Review – Roaring Midnight by Colleen Gleason

Posted January 11, 2023 by Carole in Reviews / 22 Comments

Review – Roaring Midnight by Colleen GleasonRoaring Midnight by Colleen Gleason
Series: Macey Gardella & Max Denton #1
Published by Avid Press on August 1, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
Pages: 258
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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four-stars

Amid the glitzy age of Jazz, when gangsters and bootleggers control the cities, there lies another, more insidious threat….the undead.

Macey Gardella is a typical young woman of the Roaring Twenties: she works a job, has her own flat, and loves to dance the Charleston. But when a mysterious man named Sebastian Vioget informs her she belongs to a family of vampire hunters, Macey is stunned and disbelieving.

Yet, strange and frightening things begin to happen, and when Macey comes face-to-face with one of the fanged creatures, she has no choice but to believe Sebastian. And when she learns his own soul depends on her willingness to carry forth the family legacy and hunt the undead, Macey capitulates and joins the fight.

As she begins to learn about her new calling, Macey encounters a handsome newspaper reporter known as Grady--who seems to know more about vampires than he should. And when he begins to ask too many questions, she has to juggle her strong attraction to him with the need for secrecy.

Slipping into speakeasies and sampling bootlegged whiskeys, dodging gangster gunfire and trying to keep her nosy landlady from finding the stakes in her flat, Macey Gardella must navigate through a world of stunning violence, passionate romance, and dark betrayal...

I really enjoyed this book! A few years ago, I read the first five books in The Gardella Vampire Hunters series and loved them. As soon as I discovered that there was a spin-off series set during the Jazz Age, I made a mental note to circle back and read those books just as soon as I had the opportunity. Since I have bit of flexibility in my reading schedule and a trial membership to Kindle Unlimited, it seemed that this would be the perfect time to get started reading these books.

Macey is the many times great granddaughter of Victoria from the initial 5 books and knows little about her family. She lives a simple life of working as a librarian during the day, renting her own room, and occasionally going out with friends in the evening. She comes across a book about venators (vampire hunters) and soon a whole new world opens up to her. She soon needs to make a decision about whether she wants to continue with life as she knew it before or if she wants to join the ranks of those fighting evil.

I liked Macey right away, probably not as much as Victoria, but that’s okay. This book was exciting and there was enough action to keep me glued to the pages. I felt bad for Macey because the situation that she found herself in was not of her making. The book did have the beginning of what I suspect will develop into a full fledged love triangle but I could be wrong. The 20’s Chicago setting was well done and I love the fact that Al Capone himself played a role in the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. You could probably start with this book since it is the first in the spin off series but I would recommend starting with the first book in the original series, The Rest Falls Away, if at all possible. Trust me, they are great and you don’t want to miss them! I cannot wait to read more of this exciting series!

22 responses to “Review – Roaring Midnight by Colleen Gleason

  1. It makes me so happy that this first book in the spin-off series got you so excited, Carole! I’ve added it to my list, although when the time comes I think I’ll start with the original one 😉 Thanks for the suggestion!

    • I am impressed by the books offered as part of KU lately. I think that the options are a lot better than they were in the past.

  2. Nice! I read this one eons ago…as in when it first released and now my brain is fried from trying to even remember anything about it! Lol! I thought I’d read your review to see if it stirred anything up! I still need to read the other two books of this series. Pretty sure I have both of them…definitely the next one. Lol. I’ll have to check my inventory list! I loved the Gardella Vampire Chronicles! I think Colleen Gleason was one of the first authors I met…after Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong (though I hadn’t read many of her books when she was with Kim) and Charlaine Harris! I remember these being in the front of my “author signings” photo albums!

    Great review! I can’t wait to get back to this series…hopefully soon! Maybe this year, though I seem to be making too many goals for myself already this year! Lol

    • I had a couple of the original series featuring Victoria but I couldn’t stop reading the series after I finished those. I am eager to start reading the next book!

  3. Great review you have of this one here. I am glad that this turned out to be such a win for you. I love books set in the 1920’s. Looks like ppl that enjoy UF will really love it.

  4. I love the sound of this one! The Jazz Age is such a fun time period, and to combine it with the paranormal is great.

  5. I’m normally pretty meh about vampire books but this sounds amazing! What a great setting! And I’m especially intrigued to see that Al Capone plays a role in the book. Adding to my TBR.

  6. I can’t remember where I left off in the original series and am not sure why I stopped reading it. I really enjoyed what I read of the series. This one sounds good too!