Jeaniene Frost

This was a re-read from years and years ago. *sigh* I totally forgot how good it was, even now I'm like... I HAVE TO READ MORE!
That's what Cat and Bones do to you ;)

Worldbuilding:
A rich (and volatile) present-day urban fantasy, what more do you want? We have sentient ghosts, English vampires and who knows what else out there.
While Cat is part of the supernatural scene, she doesn't know much about it, so we get all the info alongside her. There never is an information dump, but we slowly and show more steadily get to know what's going on in the vampire world and how close it is tied to our own.
Scenes and environments were very well described and detailed enough to stay fully immersed in the story.

Character development:
Our cast is amazing, seriously. Prepare to get emotionally invested and enjoy the wild ride.
Catherine, but call her Cat, is a hybrid: half-human and half-vampire. She has been hunting and killing vampires for the last 6 years until one fateful night she met Bones. Ahhhh where to start... I really like that he's so different from the usual vampire stock (as in not dark and broody). I mean, he's English! :D
Both of our main characters are well fleshed out, with a colourful past, their own fears, hopes and dreams for the future.
I don't know, but Cat and Bones just make such an awesome pair. Yes, they kick ass and protect each other, but it goes way deeper and that just makes me sigh with a grin on my face.

Pacing and flow:
As I've said before, it's a wild ride, but sooooo worth it! There is a lot of action going on but perfectly balanced by the conversations that drive the story forward.
There wasn't any part that I felt took too long or felt rushed. The story was told at its own pace and that was perfect.

The book:
The book itself was well written with no (noticeable) errors. There is sex described (if that is important to you).
It's 358 pages long, spread over 27 chapters and told from Cat's point of view.

Final thoughts:
To hell with it, I'm reading the next book immediately afterwards! I can't recommend this series often enough, even if you're not sure, read a sample and you'll be as hooked as I am ;) That just leaves me with one more thing to say: enjoy ;) show less

*Spoiler-free for yo' ass.

FINALLY, Frost brought this series back to basics. I was soooo over the Jerry-Springer fest that Cat and Bones were becoming. Wtf was that all about a book ago? Blah. This definitely got back to the ass-kicking and action that I prefer. It felt just like old times and by old times, I mean book 2 or so.

I’ve never been a huuuge fan of Cat & Bones. They have their moments, but Bones isn’t all that hot to me. I interpret him as petulant vamp/man child. It doesn’t show more help that my introduction to this series was in audio form. Big mistake. If you’ve never heard Bones’ irritating accent in the audio books, thank your lucky stars. Talk about Panty Insta-Dry. His audio book accent is the farthest thing possible from hunk of burning love that Bones supposedly is. I listened to it on a drive from FL to NY and it was the most distracting, hilarious thing I’ve ever had the displeasure of hearing. To this day, I answer my cell phone (for certain friends) as, “ELLO SergiOOO!!!” Then we die of laughter. Anypoop, I digress. I’ve always struggled with Bones as being “hot”, but I’ve always loved the action in these books. In this respect, book #6 def delivered and left behind all of that out-of-character nonsense of the last book. I’m looking forward to the next one. show less

This third installment in the Night Huntress series just completely eradicated any 'buts' I had about the last two novels. I'd gone on and on about my love for the characters (especially Bones) and the fun, witty dialogue; but I still acknowledged that there was something lacking in Frost's plots that kept me from awarding the full 5 stars that I wanted to.

This book changed that. The plot was developed, fast-paced and sucked you in from the beginning. The other books were a lot more laid show more back and 'nice', even though the characters came up against troubles you always knew that they would come out on top and everyone you cared about would live to see another chapter. But this time, the author got nasty. The one really big shocking thing that happens right in the middle of the story nearly had me in tears - oh my god, could it be real? Is it true? How will the protagonist cope if it is? I won't say anything more.

One of the greatest developments in this book that I never saw coming was that of Cat's mother. Justina started off as an annoying and bigoted character that you could maybe forgive because the poor woman was raped by a vampire... and then we find out she made it all up and just kind of hate her. But not anymore. Frost has turned an annoying throwaway character into one of the most hilarious in the book, giving her wonderfully witty sarcasm and some of the best scenes (like the whole thing at Rodney's house - will not spoil it). My opinion of her has escalated beyond my previous imagining, I only hope she has more hilarity to offer.

Ah, and Bones, jealousy actually looks great on you. Yes, after poor Cat having to run into countless old flames from Bones' past, the tables have finally turned for a change. When Cat and Tate are forced to make out when on a job, Bones gets more green-eyed than usual... this apparently serves to make him even better in bed, if that is actually possible (look, I for one am still recovering from the whole blindfold thing in the last book). This book teaches women that if they make their boyfriends jealous they will go down on them repeatedly - awesome. I honestly can't believe that Frost manages to create hotter and hotter scenes as the series goes on... god knows what we can expect from #4.

Also, zombies?? Didn't see that one coming and to be honest it was a refreshing change from finding out that it was just another big powerful vampire with a century more of maiming and killing than the last big powerful vampire. This series really is so good, I can't wait to see what will happen next, but thanks to ebay I should be finding out shortly. show less

I find it funny that with all of the vampire books I have read over the years, I still have not tired of the theme. In this third book in the Night Huntress series, Jeaniene Frost continues to make life interesting for Cat and Bones and friends by adding a little magic to the mix, specifically from the legendary Cleopatra's daughter-turned-vampire, Patra, who also happens to be Bones's grandsire-turned-partner, Mancheres's wife. Life as a vampire only becomes more convoluted for Cat as Bones show more gains a few new abilities, and Cat learns why vamps are not allowed to practice magic. When they learn that Patra has sent "the grave" after Bones, I had visions of horror movies dancing in my head - and I was not that far off in my guesses. Since I am not a fan of this particular fad in fantasy fiction, I was glad that Frost depicted these paranormal creatures so horrifically.
One of the elements that I also like about this series is the humor - which Frost delivers in the form of Cat's mother, who embraces the circumstances of Cat and friends' protection with surprising relish. Without spoiling this juicy tidbit, I will say I laughed out loud when I read about the change in Cat's mother.
On the flip side, when anguish hits Cat hard, I felt her pain more than I expected to, even though I harbored doubts about what had really occurred. The emotion that Frost conveys in this section of the plot feels as real as if I felt the same loss as Cat.
There are many other interesting tidbits in the book, such as what almost occurs with Tate - and the result, Juan's decision, as well as the truce that develops between Annette and Cat. This is why I love series - side characters get more plot time, subplots can continue to mature, and I don't have to leave the imagined world behind just because I closed the book! I can't wait for the next book, Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, Book 4). show less