Jeaniene Frost
Halfway to the Grave (2007)
Cat is half-vampire, and since her mother has told her of her history, has dedicated her life to killing every vampire she can find. Her heritage gives her heightened senses and strength beyond that of a normal human, but her hunt is surprised one night when she meets a vampire far stronger and more wily than she expects, and from there her changes dramatically as she learns what vampires are truly capable of.
Halfway to the Grave kept coming up as a recommendation, so I decided to try it out. When I started reading, there was something about the way Jeanine Frost wrote that rubbed me the wrong way, however, I was immediately drawn into the story, so whatever it was that bugged me quickly fell by the wayside as I read quickly to discover what would happen.
Before we go any further, there is a LOT of boinking and sexual talk in this book. Cat starts out as a prude, and Bones really enjoys embarrassing her. But what I like is that Bones has a very good reason to force her to get over being a prude: if she’s going to serve as bait–as a young woman who wants to pick up men in bars–blushing is going to give her away almost immediately.
And that was a very fun part of the story. It’s funny to see her learn to primp and learn how to troll for men, so she can effectively serve as bait. She hates it, but she sees the necessity, so she’s going to do it well.
I think what made Bones so likable so quickly was his disgust at the way Cat had been treated throughout her life. Even if Cat sees nothing wrong in the way she was treated, the reader does, and Bones’ indignation immediately put me on his side.
As with other supernatural books, I find it fascinating to see what vampire mythology is used and included as part of the way vampires work, and what is brushed off in the books as ‘folklore’. Her vampires are quite different from many other I’ve read about, not just in their strengths and weaknesses, but also in their morality and ethics. (Also, ghouls? Ew. At least she wasn’t calling them zombies.)
I also really liked the creation story for vampires. That was a very nice touch.
The other thing I liked was Cat’s relationship with her mother. There is so much going on that remains unsaid, but that makes you really wonder about the woman and her sanity–as well as her relationship with Cat.
If you like supernatural fantasy, and you don’t mind boinking (because there is a lot of sex in those book) then I recommend checking out Halfway to the Grave. I’ve already ordered the next two books in the series, in the hopes they’re as good as the first.
Rating: 8/10
One Foot in the Grave (2008)
It’s been four years since Cat walked away from Bones–four years that she’s been working for a special group in the FBI to deal with the undead. But her past is now coming back to haunt her–not just the fact that she still loves Bones, but also the fact that she’s been killing rogue vampires and ghouls for four years, and, and so has made members of the supernatural community unhappy with her.
First, I like the fact it’s been four years that Cat has spent away from Bones. She’s had a chance to grow up and mature, and she’s also had a chance to know herself and what she truly wants.
I also liked the fact that everyone has secrets, and those secrets are both to her advantage and her disadvantage. Some secrets she can use, while other secrets come back to haunt her and cause her problems.
Just to get it out of the way, like the first book there is a lot of boinking in One Foot in the Grave. It’s very well written, but it’s also extremely explicit. So be aware of that if you think you’re interested in this series.
One thing I noticed, is that the story is rather biblical in it’s justice: if you cross Cat’s line, vengeance is swift and deadly.
I’m also fascinated by Kat’s morality. She’s willing to take her boss’s word that a vampire or ghoul is bad and thus metes out that swift justice, and she doesn’t seem to have any qualms about keeping vampires prisoner in their center, yet at the same time she fights for herself and some other vampires to be seen as moral beings capable of making ethical and rational decisions.
That’s quite a contradiction, but then she is an assassin (and a very good one) so I suppose those abilities come with the territory.
That isn’t to say that these things distracted from the story–I really only thought about them after I finished–but it does make the story a little more shallow than it could be otherwise.
Despite that, Cat is still a fascinating character. She is fiercely loyal to her men, willing to break or bend the rules as she feels necessary, and loyal to her mother, despite everything (a mother who is perhaps even more complex by the end of the story that she was previously).
One other small negative–Cat and Bones are both starting to become extremely powerful, and both have a sense of invincibility about them in this story. Again, I didn’t find it distracting while reading, but after finishing the story I do have to wonder if the following book keeps this invincibility–that could get frustrating after awhile.
However, I keep pointing out the negatives when actually thoroughly enjoyed the story. I particularly liked the complications arising with Don. Those were unexpected by a nice twist.
All in all, it was a quick romp and sucked me in quickly: a fun break.
