Review: One Grave at a Time

ONE GRAVE AT A TIME (Night Huntress #6)
Jeaniene Frost
Paranormal Romance
384 pages
Avon
Available August 30th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY
Cat is still experiencing the residual effects of the voodoo queen of New Orlean's blood donation, slowly acclimating to her bevy of new ghostly companions. When longtime spectral friend Fabian brings a ghost with a special request into the home she shares with her husband Bones, she can hardly refuse her assistance after all he's done for them.

Turns out Fabian's friend is one of the many victims of Heinrich Kramer–famed witch hunter, hater of woman, and serial murderer. Though he's long dead, his spirit is still haunting this world and every night on Samhain, his ghostly form gives way to flesh and blood and he returns to the activities he so thoroughly relished in life.

Unable to bear the thought of more woman dying at the hands of such a monster, Cat and Bones immediately set to work in figuring out how to stop him in life and death, but Heinrich proves to be a formidable foe whose hatred has had years to fester and become stronger than ever, and Cat finds herself more deeply involved than she ever imagined.

MY THOUGHTS
One of the most impressive aspects of the Night Huntress series as a whole is Ms. Frost's ability to write characters who grow and progress a little in each book, so even when one particular story isn't as action packed or as emotionally intense as others before it, the vibrancy of the characters ensures we can never be anything short of entertained. Some installments offer blistering romance and palpable sexual tension, others have us positively guffawing and sucking in huge breaths like dying fish in between bouts of laughter, and then still others present different levels of drama, each aspect guaranteeing us a different type of reading experience from one story to the next. We are teased with the presence of just a couple of her trademark elements in each book, knowing we'll have to wait for the next installment to get a taste of what is purposefully left out of the one we're reading, and we can't help but smile while flipping the pages as we enjoy creativity at its best.

Cat is particularly remarkable in this newest release, still exhibiting the maturity she began to embrace in the last book by refusing to allow Bones to steamroll her with his protective instincts but also not reacting to that protectiveness by leaping into danger without formulating a plan and utilizing his input first. She listens and discusses problems and solutions with him, and when he begins to slip into his alpha-male role and seeks to keep her safe by his side, she intelligently and rationally compromises with him while still trying to help and defend those who need her like the Cat we all know and love. There does seem to be a little spark missing from the two of them however, and we find ourselves longing for just a touch of the relationship drama that plagued them in the first four books. This is most likely a "grass is always greener" situation though–when the petty (though understandable) jealousies were running rampant we wished for them to be happy and melodrama-free, and now that we've been given our wish, we desire that familiar and incendiary sexual tension resulting from their heated arguments.

While This Side of the Grave moved at a slightly slower pace than the previous books, One Grave at a Time returns us to normal Night Huntress speed, providing us with a truly despicable and diabolical villain constantly on the offensive as he focuses all his considerable animosity on Cat and Bones. His sense of righteousness is enough to make us cringe, and his views on women and witchcraft are more than enough to make bile rise in our throats as he executes his warped understanding of God's will, causing us to read as fast as possible in order to get to the moment where he gets his much-deserved comeuppance. Heinrich is an impressively disgusting specimen, joining the ranks of Cat's father and Gregor as individuals for whom our hatred burns especially bright.

Ms. Frost introduces another new character into the mix in this installment, a man who piques our curiosity and has our instincts on red alert as he worms his way into the government compound with Tate, Juan, and Cooper. It's clear he will be a recurring problem for Cat's former team and Cat herself, and despite his only brief appearances he makes himself memorable and has us itching for the next book to see how he will put into motion the the questionable ideas we can see flickering through his head. Disappointingly, Vlad is noticeably absent in this book–though we are slightly mollified by the fact that he's getting his own series–but Ian is present in all his ridiculous glory, his outlandish arrogance and humor making us feel right at home in a world we love so very much.

Rating: 4/5

Review: This Side of the Grave

THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE
(Night Huntress #5)
Jeaniene Frost
Paranormal Romance
357 Pages
Avon
Available Now

THE STORY
There's never been a dull moment for Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones, and they're certainly not going to find such a moment in the near future. A large number of ghouls, led by one who calls himself Apollyon, believe Cat will use her new and unusual vampiric powers to launch a species war against them and are attempting to be proactive against such an event by slowly and methodically eliminating the vampires.

