LauraD’s review of At Grave’s End (Night Huntress, Book 3) by Jeaniene Frost
Urban fantasy released by Avon 30 Dec 08

Cat’s back! Jeaniene Frost’s killer vampire huntress Cat Crawfield and her sexy bloodsucker of a boyfriend, Bones, have returned for a third book, and oh my is it fun!

Actually it’s more of a paranormal adventure, as Cat and Bones have already established a solid love affair (a vampire marriage) and no threat to their love for one another is presented. But romance lovers should have no fear, as the couple is plenty sexy and the storyline engaging. If you are new to the series, you won’t have any problems keeping up — but be warned you will be seeking out the first two books.

Cat is a vampire hunter, and although she is good at disguising herself it’s getting harder and harder not to be recognized as the infamous “Red Reaper”. Her team are finding themselves in closer scrapes than they ever have before, and one of them has a very inconvenient lust-on for Cat. Into the middle of that tension comes Bones’ sire, Mencheres, to officially recognize Bones as his heir.

And that’s all before the bomb explodes. (And notice, I’m not even mentioning Cat’s very difficult mother…)

Soon Cat and company find themselves in the middle of a vampire war, and boy do the vamps fight dirty. At Grave’s End has several well-written battle scenes; a touch gory without being too graphic. Frost’s trademark humor is also intact, Cat and snark are well acquainted. A new character is introduced that some readers may find a bit cheesy, but I loved the opportunities for humor he provided.

I found this to be a fast-paced read, even with the inclusion of back story necessary for new readers. To my dismay, the previously steamy love scenes between Cat and Bones were missing — Ms. Frost wrote some damn good ones in the first two books. They are still new enough as a couple to be knocking boots on a regular basis, darn it! The dialogue between the two is fun and realistic, as is the relationship of a couple who know they belong together but are still working out some issues.

The secondary characters are well written, and the villain is plenty bad without being over the top eeeevil.

Vampire fans should consider Jeaniene Frost another author to add to the “does it well” list, and At Grave’s End is another fun chapter in the Night Huntress world. When I finish a book already looking forward to the author’s next one, I am a happy reader. This reader is looking forward to the next adventure featuring Cat and Bones.

Grade: B+

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Summary:

Some things won’t stay buried . . . at grave’s end

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself-and Bones-from a fate worse than the grave.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series: