This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

This Side of the Grave

by Jeaniene Frost

4 Flames = Smokin Hot!

I love how in this installment of the Night Huntress series, we have Bones and Cat happy.

It may sound cheesy, but there it is. In the last book Destined for an Early Grave, they were so far apart it hurt me to read it. While I love the tension of them at odds with each other, I hate how hard it is to read about what we know is a perfect-for-each-other-couple fighting.

In this book, they aren't fighting with each other. Bones' past isn't thrown in our faces, and they have a sweet and tender moment where Cat breaks down the last wall she's held between them. There is, of course, the Big Bad. It's Apollyon, the leader of the ghouls. He is still trying to start a war between the vampires and the ghouls. He says that since Cat is a half-breed, even though she's pretty much a full-vampire now, she could still turn ghoul. So they need to kill her so she can't take over and rule all of the supernatural creatures. Right. It's kind of a big deal, since he's been trying to do so for ,oh 600 years or so. So killing Cat is nothing personal, right? Just business.


But Cat is a bit more grown-up in this book. She doesn't make decisions without including Bones, and she doesn't run off half-cocked, and she doesn't do anything brash or foolish. I loved that. I have so wanted Cat to mature a bit more. Her mom has a *ahem* new role. I won't spoil it (Highland Hussy zips her lips). Tate has a couple of good scenes, and Don, oh Don, he has such an important role and I can't say one word about it without spoiling it! And it's not a small spoiler either!


The breakout star of this book? Vlad. Without a doubt, I heart Vlad. My favorite line has been quoted everywhere, but it's worth the mentions. Cat is trying to convince Bones and Vlad to let a ghoul who'd tried to kill her go free as a gesture of goodwill. Suddenly the ghoul's head explodes.


"What the hell was that?” I gasped.
“Premature inflamulation,” he replied. “Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing, I don’t like to talk about it."


The main reason I gave this book 4 rather than 5 flames is that Marie had such a huge role in both this book, and in the last book, and I don't know, I guess I was expecting...more from her. She has the potential and just wasn't utilized enough. She was the catalyst for some of the action, no doubt, and she was right there at the end, but I felt for as huge a role as Majestic is, that she could have been in it more.


Now onto the fun part...ch. 21. Ah, yes, I see you've heard of this? Yes, folks, ch. 21 is the new ch. 32. If you wear glasses, they will fog whilst reading ch. 21. I will say only one thing about it *hot candle wax* and I'll leave it at that.


Oh, but one really huge giant tip?


Read the Night Huntress World books First Drop of Crimson and Eternal Kiss of Darkness first because this book WILL SPOIL THEM. I wish I'd known. I have them on my tbr list, but if I had known this I'd have made a point to read them last week . sigh.