*This title will be released on June 26, 2012*

Title: Once Burned Author:  Jeaniene Frost Series: Night Prince #1, Night Huntress Universe #9 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy Excerpt: Yes Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Abigail Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Avon (June 26, 2012) ISBN-10: 006178320X ISBN-13: 978-0061783203   Sexual Content: Two graphic sex scenes Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.

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This is another great week for covers, Abigail and I agree on our “Best” and each of the “Worst” titles have at least one thumbs up to their credit.  A former favorite is back with a redesign, as Andrew Fukuda’s THE HUNT gets a new look before it even comes to press.  This redesign generates a mixed reaction.  The original is gorgeous, but I can see how the new cover has a greater “off the shelf” appeal.  Which one do you prefer?

 

Title: At Grave’s End Author: Jeaniene Frost Series: Night Huntress #3 Cover Art: N/A Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance Excerpt: Yes Source: Bought Reviewed by: Abigail Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Avon (December 30, 2008) ISBN-10: 0061583073 ISBN-13: 978-0061583070 Sexual Content: References to rape. A scene of sensuality. A couple graphic sex scenes. My Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel.

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Description

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.

Review

It’s taken me a couple of books to find the rhythm of this series.  It’s not quite urban fantasy, and not quite paranormal romance.  The Night Huntress series is a rare combination of both.  We don’t ever jump POV from Cat to Bones, and the emphasis on world building is just as crucial as in urban fantasy, but the romance is the life blood of this series.  You couldn’t lift it out and be left with the same story. 

 

The first two Night Huntress books have been an emotional rollercoaster where Cat and Bones met, tried to kill each other, fell in epic follow-you-to-hell-and-back love, were apart for several years before reuniting in the infamously Chapter 32 of ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE.  AT GRAVE’S END opens with both Cat and Bones both working for the FBI hunting down murderous vampires.

 

It wouldn’t be a Cat and Bones book if somebody didn’t get their still beating heart ripped out of their chest at least once, and I’m not referring to the blockbuster action scenes. Tragedy befalls the couple yet again and fuels a massive showdown with a big nasty vamp from Bones and Mencheres’ past.  And to add more trouble a little closer to home, Cat’s colleague and friend Tate decides to make a play for Cat big time.

 

Overall, this is my favorite Night Huntress book yet.  Cat has grown into her own woman.  She’s unbelievably resourceful and strong without sacrificing an ounce of her femininity. She makes hard choices but doesn’t beat herself up over them for the rest of the book.  She’s exactly the kind of woman you can see someone like Bones loving, which is about the highest compliment I can give her. 

 

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
Halfway to the Grave One Foot in the Grave	The Good, The Bad and The Unread Darque Reviews Rabid Reads</;I>

Title: Haunted by Your Touch Author:  Jeaniene Frost, Shayla Black, Sharie Kohler Series: N/A Cover Art: Gene Mollica  Genre: Paranormal Romance Reading level: Adult Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Pocket Star Published: October 26,2010 ISBN-10: 1439166765 ISBN-13: 978-1439166765 Review Copy Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Julia

Book Description

USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost seduces readers into a forbidden new world as she teams up with romance stars Shayla Black and Sharie Kohler for a sizzling collection of original novellas featuring fallen angels, anarchistic demons, warrior wizards, and irresistibly dangerous creatures of the night.

Enter the dark realm of Nocturna in Jeaniene Frost's redhot tale, where blisteringly sexy Raphael dominates the demons of a lawless dimension and tries to help a beautiful young woman avenge her cousin's disappearance. In the shadowy world of Shayla Black's Doomsday Brethren, magical warrior Raiden vows to protect his woman and their unborn youngling from evil—and deliver her safely to another man. But once he's saved her, can he let her go? Lycans rule the night in Sharie Kohler's suspenseful story, as a fiery woman stalks mysterious Luc, the undeniably hypnotic being she believes can save her from turning . . . if she kills him. Danger beckons in these captivating paranormal tales that will tempt readers to the edge and leave them begging for more.

