Regency vampires are so sexy! Voss, Lord Dewhurst, has enjoyed all the benefits of immortality as a vampire for 148 years. He's taken his pleasure from wine, women, and whatever nefarious dealings might have come along. He has especially enjoyed trading in secrets and finding out the weaknesses of the other members of the Dracule.

At first, he just wants to seduce Angelica Woodmore to get the information she can provide, but when she doesn't immediately fall under his thrall, Voss finds An...

Regency vampires are so sexy! Voss, Lord Dewhurst, has enjoyed all the benefits of immortality as a vampire for 148 years. He's taken his pleasure from wine, women, and whatever nefarious dealings might have come along. He has especially enjoyed trading in secrets and finding out the weaknesses of the other members of the Dracule.

At first, he just wants to seduce Angelica Woodmore to get the information she can provide, but when she doesn't immediately fall under his thrall, Voss finds Angelica to be just the sort of puzzle he craves. When her life is in danger, he finds it necessary to fight against other members of the Dracule, which doesn't please Lucifer at all. Voss has to decide if he can go against his nature to protect Angelica, and she must decide if she can trust her heart to a vampire.

There is a lot of action, and the romantic buildup is great. I enjoyed the setup for this world of vampires among the nobility of Europe. This book really complements the second book in the series, The Vampire Dimitri, which takes place at the same time.

I'll be honest, based on the reviews and the not-fantastic-cover (really, what were they thinking with that hero! He looks like Lyle Lovett), I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. But once all was said and done, I ultimately feel I got my money's worth.

The start was slow going. There were even a few points where I was sure I knew exactly where the story was headed and contemplated stopping completely: lovely but misunderstood heroine with a "gift", a family who doesn't understand ...

I'll be honest, based on the reviews and the not-fantastic-cover (really, what were they thinking with that hero! He looks like Lyle Lovett), I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. But once all was said and done, I ultimately feel I got my money's worth.

The start was slow going. There were even a few points where I was sure I knew exactly where the story was headed and contemplated stopping completely: lovely but misunderstood heroine with a "gift", a family who doesn't understand her, a "rake" who falls in lust with her from the moment he sees her, lots of fangs and vampire-angst, redemption, etc. But aside from the first few chapters, Gleason managed to keep me on my toes through much of the book, wondering if she was even going to give the two leads any resolution at all...or if it was going to continue through the next few books in the series.

I liked how Gleason sets the story up so the reader expects the usual sort of behavior from her characters (see previous paragraph) but then they veer in less predictable directions: Voss doesn't suddenly turn into a "reformed rake/vampire" over night. He continues to act like the shallow, hedonistic predator he is for a good chunk of the book, going so far as to do some rather questionable things. And Angelica doesn't suddenly toss aside her values and morals the minute Voss shows up. She acts much as one would expect when confronted with real vampires whether they are the bad guys or Voss. It takes both characters a while to come around and when they do, things still don't go quite as expected until the final chapter. The side characters were equally fascinating and showed some additional depth...Maia as the grating, older sister who ultimately cares deeply for and tries to protect her younger sister; Dimitri as the reluctant, overbearing guardian who, in spite of himself and his wards, attempts to do the right thing; Narcise and the hidden complexities that I hope to see revealed in the third book of the series (which, based on the cover, will feature her story). The world building was decent...I felt the whole vampire bit could have been a tad stronger or more detailed but overall, it was solid and Gleason clearly put a lot of thought into it.

The story was not without flaws...one of which, to my mind, was the speed at which Angelica turned from dislike and fear of Voss to care and love. It was all bound to happen, mind you, but it seemed to transition a bit abruptly. And while I enjoyed the change Voss ultimately undergoes...I felt that too seemed to progress rapidly. It isn't until the last quarter or third of the book that Voss and Angelica really have their moment together (aside from the titillating bit near the middle prior to the "big misunderstanding" which, considering what happens, is actually quite intense). My overall sense is the book could have been longer or the character arcs needed to happen earlier so as to make the changes seem more believable. I also think some things seemed unnecessary to the plot: the bit near the beginning when Angelica uses her gift to aid a young woman at a ball, the reader gets the sense that this "side job" of hers (of which she donates all funds to an orphanage) might play a more integral role throughout the book. But it only seemed to be there to give the reader a glimpse of her specific talent.

Overall, the story showed a lot of promise for the continuing series and while I felt it probably wasn't Gleason's strongest work to date, there were enough hidden gems within the book to convince me that she's an author worth keeping an eye on.

Colleen Gleason has done it again. Dark Rogue was such an enjoyable read and had me hooked from the first few chapters.
Vampire Voss or Viscount Dewhurst is a 148 year old vampire ,completely content to be a scoundrel and a smooth talking seducer. He is back from the colonies and is quickly caught up in all the vampire turmoil going on in 1804 regency London.
Then he meets Angelica Woodmore. She is likes no other woman he has ever met especially with her "sight" abilities. Angelica is a ver...

Colleen Gleason has done it again. Dark Rogue was such an enjoyable read and had me hooked from the first few chapters.
Vampire Voss or Viscount Dewhurst is a 148 year old vampire ,completely content to be a scoundrel and a smooth talking seducer. He is back from the colonies and is quickly caught up in all the vampire turmoil going on in 1804 regency London.
Then he meets Angelica Woodmore. She is likes no other woman he has ever met especially with her "sight" abilities. Angelica is a very proper young society lady but also marches to her own beat and is a tad rebellious in nature. Angelica's brother ,Chas Woodmore -a vampire hunter is abducted and this puts Angelica and his other sisters in grave danger.
Thru an associate Voss meets Angelica and thankfully they don't fall in love over night. At first Voss is basically just using her for her gift and she is tough and not falling for his lines!

Colleen Gleason's knowledge of this time period and her unique world of vampires makes this a great Historical Romance read

This is the first vampire book I've read in a long time and the first by Colleen Gleason. It's got a good plot, very interesting characters, and humor. Give it a go if you live vamp books.

This is the first vampire book I've read in a long time and the first by Colleen Gleason. It's got a good plot, very interesting characters, and humor. Give it a go if you live vamp books.

Readers will appreciate this old fashioned setting where the elite gather at exclusive parties, fancy gowns are common place and a woman's care is entrusted to her elders. The spirit of some cannot be tampered however, and Angelica sure finds her way into danger, romance and intrigue by way of the Vampire Voss. This story is exquisitely written providing the reader with scenes that are intense in vampire violence, romance and sexuality while also focusing on the various mental games that we p...

Readers will appreciate this old fashioned setting where the elite gather at exclusive parties, fancy gowns are common place and a woman's care is entrusted to her elders. The spirit of some cannot be tampered however, and Angelica sure finds her way into danger, romance and intrigue by way of the Vampire Voss. This story is exquisitely written providing the reader with scenes that are intense in vampire violence, romance and sexuality while also focusing on the various mental games that we play with ourselves as well as each other. A fantastic stand-alone book, but I can't imagine not wanting to know what happens to ALL of the characters we have been introduced to. Will definitely be reading the rest of this trilogy by Colleen Gleason.