Cat and Bones final book
Up From the Grave (Night Huntress book 7)
by Jeaniene Frost
Book Blurb:
Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…
A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.
*whistles* *STANDING OVATION*
Well done Jeaniene Frost, well done!
Up From the Grave is the last book in the Night Huntress series. While I am trying to hold back the sobs because I won't be reading anymore full length Cat & Bones' novels, I completely applaud and respect Jeaniene Frost's bravery to end her beloved series. I imagine it is a super hard thing to do when you have created such amazing characters that scores of fans love. Cat & Bones are her babies. Oh how I wish more authors had series where the main protagonists were married and taking on adventures. We need more couples like that in our romance world!
Now comes the hard part for me. How do I write a review telling you how brilliantly awesome this story was without revealing some heavy spoilers????
Up From the Grave was chalk full of action and I think that Jeaniene Frost channelled to her fans some pretty deep emotions. I didn't cry or shed any tears but I felt the mirage of emotions deep down. Many heart strings get tugged. Having said that, there was a lot of anger being spewed and even a laugh out loud moment (surprisingly brought to us by Mencheres).
I loved that with Up From the Grave being the last book, Jeaniene Frost did a great job of incorporating all of the secondary cast of characters into the story. It didn't feel forced including them all in. Seamless really.
The intimate scenes were a little on the soft side and I can only recall one scene from memory. I think that that Up From the Grave had so much story to fit in that another intimate scene written in would have felt forced or just placed in for the sake of having another sex scene. I thought it was perfect. Bones was still very romantic and protective of Cat all throughout the story so it never felt off.
The plot was very clever and the story ended on a superb high note that still left the series open for a possibility of more books or a spin off.
Teasers: a captured Cat, a more powerful Bones, like mother like daughter
Vlad and Lelia's book
Once Burned (Night Prince book 1)
By Jeaniene Frost
Book Blurb:After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...
Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all--but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him - a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.
I'm so happy that Vlad is getting his entire little side spin off series from the Night Huntress series. The Night Prince series is off to a great start with Once Burned. If you have not read the Cat & Bones Night Huntress series, you can totally read this spin off series without a doubt. Cat and Bones only make a cameo appearance and they have no relevance to the story at all. It might even be better if you had not read the Night Huntress series previously because this Vlad in Once Burned seemed like a completely different character.
I know that some fans lust after Vlad. Granted the way he is physically described and immaculately dressed is enough to set off fire alarms but I find his arrogance holds him back on his attraction level for me. That doesn't mean I don't love to read about him. I personally cannot wait to read further into the series where I hope to discover that Leila brings him down a notch or too.
Together, Vlad and Leila heat up the pages. She doesn't want to be attracted to him nor does she want to end up loving him but the draw she experiences is undisputed. She knows she has to protect her heart but cannot seem to help herself. Vlad just oozes power and I think that is the main attraction. Well that and he is drop dead gorgeous. I think Jeaniene Frost did a great job of hiding Vlad's feelings towards Leila as the story is told from Leila's point of view and not Vlad's. You know he cares for her and lusts after her but you don't quite get the impression (as of yet) that he is in love.
Once Burned has some pretty gruesome and highly descriptive torture scenes. I know I winced a few times. Lets just say that Vlad lives up to his claim to fame as Vlad the Impaler. However in this respect, Vlad annoyed me to no end. He is old school in his thinking and I was not a fan of how he treated his loyal people or should I rephrase that and say how he punished his loyal people. Way over the top. He is such a contrast to Lelia's guarded world.
Lelia has a very unique gift of electrocution and her ability to tunnel back through memories by touching objects was really different. I liked it. I like how that gift was used to interact with Vlad. As such, it certainly demonstrated on another level how perfect they are for each other.
Once Burned does not end on a major cliff hanger and I do love that book 2, Twice Tempted is now available for me to purchase. Oh how I love to continue on with a series once I start. I am hesitating in purchasing right now though. I think I want to wait until the third book is published so I can read them all together.
The entire plot of the book was about Vlad and Leila working together to find out who is out to destroy Vlad. The readers find out this information but it is interesting that I only finished the book yesterday and I already forget why the villain was after Vlad. I may have to go back and refresh my memory on that.
Teaser: the best visual shower scene ever, manacles of memories, horse stall horror, a little bit of blood for medicinal purposes
One Grave At A Time
by Jeaniene Frost
Book Blurb:
The grave is one wrong step away.
Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans' voodoo queen just keeps on giving--leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.
Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity--forever. But how do you kill a killer who's already long dead?
I enjoyed One Grave At A Time. I am thankful the fans were given another book and I am super glad that Cat and Bones are really solid.
Let me start my review with my thoughts of Cat & Bones. I just love that although Cat can clearly look after herself, Bones is still her #1 protector and not just in battle. It is really important in a relationship that the spouse defends in verbal battles and provides back up. We saw evidence of that numerous times with Bones this time around and I loved him a little bit more each time. Whether someone is just thinking bad thoughts about Cat with their mind or if someone verbally berates her, Bones will defend her to no end; even if it is his best friend. I just love that!
I was disappointed that their sexual intimacy in One Grave At A Time was mostly implied. There was only one intimate scene and I missed that there wasn’t more. I love Cat and Bones and I love to read about their connection. The scene that was delivered was great and creative but I wanted more.
Now I am going to talk about the villain(s). The main villain was a ghost named Heinrich Kramer but nicknamed “The Inquisitor”. He was a despicable character and very easy to detest. You can imagine the difficulty of trying to be rid of something that is already dead and you can't touch it. At first I didn’t care for the villain but I think my issue was more with the lack of secondary characters. Jeaniene Frost has created a cast of amazing secondary characters and they were barely utilized in One Grave At A Time. In fact, it wasn’t until the friends were finally brought in that I recognized what was missing from the story. At first I thought it was the lackluster villain but it wasn’t. I was missing the cast.
There was an introduction of a few new characters. The first new character was Madigan. I was utterly confused with his purpose in One Grave At A Time other than this book was just an introduction and forewarning of things to come. He is completely set up for the readers to dislike him and that was very easy to do. He replaces Don and had Tate demoted so as you may have guessed, he is apart of the military. He is slimy and devious and I am sure we will hear much more about him. Funny that he never hurt anyone in this book but I think I despised him more than the ghost villain.
The other new character was Tyler. He is gay and he added the much needed comic relief with him fawning over the Bones and Ian. Who can blame the guy right? He has great lines and I hope we get much more of him in future books.
One Grave At A Time is not one of Jeaniene Frost’s best Cat and Bones story but enjoyable regardless.
Teasers: sexy flight, knitting bones, hairless Cat, Dragon surprise
Mencheres and Kira's book
Eternal Kiss of Darkness
By Jeaniene Frost
Book Blurb:
An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . .
And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.
Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.
At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.
But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.
Other than the absolutely horrible book cover, Eternal Kiss of Darkness 
was fantastic. But that cover? What were they thinking? The Night Huntress series have beautiful covers so why are they skimping out with the Night Huntress World series? Too bad really because if I had seen that cover on a shelf, I'd hate to say it, but I'd probably just walk by it. Well I guess don't judge a cover and all that right.
Book 2 in the Night Huntress World series Eternal Kiss of Darkness was excellent. I was worried since Book 1 First Drop of Crimson 
wasn't so good.
I always liked Mencheres. I think it's his power and his experience is such a draw to me. I love the way that Jeaniene Frost described him from the first book. Now let's review how Mencheres is described in this book shall we?
"Kira knew that his tongue felt like a vibrator set to the speed of Oh Hell Yeah." And here is a little snippet of a conversation between Kira and Mencheres, "Dead or not, you must be bored with women telling you how you look like the hottest, most exotic wet dream they've ever had. No wonder the thought of you, grapes, and some scented massage oils crossed my mind - and if you drop that towel again, I'm goin to need a cold shower." whew - a cold shower indeed!
Kira is awesome and just the woman for Mencheres. She is smart and doesn't leave me screaming at the book scoffing at the frequent female stupidity that some women are set up as in books. Now I wouldn't expect that from Jeaniene Frost since she brought us the fabulous Cat but after Denise in First Drop of Crimson, I had doubts. Kira loves Mencheres for just him. Not his power, money or how he can advance her status. She was brave, courageous and since I really like Mencheres, I am so pleased that I like the female written for him. I can't wait to read more about them.
And I do want to read more about them. I feel that Eternal Kiss of Darkness just sort of ended. I was so surprized when I clicked "next page" and that was it. I was wanting more!