 Review

This anthology hinges around the forbidden and irresistible; the compelling touch of the person you know you shouldn't be with but just can’t deny.  Of the three stories presented, Jeaniene Frost did not disappoint, Shayla Black’s story didn’t work for me, and Sharie Kohler’s Darkest Temptation led me to add her other books to my TBR pile.  All in all, a well balanced collection and an enjoyable read.

Night’s Darkest Embrace by Jeaniene Frost (154 pages)

There are always neighborhoods where parents warn their children away, places with enough danger to be attractive to predators and prey alike.  Jeaniene Frost’s Night’s Darkest Embrace is a novel twist on this concept, as this “bad neighborhood” is the gateway dimension Nocturna, an enticing middle ground between Earth and the wide multi-verse that can only be accessed by those with demon blood.  The danger that drives the heroine, Mara, back to Nocturna also forces her into contact with Raphael, the powerful demon who raises both her suspicions and her heartrate.  Night’s Darkest Embrace seemed like a great set up to a full length novel, showing us only a few parts of the Nocturna and the bumpy beginnings of Mara and Raphael.  I would have preferred more detail and breadth, but what was there just whetted my appetite for more.    4/5 bats

Click HERE to read an excerpt from Jeaniene Frost’s Night’s Darkest Embrace

Mated by Shayla Black (122 pages)

Mated was strike two for me with the Doomsday Brethren series (this short story falls as #3.5 in the series).  Both it and ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT include characters that have significant self-worth/trust issues, which can be a hard sell for me under any circumstances.  When said characters go ahead and get halfway into a relationship before their issues kick in, the author has pretty much lost me.  I really didn’t like that Raiden had allowed himself to get involved enough with Tabitha to father a child, but wouldn’t go any further without much jaw clenching and fence sitting and unprotected sex (Hey, you can only get knocked up once!).  While his reasoning for wanting to leave Tabby is sound (he doesn’t want to endanger her by making her a target for his enemies or abandon his brothers-in-arms by “leaving” the conflict), the whole situation was a major turn off for me.  Still keeping an eye out for future books that will feature Shock, but I no longer have any desire to read through the back catalogue.   2/5 bats

Click HERE to read an excerpt from Shayla Black’s Mated

Darkest Temptation by Sharie Kohler (106 pages)

By far my favorite story in the book, Sharie Kohler creates a fabulous mix of old-school werewolf myths and the more modern flavor of romance and redemption.  I read this short story twice, and have put MARKED BY MOONLIGHT on my TBR list to get more of this series (and Abigail tells me “Sharie Kohler” is the pseudonym of Sophie Jordan, which adds FIRELIGHT to my list as well!).  I loved Kohler’s take on the werewolf transition, human DNA dying and being supplanted by the lycan strain, and the ending of this short story was completely unexpected.  In between that beginning and ending, there’s lots of “mindless attraction” (as well as the more sweet, emotional variety) to keep things spicy.  4/5 bats

Sexual Content:  All three of these short stories have explicit sex scenes.

My Rating:

3/5
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Also reviewed by:

• Ash at The Good, The Bad, and the Unread
• Lori at Escape Between the Pages
• Monica at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Book Description

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.

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Book 2 in The Night Huntress Series.

Review:
ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE picks up four years after the events in Halfway to the Grave.  After accepting a deal from the FBI that would ensure the safety of her vampire lover Bones, Cat is now leading a team of agents working as a branch of Homeland Security specializing in hunting down vampires.  She’s worked hard to try and forget Bones, and its a constant battle to remind herself that running away from him was the only way to save him.  But when a hit gets taken out for the Little Red Reaper (aka Cat), Bones is the only one who can help save her.

Jeaniene Frost skirts the PNR/UF line beautifully in ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE.  There is a strong romantic theme throughout with Cat and Bones, but that doesn’t diminish the solid urban fantasy plot either.  Cat fully has her own story here involving chasing down her own personal history and finding out more about both her human and vampire halves.  Also balancing the openly hostile humans in her life with the vampires and ghouls she’s come to depend on.

