'Once Burned' Night Prince #1 by Jeaniene Frost

 From the BLURB:

She's a mortal with dark powers...

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...

He's the Prince of Night...

Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

Leila is a freak of nature; she knows that, and she embraces it so much that she has gone on tour with the circus. An accident with a downed power line when she was a girl killed Leila's mother, but left her alive. A nasty scar running from temple to right hand is the only physical evidence of Leila's near-death experience … but it's what people can't outwardly see that makes Leila so very unique. Whenever she touches an object with her right hand, she gets flashes of that objects' imprint in the past and future. And Leila is like a living live-wire, constantly charging and emitting bolts of electricity. 

Leila knows that in the world of supernaturals she is unique. And she knows that her ability to see the future by touching objects makes her one tasty morsel for unscrupulous monsters, so says her four-foot tall circus friend, Marty, a vampire.  But what Leila never anticipated was being kidnapped by a band of fanged fellows who insist she track down a certain someone using her abilities.

By touching a series of objects, Leila is able to track their owner; where he has been and where he's going … The man being hunted by her kidnappers is in fact one frightening and fiery vampire, who's as handsome as he is ferocious. But what Leila didn't anticipate was that when she's in this handsome vampire's mind, he can sense her, even talk to her. Yet another thing to add to the freak file.

Luckily for Leila, Vlad Tepes is willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and believe the kidnap story. He's even willing to swoop in and save her - at a price. Until Vlad can figure out who is hunting him down, the curiously charged Leila will be staying with him, under guard, in his Romanian castle.  

'Once Burned' is the first book in new 'Night Huntress' spin-off series, 'Night Prince' by Jeaniene Frost.

It has been hard reviewing the last few ‘Night Huntress’ books. Hard, because I still count them among my favourite urban fantasies, and still some of the best in the genre – but I can’t deny that from about book five to now, the series hasn’t been at its very best. And I feel like I've been saying the same thing in all my reviews of recent books; “the romantic tension is gone, and the series is lacking because of it.” I still recommend the books to timid first-time paranormal readers, but lately I've been putting a caveat on my recommendation, along the lines of “look out for ‘This Side of the Grave’. . . ”. So I was actually really excited for a spin-off of Frost's staling series … especially when our spin-off hero is none other than Vlad Tepes.

Vlad has been a fan-favourite since he made his first appearance in 'One Foot in the Grave'. It's not just that he's the vampire that all other vampire mythologies are based on (with a bit of help from Bram Stoker). No, it's that from the moment he stepped into the series, Jeaniene Frost managed to make Vlad decidedly her own. His one-upmanship with Bones elicited many chuckles, while his instant friendship and kinship with Cat showed his softer side. And when he revealed the demons of his past to comfort Cat in her time of grieving, during 'At Grave's End', I think fans were instantly hooked on him. He's not like Bones's sire, Mencheres, who is steadily mysterious and guarded. Nor is Vlad like the larrikin Ian, spouting out double entendres to rile those around him. A few of Frost's other secondary characters (even six books into the series) seem to still be caricatures whose little page-time hasn't fleshed them out nearly enough. But Vlad is unique - perhaps the most complex of all Frost's secondary characters. I think his three-dimensionality is what warranted him at least two books in the 'Night Prince' series (as opposed to the one-off novels that Mencheres and Spade got with the 'Night Huntress World' books). And now having read 'Once Burned', I can understand more than ever why Vlad is the one 'Night Huntress' character to carry an entirely new series...

'Once Burned' is not told from Vlad's perspective (mores the pity) even though it is his spin-off. Our narrator is Leila, a scarred and electrified young woman who has the power to see past and future events with the touch of her right hand. She and Vlad cross paths when she is kidnapped with the intention of helping a band of vampires find Vlad, so they can kill him. Instead of doing this, Leila contacts Vlad who swoops in and saves her - but intends to keep her close so he can use her unique abilities to find out who wants his head on a pike. From there the plot becomes deliciously tangled - as Leila succumbs to Vlad's fiery charms, and the heady knowledge that he is the one person in the world she can't injure with her volts of electricity - because Vlad controls fire, and simply absorbs Leila's jolts and bolts.

I loved Leila and Vlad as a couple, especially because Frost has fun with introducing Leila to a vampire named Vlad.

I snorted, giving him a deliberate once-over. With his long dark hair, striking features, frightening charisma, and seductively muscled body, he looked like he could pass for the infamous Prince of Darkness, but how naive did he think I was?
“You’ve got the obligatory dangerous-yet-sexy thing going on, but I’ll believe you’re the real Dracula when you believe I’m the real Frankenstein.”

But the real reason I liked Vlad and Leila, was that they actually had a lot in common. A running 'theme' of 'Once Burned' is in the line “everyone holds their sins close to their skin” -  referencing the fact that Leila can know people's deep, dark secrets by mere touch of hand, and also the veiled understanding that Vlad has a lot to hide. It's a very interesting pairing, especially when Leila has to refrain from knowing more about Vlad than he's willing to impart... but especially because Vlad and Leila both have guilty consciences from events of their past. The death of Leila's mother, and the death of Vlad's wife.

Vlad and Leila also uphold fan's recent belief that a little sexual tension is a good thing. I won't give anything away, but Frost certainly hasn't made Leila and Vlad's pairing an easy one... not like the pretty instantaneous coupling of Cat and Bones (which has arguably back-fired in recent installments).

Frost has used the real Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) as a groundwork for her 'Night Prince' Vlad. Sometimes her reliance on Tepes's history works - like when she takes his infamous 'Impaler' nickname and makes it a gruesome punishment. But she also had a tendency to info-dump everything she knew about Vlad into whole scenes ... which included detailed descriptions of his exile, war with the Ottomans etc, and these had a tendency to read like a Wikipedia entry.

Something else I really liked about 'Once Burned' was the new crop of secondary characters introduced - like Leila's four-foot vampire friend, Marty, and Vlad's right-hand-man. Not to mention the human blood-donors and vampire warriors who populate Vlad's Romanian castle. I even liked the villain; a chillingly-named Szilagyi who was pitch-perfect in his deviltry.

I will say that I wish the 'Night Prince' books were told from Vlad's point-of-view. I know a few other reviewers mentioned this, but I think it bares repeating. I know Frost likes to write from the female POV (Cat in 'Night Huntress', Denise and Kira in 'Night Huntress World'), but I really think that Vlad was already a solid enough character to bear the brunt of narrative. Now, this sounds like a big complaint, but it's not - because I did like Leila and enjoyed reading about Vlad and the vampiric world from her perspective. I'm just saying, when Vlad is the star of the series, he probably could have been the literal, narrating star of the series. Know what I mean?

All in all, I would say that 'Once Burned' is an impressive come-back for Jeaniene Frost. If you're like me, and have been grappling with the last few so-so 'Night Huntress' books, then 'Once Burned' and the new 'Night Prince' spin-off series will be your antidote. Frost is back to writing about delicious romantic tension, complex villains and epic battles. I can’t wait for the second Vlad book, coming March 2013, and I'm even newly excited for the next 'Night Huntress' instalment... heck, reading about Vlad even has me crossing my fingers that Ian (that secondary-character larrikin) hurries up and gets his own spin-off book too!

4/5

'One Grave at a Time' Night Huntress #6 by Jeaniene Frost

From the BLURB:

The grave is one wrong step away.

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans' voodoo queen just keeps on giving--leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity--forever. But how do you kill a killer who's already long dead?

In the lead up to All Hallows Eve, a misogynistic ghost plans to kidnap and kill three ‘witch’ women . . . but not if the Red Reaper, Cat Crawfield and her husband, Bones, have anything to say about it.

Heinrich Kramer was a bad man in life and has become downright evil in death. When Cat’s ghost friend, Fabian, introduces Cat to one of Kramer’s old victims (now a ghost herself) she and Bones know they cannot let this ghost murder more innocent’s.

Meanwhile, Cat’s old government squad of supernatural fighters is under new management – a Homeland Security moron called Jason Madigan. The new team leader is keeping secrets and combating Cat’s mind-reading with annoying infomercials. . . and he really, really doesn’t like vampires. Tricky, since the best in his team are members of the undead under Bones’s protection.

‘One Grave at a Time’ is the sixth book in Jeaniene Frost’s ‘Night Huntress’ series.

Okay. So, I didn’t love this instalment in one of my favourite paranormal series. I didn’t have the best time with fifth book, ‘This Side of the Grave’, and I was disappointed to read that many of the problems I had with that book are carried over into this one. . .

What frustrated me was that Jeaniene Frost pin-points the problem very early on in the book. Once we learn that Cat’s deceased uncle, Don, is still hanging around as a ghostly apparition and the new team boss, Madigan, is a Homeland henchman with a grudge against vamps . . . Cat notes that Bones isn’t really too disturbed by their piling problems, and he quite succinctly explains his blasé attitude;

“You seem pretty relaxed about this whole situation,” I said with mild exasperation, noting the nonchalance in his tone and vibe.

Bones all but rolled his eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be? For the first time in years, our relationship is solid, no one’s actively trying to murder us, and our closest mates are happy. Blimey, Kitten, if I were any more relaxed, I'd need a smoke.”

Yep. That about sums it up, now hand me a cigarette.

What used to make Jeaniene Frost’s series unique and a titillating treat for fans was her protagonist’s instant attraction. When everyone else in urban fantasy / paranormal romance was hell-bent on the build-up and ‘will-they-or-won’t-they’, Frost gave us ‘they will’ with heapings of loved-up bliss. Kate and Curran took four books to seal their mating. Adam and Mercy didn’t get hitched until the sixth book. Fans loved and loathed the tension of those relationships – but we revelled in Cat and Bones’s guaranteed love, established in book one and maintained (with a few minor hurdles) throughout the series.

Now, it would seem, fans are reading the pitfalls of continuing a story after ‘happily ever after’. The main problem, for me at least, was the plot-heavy focus on drama and action with little tension between the relationship development of Cat and Bones.

Yes, the Heinrich Kramer plot is chill-inducing and interesting. He’s a raping misogynistic ghost who can become corporeal on All Hallows Eve when he wreaks vengeance on ‘disgusting’ females. Great villain, plenty of action and drama. But to balance out that fairly heavy and sinister plot, I felt like ‘One Grave’ needed more love from Cat and Bones and more development from secondary characters.

I miss the Cat and Bones drama. I miss Cat’s jealousy over Bone’s sex-filled past, and Bones’s constant combat against Cat’s independent streak. I miss the sex! When Cat and Bones had all these emotional tug-of-wars with each other, it ended up in the bedroom with some interesting and heated couplings. Now, in their staid wedded bliss, they try to spice things up with some weird sexual adventures . . . but it doesn’t have the same heat as their Chapter 32 loving after Cat learnt of Bones’s heartbroken bedroom shenanigans with Annette. I don’t know what Cat and Bones need, at this point. We have at least two more books with them, and I don’t know how Frost can spice them up now. Dare I say, an amnesiac plot might be needed to start their relationship back at 0? (I’m sure she could do better than True Blood’s Emo Eric this season!).

Missing from this book are my three favourite secondary players – Vlad, Mencheres and his wife, Kira. Vlad, I can kind of understand, since he’s getting his own spin-off ‘Night Prince’ series and Frost probably doesn’t want to inundate us with him. But Mencheres and Kira haven’t really made a substantial appearance since their book ‘Eternal Kiss of Darkness’ when Kira was crowned as Menchere’s wife and intent on becoming a sort of vampiric policewoman. I know they’ve had small cameos in book #5, but I would love to revisit their relationship at length and gauge where it’s at now. Instead, we get Spade and Denise, Cat’s mother Justina and Bones’s best-buddy, Ian. Now, I’m not a fan of Denise and Spade, I find them lukewarm at best and dull at worst. Cat’s mother is a more interesting character, as a vampire-hating human who is now a vampire.

The one character who worked, whole-heartedly, for me in this book was Ian. I love Ian. Love, love, love! He’s all snark and sexy man-whore who I think has a lot going on underneath. Ian’s made even better in this book when a human psychic called Tyler gets a very big crush on him. I don’t know where Frost intends to take Ian’s character – my hope is for a ‘Night Huntress World’ spin-off, because I think it would be fascinating to read whoever captures Ian’s heart and stops his Lothario ways. I have an inkling it might be Justina, judging by some interactions in ‘One Grave’ – I’m not in love with that idea, only because I can’t picture Justina as a sexual being. It’s too weird as she’s Cat’s mum who has been an almost-villain in previous books. I just want more Ian. More, more, more!

What else worked for me in this book was the Jason Madigan storyline. This is shaping up to be a very big plot arc – one that could bring Cat and Bones back into the government taskforce fold (which would mean more Tate and Juan! YIPPEE!). Madigan is an annoying and conniving paper-pusher, and I can’t wait to read where Frost takes this storyline.

Overall, ‘One Grave at a Time’ wasn’t a great instalment for me. I think I’m starting to read the pitfalls of a tensionless happy coupling, and it makes me uneasy for what’s to come in future ‘Night Huntress’ books if it’s more of the same. I did LOVE Ian in ‘One Grave’, and I am intrigued by a new arc that looks to take Cat back to the government . . .

2.5/5

'This Side of the Grave' Night Huntress #5 by Jeaniene FROST

From the BLURB:

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.

A war is brewing . . . one that could potentially wreak havoc and destruction across the supernatural playing field.

Vampire VS. Ghoul

Undead VS Undead

And Cat is at the centre of it all. Her new vampiric powers are potentially all-consuming and powerful, and she has the ghoulish world running scared.

‘This Side of the Grade’ is the fifth book in Jeaniene Frost’s ‘Night Huntress’ series.

The new ‘Night Huntress’ book is always a much-anticipated release. Fans salivate in anticipation of the new Cat and Bones instalment and countdown months, weeks and days until they can get their hands on this hot little paranormal. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in love with this book.

It’s really hard to pin-point precisely what didn’t work for me, but I think it has to do with lack of romantic tension.

One of the great things about this series is the cemented romance between Cat and Bones. ‘Night Huntress’ is unique for the fact that Frost put the ‘will-they-or-won’t-they’ technique to bed and gave fans an ongoing, committed relationship between her protagonists. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Cat and Bones being together and loved up. Heck, I have re-read Chapter 32 hundreds of times (who hasn’t?) but I like it when there’s tension between these two. I love it when Frost places a hurdle before their relationship – because even though Cat and Bones are together, and their love is the only sure thing in the ‘Night Huntress’ series, I loves me some tension between them!

In the past Cat and Bones have been torn apart by a secret government organization, Cat’s jealousy over Annette and Gregor’s obsession with Cat. But in ‘This Side of the Grave’ Cat and Bones are (unfortunately) stable and in a good place, romantically. There’s no real strain on their romance, no outside parties igniting jealousy or inner-demons inciting discontent. They’re just happy. And that’s great . . . but a little boring to read. I didn’t even find Chapter 21 to be overly steamy, despite many a reviewer comparing it to 32 of ‘One Foot in the Grave’. I'm sorry; I just needed a little more spark between Cat and Bones; I would have appreciated an appearance from Annette, or more flirting from Tate. Anything!