One by one vampires are going missing, and Cat and Bones find themselves having to call on Marie, the ghoul queen of New Orleans, for help even though she is incredibly powerful and always unpredictable.

Along with Vlad and Mencheres, as well as some questionable assistance from Marie, Cat and Bones attempt to hunt down any and all information they can about Apollyon's whereabouts and his plans for Cat, trying desperately to prevent a war that will not only possibly expose, but will also surely decimate both groups.

MY THOUGHTS
Jeaniene Frost is one of those authors who writes stories so engaging and entertaining the pages seem to flip of their own accord and we end up reading one hundred pages in the time it takes us to read fifty in another story. We find ourselves smiling, blushing, and snorting in amusement at certain characters' impressive one-liner retorts, relaxing fully and completely as we make ourselves comfortable and give ourselves over to a creative mastermind. This Side of the Grave is another fun-filled romp through the Night Huntress world, one where the laughs keep coming, the smoldering heat of Cat and Bones continues to singe the pages, and the relationships between the protagonists and those around them continue to grow until our emotional proximity to those whose lives unfold before us can get no closer. Ms. Frost's characters, for all their undead status, absolutely come to life through her effortless storytelling, engaging us, taunting us, and drawing us in to their world as though we've belonged there all along.

Cat and Bones are as enjoyable as ever, their journey from tentative allies to lovers to husband and wife one we don't mind returning to experience over and over again. Cat, previously one to act impulsively in an effort to protect Bones and those she loves, makes a valid effort in this tale to curb that instinct and work with Bones as opposed to acting on what she believes is his behalf. She is still her witty, amusing self, but now in her we see a new maturity and our already healthy respect increases a few more notches. Bones, always impossibly and gloriously charming, doesn't disappoint as his unabashed and unapologetic love and admiration for Cat is a powerful force that never fails to cause our hearts to flutter and our limbs to liquify as we simultaneously harbor an irrational jealousy toward Cat for her luck in men, and yet smile warmly in appreciation of an enviable and beautiful relationship.

Aside from a romantic pair that has held us captivated through four prior books and maintains their possession of our undivided attention yet again in this story, Ms. Frost has a true gift for creating secondary characters who manage to make an unforgettable impression with their presence. The banter between Vlad, Bones, Cat, and Mencheres (as well as an all too short exclamation from Ian) is a staple in these books, and one of the elements most anticipated whenever a Night Huntress spine is cracked. Each character is full bodied and spectacularly developed, their distinct personalities as unique as a genetic marker and their presence always resulting in a richer reading experience as we glory in their humor, sit up and take note when they are unexpectedly serious, and frantically highlight their unforgettable quotes so we can share them with everyone we know.

Though This Side of the Grave is not necessarily the most memorable or impressive of the series as the plot lulls a bit at times, the action does pick up at the end and we are left with an interesting new development. Jeaniene Frost writes a well-rounded story, one that mixes a bevy of elements together in a most delectable blend, and if you've yet to experience Cat, Bones, and crew, grow a pair (of fangs) and get to the bookstore for a taste.

Rating: 4/5

Teaser Tuesday: This Side of the Grave

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and here's how it works:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share a snippet from somewhere on that page but be careful not to include spoilers

Today I have a very special teaser for you from This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. I'm including a longer-than-normal excerpt because today is my birthday and this series just makes me happy. And what better way to celebrate your birthday than with a little Jeaniene Frost humor? I hope this passage brings a smile to your faces!

Without thought, my gaze flew to the areas in question before skipping away once I realized what I was doing. Then my cheeks actually tingled with mortification as Vlad let out a long, hearty laugh. Mencheres, more courteous, pretended to suddenly find something fascinating in the door frame, but I saw his lips twitch.

