Jeaniene Frost has done it again! Some of you might remember, if you read my review of the first Night Huntress book, that I didn't much care for Bones when we first met him. The whole fact that he was British and pompous and blond did absolutely nothing for me. Or so I thought. The cheeky devil won me over despite my initial protests. Now, in this installment of the series, I was concerned how I would react to the separation between Cat and Bones: after all, it's been 4 long years! That's an eternity, even to a vampire, to be apart from the person they love, and all kinds of shenanigans can happen during that time.

But I shouldn't have worried. Ms. Frost brings us a bittersweet yet also funny reunion between these two stubborn but incredibly likable characters. I won't give it away, but suffice it to say that the where and how was quite fun, and right along with Cat, I knew I hadn't stopped loving Bones. He has a way about him that makes it very easy to overlook that he's a total pain in the ass on occasion. Worth putting up with for the rest of the time, especially chapter 32.

Yes, you know I had to go there. One of the most delightful things about a paranormal romance is that there are barriers and boundaries that can be erased so much more easily than in a traditional romance. Here, in this infamous chapter, Bones gives Cat the night of passion she demands, and it is so incredibly hot that even now, a week later, I'm still shivering when I think about it. The man's got some seriously dangerous skills, and Cat was one lucky chica, no doubt about it. This is the stuff legends are made of. Whew!

But there's a bunch of other stuff going on. For example, Cat's team has to come to terms with the fact that their leader is dating one of the undead. They're not so cool with that, and it causes tension in the ranks. In addition, they are dealing with the loss of one of their teammates from a fatal vampire attack, which makes Bones' presence even more unwanted. And if that weren't enough, someone has a serious jonesing to get rid of Cat permanently, and very nearly succeeds. As if Cat didn't have enough to deal with, there's just the teeny, tiny problem of her mom, who hates vampires with every fiber of her being, even though Cat is half vamp. Can you say dysfunctional? That pretty much covers Cat's relationship with her mother, yet Cat loves her, and is willing to put up with a lot to keep her mother safe.

This book I think really sets the tone for the series. Cat is no longer than clumsy, naive, starving waif we meet in the first book. She's somebody now, and she's incredibly good at what she does. She grew up, developed some confidence (and a better wardrobe?) and we see her in charge of this unit of men that defer to her in all decisions. We also delve more into her family tree, which is quite interesting. We also deal with some of Bones' history as one of the undead, and the hierarchy within the vampire world, from his sire to other Master vampires, their laws so different from human ones. It's a fascinating culture, and it will be interesting to see how Cat, as part vampire, tries to blend these two sides of herself within both worlds.

It should go without saying that I am ever so glad I have the 3rd book in the series, because while this one didn't quite end as a cliffhanger, there's still some loose threads that need to be addressed, and I'm thinking we're going to learn a lot in the next one. The more I learn, the more I want to know. And that's definitely a sign of an outstanding series.

Rating: ****1/2 out of *****

Labels: Jeaniene Frost, reviews