Eternal Kiss of Darkness [Mass Market Paperback]

The reviews that I write and post on my blog, I also post on Chapters.Indigo.ca and on Amazon.ca. When I post there, I need to come up with a title for my reviews. Ug. Annoying. For some reason, when it comes to titling my reviews, my imagination goes into hiding. My titles are LAME! And there are only so many times I can use "Really Good Book" or "Great Second Book" before people start thinking I can't write. I try to make my reviews somewhat entertaining, yet going by the totally uninspired titles I use on the Chapters and Amazon sites, you wouldn't think so. I don't think I'll have that problem when coming up with a title for "Eternal Kiss of Darkness" by Jeaniene Frost. My title might be "So that's the ceiling sex scene" or "Showdown at Disneyland" or "Why won't any of you idiots use your brain and see that he's innocent?!". All valid choices.

"Eternal Kiss of Darkness" is Jeaniene Frost's second contribution to her 'Night Huntress World' series. It's not your typical series tough. These are stand alone books. Therefore if you haven't read "First Drop of Crimson", don't fret -- you won't be lost. But I feel you'll appreciate Mencheres more if you read Jeaniene's 'Cat & Bones' books (also known as her 'Night Huntress' books) first. In fact, the scene where we are first introduced to Mencheres in "One Foot in the Grave" is one of the most giggle worthy scenes in the series. How Cat doesn't know Mencheres can read her thoughts and she sorta makes a fool of herself -- too funny!

Mencheres is an extremely powerful vampire who, to quote him, is "older than dirt". He feels there is no real reason for him to exist anymore. That is until he meets Kira. Oh what the love of a good woman can do for a man! Kira is a fantastic heroine. She is brave and strong and selfless and spunky. All qualities you would want in your best friend -- and in the perfect heroine. She is not afraid to stand up to Mencheres (something he is not used to) and she's not afraid to stand by him either. She even stands up to Cat and Bones who, much to my delight, make a few cameo appearances in this book! (And p.s. -- Vlad makes an apprearance too. I LOVE him! Jeaniene has said that he will get his own 'Night Huntress World' book, and I for one can't wait. Vlad is funny and kind and funny and strong and sexy and funny!)

Now, when the hero and heroine of a paranormal romance book are a human and an immortal vampire, the one thing you can be sure of is that the author will give the couple a happily ever after. That means that either the human needs to become immortal or the vampire needs to become human. How Jeaniene deals with that in this book is really well done. It's not forced in the least. And it's really interesting how you get to follow the transition. You really get a good grasp of the human vs. vampire world that Jeaniene has created. It's not the first time we encounter it in her Night Huntress books, but I find this time around was the most thorough.

Let's talk about the sex. Any objections? I didn't think so. Jeaniene is one author on whom you can depend on to bring some hot and inventive sex scenes. Still one of the hottest that I have EVER read is in Chapter 32 of "One Foot in the Grave". All you have to do is mention 'Chapter 32', and people just know what you are talking about! "Eternal Kiss of Darkness" definitely fits in with her other super hot, super fun and super sexy books. Underwater lovin', under the streets of Disneyland lovin', ceiling lovin'! Hot, Hot, Hot!

Overall, I found the story to be good, the hero to be interesting (I've been curious about Mencheres and his story since first meeting him) and the heroine to be wonderful. It was nice to return to the Night Huntress world. It always is. And if, when you hit the half way mark of the book, you wonder if your questions about Mencheres' past will ever be answered, just keep reading. They will be. And get ready for a pretty spectacular action / fight scene at the very very end!

This second book in the Night Huntress World series features the ancient Mencheres, Bones grand-sire and co-ruler. After his involvement in his wife's murder, Mencheres lost some of his powers and his once famous power giving him visions of the future only shows him a suffocating darkness. His end is near, he can feel it. So he works on insuring the security of his line before he commits suicide and gets it over with. That is until he meets a very special woman. Could Fate be cruel enough to put Kira on his path when death is looming over his head?