A big focus in ‘This Side of the Grave’ is on the changes Cat has undergone since being turned into a full vampire by Bones. Frost has written some very complicated changes for Cat to overcome and keep under wraps – to mention them would be to give away some big spoilers . . . suffice to say, these physical advancements will have a big impact on Cat and the entire trajectory of the series. I can’t wait!

I wished there was a better way. There wasn’t, of course. Not when it came to the undead, and if things had to get messy to stop a potential ghoul uprising . . . well, just call me Hannibal Lecter. With cleavage.

I appreciated reading some old fan favorites in this fifth book. Tate and Juan haven’t really been a big presence for a few books now – but I was thrilled to read them come back into Cat’s life. It was also nice to read a ‘guest-appearance’ from Kira and Mencheres, fresh from their book ‘Eternal Kiss of Darkness’. I'm a big Mencheres fan, and I loved reading him being loved up and gushy! But best of all was Vlad. He has a fairly big role in this book, and some brilliant interactions with Cat. I think Frost is gearing up for her two Vlad spin-off books . . . and after reading his appearance in ‘This Side’, I can’t wait for Vlad to take centre stage! Of course, I still have my fingers crossed for Ian, Tate and Juan spin-off books too...

‘This Side of the Grave’ was an enjoyable (and much anticipated) ‘Night Huntress’ addition. It wasn’t my favourite, but I like where Frost has taken Cat’s character and the reappearance of fan favourites to the storyline. I would have liked more romantic tension between Cat and Bones, to keep things spicy, but I realize that it’s an odd complaint when the protagonist’s cemented relationship is one of the big pluses of this series. Go figure.

3.5/5

'Eternal Kiss of Darkness' Night Huntress World #2 by Jeaniene FROST

From the BLURB:

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 her 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 either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

This is the second book in Jeaniene Frost’s ‘Night Huntress World’ spin-off series.

I was not a huge fan of the first book in this spin-off series, ‘First Drop of Crimson’. But I do admit that Spade was never of interest to me, so I was sceptical from the get-go. By contrast, I did have strong suspicions that I would enjoy this second book about grandsire vampire, Mencheres.

Mencheres has always fascinated me, right from his first appearance in ‘Halfway to the Grave’. I find Mencheres very appealing; he’s tall, dark and exotic and his physical descriptions tick all of my ‘yeah, baby!’ boxes. I have also been fascinated by Mencheres since the 3rd ‘Night Huntress’ book introduced his villainous wife, Patra, and hinted that their ruined marriage left Mencheres with deep emotional scars. Then there’s the fact that Mencheres is over 4,500-years-old, and was originally an Egyptian pharaoh. Not to mention the fact that Mencheres is sire/grandsire to most of the male characters in the ‘Night Huntress’ world. Since he stepped onto the series’ stage Mencheres has just pushed all the right buttons for me, and I was *desperate* for his story.... and Jeaniene Frost did not disappoint.

When the book begins, Mencheres is ready to die. By his own admission he is ‘older than dirt’; he was once a pharaoh and he has his own pyramid in Giza. Mencheres has seen and experienced it all, and after the events in ‘At Graves End’ that saw his wife go on a murderous rampage resulting in her death – he wants to end it all. But Mencheres is harbouring some serious dark guilt over Patra’s death and his actions over the last couple thousand years... because he doesn’t just want to die, he wants to be murdered. Mencheres wants to surrender himself to death-by-ghoul, or perhaps even let his old nemesis, Radjedef, finally have his vengeance.
It is during one of these intended suicide attacks that a female Private Investigator called Kira Graceling intervenes. Kira, without knowing anything about Mencheres’ wealth and power, steps in and tries to save him from a horde of ghouls. When Kira is mortally wounded in the process of rescuing him, Mencheres saves her by giving her his blood. But then the potency of his blood means he cannot erase Kira’s memories, and he is forced to keep her captive until the immunity wavers...

I really liked this spin-off book. My biggest complaint about the first spin-off, ‘First Drop of Crimson’, was lack of chemistry between the protagonists. Frost makes up for Spade & Denise’s lacklustre romance by turning up the heat between Kira and Mencheres. Woah! For one thing, Mencheres hasn’t had sex since being married to Patra for 900 years – let’s just say he has a lot of catching up to do.
Mencheres is very drawn to Kira, and not necessarily just by her beauty. He is more enchanted by her strength, loyalty and bravery – and you really get the impression that they have a deep, profound bond. Of course, there is a physical attraction there too. And when Kira and Mencheres do finally hook-up Jeaniene Frost delivers more of her trademark smut... a particular scene in a bathtub erotically illustrates the benefits of vampire’s lack of oxygen.

A noise of astonishment escaped her as Kira drew back to look at him. "You haven't had sex in over nine hundred years?" She swallowed. "If you're trying to say you want to take things slow, wait until we get to know each other better-"
He laughed, pulling her down into the tub with him. "No. I'm warning you that I will show you no mercy."

