Gideon Redoak

by Anne Fraser

In 1641, Baron Gideon Redoak takes on adult responsibilities at the age of nineteen, following his father’s murder. As the countryside around his estate is terrorized by mysterious deaths, Gideon welcomes an offer of assistance from a charismatic stranger, Etienne Corbeau. But Corbeau has far more sinister objectives when he seduces young Gideon and then kills him. Gideon awakens as a vampire, and the agony of his death is merely the beginning of the hell on earth that Corbeau plans for him. Gideon eventually escapes Corbeau, and only then does he learn the breadth and variety of the shadowy supernatural underworld to which he now belongs. As the decades pass, Gideon and those he loves face hard choices and shattering changes. But despite the loyalty and support of his friends, Gideon knows that his final confrontation with Corbeau is inevitable. Even with magic’s aid, Gideon has no idea whether he can survive that confrontation—and what it will cost him.

Genres: M M Romance

Nook

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Anne was born in Scotland but brought up in South Africa. After she left school she returned to the birthplace of her parents, the remote Western Islands of Scotland. She left there to train as a nurse before going on to university to study English literature. After the birth of her first child, she and her doctor husband traveled the world working in rural Africa, Australia and Northern Canada.

Anne worked in the health sector until very recently, laterally as a manager of an IVF unit, so she has no shortage of medical scenes for her books. In addition, she blatantly picks her husband’s brain to ensure the medical detail is correct and up to date. And if he can't help, he usually manages to find a colleague who can.

She still loves to travel and grabs any opportunity to see new places, incorporating the most romantic locations into her books.

To relax, she enjoys playing tennis, yoga, walking and, of course, reading.

Reviews

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first forty pages or so really captivated me, but the excitement really died down when it was revealed who rescued Gideon from his early grave. I immediately felt empathy for Gideon when he spoke about his Puritan upbringing and his family, and how his sexuality alienated him from everyone he knew. Corbeau almost didn't need supernatural allure to exploit the lonely nineteen-year-old Gideon. When Corbeau revealed his true nature, I was hooked -- eager to see what would happen to Gideon and how he would escape from Hell.

Everything that happened afterward seemed like an entirely different book. Things happen very quickly, new characters are introduced so rapidly we are given no time to become invested in them, much less keep up with their names and traits. Although Corbeau was a bit two-dimensional as a villain, he feels like the most fleshed-out and I would have liked to learn more about him and why he's so unrepentantly evil. Most of the characters in this book are either purely good or purely evil. And while there's some mention of Gideon and his allies struggling with their monstrous nature, it's never truly explored.

I was also fairly disappointed that romance is a very small aspect of the plot, with the "true" romance occurring in the last five percent of the novel. Every time a new character was introduced, I was eager to see if he was going to be Gideon's new love interest, and each time I was let down as it was quickly established that the new fellow wasn't interested in men. Since this was listed as a romance, I expected the focus to be on the development of a romantic relationship.

All that said, I did enjoy the writing and I was invested enough in Gideon as a character to keep turning the page to see what was going to happen to him. The author has a way of conveying deep emotions with a few words, and I would have happily read a few more hundred pages of her story if it was fleshed out more.

[Glbt Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

From GLBTBookshelf.com

OK, the weird thing about this book is that i have met several of the characters. The author, Anne Fraser, was on a Yahoo group I started where everyone must participate as a historical or fictional character, either in letters or stories. Fraser was extremely active and several of the characters in this novel interacted with several of mine. It was strange to be reading along and run into a character who once lectured one of my own about ill treatment of Druids. So it was a strange and fascinating experience to read this vampire novel. Sadly it was published posthumously, so I will never be able to thank Anne for a pleasant read.

Gideon Redoak is the son of a Puritan baron in 17th century England. Early on he realizes his sexual attraction to his own sex. It leads shim to trust a man who turns out to be a vampire and who turns him, that is, makes him a vampire too and enslaves him. He becomes rescued, after which we follow Gideon's extended life up until a recent decade, seeing him through being hunted by his vampire master, his love for a young man who choose to grow old and die rather than let Gideon turn him. Gideon finds companionship with a group of druids and other magical folk who seek out evil in order to protect humans. That is one of the things i remember most clearly about Anne's characters.. they were "good" vampires and mostly drank pig's blood. it was just that while there was some progression that was consistent and there was a point, it took an awfully long time to get there. Nevertheless the prose was just lovely, the characters appealing, and I am glad that Anne's book was published and adds something of value to gay historical fiction.

One thing for absolute certain.. Anne Fraser never had anything bur a rich and fertile imagination. She is missed, by lots of people, even me.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book, and while I haven't read a ton of vampire books, it seems to be a fairly original idea. My only complaint is that this one book could have been several... very often it seemed that one paragraph would end, and then next paragraph would start 50 years later. What happened during that time? Sometimes the author gives details to fill in those blanks, but some of those details are so interesting, I would have liked to read more about them. But alas, the author has passed on, so the book is what it is. But just know that if you read this book, it reads like an epic, several volume story that has been squished into one tiny synopsis. That being said, it was still an enjoyable way to spend a few nights... I just wanted more.

[Damian Serbu · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story and fun read, but it sometimes plods along a bit and could have used a good edit.

[M.J. Gardner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even finish it. It's pure romance (not to my taste). Also reads more like notes for a novel than a complete story.

[Aymee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and an engaging story. Wonderful cast of characters and lots of action.