Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Destined for an Early Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-158321-6
Pages: 365
Series: Night Huntress #4
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Ever since Cat and Bones met six years ago they have been fighting against all manner of opponents. Now they finally have time for a proper vacation, but Cat's dreams are being invaded by a vampire named Gregor who claims that she belongs to him, and she's beginning to realise there are gaps in her memory. Cat wants to know who he is and why he thinks he can claim here, but finding out may cost her Bones...and her life.

This is the fourth book in the Night Huntress series (after Halfway to the Grave, One Foot in the Grave and At Grave's End) and it steps up a notch from the previous books. Cat's past and future are called into question, and decisions are made that will change the direction of the series for good.

The plot is clever, managing to pick up the tiniest of plot threads from the previous books and tie them together to create a story that makes perfect sense, and well paced. The book starts off at quite a fast pace and manages to sustain it most of the way through. The world opens up a little more with a visit to New Orleans that introduces ghosts in a larger role as well as fleshing out (no pun intended) what we know of the ghouls.

Some of my favourite characters from previous books returned (Spade, Vlad and Annette) and the newly introduced Gregor and his minions are sufficiently unnerving. Cat and Bones's relationship goes through a few changes as well with Cat taking the calmer mature role and Bones acting irrationally and, at times, like a massive jerk. Their whole relationship is called into question and it brings some unexpected twists.

All in all, this was a great read and I can't wait to get stuck into This Side of the Grave.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 47/50

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

Title: At Grave's End

Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-158307-0
Pages: 342
Series: Night Huntress #3
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Cat Crawfield has spent years hunting vampires, first alone then with her lover Bones and finally with her FBI team. Now Cat's secret is out, and now the vampires know all about the deadly half-breed chasing them down. With her cover blown, Bones is desperate to keep her safe. But the greatest danger isn't to Cat as a deadly master vampire sets her sights on destroying Bones using any means necessary, including the darkest of magics.

This is the third book in the Night Huntress series (after Halfway to the Grave and One Foot in the Grave) and I was really looking forward to seeing what happened next. This book didn't disappoint, managing not only to pick up some unsolved issues from previous books and bring them to surprising conclusions but also introducing a totally new bad guy determined to destroy Cat and Bones forever.

The storyline is full of twists and turns, not only in the more action-based parts but also in the backstory. Even Cat's mother goes in a whole new direction. Several characters from previous books return, including Spade, Mencheres and Ian, and it's great to see them take a larger role in the storyline. New characters like Vlad (yeah...THAT Vlad) also add interest and give some interesting side story.

It's great to see Cat and Bones more settled in their relationship as it allows for both more action and a more intricate backstory involving other characters. Tate's interest in Cat is still present, but thankfully completely unrequited meaning that there is no overused love triangle here. On the whole, this is an incredible read that sucks you in and doesn't let go.

All in all this was a great read and I can't wait to read Destined for an Early Grave.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 49/50

Teaser Tuesdays (2)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

The sick part of me wondered if Bones would cover those boxes with Christmas wrapping paper. Talk about getting an unwanted present.

~ Page 208, At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: One Foot in the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-124509-1
Pages: 357
Series: Night Huntress #2
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

It's been four years since Cat left Bones behind to protect him from her new life. Now Cat is head of an FBI team dedicated to hunting down the more homicidal vampires. However, Cat has a price on her head and each hunt gets her closer and closer to being caught. Only Bones can save her, but if he finds her he won't let her leave again...ever.

This is the second book in the Night Huntress series (after Halfway to the Grave) and I was really looking forward to reading it. There's a huge gap between the end of the first and beginning of this, but somehow the author manages to slip in all the relevant backstory without info dumping or getting off track.

The story is just as action packed as before, just with a wider cast as Cat's FBI team now play a key role in her hunts and she's made friends during her time away from Bones. Other characters from Bones's past are also introduced leading to a better understanding of his character. The storyline manages to pick up threads from Cat's past and combine them with her present in a way that creates a tale that sucks you in and doesn't let go.

Cat has matured since the previous book and doesn't react quite as instinctively as before, although she still gets annoyed easily and kicks serious butt. Bones has also become more open and got over his fear of losing Cat, which means there are some big revelations of how the vampire (and ghoul) world works which really adds to the realism of the books. Annoyingly Cat's mother returns and is just as hysterical as before.

All in all, this was a great read and I'm really looking forward to reading At Grave's End.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 47/50

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Halfway to the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-124508-4
Pages: 358
Series: Night Huntress #1
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Catherine Crawfield was born as a result of a horrifying attack on her mother. Raised in a town that regarded her mother as a liar, Cat has always been driven to fight so when her mother reveals Cat is half vampire she finds a whole new target. Now having spent years hunting the undead a chance meeting draws her into an alliance with Bones, a vampiric bounty hunter. But going after more powerful vampires comes with greater risks...and greater revelations about Cat's true nature.

This is the first book in the Night Huntress series, and I really enjoyed reading it. The storyline is cleverly told with a few twists and turns that change the direction of the book. This sits on the border between urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a little too much romance for the former and a little too much action for the latter. However it is classified it is a fast paced story that draws you straight in from page one.

Cat is a great lead character, and it was interesting to see how she dealt with her heritage as Bones exposed her to some home truths about vampires. I loved Bones, although at times he sounded a little too English (kind of Oliver-esque). I've seen Cat and Bones compared to Buffy and Spike, but the resemblance stops pretty quickly as these characters are really well fleshed out. The only character I disliked was Cat's whiny judgemental mother who I really hope doesn't feature much in the later books.

I really enjoyed the ending which manages to create a plausible continuation of the story into a series while still maintaining the completeness of this book.

All in all this was a great read and I'm looking forward to One Foot in the Grave.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 48/50