This is the one time where I’m afraid that the sexual content breakdown of a story could possibly be longer than the actual review.  I mean this is the book that contains the infamous Chapter 32.  And if you’re familiar with my reviews, you know I typically don’t love to read extremely graphic sex scenes, but at least I was prepared this time (On a side note if you don’t want to read super graphic sex described, you can easily skip over Ch. 32 without missing any plot developments).  Prepared or not, Ch. 32 deserves its fame (or infamy, depending on your perspective).  I will say that about halfway through the chapter, for me it took a decidedly unsexy turn. 

Aside from Ch. 32, I enjoyed the story of ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE.  I appreciated the maturity of Cat and the time the author gave her between books to acquire skills and friendships apart from Bones. And of course Bones is still the walking, talking personification of sex.  He still is Spike (from Buffy) for me, so of course every scene he’s in makes my heart go pitter pat. There is something so sexy about how fiercely he wants Cat, and not just sexually.   His love for her is completely believable.  And for me, that’s more than enough to keep me reading this series.

Sexual Content: A scene of sensuality. A brief non-graphic sex scene. References to sex, rape, oral sex, bisexuality, ménage à trois +.  *Chapter 32* one long, extremely graphic sex scene (including graphic oral & anal sex).

My Rating (out of 5):
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe wait for paperback.

Click HERE to read an excerpt of ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE. 

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon; First Avon Printing edition (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061245097
• ISBN-13: 978-0061245091

Disagree with my review?  Email me your review for this or any other book I’ve reviewed and I might use it for 2nd Opinion Review

Jeaniene Frost just revealed the cover for her next book, Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World, Book 2), releasing July 27th, 2010. I think I like this one even better than First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, Book 1).

 

 

Since everyone always asks, no, these models aren’t exactly how I picture Mencheres and Kira. In my head the best representation I could give would be Oded Fehr for Mencheres (but with longer hair than in that photo) and Milla Jovovich for Kira. But oddly enough, those two weren’t available to pose for the cover, lol. So I think my art director did a great job with finding replacements . –Jeaniene Frost

Book Description:

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness…and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master Vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful…human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life, yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose between the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

I’m a latecomer to Jeaniene Frost’s books having only recently started the Night Huntress series, but one bite--sorry book--was all it took for me to discover that this was a world I wanted more of (specifically Bones).  And clearly I’m not alone in wanting more from the Night Huntress universe as Jeaniene is here today to talk about her upcoming Night Huntress spinoff books debuting with First Drop of Crimson on February 9th. 

Jeaniene Frost lives with her husband and their very spoiled dog in Florida. Although not a vampire herself, she confesses to having pale skin, wearing a lot of black, and sleeping in late whenever possible. And while she can't see ghosts, she loves to walk through old cemeteries. Jeaniene also loves poetry and animals, but fears children and hates to cook. She is currently at work on the next novel in her bestselling Night Huntress series.

First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, Book 1)
by Jeaniene Frost will be released on February 9, 2010

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a breathtaking new journey to the dark side of desire.

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows—her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield—and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness—and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human—even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together . . .

Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.

» Learn More
» Read Chapter One

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Interview

ATUF:I’m a cover junkie, so I’m always interested in what goes into that first impression we readers get of a new book.  What can you tell us about the cover of First Drop of Crimson?

JF: I really like how it shows a couple instead of just the heroine, like my Night Huntress novels do, because FDOC is a more romantic book. And it’s split narrative between my heroine and hero, so I think the cover is a great representation of that. I also like the red dress (my heroine wears a slinky red dress in a scene) plus the open shirt on the hero, because, uh, did you check out his abs? NICE ;).