Once again there was a great cast of secondary characters. I am definitely going to follow along on this spin off series. I am hoping that Vlad gets his own book. Radjedef was another villian you love to hate. The ploy he used against Mencheres was so frustrating that I felt helpless. I had no idea how Kira and Mencheres was going to get out of that mess. Awesome angst great book!
Destined for an Early Grave
By Jeaniene Frost
Book Blurb:
Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.
Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.
I. Just. Loved. This. Book. OMG it was amazing. Well deserving of a 5 heart rating.
Destined for an Early Grave 
was so good that during a family Easter dinner I found myself sneaking away to read on the deck outside because I NEEDED to know what was happening next. What a page turner. I think Destined for an Early Grave is my favourite one of the series so far. So good.
Destined for an Early Grave had me on a tidal wave of of emotion. No wait, make that a tsunami of emotion. I was sad, mad, happy, jealous, furious, miserable, nervous and about a hundred others that turned my tummy inside and out.
I feel by now I am totally invested in Cat and Bones's relationship. Jeaniene Frost has me wound so tight that I finished this paperback in one day. Yes I have to apologise to my relatives during our annual Easter family dinner so I could get right back to the book. Good thing I have great in laws. (or they just think I'm crazy)
When Cat and Bones argue, I take sides. However I love them both so much that I am like a tennis ball bouncing over the net over and over again. One minute I'm all on Bones's side and then next I am 100% committed to Cat. They both have such great point of views and I am nothing more that a 1970's Pong Game.
The side characters that Jeaniene Frost created are just as valuable to the story. I think that Destined for an Early Grave was a perfect time to branch out on the spin off Night Huntress World series. In fact, I'm off to read Mencheres's Eternal Kiss of Darkness book next. I'm still mad at myself for reading First Drop of Crimson out of order but at least I'm all caught up and I now understand some major bombs that were exposed when I read it.
If you haven't started to read this series as of yet, please start at book 1 Halfway to the Grave
. I try in my reviews not to give too much specifically about the books because I don't want to cause a spoiler. But if you haven't tried the series, see if your library has it, see if you can book borrow or take the plung and purchase all you can in one stop. I tried for a few months to pick up the series from used books stores but it seems like whoever buys these books, hangs on to them because there were none to be found.
Denise MacGregor & Spade's (Charles) book
First Drop of Crimson
By Jeaniene Frost
Book Blurb:
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a breathtaking new journey to the dark side of desire.
The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows—her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield—and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness—and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.
He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human—even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together . . .
Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.
I am so mad at myself right now. I really wanted to read all these books in order and I ended up reading First Drop of Crimson 
out of order. Dammit!! I misunderstood and thought I was to read First Drop of Crimson before book 4 Destined for an Early Grave but apparently I was mistaken. This book comes after Destined for an Early Grave. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to read it next and pay much more attention to Jeaniene Frost's website to make sure I don't mess up again.
Well I just finished as I said above and I have luke warm feelings about First Drop of Crimson. I liked it at times and then there were times I was thinking it was a bother to read.
I really like Spade and I continued to like him throughout his own book. As for Denise, well, I'm not a fan. I liked her when we were first introduced to her in the previous book. Sometimes she just frustrated the hell out of me. She is nothing like Cat, which is okay because we don't want Cat part deux, but Denise at times is so stubborn or daft. Her thought process on certain situations was so unreasonable.
Just to elaborate on that thought process of Denise's, we were "told" so many times what her thoughts were or how she was feeling. The writing style that I loved in Night Huntress series seemed to be off in First Drop of Crimson. It was still great to read but the magic I felt in the first three books was not here.
Now for my thoughts on the plot of First Drop of Crimson, I loved it. I am thrilled that Spade has a lover and the fact that his mate is Cat's best friend has got to make for some exciting future books. I loved the whole demon shape shifter plot and how she came about with that power. If a vampire takes up house with a human, unless they turn them into a blood sucker as well, there has to be a creative catch to keep them together. I very much enjoyed that part of the story.
I was also very pleased that Cat and Bones, Ian (I love Ian) and Mencheres made repeat performances. I am always eager to read more about them. So now I am going to take a step back and go to book 4 Destined for an Early Grave to get all caught up.
, it was good but it didn't have me as spell bound as some of the other books. That's quite alright though. Not each of the books needs to be a 5 heart rating to be enjoyable and satisfying. 
so that makes me wonder what the future has in store for him. 