I really liked Kira. She’s a 31-year-old P.I. divorcee whose ex-husband was an abusive crooked cop. She is also the primary care-giver for her younger sister who has cystic fibrosis and the primary bank-teller for her dead-beat, drug-addict younger brother. There’s a lot of history that leans a little toward ‘woe is me’ characterization... But it works - mostly because Kira is ballsy and stubborn in the face of adversity. Above all else I loved the way Kira treated Mencheres – amongst other ‘Night Huntress’ characters Mencheres is a father-figure, mentor and aloof vampire head-honcho. But Kira treats him like a man. She is also very aware of the scars his wife left behind, and Kira is actually quite gentle with Mencheres and his feelings.

I had high hopes for a deeper exploration into Mencheres as a character... and I got what I wanted! In ‘Eternal’ he does display his cold, calculating master vampire side, but with Kira he lets his guard down and reveals just how damaged and desperate for love he is. And I loved all of Frost’s descriptions of his ropey muscles, washboard abs and skinny-dipping. He is just my kinda fella!

I had a few niggling, miniscule complaints. The first was that I wanted a little more exploration into Mencheres and Patra’s marriage. A lot of it was revealed in ‘At Grave’s End’, but I thought that Patra was such an interesting part of Mencheres’ past that I wanted *more* about them in this book. There were a few times in ‘Eternal’ when Mencheres makes comments which hint that he really, genuinely loved (and possibly still loves) Patra... and I just wanted to delve deeper into those feelings.

The second complaint is to do with no guest appearance by Ian! Ian is Bones and Spades’ sire, he was turned vampire directly by Mencheres. Because Ian is Menchere’s direct-descendant it felt like there was definitely a place for him in this story. But he’s a no-show, which is a real shame. Ian is one of the funniest characters in the series, but recent appearances in ‘First Drop’ and even his roles in the recent ‘Night Huntress’ books hint that he has a lot to offer in the way of angst and back-story. I don’t think these Night Huntress World books would be complete without an Ian instalment.

Likewise, I either want a spin-off book for Vlad or a spin-off series. Vlad does appear in ‘Eternal’, and he’s another very complex secondary character who is a scene-stealer. I am desperate for his story and have my fingers crossed that he gets a series!

I really loved ‘Eternal Kiss of Darkness’. Honestly, a book all about Mencheres was always going to please me... but Jeaniene Frost delivered the goods ten-fold!

4/5

Where are they now? ... Author updates

Charlaine Harris

Fans have been accumulating Sookie-verse updates via Charlaine’s responses on her message board. And there have been a *LOT* of hints dropped lately.

For one thing, a Sookie Companion is set for a February 2011 release. This sounds like a sort of Sookie lexicon, but will also include a short-story about Quinn (YAY!). Fans are speculating that this short-story will fill in a lot of the back-story for Quinn’s whereabouts between book’s #8 and #9. Fans are also speculating that this short-story will be as important to the overall Sookie series as ‘One Word Answer’ was to the premise of “All Together Dead” (the short story about Sookie’s cousin, Hadley).

The current working title for Sookie #11 is ‘Dead Letters’.

Ms. Harris has said that Sookie and Eric’s blood bond will be broken... but she doesn’t know when. She admits that the bond has caused her no end of grief and she sounds quite eager to be done with it. lol

Charlaine’s exact words: "Sookie will get plenty of sex when she finds her HEA, and she'll be very enthusiastic about it.” OH. MY. GOD! (definitely not Eric then?)

In further Charlaine Harris news...

Dynamite Entertainment is adapting Harris’s ‘Harper Connelly’ series into a graphic novel. The ‘Harper’ series is about a woman who, after being struck by lightning, is able to sense the dead. She can see the final snatches of their life and act as a sort of human ‘death detector’ to know where bodies are buried.
This is a rather dark series and will make for wonderful comic fodder. I can’t wait to see a graphic representation of my second favourite Charlaine Harris series. The release date is still TBA – but be sure to keep a look out for this graphic adaptation, and in the mean time give the ‘Harper Connelly’ series a read.

Diana Gabaldon

Her ‘Outlander’ graphic novel is nearly here (September 21!) and with the release of ‘An Echo in the Bone’ paperback, fans are given an eight-page full-colour sneak-peak at the graphic! YAY! As Diana said in her latest blog post, ‘The Exile’ is being touted as ‘Jamie’s side of the story’ – even though it’s told mainly from Murtagh’s perspective. But we will get Jamie’s insights, and learn things from Jamie’s POV that were missed because Claire was our narrator in ‘Outlander’.

I am frothing at the mouth for this graphic novel – Jamie in picture! ARGH!
Here is a link to the one-page sneak-peek of the Graphic Novel.

Patricia Briggs

I really loved the Graphic Novel adaptation of Patricia Briggs’s ‘Mercy Thompson’ series. It was called ‘Homecoming’ and was a visual prologue set before the events of ‘Moon Called’. If you are a die-hard Mercy fan (and why wouldn’t you be?) this was a great little back-story to how Mercy first met Adam, Stefan, Siebold (Zee) and got work in the Tricities area as a mechanic.