People ask me if the model is how I picture my hero, Spade. Short answer: no. The hair color and length are right, though, and as an author that’s all I can ask. For those who want an idea of what I think Spade looks like, here’s a link with some pictures:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v351/Kailyn/Models/Christopher%20Douglas/

ATUF: I love the title First Drop of Crimson.  How did you settle on it, and what is your process for coming up with titles?

JF: I told my editor I really wanted the word “crimson” in the title, much like I told her years ago that nothing would make me happy except having the word “grave” in all my Cat and Bones books. Because my editor is awesome, she made both things happen. So we brainstormed around the word “crimson”, going back and forth with Marketing to decide on a final title. I’m very happy with the end result because it’s a metaphor for a big plot point in the book. There’s something unusual about my heroine’s blood, but no one knows that until the first drop is spilled, so the title ties in great with that.

ATUF: First Drop of Crimson is a spinoff of your Night Huntress series, but can be read as a stand alone.  What can devoted fans and new readers alike expect?

JF: New readers will get a picture of the supernatural world that my current series is set in, plus a dark, action-filled love story. Readers who are already fans of the Night Huntress series will get a lot of their questions answered about Spade’s past, how he became friends with Bones, who sired him, plus a far deeper look into the vampire world. Previous readers will also see a different side of Denise, which I think may surprise some people. She’s a lot tougher and more complex than I had a chance to show when Denise was just a side character in the Night Huntress series.

ATUF: How would you describe the Night Huntress Books in comparison to the Night Huntress World Books?

JF: Probably the main difference is that the Night Huntress World books are stand-alones. The story with the main characters is wrapped up in one book versus being stretched out over several. So readers will have a resolution between Spade and Denise by the end of First Drop of Crimson. Plus, as I mentioned in an earlier answer, the NHW books are more romantic in tone. There’s still plenty of supernatural action, but the relationship takes a bigger focus. And with the point of view narrative split between Spade and Denise, readers will be also able to delve further into both characters instead of just seeing events unfold through only one character’s viewpoint like in my Night Huntress series.

ATUF: On your blog, you talk about how Spade (a.k.a. Charles) and Denise’s story had been written in your mind long before Halfway to the Grave was published.  Are you by chance sitting on more stories about Spade and Denise for possible future books?

JF: It’s true, I did have Spade and Denise’s story in my head long before Halfway to the Grave (my first published novel) even hit the shelves. I’m so excited to be able to finally give them the spotlight and let readers see what happens with them. But though Spade and Denise might pop up again as the hero/heroine of a short story, and they’ll still be side characters in the Night Huntress series, I have no plans to focus another full-length novel around them. By the end of First Drop, the bulk of their story is told, and not every story is meant to be a series. Theirs is one of those stories that’s best told in one book versus several.

ATUF: On your website you state that after Spade’s story, Mencheres will be the main character in the next stand alone Night Huntress World book.  Do you already have characters that you’d like to focus on beyond those two?

JF: First I want to say how much I loved writing Mencheres (and Kira, the heroine in Eternal Kiss of Darkness). Aside from being another dark, action-filled love story, Eternal also answers a lot of questions readers have asked me about things in the NH series. Mencheres is the oldest, most powerful vampire in my series thus far, so he’s got a lot to reveal once readers get a peek inside his head.

But to get back to your question, yes, I definitely have other characters I’d like to see get their own novels. Top on my list is Vlad. I never intended to write him into the Night Huntress books, but he showed up anyway and now I want to give him his own series. I already have the first book plotted out in my mind. Ian would probably be next on my wish list, and of course, I think it would be a riot to write a book with Juan. But *grin* as I don’t have access to the Magic Contract Wand, we’ll see how those ideas pan out. I can only cross my fingers and hope that my publisher likes one/all of these ideas, too.

ATUF: Do you have any current plans to write anything outside the Night Huntress universe?

JF: I’d like to. I have more ideas than I’ll ever have time to write, but I currently have four partially-written novels that are unrelated to the Night Huntress universe. One of those is an adult paranormal and the other three are Young Adult projects. So that ought to be a big hint about how I’m giving the YA market a very interested eye. I’m operating under tight deadlines now, but later this year there’s some breathing room, so I may pull out my favorite of those projects and shop it to see if I get any nibbles.