Rating: 7/10
At Grave’s End (2009)
Cat and Bones are still working for Homeland Security, but Cat’s been working long enough that her disguise has worn thin–especially since Bones has become quite recognizable in the vampire world. To make things worse, Cat’s father is still looking for her, and doesn’t want a happy family reunion.
I’m really enjoying the Night Huntress series. Although Cat occasionally does dumb things, she doesn’t so stupid thing, if you know what I mean. Yes, she makes mistakes, but not the mistakes that have the reader yelling (perhaps mentally, perhaps not) DON’T BE SO STUPID! (Unfortunately, I’ve come across more than one supernatural fantasy series where the heroine was really too stupid to live.)
One of the things I particularly like is that Cat and Bones fight and argue–and they have good reason to fight and argue–but they don’t hold grudges and they get past their problems. Sure Cat sometimes has doubts and worries, but she knows how Bones feels about her, and how she feels about him. It’s a very nice change from most books where there is constant upheaval between the heroine and her love.
One of the things I particularly enjoyed in At Grave’s End were the vampires that came in with Menchares. Yes, Vlad was good, but I just loved the idea of Doc. It almost makes me wish that part was true, because it’d be awesome if he was still around.
Although you could probably read At Grave’s End without having read the previous two books, I don’t think I’d recommend it. Each book contains a complete story arc, but the stories build upon each other, and events in later books have greater meaning if you’ve read the earlier books. So if you like supernatural fantasy, I strongly recommend the Night Huntress series–as long as you don’t mind some serious boinking.
Rating: 8/10
Destined for an Early Grave (2009)
Cat is no longer working for the government slaying rogue vampires. She and Bones are off to Paris for a well-deserved vacation. Unfortunately, Cat remains the only living half-vampire, and her unique position remains a threat to the undead.
Although the initial story seems to have come from out of left field, the book is actually a culmination of the story arc of the first three books. The series probably won’t end here, there are still unanswered questions, but it was a nice conclusion to the arc that started in the first book.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes. I have to admit that initially I was annoyed at the turn the story was taking, especially the powers of the Dreamhunter. But as I said, the story broadened to include the questions that have remained unasked since the first book. I won’t actually tell you what those questions are, since they hadn’t really occurred to me, but they may well have occurred to other readers. And they were important questions.
If you have not read a previous Night Huntress novel, this is not the place to start. You’ll want to go back to the first book and follow the story forward. But if you like supernatural stories, and don’t mind boinking, it will be worth your time to go back and start at the beginning.
Rating: 8/10
This Side of the Grave (2011)
The head of the ghouls is fomenting trouble, claiming that Cat is involved in an attempt to subjugate the entire supernatural world, and if they don’t take care of her now, they’ll end up her (and the vampire’s) slaves. Unfortunately, some of Cat’s unique abilities and needs now that she has been turned aren’t helping.
Then Cat turns to Marie–head of the ghouls in New Orleans–for help, and things get even more difficult.
Regardless of what else happens in these books, Cat and Bones remain happily married and dedicated to each other. And that is, to be honest, one of the things I think I love best about this story. It doesn’t matter what happens, you know they are going to be together and to stay together. There are problems, but they face them together.
Which is as it should be. I think there is little that is more annoying than a series where the the couple has “issues” with their relationship throughout the book, resolves it at the end, but yet a the start of the next book, more problems. (Why yes, Kathy Reichs, I do in FACT mean your books!) I love the idea of a strong and happily married couple! So thank you Jeaniene Frost for that.
But don’t relax, there are bad things aplenty in this book–unexpected bad things that Cat has to deal with despite everything else going on in her life (like the ghouls attempting to hunt her and Bones down).
I do want to make note that kudos are deserved for a problem that did NOT come up in this story, that I was afraid would when I saw the turns the plot was taking. Things with Denise could have taken an ugly turn once they decided how they were going to use her, and I was half expecting something horrible along those lines, but no, it was played straight and I was very glad not to have to deal with where things could have gone.
If you have not been reading the Night Huntress series, this may not be the best place to start. Additionally, if you have not read First Drop of Crimson (which has, IMO, an absolutely AWFUL cover), you may have a good degree of confusion regarding Denise, so you may want to check that out as well (only in ebook form, or perhaps under a brown paper wrapper, because that cover is awful).
But if you have been reading along, this is another good entry into the series, and well worth reading.
Rating: 7/10
First Drop of Crimson (2010)
I actually really like Jeaniene Frost’s writing, and loved all of the Night Huntress books I’ve read so far, even the ones I picked up in trepidation, thinking, “this can’t possibly be anywhere nears as good as I’m remembering the earlier books in the series to be.” However, the cover on this book is SO gawdawful I just couldn’t bring myself to buy the book. But with a gift card, I figured, well, maybe it’s worth the price of an ebook, so I decided to go for it.