I *loved* the graphic novel – but general Amazon consensus wasn’t good, ending up with a 3/5 average rating. The negative feedback was mostly due to fan’s misconception about ‘Homecoming’ being a GRAPHIC novel and not actually the next instalment in the ‘Mercy Thompson’ series.

Well, Dabel brothers are giving ‘Mercy’ another shot – and this time it looks as though the graphic novel will be an adaptation of book #1 ‘Moon Called’.
The synopsis from Amazon:

Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water... Moon Called faithfully adapts New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs' first Mercy Thompson novel to comics. Prepare to see the fantastic characters and supernatural settings that have made her novels a hit with fans worldwide come to four-color life!

The graphic novel is being created by: Derek Ruiz (Adapter), Patricia Briggs (Author), Clint Hilinski (Illustrator).

I’m really looking forward to the graphic adaptation of ‘Moon Called’. Sure, it’s not a movie adaptation – but this way Dabel brothers can stay true to the story and dialogue, give Briggs’s characters a physicality that she is happy with and there won’t be any butchering of the story by movie-moguls looking to create a ‘Twilight’ replica with Jacob as the hero.

Some fans are iffy about the whole ‘graphic novel’ thing – but I say don’t knock it till you read it! This is just another dimension to the Mercy world and a great new way for fans to interact with the series. If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend you give first novel ‘Homecoming’ a browse, and definitely keep your eyes open for the graphic novel of ‘Moon Called’. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy reading one of your favourite urban-fantasies in comic-book form!

There also seems to be a comic-adaptation of the “Alpha and Omega” series floating around, but it’s not available in hardcover from Amazon. I really want to get my hands on a copy! I have found copies available for order from various online comic shops.

This adaptation seems to be following the plot of the first book ‘Cry Wolf’. This is the blurb:

A rogue werewolf is slaughtering humans in the Montana wilderness and Charles Cornick must find the killer before his crimes expose the pack to the world. But is the badly wounded Alpha wolf up to the task, even with his mate Anna at his side? Cry Wolf is the latest series of supernatural adventure by New York Times best selling fantasy author Patricia Briggs. Set in the same world as her popular Mercy Thompson novels, it's filled with beloved old characters and exciting new ones. Be sure to see what happens when Alpha and Omega come together!

There’s also a small photo of the cover-art for ‘Masques’ floating around on Amazon. But I don’t know if this is the official cover. ‘Masques’ was Patricia Briggs’s first ever novel, written in 1993. With the success of ‘Mercy Thompson’ Ms. Briggs has been being given the opportunity to do a few re-writes on ‘Masques’ and re-release with a vamped cover. The book does sound heavily fantastical (not so much ‘urban’) but ‘shifters’ are mentioned in the blurb. This new cover seems a clever tactic to give Mercy fans pause and consider trying some of Briggs’s other writing. I, personally, can’t wait to give ‘Masques’ a go.

Richelle Mead

Richelle Mead recently blogged about her ‘Dark Swan’ series.

This is her third series after ‘Georgina Kincaid’ and ‘Vampire Academy’, and probably her least popular (but equally amazing). For that reason, Ms. Mead’s publisher’s at Kensington decided to hold off on releasing the 3rd ‘Dark Swan’ book this year – amidst two VA books and one Georgina.
The good news is we will get a Eugenie instalment in 2011... The better news is that we might be getting the 4th ‘Dark Swan’ book right on the tail of ‘Iron Crowned’!

‘Iron Crowned’ from the BLURB:

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear…

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation--one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril…

But ‘Eugenie’ fans should be prepared for a few shocks in ‘Iron Crowned’. In Ms. Mead’s own words; “We all know that the third book of a Richelle Mead series is the WTF? one, and Eugenie's no exception. That's all I'm saying.”
Eugenie has already gone through quite an emotional whirlpool with Dorian and Kiyo – not to mention she’s started a war in the Thorn Lands. I wonder how much more upheaved her life can get? Oh boy!

Gini Koch

Gini Koch is one of my new favourite authors and I have a heart-palpitating crush on her ‘Katherine Kitty Katt’ series.

Ms. Koch recently announced that DAW books have bought instalments 3 & 4 of her space-opera ‘Kitty Katt’ series!

So, the series order will be:

#1 – ‘Touched by an Alien’ - Avaliable NOW!
#2 – ‘Alien Tango’ - December 7th 2010
#3 – ‘Alien in the Family' – April 5th 2011
#4 – ‘Alien Proliferation’ – December 2011

‘Alien Tango’ in Gini Koch’s own words:

For Katherine “Kitty” Katt, Alien Super-Being Exterminator, anti-alien conspiracies, threats from outer space, and a couple of killer alligators are all in a day’s work. But internal alien schemes and some major romantic complications bring new meaning to the term ‘chaos and confusion’.

It’s been five months since Kitty joined Centaurion Division, working with the aliens from Alpha Centauri. She and Jeff Martini have grown closer as a couple and life looks rosy. But when an experimental spacecraft is mysteriously returned to the Kennedy Space Center, Kitty and the rest of Alpha Team are called out to investigate and are immediately embroiled in life or death situations that scream ‘political conspiracy’.

