes a number of engaging and unexpected twists and turns. This series is recommended to those who enjoy Victorian vampire paranormal reads with some romance in them. ( )