First Drop Of Crimson [Mass Market Paperback]

First, I loved the four early books in this series, have read them several times, and will again. Bones is ruthless, funny, sexy, dangerous,honest and generally unpredictable, all at one time. Cat's sardonic outlook on life, combined with her vulnerabilty, insecurity and bloodthirsty nature make a great combination and allow the reader to enjoy their deepening relationship. Both characters seamlessly combine their humanity with their "inhumanity."
I think one strength in the construction of these novels is the fact they were all written in the first person. We see the vampire world through Cat's eyes, and she is always honest, especially with herself. So we can believe in the love story and enjoy the world of Bones and Cat.
First Drop of Crimson is written in the third person and the author has to continually tell us what the two main characters, Spade and Denise, are thinking and feeling. Unfortunately neither do either in an interesting fashion.
Spade was introduced in the first book as Bone's best friend. He was always wallpaper and isn't much more in this novel. Denise, Cat's best friend and a very minor character in two of the earlier books,is the formulaic troubled but plucky human who just hates that her boyfriend, who is able to fly, move faster than a bullet, tear off heads, kill scores of vampires inside of a chapter while still looking gorgeous and sexy, has to protect her from demons, vampires and ghouls etc. Instead of hiding under the bed as any sane woman would, she wants to come along and "help."
I got really excited when finally Bones, Cat, Ian and Mencheres entered the story but the author must have feared they would take over her novel so she held them way back. Still it picked up whenever Bones opened his mouth. Hopefully the next book, which I will certainly buy, is an improvement. Mencheres is a character with much more possiblities than Spade, and Denise should have stayed an out of sight grieving widow. She did not deserve her own book.

I loved the first four books by Jeaniene Frost and have recommended the hell out of them to everyone I know, and everyone has loved them. They fell in love with Cat and Bones and eagerly anticipate the next novel. These spin off novels that Ms. Frost is writing are horrible. I find that I am reading through them just hoping to catch a bit of Cat and Bones. This book felt rushed and was boring. I was not hooked at all during the whole book and just read it because I felt obliged in case I missed any major points that the original storyline would touch on in future books. I felt no interest in the characters and agree with the previous review, these characters really didn't need their own books. It could have been a short story.

Denise, Cat's best friend has been grieving and keeping to herself since the death of her husband at last year's New Year party. He was killed by some kind of freak zombies and Denise refused to have anything to do with the Paranormal world anymore, she doesn't even respond to Cat's calls. The Paranormal has other plans for her though. Her relatives started to die one after the other, her aunt then her cousin and finally another cousin in front of her very eyes. But this is all a mess, something is wrong and the police won't hear her. She needs Cat's help to solve that one, yet she's no where to be found. In a desperate attempt, she finally decides to call Spade. He must know how to reach her right?

Awww how much I love Jeaniene's books. Full length novel or short story, I always feel right at home when reading her books. Her world, her characters, and the sincerity with which it's delivered makes for an amazing read.

Denise (human) and Spade/Charles (Vampire) are the main characters of this Night Huntress spin off book and I loved to discover more about them! Denise ended up being a strong woman fighting hard against her grief and PTSD to protect her family and do the right thing. Her path won't be an easy one but she will prove her worth with every decision she takes. We already knew a bit more of Spade because we saw him more often in the Cat & Bones books, but he was a delightful surprise anyway. He is such a gentleman and I loved to discover more about his past. He lived a very tragic story and it was nice to see how it still affects him today. He is a very multilayered character and I loved every aspect of him.

Here's a quote I found particularly yummy:

" "I wanted you to watch, so I stomped around the room to wake you before I got into the shower. Didn't you wonder why the light was on? It wasn't for me, I can see in the dark. And then I kept the water cold so the glass wouldn't fog."

"With your body, that should count as entrapment," Denise muttered feeling her face heat."

Everything about this book was amazing, the psychology, the action, the sexual tension, the mystery, all you need for a fabulous book! I especially appreciated how we were always a step -or four- behind Spade's plans. He is once smart dude and it proved very helpful and entertaining. The rhythm was face paced, it only took me a few hours to rush through it and I was sad when it ended. The end was rather surprising and I keep thinking about it.

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For those of you who read the book please let me know what you think. I would've thought killing the demon would bring Denise back to human because technically her branding is a part of the demon's essence. So it would make sense for the essence to disappear when the demon died, no? And since she is still a shapeshifter. It means her blood will always be addictive. Spade will never be able to drink from her, and Web's employees who got away knows she's a Red Dragon source. Won't they keep coming after her?

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In conclusion, if you haven't read Jeaniene Frost's books, do yourself a favor and go buy them ASAP. They are one of my favorite series out there, and every single book is a special treat. You could start with First Drop of Crimson, but I would strongly suggest reading them all in release date order, starting with Halfway to the Grave. The Night Huntress world is mysterious, mesmerizing, sensual, action-packed and let's be honest, Freak-ing-awesome.