That doesn’t mean I want to stop writing in the Night Huntress universe. I’d like to do both. It’s like a brain cleanser for me to switch from writing in one paranormal world to another, completely different one. Keeps my creative juices flowing, which is why I wrote partials of four other novels while still writing in the Night Huntress universe. So the possibility of doing both appeals to me as a way to help keep my writing fresh. As with the other NHW spin-off novels, though, time and fate will tell whether I get my wish.

ATUF: How do you come up with your character names?

JF: It varies. Cat’s real name is Catherine, which came from my love of Sidney Sheldon’s THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT. Bones…I just knew that was his name. Then I had to come up with a good reason why he would have chosen it. Spade’s name came from the card game, though his reason for having it of course differs from mine in the books. Denise was just because I like that name, and Justina is homage to the ridiculous amount of “J” names in my family. Ian was another “I liked it” reason, and Mencheres, well, readers will find out the story behind his name in Eternal Kiss of Darkness.

ATUF: How did you get bitten by the vampire craze? And do you see it fading anytime soon?

JF: I was bitten by the vampire bug all the way back to childhood, when I wanted Dracula to win over Van Helsing. My parents have long told a story of me going to Sunday school for the first time - and telling the minister that the cross on the wall must be to keep the vampires away. So you could say I’ve been a vampire fan ever since I was way too young to even know about vampires, lol.

As for the current Fang hotness in the market, vampire popularity ebbs and flows over the years, but doesn’t ever seem to die (pun intended). When I was shopping Halfway to the Grave in 2004, I was told vampires were done in the market editors weren’t looking for more stories about them. Now you can’t swing a cat in a book store without hitting a vampire novel. I’m sure the cycle will repeat and people will again tire of vampires. But then after another few years, the Tall, Dark, and Dead trend will come back in all its bloodsucking glory.

ATUF: Can you share a new-to-you paranormal book that you recently read and loved?

JF: Just finished HOUSE OF NIGHT by C.E. Murphy and DRACULA, THE UN-DEAD by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. Really enjoyed both of those books. Anyone who’s read THE UNDEAD won’t be surprised by my liking it, especially based on my earlier comment about Dracula and VanHelsing ;).

ATUF: Where is this mythical Links page you mention on your website listing your favorite authors?  Who is currently topping your list?

JF: My website was recently converted to WordPress so I could do updates myself, but not all the pages were immediately active. Sorry about that, but the Links page listing my favorite authors is now back up for business. I needed an entire page broken down by genre to list my favorites, too. It’s impossible for me to pick just one (or twenty) authors that I love the best. I love different authors for different reasons and I’m not always in the mood for the same thing when I grab a book. So I couldn’t imagine choosing just one. I can’t even pick just one favorite in a subgenre. 

Works by Jeaniene Frost:

Night Huntress
1. Halfway to the Grave (2007)
2. One Foot in the Grave (2008)
3. At Grave's End (2009)
4. Destined for an Early Grave (2009)

Night Huntress World
1. First Drop of Crimson (2010)
2. Eternal Kiss of Darkness (2010)

Anthologies
Weddings From Hell (2008)
Unbound (2009)
Four Dukes and a Devil (2009)

Thank you so much for stopping by Jeaniene!  For more info about Jeaniene and her books visit:

http://jeanienefrost.com/

Jeaniene Frost posted the cover art for her new book, First Drop of Crimson, on her blog today.  She confirms that Crimson is ‘sexier and a bit more romantic’ than the Night Huntress series (its a spin off).   I definitely get the romantic vibe from the cover, not to mention the description.  I’m thinking this will be more of a straight paranormal romance. 

FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON

And here's the stepback:
And here's the back cover description:

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows - her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield - and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness - and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human - even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the demon nightmare together...

Because once the first drop of crimson falls, they will both be lost.