ARC Review: The Vampire Dimitri

The Vampire Dimitri
Colleen Gleason
Paranormal Historical Romance
London/1804
Regency Draculia/Book 2
Harlequin Mira/April 19, 2011

From the author's website ~

Regency London loves a Society wedding –
Even if there are vampires on the guest list.

Dimitri, the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed – and bewitched – the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day.

Miss Woodmore's family has a rather...complicated history with the immortals and she herself possesses a keen sensibility far beyond mere women's intuition. Marriage will give her safety, respectability, and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except for passion.

In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretenses will shatter as Maia and Dimitri come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation, and fiercest desire.

The second book in Colleen Gleason's historical vampire series takes place during the same time frame as book one, The Vampire Voss. The difference is that we get Dimitri and Maia's POV of the same events, along with some secondary characters POV. After reading Voss and Angelica's story, I was very interested in reading Dimitri and Maia's. I liked that there was friction between them, with Maia standing up to Dimitri, without knowing that she was going head to head with a very powerful vampire.

Maia Woodmore is the unquestionable leader of the Woodmore sisters. She is the backbone of propriety in the family and feels it is her duty to see that all follow society's rules. She sounds awfully dull and stuffy and in a way she is but she's just waiting to break free of the strictures she has placed on herself. She has this underlying fear of taking the wrong step that will condemn her family in the eyes of society. I liked her as soon as she began giving orders to anyone within hearing. LOL I don't see her as bossy but rather as feisty and stubborn.

The last thing Dimitri, the Earl of Corvindale wants are women in his home, turning his orderly world upside down. Not only does he get the Woodmore sisters in his home, he must act as their temporary guardian. This duty includes escorting them to various society functions and confrontations with Maia Woodmore. When Dimitri and Maia interacted, he came across as very human. His patience running thin while his attraction to Maia becoming stronger. Maia proved to be the catalyst he needed to get him out of his self-imposed hibernation.

I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between Dimitri and Maia. In the beginning, they disagreed on just about everything. It was like an odd mating dance that neither participant was quite sure of the rules. They were both certain they didn't like each other but when they stopped arguing, they came to realize they were attracted to each other. I loved how it wasn't a quick fall in love but even after they fell, Maia could still drive Dimitri crazy.

There is a very real threat that Dimitri must keep Maia and her sister safe from. Things don't always go as planned and he has to make some choices that Maia doesn't always agree with but eventually comes to trust and even help Dimitri. I liked how they began to work together and Dimitri came to see past his annoyance to Maia's strengths. I also liked how Dimitri could go from this cool, refined gentleman of the ton to one scary, powerful vampire. He could be an elegant earl one moment and a fanged out predator the next. The way the world of the ton and the world of the Draculia were merged made for some interesting social functions.

The set up for the next book, The Vampire Narcise, is in evidence with Narcise playing a role in the lives of the Woodmore siblings. I didn't feel a connection with Narcise, she seemed too distance but that could change in her story. I do like her hero and want to know more about his background and what their history is. The Vampire Dimitri kept me absorbed in Dimitri and Maia story but I do wish we would have had less of Narcise and Dimitri would have seen beyond his own problems sooner while seeing Maia for the perfect woman for him. With this second installment of the series Gleason has created a unique world of sophistication with an underlying darkness ready to strike at any moment. Definitely a page turner.

Rating: A-

Books in this series ~

The Vampire Voss
The Vampire Dimitri
The Vampire Narcise (May 24, 2011)