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Destined For An Early Grave

Jeaniene Frost

Published 2009                355 pages

Summary (from the book jacket)

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced… even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

The Review

Destined For An Early Grave is the fourth novel in Jeaniene Frost’s popular Night Huntress urban fantasy romance series. The Night Huntress series is perhaps best described as serial romance. All the books feature the same protagonists, Cat, an impetuous vampire slaying dhampir, and Bones, her vampire lover. Each book develops their romantic relationship further against a back drop of full-on undead urban fantasy action. For this reason of you are unfamiliar with this series I would recommend starting with Halfway To The Grave and reading these books in order.

Destined For An Early Grave gets off to a quick start with the author dropping readers straight into the action on the opening pages, as Cat is chased through her dreams by an unknown vampire. The unknown vampire turns out to be Gregor, an ancient French vampire who has the ability to invade the dreams of humans and physically snatch them in their sleep. Although as the story develops it turns out that Cat does know Gregor, since she spent some time with him when she was sixteen but she didn’t remember it because the memory was wiped from her mind by Mencheres, Bone’s grandsire. Gregor insists that they were married and that Cat is his wife, she can’t remember if this is true but even if it is she’s not about to give-up her current husband and lover, Bones.

There is a danger with serial romances that they can get a little flat a few books into the series as the protagonists repeatedly work their way around the impediments that prevent them from going to happily-ever-after land. Luckily, Destined For An Early Grave is not one of those books and four books into the Night Huntress series Jeaniene Frost still delivers a powerful punch of emotional romance. The introduction of a previously unknown husband from Cat’s past may sound like the outlandish plot of a soap opera but is actually an inspired piece of plotting that creates a real risk to Bones and Cat’s relationship.

Bones and Cat argue their way across Europe, fighting off a ghoul uprising at the same time as trying to keep Gregor from kidnapping Cat in her sleep. Tempers are frayed, harsh words are spoken and it looks like it could be the end of the road for Cat and Bones…

In addition to romance Destined For An Early Grave has a strong urban fantasy element to it. Cat may no longer work as a vampire slayer for a secret department of the US government but that doesn’t stop blood from being spilt on a regular basis throughout the story. Unable to resist running headlong into danger, Cat pulls the readers along for a thrilling ride as she fights against Gregor’s claim upon her.

Destined For An Early Grave is a great addition to the Night Huntress series.  Mixing hot, hot romance with vampires and fast-paced fantasy thrills it makes a hugely readable novel that shouldn’t fail to delight urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans alike.

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