If you have not read The Gardella Vampire Chronicles, I can tell you right now that you are missing one of the best paranormal romances in the bookstores at the moment. Set in 19th century England the heroine is Victoria Gardella Grantworth de Lacy, a modern woman in a past time. Victoria is one of my favorite heroines: strong, independent, but not perfect which makes her easy to relate to.

In The Rest Falls Away, book one of the series, Victoria learns of her family’s history as Venators, or vampire hunters, and she embraces it. While it means a lot of complication in her life she knows she can not turn away from it. When Victoria meets Phillip, the Marques of Rockley, she falls desperately in love. Determined to have the best of both worlds, and make it work, soon the two are married.

But while Phillip is planning their happily ever after Lilith Queen of the Vampires is plotting to get her undead hands on a book that will make her even stronger than she already is. With the help of dark and handsome Max, another Venator, her Aunt Eustacia, her plucky maid Verbena, and not always so helpful but always sexy Sebastian, Victoria comes away from the events alive if not completely whole hearted.

Rises The Night picks up one year after the events of The Rest Falls Away. Victoria is once again on the prowl through the darkest of London’s streets, but Lilith has taken all of her vampires away with her and the streets are quiet. Max has been missing for several weeks and although Aunt Eustacia tells Victoria not to worry she can’t help but wonder where he is.

Victoria visits the ruins of The Silver Chalice, Sebastian’s burned out vampire/ human establishment, but she is not the only one searching the empty building. Inside Sebastian’s office is a vampire and something else, something Victoria has never come across before.

She finds a strange amulet inscribed with a wolf. Victoria takes it to her Aunt who immediately sends a description to Wayren, an ageless woman who always seems to know everything. But knowing that it will be some time before information is received Victoria decides to go to a friend’s house party in the country.

What promises to be a sedate week soon turns into almost more excitement than Victoria can bear. Sebastian, who has not been seen since The Silver Chalice burned, is there with an Italian gentlemen. A Dr. Polidori the author of a vampire novel that has taken society by storm. But too much of the novel seems real and Victoria is not the only one who thinks so.

When the house party is disrupted and Victoria discovers another amulet bearing the wolf she travels to Italy to uncover the mystery. When Victoria arrives in Italy she discovers that the amulet is the sign of a human group working for vampires. Once again Victoria is called to defend the innocent from these power hungry monsters.

Sebastian proves to be more than just a minor distraction for Victoria in Rises the Night. Although she can not deny her attraction to him she realizes that she can not count on him for help. Sebastian lives in a gray area while Victoria’s survival depends on the black and white. The mutual attraction they share is soon boiling and Victoria must make a choice. Can she live with just a little gray in her world?

Rises the Night is a fantastic follow up to The Rest Falls Away. It moves along quickly and surely with never a false step. It doesn’t suffer from the second book syndrome like some books can and if anything is better than the first. It also leaves you wanting more. I’ll have to wait another year for book three, The Bleeding Dusk, but I have a feeling it will be worth the wait.