The team must survive repeated murderous attacks, remove a mysterious space entity from a group of astronauts, and avoid an unhinged woman with a serious crush on Kitty’s old high school boyfriend. And that’s all before the masterminds decide Kitty’s extermination is vital -- and take matters into their own hands.

I. Can’t. Wait.

Molly Harper

Molly Harper is a vampire comedy genius. Seriously. Her ‘Jane Jameson’ series was an absolute laugh-riot and a breath of fresh air on the paranormal romance scene.

There’s good news and bad news concerning Molly Harper. The good news is she has petitioned her publisher for a 4th Jane Jameson book. The bad news is she hasn’t received an answer from said publisher about a possible 4th book.... *YET*!

But the GOOD news is; Ms. Harper intends to post Jane Jameson short stories on her website – for fans, for FREE! That’s right. The first short story will be posted on July 1st this year! Don’t believe me? Here’s proof in Harper’s own words:

I receive a lot of e-mails asking when I will be releasing a new Jane Jameson book. And the truth is, I don't know. I'm not trying to mess with my dear readers. I've spoken to my publisher about a fourth novel, but nothing is concrete. Until I know something, I will post Jane short stories and updates here and at my blog. Expect the first short to be posted on July 1, 2010.

Thanks,
Molly

Don’t forget Molly Harper also has a stand-alone novel coming out July 27th called ‘And One Last Thing’. She’s an automatic-buy for me, so I already have this one on pre-order and am looking forward to it!

Lisa Kleypas

I've been lusting after Lisa Kleypas’s new contemporary romance series for quite some time. Thankfully we now have a blurb and cover-art (UK only);

‘Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor’ from the BLURB:

The Friday Harbor series of contemporary romance/women's fiction novels is set in San Juan Island just off of the Washington State Coast. The San Juan Island setting is romantic and varied, with rocky shores, sandy beaches, rich woodlands and pasture land, and the prosperous Friday Harbor area. The series is centred around the Nolan family, consisting of two brothers and a sister, the owners of an island vineyard and restaurant. The Nolans' mother Jessica has just passed away, and a mysterious stranger attends the funeral. He reveals that he is an illegitimate child Jessica had given birth to, and given up for adoption, before she married. This family secret leads to many new questions and challenge, which test the bonds of love and loyalty, and ultimately show the Nolans what family is all about.

The book comes out November 9th this year.

There’s are also whispers that Kleypas has a new stand-alone novel coming out in 2011 titled ‘Rainshadow Road’. I am intrigued...

Kelley Armstrong

Kelley’s ‘Darkest Powers’ trilogy came to an end this year with ‘The Reckoning’, and It was a fantastic conclusion to a delicious YA series. Armstrong answered quite a few niggling fan questions and also wrapped up her protagonist’s romantic entanglements in ‘Reckoning’. But she left the door WIDE open for more books in this universe (which is also her ‘Women of the Otherworld’ universe). A new trilogy set in the ‘Darkest Powers’ world will be released next year. This new book is called ‘The Gathering’ and will follow another bunch of genetically engineered teenage supernaturals;

‘The Gathering’ from the BLURB:

Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students—for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.

Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya's determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya's home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret—and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.

Jeaniene Frost

So, back in March of this year Jeaniene told her fanboard that she would be proposing more ‘Night Huntress’ spin-off books to her publisher. Namely, an Ian and Vlad book (possibly even a full series for Vlad).

No word since March on whether or not Jeaniene’s proposal was given the OKay – but I’m guessing her publisher’s will be waiting to see how Menchere’s spin-off ‘Eternal Kiss of Darkness’ sells before giving her the go-ahead.

I personally didn’t like Spade’s spin-off, ‘First Drop of Crimson’. But I have high-hopes for Mencheres’ book because I think he’s absolutely delicious! And I think Ian would make a GREAT protagonist – his cameo in ‘First Drop’ was pretty much the only thing I liked about that book. Vlad I’m not so sure about – I look forward to his appearance in the 5th Cat & Bones book (coming February 22nd 2011) but I’m not 100% convinced that he could carry his own series. Jeaniene has also confirmed that Vlad appears in ‘Eternal Kiss of Darkness’, but Ian does not :(

Sunny

I love this series. It’s paranormal erotica; beautifully written and constantly exciting. I love and highly recommend it. After the release of her second spin-off book, ‘Lucinda Dangerously’, Sunny sort of hinted that she was done with the ‘Monere; Children of the Moon’ series. I, and many fans, were saddened by the news. But Sunny recently announced that a new instalment to the ‘Monere’ series is set for a March 2011 release. Its title is ‘Mona Lisa Eclipsing’ and this is the blurb:

‘Mona Lisa Eclipsing’ BLURB:

From the time she was an orphan, Mona Lisa knew she was different. As a Mixed-Blood daughter of the Monère, she rules her domain in the Louisiana Bayou. But she’s about to become the hunted as her mind begins playing tricks, and no one is who they seem.
Roberto Carderas, a dangerous drug lord of mixed Monère heritage, arrives in Cozumel to eliminate a rival. But the jaguar-shifter has encountered a much more valuable prize on the island: Mona Lisa, the first female Monère he’s ever met—and one especially vulnerable in that she has lost her memory. Now, with all knowledge of her real life as stripped away as her efences, Mona Lisa can be manipulated into believing…anything.

