Victoria de Lacy's year of mourning has come to an end and it is time for her to get back into the swing of things. However, that does not mean parties on the ton, but slaying vampires. The Queen, Lilith, may have been banished back to her lair, but her "son" is plotting a rise to power that would devastate humanity should it succeed. Things are made dicier by the fact that a human society is working to aid the vampires' rise to power and the fact that an ally has turned traitor. Victoria will face her most emotionally challenging crisis in the days ahead as she learns that there are shades of grey that make it very difficult to see who is on the right side.

Even if you normally do not enjoy novels with a historical setting, the Gardella series is one you should definitely consider reading. Complex characters drive the action forward and keep you guessing about what happens next. Like Victoria, I do not yet know what to make of the two main men in her world, Max and Sebastian. Both of them add elements of intrigue to the story arc that is utterly fascinating, with or without the romantic potentials they may represent.

Synopsis
In Italy, a powerful vampire is amassing the power to control the souls of the dead. Lady Victoria Gardella de Lacy-a vampire slayer for just over a year-races across Europe to stop what could be the most deadly army the Gardellas have ever faced. She is accompanied by Sebastian Vioget, a man as tempting as he is untrustworthy.

But when Victoria discovers that she has been betrayed by one of her most trusted allies, the truth will challenge all her powers as a Venator-and as a woman.