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+

Read other reviews and information about this series by following its tag.

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:

Devon’s Review of One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 2) by Jeaniene Frost
Paranormal Romance released by Avon 29 Apr 08

I really enjoyed the first book in the Night Huntress series, Halfway to the Grave, so I was keen to get my mitts on this one. I have a feeling this is one of those series that you will either adore or find ridiculous. After reading the first book, I ran across this review on Breezing Through, and I was genuinely startled that others didn’t like it as much as I. Then I was like, “Well, I see their point there, and, oh yeah, she’s got a point there….” I could see what they were talking about right away, but I hadn’t noticed those things while I was reading. Funny how that happens. Anyhow, One Foot in the Grave is just as hot, action-packed, romantic, and yes, slightly absurd as the first book.

One Foot in the Grave picks up four years after Halfway to the Grave. Cat Crawfield, half-vampire, half-human chick with issues, is kicking ass and taking names as the head of a special vampire-killing FBI Unit. Yes, this does require a bit of belief suspension, that this grumpy 27 year old would be commanding ex-cops, Special Forces guys, and various other fighting types with more experience of all kinds. But I go with it because it’s fun! Cat is also pining for Bones, the lover/mentor she left behind. Through a rather contrived series of events, Bones comes back into her life, just in time to help her when her life is targeted.

Aaaahhh, Bones. I love him so. Yes, an oddly named, bleached blonde, English accented vampire does seem a bit derivative, but he’s such a great character. The relationship between him and Cat is what makes everything work so well. He is all about Cat. We get to know him better here, and he’s kind of a scary guy. His personal moral code is pretty much “Whatever keeps Cat safe, whatever keeps Cat happy.” Kind of sociopathic, but also funny, charming and hot. Once he shows up, the book really takes off.

Cat is one of those characters that may annoy readers. She’s abrasive, and impulsive, sometimes TSTL. Thank goodness for vamp super-speed and super-strength. She has a vulnerability that comes from her isolation that keeps her vulnerable, and a little more likeable. She shows a bit more emotional maturity in this book, and it’s good that she’s making more connections, with her team members and her best girlfriend. She and Bones have great chemistry, but I still sometimes wondered what it is about her that inspires such devotion in him.

I enjoyed the plot, which went deeper into the world of vampires and the mystery of Cat’s father. Cat’s team was made up of interesting characters, and I liked the interplay between all of them, and Bones. And the romantic elements are very involving. Although I have quibbles with Cat, I am loving this series. It’s fast-paced blend of romance and urban fantasy. I would start with the first in the series, and I would definitely recommend One Foot in the Grave to readers who enjoy series that follow the course of a relationship, or those who don’t need an neatly wrapped HEA. I’m looking forward to number three.

Grade: B+

Read Bev’s review here.

From the Cover:

You can run from the grave, but you can’t hide . . .

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won’t let her get away again.

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

BevQB’s review of One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 2) by Jeaniene Frost
Paranormal romance/urban fantasy released by Avon Books 29 Apr 08

PHEW! If you thought Book 1 in the Night Huntress series, Halfway to the Grave (reviewed here), was a page turner, wait till you read this one!

Warning: mild spoilers ahead, but not much more than the book summary gives away.

It’s been four years since the half-human and half-vampire, Cat, left Bones, an old, very powerful vampire, to protect him from being hunted down and killed. During that time, Cat has assembled and trained a secret government sanctioned vampire hunting team.

Now Bones is back and he’s not leaving. He will do whatever it takes to stay with Cat. The problem right now is that the relationship is one-sided. Bones changes his life, sacrifices and risks much (and does so willingly), but with only a couple of concessions (fans will cheer at one of them), Cat is almost daring him to love her, to prove that he really does care that much for her (wait till you read his “proof” in the bedroom! WOWZER!).

Sooner or later, though, I have to wonder if Cat (or Bones) will realize that she’ll need to give more, to prove to HIM that SHE loves him. One incident near the end of the book would seem to be that declarative proof, but the almost offhand way she mentions it later makes me wonder if it really meant as much to her as it did to him.

We do see a few glimpses of the mature woman Cat may one day be, but for the most part she still wants everything HER way. She barrels into danger with a surprising lack of common sense. And she either possesses a sense of invincibility or possibly suicidal tendencies– I’m never quite sure which and I doubt SHE knows either. No, it doesn’t cross over the TSTL line, but Frost IS edging her toes up to the line where hero/ine crosses over to Superhero/ine and I sincerely hope she stays well away from it.