"My dear Reaper," Vlad said, still laughing. "Did you just check out our–"

"No!" I interrupted at once, almost lunging toward the staircase. "I'm tired and still dazed from the Remnants and...f*ck it, I'm taking a shower. I mean, not a cold shower, because I don't need that"–oh Jesus, I was only making this worse–"because I am cold already, and I need to get hot. I mean, warmer. Oh, just shut up!"

This as Vlad continued to laugh the whole time I went up the stairs.


THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE (from Goodreads)

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

Interview: Jeaniene Frost

I'm extremely excited to welcome Jeaniene Frost to the blog today! I couldn't be more thrilled to have her here as her Night Huntress series is one of my all time favorites, and one I ultimately refuse to lend to anyone for fear they may "lose" (aka steal) my personal copies. Instead, I drag them to the bookstore so they may buy their own. I want to say a huge thanks to Jeaniene for taking the time to answer my questions, and I hope you all enjoy the interview.

Bones has a glorious English accent, is that the accent you find most attractive or just the one you thought would suit him best?

I’ve been a fan of English accents ever since my crush on Billy Idol in the late eighties, so I knew Bones would have one back when I was first thinking about his character. The other accent I’ve liked for a very long time is a French accent. I finally get to indulge my love of French accents with the vampire character, Gregor, who shows up in Destined for an Early Grave. I’m sure that won’t be the only time I have a French vampire in my series. It was too much fun writing in my second-favorite accent.


Is there significance to the color green for the vampire eyes? What made you choose green over another color?

Even though I only have one dog now, I used to have cats and ferrets. Both those animals’ eyes flash green in the dark when they catch the light. I always thought that looked a little otherworldly, so when I wrote my vampires, I gave them the glowing green eye effect, but with the ability to turn it on or off at will.


The Cat and Bones books have such fun, fully developed side characters. Do you find it easier to write them than the main characters at times?

Sometimes, yes. Certain side characters come very easily to me, like Vlad, Ian, Justina, Spade, and Mencheres. I’m familiar with their personalities and I don’t have to wrack my brain to come with dialog for them. Other side characters are a little more secretive in their motivations, so they can require some pauses for contemplation in their scenes. I think it’s obvious that I get very attached to my side characters, having written the Night Huntress World novels in order to showcase some as protagonists. I really enjoyed the opportunity to let readers know more about them instead of just seeing them on the sidelines in every story.


Of the four published Night Huntress novels, what is your favorite Cat and Bones moment?

I couldn’t name just one. I couldn’t even name just ten. I love some of their scenes for their banter, some for the drama, some for the sexiness, some for the emotional revelations, some for the paranormal action, and some even for the grief. Plus, Cat and Bones have grown as a couple throughout the series, so what might have been a very pivotal moment in one book would later be overshadowed by something in another novel, but to me, that doesn’t make the prior moment less important. Just different based on where they’re at in their lives.


Did you come up with the nickname “Kitten” first and then name her Catherine, or did you have Cat/Catherine in your head from the beginning which then lead to “Kitten”?

When I started Halfway to the Grave, I only had Cat/Catherine in my head. I never even though of Bones giving Cat a permanent nickname, let alone that it would be Kitten. The first mention of Bones calling her that was something I spontaneously wrote in the scene where Bones was taunting Cat by saying she looked more like a Kitten Tweety than a Cat Raven. Then, in their other scenes, Bones kept on calling her kitten (note the little “k”), but not as a taunt anymore. As a form of affection. Finally, when I was through writing HTTG and realized Bones had rarely called her Cat, but called her kitten repeatedly, I quit fighting it and went back and replaced all the lower “k’s” with upper ones. So I guess you could say Bones chose her nickname instead of me *wink*.


Is there any one book of yours that has been the most work? Either took the longest to write, required the most revisions, etc.

Halfway to the Grave was the first novel I ever completed, so as you can imagine, it needed a LOT of work. I don’t even know how many times I revised it from the initial first draft to the version that was eventually sold to HarperCollins. One Foot in the Grave probably had the most editorial revisions, but I ended up trashing 95% of my original third novel because I changed my mind about a plot point that affected everything in that book. My editor never even saw the original version of At Grave’s End. Once I rewrote it from scratch and submitted it to my editor, it needed only a few revisions before it became the version that’s on the shelves today. I’ve been lucky *knocks wood* that my last four books haven’t needed major revisions. Maybe I’m finally getting the hang of this writing thing, lol.


