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A Freebie Friday Vampire Read From Colleen Gleason!

7/16/2021

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I love Colleen Gleason's work! I have been a fan for a long time - in fact I first read this in 2011 and today I saw that it is FREE! (I am assuming for a limited time - so personally wouldn't wait!) Scroll down to read my thoughts on this book - and the series in general!
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 The Vampire Draculia Trilogy:
Dark Rogue, Dark Saint, Dark Vixen
Official Blurb -
Can you imagine Twilight with carriages, ballgowns, gloves, and corsets? With prim and proper manners, and the wealthy, powerful dukes and lords of London Society?


And then what happens when Voss, the most jaded vampire of them all, falls for a lovely, innocent debutante. She has a sassy wit, a delicious scent...and information he needs desperately.

Plus, her brother is a vampire hunter.

Enter the world of the Draculia, where
In 19th Century London, vampires live alongside the uppercrust members of Society...
Even after centuries of lust, hedonism, and women, Voss, the Viscount Dewhurst, rarely finds himself bored. As a member of the Dracule, he is a rogue of the first order, a man who loves nothing more than a warm woman, excellent vintage, and even a puzzling challenge to keep his mind active.

But when one of his seemingly harmless manipulations sets him on the path to seduce the beautiful Miss Angelica Woodmore, things become a little less simple…a lot more passionate…and definitely more complicated.
And when the most evil vampire of the Dracule puts Angelica in his sights, Voss will have to risk everything to save her…and possibly his own soul.

**Also published under the titles LUCIFER'S ROGUE and THE VAMPIRE VOSS**

“Count on Colleen Gleason for a scorching page-turner!” —Jeaniene Frost


Melanie - 

As I mentioned above, I first read this series back in 2011. At the time I had finished and adored the Gardella Chronicles, and as yet the Stoker and Holmes series hadn't been created, and I was desperate for more vampire tales from the awesome Colleen Gleason!

The series here has undergone several makeovers since I first encountered it, not in the content, but with the covers. This is a series that in my opinion, never really found the right market (which probably explains the numerous cover changes).  Darker and edgier than the Gardella series, and with the focus more on the vampire side, at the time this was a very different approach. One that I personally appreciated, except as followers of my reviews would note the ending of book 1.  As a younger reviewer I deducted a star because of my dislike of the ending - 10 years later as a now more mature reviewer I have amended it to 5 stars, because the story is excellent, and as a reader I can acknowledge that authors must be free to write the stories as they feel them. (Also I am probably one of the few that would want it changed lol - but that isn't new).

The description says Twilight with carriages - personally I would say this is more like Bridgerton but with sexy vampires!  Her original Gardella books combined two of my favorite things (well sort of - Buffy and Regency England), but the Draculia vamps are more my speed!

Just for fun, as I am sentimental, here are the 3 original copies of the book sitting on my shelf. Of all the cover reincarnations, for personal reasons, these remain my favorites. (OK So yes - that may 100% have something to do with the fact that these are the versions currently sitting on my shelf!)
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If you haven't read the series, I highly recommend it and with book 1 currently being free in the US at the time of writing you have nothing to lose! (Sorry I don't know the status outside of the US).

Let me know if you decide to check them out- and if you have already read them let me know what you think!


The Code Word For This Article Is VOSS! Make a note - Then Tune In Sunday For More Details!

​
All Links To Buy / Subscribe to Amazon Programs On Amazon in this article are Amazon Affiliate Links​ (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases which in turns helps support all the Muser giveaways we do!)


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Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardago - A Review of the Book and a Book to Show Comparison!

7/5/2021

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No new vlog today - but instead check out my review of the Shadow And Bone book by Leigh Bardago - and see how I think it compares to the series.
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Official Blurb

Enter the Grishaverse with Book One of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.


Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold―a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite―and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.

As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.
Standalone or series?
Book 1 in a trilogy - there are also spin off series available.


How did I get this book?
Em and I watched the show and then she wanted to read it, so we ordered the first three books during the Amazon Prime Day event as they were on sale.

Why did I choose to read  this book:  Having watched the show I have to say my curiosity was peaked. Goodreads shows me that I read it in 2011 - And gave it 5 stars but didn't write a review. As I remembered NOTHING - I am going to assumed that I wrong clicked something for that. As Em read the book and told me it was worth it - I read it.

And Now To The Review!

First Impressions:
Coming to a book series after seeing the TV show or Movie is always going to lead to a little bias. Many times I prefer the format I am introduced to first - but not always. In this case I immediately noticed that this was all from Alina's perspective. This is very different from the show, where you get to see several stories unfolding. It is a similar change that was adapted when The Southern Vampire Mysteries became True Blood. Let's be honest - in a magical universe a single perspective on screen would be very tough to pull off and it not be boring. 

General Review
It's a well written YA (Young Adult) book.  Having seen the show obviously some of the plot points were already known, but that being said, the show has a LOT more things going on.  Em actually did some digging about this and it turns out that the show actually encompasses things from the spin off series, which obviously means that none of that part of the story is in these pages.  Personally, as some of those characters were my favorites, I was a little disappointed BUT it wouldn't be fair to mark the book down for that.  I will say that the book does a MUCH better job of explaining the Grisha colors, and abilities. By the time the TV series had ended I had about figured most of it out - but that is something that the TV series I feel lacked. For example, as it was all new to me, I didn't feel I could watch it with Greg before having watched the entire thing because it was a steep learning curve. Maybe that's because I like to know all the details - maybe they assume that the fans would be book readers. Either way that is a point to the book!

Final Thoughts
Overall this is a solid read. As I have the other two in the house, once Em has read them I will give them a read. For the most part I enjoyed it. It does as a pretty true YA book, unlike some other authors that definitely skew more toward and adult audience too, but it is a lot better than many options out there and the world building in the book is excellent!

Rating:
 A fairly solid 4 stars. If you like magical fantasy - or if you watched the TV show and fancy checking it out, I don't think you would be disappointed. 

Check out the trailer for the Netflix series below! Season 2 has been confirmed so you can watch without fear of it being cancelled

CODE WORD FOR THIS ARTICLE IS BONE
** Disclosure** 
​Any Links To Buy On Amazon Is My Amazon Affiliate Link.​(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases - Which helps provide for the giveaways!)
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