FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON (Book 1: Night Huntress World)

Jeaniene Frost

Avon
ISBN 978- 0061583223

February 2010
Paranormal

Jeaniene Frost has held me captivated in her Nigh Huntress world since first reading HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE.  While this book is a shift from Cat and Bones and into the world that has been created, it is well appreciated by this reader.  Denise and Spade make for a dynamic pair and I was glad to read their story in a world that I am already familiar with and enjoy. While some series, especially in the paranormal genre, follow a lead couple and seem to drag on and on and on, Ms. Frost made a smart decision and shifted her focus from Cat and Bones, to the world which she created, giving some of the secondary characters a story of their own.  This way, the world does not get stale and the story stays fresh. 

The usual suspects do make an appearance in this book, and are done in such a way that you do not feel cheated.  While other series have had to make the uber-super hero/heroine because their lead characters books go on and on so they always have to fight the bigger and badder battle, the Night Huntress World, at this point, is not dragged down by that.  Some readers might be disappointed in not having this story (or the next one) about Cat and Bones, but I thought it was a superb transition.

If you have made it this far into the review and have no idea what I am talking about, you probably do not want to attempt reading this book first.  Go back and read the first 4 books in the Night Huntress series. While this could theoretically be a stand-alone book…the first one in the Night Huntress “World”… you are not going to enjoy this book unless you’ve read the previous ones.  We’ve met Denise and Spade in previous books.  Denise has lost her husband and really wants nothing to do with the paranormal world. She’s lived through her worst nightmare and would rather not encounter anything like that again.

Spade is Bone’s “best mate” and though initially attracted to Denise on that horrific New Year’s night over a year ago, he would never poach on a friend’s territory. Nor does he want another human lover, for losing humans who are so frail, hurts too much.  It surprises them both when circumstances throw them together and feelings grow.  Denise is marked by a demon and while she tries frantically to reach Cat, the only one she can get a hold of is Spade.  Spade thinks that Denise is just experiencing paranoid delusions triggered from her previous experiences, but soon learns differently.  These two find themselves thrown together looking for an errant relative while dodging a demon and pissing off other vampires.

One surprising and welcome twist to this book is that both Spade and Denise have had a previous relationship that involved love. They loved their significant other, and are trying to learn how to move on with their lives. Truly a great addition to the world created by Jeaniene Frost, do not miss FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON.

Reviewed by Sarah Silversmith

Rating 4 ½