As most of you know, I have no aversion to reading and watching anything that has to do with vampires. The director at the local library suggested a series I had never heard about before that she had been a fan of for years. In fact, the first book was published in 1976, the year of my birth. Since the newest volume came out earlier this year, I figured it was a popular series, and I should try it. Each book is set in a different time period as the series jumps back and forth through the years in which St. Germain, our vampiric hero lives as an undead immortal.

This first volume brings the reader into France during the reign of Louis XV. Madelaine de Montalia, is the daughter of a comte (count) that left the royal court years earlier to live in his country estate. She has come to Paris to stay with her aunt and experience life at the court. It is there that she meets the dashing Comte de Saint Germain, who has no shortage of admirers. He is viewed as a perfect gentleman and friend to many of the women in the court.

Saint Germaine also decides to purchase the Hotel Transylvania, a run-down establishment that he hopes to bring back to its former glory while also keeping his ownership a complete secret. It is through this that he finds himself drawn into the intrigues of a group of lords that are involved with the dark magical arts that centers around Prince Francesco Rogoczy da San Germano, a foreign nobleman who collects the finest art.

Madeleine, who quickly catches the attention of many of the men in the royal court, seems to be wooed by some of the least desirable lords, many of which are tied to the dark arts that Saint Germaine is dealing with. As a result of this and their burgeoning friendship, Saint Germain feels the need to protect her.

While the book definitely has a strong vampiric storyline and I have a love of historical novels, it felt a little bit too much like a traditional romance novel for my taste. It is not that I look down on romance novels, but I have to admit they are really not my thing. The book is not racy, but it has that flourish of romance novels. It is not really that spooky or scary, either. I could see people who like Sherrily Kenyon, Laurell K. Hamilton, Linda Lael Miller, and Jennifer Armintrout as being big fans of this series.