The Night Huntress books are always finished in one sitting for me and I have a strict “don’t talk to me" policy when reading them. What’s the last book you couldn’t tear yourself away from?

DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE by Terri Garey. It comes out summer 2011 and my editor sent me an advance copy a few weeks ago. I picked it up intending to just read a couple chapters a day over the course of a week, but I had the book finished within twenty-four hours because I couldn’t put it down.


What’s the most romantic scene you’ve ever read (outside of your books)?

I remember being very moved by a scene with Jamie and Claire in either Dragonfly in Amber or Voyager – can’t remember which – where Jamie is acknowledging that he was born for the role of leadership whether he wanted it or not. Then when he asked Claire was she was born for, she replied, “I was born for you.” It was so simple and yet so poignant, because Claire was not a passive, weak, or clingy heroine. She was ballsy, brave, and smart, plus she had a calling as a doctor that not even horrible extenuating circumstances could alter. So it was Claire’s complexity and independence that made the scene where she says that to Jamie so terribly romantic. If Claire had been a weak, damsel-in-distress heroine, her statement of “I was born for you” would have lacked emotional punch for me. Considering how strong she was, though, such a tender, open admission hit me right in the heart as a reader.


I think everyone has their own little reading quirk when it comes to their books. Some people don’t like to break the spine of a paperback, some love or hate to dog-ear pages, and some take the covers off hardback books before they read them. Do you have any reading quirks?

Oh, I am a freak when it comes to not creasing spines, and I always have been. When I was a teen and my sister got mad at me, her form of revenge would be to crease the spines of my paperbacks because she knew that would make me hit the red zone (and it did!). I’ll loan books to friends/family with the warning that if the spine comes back creased, they won’t get to borrow any more books from me. However, even though I have literally hundreds of bookmarks in my house due to me giving them away at conventions, I still dog-ear pages. Don’t ask me to explain the logic; I never pretended to be sane :).


Ever read the last page of a book first? Which book? Ever written the last page or chapter of a book first?

I never read the end of a book first. I know a lot of people who do, but that would ruin the story for me. Not knowing what’s going to happen is half the fun when I read. When I pick up a book by an auto-buy author, I won’t even read the back description because I want to be surprised as much as possible. As an author, though, I have written bits of the final chapters out of order. I’ve written bits of the middle out of order, too. If I get a strong impression of a scene, or even a few lines of dialog, I’ll write it out ahead of time so I don’t forget the tone of it later.


If you could interview any author, who would it be and what would you love to ask them?

Living author would be Dean Koontz, and I’d want to ask him so many questions. Like, how has he managed to stay sane and creative while being in the business so long, just for starters. I’ve been a fan of Koontz’s since I was a teen and he’ll be at the Romantic Times convention next year. If you see someone shadowing him in a not-so-stealthy manner, that will be me.


I’m sure you get this all the time so I apologize in advance for asking, but I can’t help it! Did you ever think that a single chapter of one of your books would gain such notoriety? A friend of mine said that Chapter 32 has practically become its own verb, and I have to say I agree!

Snort. You could say that I never expected Chapter 32 to have such positive notoriety. As I’ve mentioned in other places, I wrote it before I even began to shop my first novel, so I never thought anyone would read it but me. Then when that book eventually sold, I felt sure it would be censored in editing, but it wasn’t. Then a few months before One Foot in the Grave released, I panicked at the thought of the masses reading Chapter 32 and emailed my editor saying I wanted to rewrite it to make it less smutty. My editor politely refused to let me change anything. Sure, there’s a segment of readers who didn’t care for it, but since the majority of comments have been “write another one, Jeaniene!” my editor was clearly right in her decision, heh.

Oh, but I told my parents I never, ever wanted to hear their opinion on it.

Thanks so much Jeaniene! If you're interested in learning more about the Night Huntress series and any of Jeaniene's other works, you can find her here:

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