Destined For An Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Just finished book #4 of the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost, Destined for An Early Grave. Read One Foot in the Grave (#2) and At Grave's End (#3) over my summer vacation week. This series is absolutely spell-binding! There are so many utterly great things about it, I'm not sure where to begin exactly. Okay, for the first time in my romantic fiction-inspired life, I understand why first person POV is supposed to be cool. I become Cat when I read these books. I experience every heart ache, every round-house kick, every gin and tonic. Frost's use of first person POV is stupendous. I completely forget I am reading a book and become immersed in her paranormal world.
Next, Bones. Bones. Bones. Jesus H. Canola, Bones is the man (I mean, blood-sucking vampire). Everything about him is fab. His sense of humor. His sexy hot British accent. His complete devotion to Cat. His relentless pursuit and bloody destruction of his enemies. Freakin' fantastic.
Frost's pacing in these books rocks--fast, tension-filled, no lulls ever. The tension in this book may have been a bit too good. I was so nervous about the big break-up between Bones and Cat that I suffered from a sick stomach ache until it was resolved. Oy! I'm already on 4 prilosecs a day. How much more can a girl take?
More good stuff...sex (hee hee). The sex scenes are explosive. You might think it would be difficult to write really juicy sex scenes using first person POV, but Jeaniene Frost will prove you wrong. They are lusty!
And the action scenes! The action scenes are hands-down the best I have ever read in a romance novel. She is the master of flying silver knives, gymnastic moves, slicing, dicing, twisting, and more. An army of undead zombies! Bring it on! Exploding vampire heads...oh yeah! More, baby! The final duel between Gregor and Bones...magnificent!
The cast of characters is wonderful. (Fabian the ghost was a great touch in this book!) Reminds me of Kresely Coles IAD series. Colorful, creative, believable secondary characters add a whole new dimension to a paranormal series, and this one has got it going on. The shocking twist about Cat's mom is heart-breaking, but I can't wait to find out what Frost decides to do about it. (I'm harboring secret fantasies about her become a kick-ass vampire slayer wearing tight leather pants. It could happen!). I am bummed about Rodney's demise, but I am hoping it will jump start Justina's transformation into something other than a whiney pain in the ass.
Another thing I love...the dialogue! It is wickedly funny, tart, sometimes shocking (in a really, really good way). Makes me laugh out loud.
I have just a few teensy, weensy things that are bothering me. First of all, what happened to Tate? He was a major player in the beginning of the series, and he was mentioned once in DFAEG. Whad up with that?
Starting to get irritated with Cat and Bones questioning each other's loyalty/love....Frost has to get a new conflict. This is getting tiresome.
Didn't buy the idea that Cat still secretly harbored a hatred for vampires, and that's why she couldn't open herself emotionally to Bones. We're in her POV, and there is no indication of that whatsoever. Not buying it.
Nevertheless, I am still completely enamored with this series, and I cannot wait for the next one. Jeaniene Frost is a true master of paranormal romance, and I bow to her greatness. She does an extraordinary job balancing humor with an edgy paranormal scenario, which makes for my favorite of romance combinations. I also cannot wait to find out what all of Cat's powers are as she grows into a master vampire. Also on the horizon is First Drop of Crimson, a spin-off novel about Cat's friend Denise. Looks great.
Grade: A
Yours truly,
Penelope
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