First things first, DAMN can Jeaniene Frost write smokin’ hot books. Yes, there is boinking. Lots of over the top boinking. But she also writes excellent characters who I immediately want to be happy, and a nice fun romp with lots of danger and butt kicking. OK, Denise isn’t so much with the butt-kicking, but that’s perfectly OK.
Denise had her life shattered on New Years Eve a year before, when her husband was brutally killed in an attack on Cat and Bones, and she soon after miscarried their baby, wrenching her even further into guilt and despair. Now, she’s lost and aunt and a cousin and the last member of that family is convinced his mother and sister were murdered, and someone is after him as well.
Surprise! Someone is after him. And it turns out he isn’t going to want good things for Denise either. She tries to call Cat and Bones, but their numbers are disconnected (this must have been before the portability of cell phone numbers) and the only person she can contact is their friend Spade, who she calls to ask for contact information for Cat or Bones. Since neither of the two is available, and Spade is in the states, he says he’ll come himself to check on Denise and see if he can help her resolve her problem.
And then things really take off.
As I said, DAMN Jeaniene Frost is good at writing characters with awesome chemistry. But more than that, she’s good at writing characters in general. Cat and Bones make an appearance, as does Ian, and although one enjoys spending time with them, it never becomes their story, yet they also aren’t thrown in simply to draw fans of the Night Huntress series. In fact, for awhile, I didn’t think they’d make an appearance at all. But they did, and she did a good job of working them into the story without allowing them to take over.
If you have not read the Night Huntress series, you should be able to read this story without an prior knowledge. If you have, then you’ll certainly enjoy this addition to the world. In either case, don’t be put off by the horrific cover.
Rating: 8/10
Published by Harper Collins
Under Her Skin (2009)
with Ilona Andrews and Meljean Brook
So, this was the first full book I read on the Nook. I love Ilona Andrews and also really like Jeaniene Frost, so I figured I couldn’t go too wrong for three bucks. These are three short paranormal romances, focusing on shape shifters, but also with strong female leads.
The first story is “Pack” by Jeaniene Frost. Marlee is hiking in Yellowstone when she is attacked by a pack of wolves–werewolves of course, as these are paranormal stories. She is rescued and given medical treatment, but they pack refuses to let her go, aware that she may have become infected during the attack. She also finds herself falling for the man she sees as one of her captors–the pack enforcer named Daniel who claims she would be a threat to her friends and family if she returned home infected and undiagnosed, but also a threat to the pack if she returned and told people there was a pack of werewolves hiding in all but plain sight.
I like Jeaniene Frost’s writing, and so thoroughly enjoyed the story.
The second story is “In Sheep’s Clothing” by Meljean Brook. Emma is attacked driving through a storm on the way to her aunt’s house. When her friend and rescuer–the local sheriff arrives–she seems unharmed but understandably shaken up by the attack. This story and the first focus on the time right after a mere mortal is bitten by a were and the changes that manifest almost immediately. What I particularly liked was that Emma was NOT too stupid to live, but instead did everything she could to save herself. I like heroines like that. There were other things like liked about the story (hard to talk too much about a short story without giving everything away) but over all, it was for me the weakest story in the collection. This was also the only story that had boinking. Are those two facts related? Probably.
The final story–and the reason I bought the collection–was Ilona Andrews’ story “Grace of Small Magics.” None of the characters are were-wolves, so this story has quite a different feel from the previous too, as there are no familiar elements upon which to hang these characters and this world.
Grace discovers her family is indebted to another family, and that she is required to help this family perform a magical service of some sort, though she knows nothing about the family or what service she could possible provide. This story was the action/adventure/quest tale, and once I realized there wasn’t going to be a werewolf and once I paid more attention to the world building, I very much enjoyed the story. Again, strong female lead who does her part in rescuing herself. Always a favorite.
Yes, these are three relatively short stories, but the stories by Jeaniene Frost and Ilona Andrews were definitely worth the price of admission.
Only drawback about these stories is you can only get them in ebook format.
Rating: 8/10
Night Huntress: Halfway to the Grave (2007), One Foot in the Grave (2008), At Grave’s End (2009), Destined for an Early Grave (2009), This Side of the Grave (2011)
Night Huntress World: First Drop of Crimson (2010)
Anthologies: Under Her Skin (2009)