Mencheres has never been one of my favorite character in the previous books, he always felt cold, calculating and distant, but Eternal Kiss of Darkness showed me a lot more depth to his character and I finally came to appreciate the "older-than-dirt" guy, to use his own words. Jeaniene Frost has an awesome talent when it comes to creating unique characters, and this novel is no exception. Mencheres showed feelings we never had access to before, and I loved discovering this part of him. He didn't feel as confident as he usually is, because he isn't used to care for a woman and he's insecure in his actions, torn between enjoying her company and pushing her away because of his impending doom. But Kira won't let him take that decision. She might be only human but she is fierce. She's also kind-hearted and determined to do the right thing. Her motto is "Save One Life" and she intends to save as many as she can. She's very insecure about her feelings for Mencheres, him being a vampire and all, but when she makes up her mind, nothing will stop her. My lovely Vlad made an appearance! I just love that Vamp to death (pun intended) and I can't wait for him to have his own novels. Our beloved Cat & Bones also make cameo appearances for our pleasure!

What really made this novel special for me, other than Jeaniene's usual awesomeness and the great action and love story, was the amazing Egyptian lore. I LOVED how Frost brought us back to the time of Pharaohs to throw a new twist on this ancient history. I really liked discovering more about Mencheres' past and his old feud with Radje. The Pyramids and the black arts were a great addition to an already awesome world making me fall in love even more (Is it even possible?) with the Night Huntress books.

The end was full of action and drama, which is a standard for Jeaniene and I loved all the little details unveiled at the very end. You have to read until the very last page to figure out the real meaning of the title which I find marvelous!

If you haven't discovered this series yet you are missing out on one of the best Paranormal series out there, so do yourself a favor and buy these books. The Night Huntress world is one of magic, passion and epic battles. A world where ancient feud, struggles for Power but also love and loyalty comes together to create some of the best stories we've ever read.

ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS (Nighthuntress World #2) by Jeaniene Frost

Unlike Jeaniene's Cat and Bones series of novels, ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS focuses on Mencheres, an ancient vampire, grandsire of Bones and 'nephew' to the power hungry Rajedef. Centuries old and fearing the 'darkness' that is slowly devouring his visions, Mencheres seeks to end his life before his 'power' becomes his enemy. Facing a warehouse full of ghouls seemed like a likely place to die, but his death would have to be postponed when one beautiful and stubborn human female decided to risk her life for his own.

Kira Graceling always had a sense when something was wrong. Her personal history with men, her brother and the police department should have been proof enough. But finding a man viciously attacked and bleeding from multiple wounds, spurred Kira into action without thought of her own safety. Knowing she was about to die only added another sorrow to her long list of regrets. And the sudden realization that the man and his attackers were not all together human was verified when the handsome stranger healed her wounds with his blood and 'flew' them both to the safety of him home.

Hoping to wipe Kira's memories, Mencheres is surprised to learn the Kira's mind is shielded from vampiric suggestions, and this adds a complication as she knows too much about his life. And he finds that he is oddly attracted to the spunky female who is slowly finding ways to get closer to the man who saved her life.

Letting her go was difficult but finding Kira beaten and held captive by a group of vampires forced Mencheres into a decision he never wanted to make. When his old enemy Rajedef gave him an ultimatum, Mencheres knew that if Kira never forgave him for what he was about to do, he would certainly take everyone with him when it was his turn to go. Siring another vampire had never been his intention, but Kira's life was more important than his own. Knowing he could face the Guardians for his actions, Mencheres suddenly found himself thrust into a world of deceit, rivalry, power and forgiveness.

Throughout the storyline, the reader is privy to many of Mencheres abilities and quirks. His need to sit underwater in the pool or tub makes for some interesting visions, as well as his declaration of centuries of celibacy at the hands of his own wife. His revelation to Kira that he is 'older than dirt' will garner a chuckle, when she finally realizes that this could possibly be true. And vampire sex on the ceiling......wow...just wow. And picture one of the sexiest vampires at Disneyland...wearing a souvenir hat-Goofy ears anyone??

ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS is a revelation into the life of an ancient vampire that the reader has had many opportunities to encounter throughout Jeaniene's Nighthuntress series. Bones and Cat make a couple of appearances, but if you are true fans of B&C, you will be disappointed, as they are only secondary characters with limited exposure. This is Menchere's story-his life, his history, his reason for existing-all wrapped up in one book. Jeaniene reveals plenty of background information about
Menchere's connection to ancient Egypt, the pharoahs and the pyramids. If for anything else, the 'history' of this ancient vampire is worth the read. And of course, there is a HEA- we must not forget that Kira will make sure that even a vampire as 'old as dirt' knows when he is wanted and loved.

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