New Year's Resolution book

Yay! I love this one!

Here's the blurb:

In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy of vampire slaying, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake. But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous, moonlit streets, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her enigmatic ally, Sebastian Vioget. And when she comes face to face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make the choice between duty and love.

Okay. First, yes, while the idea is Buffy-like, the book's not like Buffy. After the first couple of chapters I forgot about the resemblance. Colleen Gleason has created a new and original vampire mythology which promises to be develop in a really unique way as the series goes on. I enjoyed Victoria's attempts to keep her activities secret in a world where keeping secrets was so difficult. And the characters are so alive and interesting. So alive and interesting, in fact, that...

the end made me cry a little.

I think you guys know me well enough by now to know that I am not the type of girl who cries at books very often. In fact, I can only think of a couple of books in my life that have made me cry: when Melanie dies in Gone With the Wind; the entire last few chapters and Epilogue of Sharon Kay Penman's The Reckoning; and sometimes I get a little emotional when Willie hears "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" on the radio in The Caine Mutiny (but then, who doesn't get emotional when they hear that song? It's like "Over There". Seriously. I dare you to listen to that and feel nothing at all.)

I didn't sob at the end of The Rest Falls Away, but I teared up. And that's a big deal.

The book started a little slowly for me--which very well might have been that I was snatching minutes here and there to read--but quickly absorbed me once I focused and the set-up was complete. I would have liked a little more "period" feel--not that the book didn't have that feel, but I was hoping for a little more velvet, smoke, fog, and blood.

Still, we had three handsome, sexy men to tempt our heroine--and I can't decide, so don't ask. That nipple ring and the slight pain fetish hinted at is awfully tempting (although I have never found men with nipple rings appealing, so don't ask me where that came from, I just know it did), but Mr. Kiss-Me-In-The-Coach-And-I-Might-Be-A-Bad-Guy is pretty hot too. And the other one...just...aaaw.

And I can't believe I have to wait until June to read the next one...but you don't have to, because Colleen Gleason is doing an ARC contest over at her website, so go enter!

Seriously. This is a keeper. Go get it.