Convinced that Roberto is her kind and sensual protector, Mona Lisa thwarts all attempts at her rescue—including those made by her desperate lover Dante. As Roberto’s devious scheme gets underway, Dante can only hope that the touch of his warm flesh will reignite total recall in the body and mind of the woman he loves. But escape for both of them could be as forever elusive as Mona Lisa’s past.

'First Drop of Crimson: Night Huntress world #1' by Jeaniene FROST

From the BLURB:

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.

This is the first book in Jeaniene Frost’s spin-off ‘Night Huntress’ series.

I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t overly excited to read this book (*gasp* *egads*!). Reason being that I was sort of indifferent to Spade as a protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against Spade – it’s just that I find Mencheres, Vlad, Tate, Juan and Ian more interesting than him. I was also pretty ‘meh’ about Denise as leading lady – once again, nothing against her character but I’ve never really paid much attention to her over the course of the ‘Night Huntress’ books.

So I went into ‘First Drop’ with low expectations, and finished the book with a slight smile on my face.

The book delves into Spade’s past; as a Baron-born nobleman who ended up on the First Fleet bound for Australia’s penal colony. Spade has a very interesting background, perhaps even more interesting than Bones’s prostitute turned bounty-hunter (if that’s possible?). Spade also has a very sad story to tell, about how he lost the love of his life during the Napoleonic Wars. I really appreciated all of the history on Spade, considering he’s always been in the background of the Cat & Bones books. Frost does a great job of feeding bits and pieces of information on Spade – making him into a puzzle piece for readers and Denise to figure out.

Denise is a mediocre leading lady. I didn’t hate her, but I didn’t love her either. I think it’s a case of if you compare Denise to Cat – who is so vibrant, self-deprecating and wisecracking – she pales in comparison. Denise sometimes had a witty comment to make, but they were far and few between. I didn't expect Denise to be a very interesting heroine, and I think I was right in my presumption.

I did like Spade and Denise’s romance – especially considering the romantic history of these two and the various prejudices/heartaches they each had to overcome. That being said, I think Spade’s feelings for Denise were a little rushed. We learn early on that Spade, having previously met Denise, did find her attractive and was ‘drawn’ to her. But it felt like after only 60 pages or so Spade had made up his mind to turn Denise into a vampire so they could be together forever. It really felt like he came out of left field: in one moment protesting his feelings for a human and then suddenly deciding to spend eternity with her.

Regardless of the rush-job, I was rooting for Denise and Spade – and they are quite a sweet Night Huntress couple;

“Ready?” he asked softly, but also with irony. “Life never waits until you’re ready. I wasn’t ready to turn into a vampire, but I did. I wasn’t ready to lose someone I loved a long time ago, but it happened. You weren’t ready to have your husband murdered, but he was. You certainly weren’t ready for a demon to brand you, but he did. And neither of us might be ready for what we feel for each other, but that doesn’t make those feelings go away.”

Spade leaned closer, his voice lowering. “Here we are, Denise. Ready or not.”

There is smut. But to put it in perspective so that Frost fans can gauge the level of smuttiness – I’ll just say that the sex scenes in ‘First Drop of Crimson’ are not as smutty as the (now infamous) chapter thirty-two of ‘One Foot in the Grave’.

One complaint I had with this book was the lack of Mencheres. His book (the second Night Huntress spin-off) is ‘Eternal Kiss of Darkness’, and will be released July 27th this year. Because Mencheres’s story is up next, I thought Frost would whet reader’s appetites and have him in a lengthy cameo. Not the case. Mencheres is in a ‘blink and you’ll miss him’ appearance toward the end. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed that Ian would be the next Night Huntress spin-off story. I love Ian, and I was very pleased that he has such a lengthy cameo in ‘First Drop’. I think his story will be amazing, especially because his character is a bit of an enigma – at once sleazy and power-hungry, but absolutely loyal to his friends and willing to help when needed. But I also love Mencheres, and I was disappointed that he didn’t play a bigger role in ‘First Drop’. I’m actually frustrated because Ian did play such a big and great role in this book, but Frost doesn’t know if she’s going to write a spin-off for him!

One more small complaint - the various international settings are superfluous. Spade and Denise go jet-setting in this book; from St. Louis to England and Monaco. But whereas Frost spent time depicting the city of New Orleans in 'Destined for an Early Grave', she completely skips over the finer points of these cities in 'First Drop'. There's no descriptions and therefore no sense of 'place'. She could have just as easily kept the story in St. Louis and it would have made no difference.

I didn't LOVE 'First Drop of Crimson'. I liked it. I'm more looking forward to 'Eternal Kiss', purely because I think Mencheres is a fascinating (and sexy) character. And I am really hopeful for an Ian book.

3/5