Title: At Grave’s End
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #3, Night Huntress Universe #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 22nd September – 15th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I showered again and went downstairs.

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 lvoer 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.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to read, because I couldn’t read it late at night before bed, or while I was trying to study, or really do anything productive in any way, shape or form. It was just really, really good and I never wanted to put it down. I finally had to set aside a night to finish it… just so I could get my little happy fix.

Unlike a lot of the books I put on the strong women shelf, Cat finds her beau in the first book, and ever tale afterwards is all about them. And you know, all the people trying to kill them, preying on the weak, yada yada yada. Yet this still works brilliantly. Cat and Bones are trying to create their lives together, but they keep coming up against hurdles. One of which is Bones’ past as a gigolo. But they’re accepting of this. Neither was pure and innocent when they got into the relationship. Neither is free of a past. And they both use their sexuality to constantly trap predators. Its kind of a nice balance – because they both do it. don’t get me wrong, I don’t love that Cat is constantly having to dress provocatively and seduce men into going with her to kill them… but I love that both her and Bones do it, get jealous and understand each others’ motive.

This month, I needed a book that had Dracula as a character. I figured I was probably just going to finally get around to actually reading Dracula… but then Vlad showed up in this story. What a brilliant idea! Not only does this novel feature Vlad the Impaler / Dracula / Haunter of My Dreams, but it also features Cleopatra’s daughter. Now I’m curious to see what historical figure Mencheres is… because he must be to be that old and powerful… yay for reading the next books in the series!

The war that takes place in At Grave’s End feels like it should be finished at the conclusion of the book. But I get the feeling that this is just setting the story up for a much greater war. Makes me feel a little like a conspiracy theorist in my musings… but there is no way that such an intense war between characters can be over so quickly… so I suppose I had better pick up the next book and get reading!

Image source: Goodreads

Title: One Foot in the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #2, Night Huntress Universe #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 28th July – 31st August 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Yeah, right.

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 of half-alive – means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep thing professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever… and that Bones won’t let her get away again.

This book took me way too long to read. Not because I didn’t love it, but because I started reading it at a really crappy time in my life, and just didn’t read many books at all. It almost made me want to quickly pick up the next book in the series, At Grave’s End, and spend all night reading it. Just to make up for the fact that I haven’t had much of a chance to truly enjoy One Foot in the Grave like I usually would.

I haven’t read many series which jump years ahead between the first and second book. There have been a few that have done so later in the series. But never so early on. Which is why I found it kind of exciting that this took a very different approach to timeline than I am thus far used to. It almost made Halfway to the Grave feel like a prequel novel and that this is where the depths and insanities of the series were going to really get started. I am also feeling far more desperate to pick up At Grave’s End than I did before.

I’m a big believer in true love. Which is completely obvious from the selection of books which I tend to read. Although I don’t normally love the insta-love feeling that some books give you. There is a bit of that kind of feeling in Halfway to the Grave, but that completely disappears when you get to One Foot in the Grave. After all, they’ve both spent years pinning for each other and feeling unable to move on with their lives. Insta-love might be annoying, but when that turns into the kind of love that stands the test of time… that’s the kind of story that just melts my heart.

No matter how many series, genres and books I read, I always love to come back to the urban fantasy and paranormal fantasy series. The ones which feature strong women who can kick us. This is exactly that kind of book. Even when Cat is given a nice, easy out of the predicament she finds herself in, she decides to take the harder way out. After all, the easy way isn’t about independence, but the hard way is all about winning and triumphing over bullying power hungry fools.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Halfway to the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #1, Night Huntress Universe #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 7th – 10th May 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Avon
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Dinner for two.

Flirting with the grave…

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father – the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner – are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side… and Bones is turnign out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

I couldn’t believe how much I loved this story! I knew it was something that was going to go to the top of my favourites lists, but I had no idea how much I would love it. I was kind of expecting another great urban fantasy story that would sweep me along with a kick ass chick as a lead and a great alpha male by her side. I didn’t realise that this story would seriously investigate issues of prejudice. That it would highlight the ways in which people turn against a minority just because they’re perceived as something a little different.

Cat is the kind of woman I want to be. She is strong and independent. Has a mind of her own, and even when she falls in love, she doesn’t let it consume her. Rather, it acts as a vessel through which she can become even more independent and accepting of herself. Something that I sometimes struggle with. I think it’s something that we all sometimes struggle with. And it is this independence and strength that makes her make one of the hardest decisions of all at the end of the story. A decision I’m not really sure I could make myself…

Most stories of this type that I’ve read don’t really have a parental figure at all. So having Cat have a mother who starts as her driver, and ends as her executioner was a great twist on the typical trope. Not only did it include the difficulties of family, it also highlighted how the crimes of the past can inform the future. And not always to the best interests of anyone involved. Their relationship breaks your heart a little, but it also shows that not every relationship is good or bad, but a complicated mix of something in between.

Image source: Amazon