A LOT happens during the course of this book, the cast of characters is expanded, and… I’m not going to spoil it any further. Just trust me when I tell you that I have a feeling (and a hope), that some of it is going to come back and bite Cat and Bones in the butt. (hee… Vampire humor)

I will say, though, that unlike Halfway to the Grave, One Foot in the Grave ends quite happily for several people, including Cat and Bones. Now, who knows how Frost will end the next one in the series—remember she’s only promised an eventual HEA at the end of the ENTIRE series—but be prepared for an interesting HEA in this one.

Oh, here’s a question for you medical type duckies: Can a regular human (i.e. not Cat) drink a pint of blood without throwing it up? The humans in Cat’s team ramp up their power by drinking vampire blood and, unless there’s some yummy goodness in it that Frost doesn’t mention, I just can’t see how they could swallow it and keep it down.

That appetizing thought notwithstanding, Jeanine Frost has written another highly enjoyable, engrossing story and, while I strongly recommend you read Book 1, Halfway to the Grave, first, I believe One Foot in the Grave CAN be read as a standalone.

Grade: B+

Summary:

You can run from the grave, but you can’t hide…

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around Bones awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline rush of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head – wanted: dead or half-alive – means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard Cat tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever … and Bones won’t let her get away again.

Author’s summary and excerpt.

Other books in the series:

Read Bev’s review of Book 1.

Read more from Bev on her personal blog Cubie’s Confections.

Bev(QB)’s review of Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1) by Jeaniene Frost
Paranormal Romance published by Avon 30 October 2007

Halfway to the Grave is a hybrid of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Since I know it’s a flashpoint for romance purists, I’ll tell you up front that it has an urban fantasy ending. But, for those that felt cheated by the ending of Cameron Dean’s Candace Steele trilogy (which I enjoyed immensely), I’ve included a message from Jeaniene Frost’s website:

Author’s note about the Night Huntress series: HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE is the first book in an urban fantasy romance series with half-vampire heroine Cat Crawfield. My heroine and hero have a difficult road ahead of them and they will have to work hard to earn their HEA, so their story isn’t over with the first book. Hope you come along for the ride!

So, is this series worth your investment? OH YEAH! Once I picked it up, there was no putting it down until I finished. The worst thing I can say about it is that book 2, One Foot in the Grave, won’t be released until April 2008!

Cat was conceived when her mother was raped by a vampire. As her odd “differences” became apparent, Cat’s less than affectionate (and possibly not altogether sane) mother insisted she not let anyone find out and refused to talk about them. It wasn’t until Cat was 16 that her mother finally told her the truth and then, with her mother’s encouragement, Cat decided to devote her life to finding and killing vampires. Although she often resents her mother’s pressure to continue the killings, she craves her mother’s approval and doesn’t stop because she’s finally making her Mama proud.

Through trial and error, she becomes a bad-ass vamp executioner. Or so she thinks. Turns out it was her half-vamp abilities combined with the dumb luck of only luring young vamps to their death. Her luck runs out when she meets Bones, an old vamp who hunts other vampires as an occupation. One well placed punch from him takes her out of the game and into his dangerous captivity.

Once he believes she isn’t working for one of his many enemies, Bones realizes that Cat could be very useful as his bounty hunter protege, and offers her a deal– if she’ll let him train her to be his partner, he’ll teach her what she needs to know to kill vamps and help her find the vamp who fathered her.

What follows is the boot camp from hell. Bones pulls no punches, and systematically beats the daylight [hee] out of Cat trying to prepare her for the dangers of hunting the older and truly dangerous vamps that he regularly hunts. But in the process, he finds himself more and more fascinated with her.

To Cat, vampires are evil creatures that must all die. Period. But she’ll let this one live. For now. At least until he teaches her everything she needs to know about vampires.

The gradual development of the relationship between Cat and Bones is fascinating to read. In addition to struggling with her own beliefs about vamps, Cat is also aware that her mother will turn her back on her if she finds out that she not only hasn’t killed Bones, but is working with him! Combine all that with her awkward history with men, and Cat feels torn apart and confused by the sexual tension between her and Bones.

This book was also engrossing because Cat and Bones aren’t perfect. They don’t always win. Things doesn’t always go their way. They make mistakes. People, including those they care about, die. I hope Frost continues that with book 2, because the story has the potential to make them too perfect and that would ruin the appeal of both the characters and the story.

The primary reason I’m not giving this book a higher grade is because I don’t think it will appeal to readers who aren’t already paranormal romance AND urban fantasy fans. (see A Duckie’s Guide to Romance) After all, the hero DOES beat the heroine unconscious… a LOT!

But for you fans of the genre that still aren’t convinced, read the summary and chapter 1 here. No really, GO READ IT!

Grade: B+