Review: This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Title: The Side of the Grave

By: Jeaniene Frost

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance

Series: Night Huntress Book 5

Publisher: Avon Books (February 22nd, 2011)

My Copy: Early Review Copy from Publisher

BookWhisperer Rating:

About the book:

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.

As an avid follower of The Night Huntress series I have never had anything, but wonderful things to say about this series. Jeaniene Frost is one of the best authors I have come across in my years of reading. Her ability to create a story with an action packed storyline and a mouth water romance makes her one of the best author out there. The first of this series, Halfway to the Grave, was a book that I just happened to pick up when its cover caught my eye at the grocery store. Just pages into that first book I was astounded by the outstanding abilities of this author to create a book, so exceptional that I could not put it down finishing it within twenty four hours. After five books I can say without a doubt that this author is not losing her touch, and blows most others out of the water. Cat and Bones are characters that readers can’t get enough of. Their books promise readers lust, romance, and compassion that will keep them coming back for more. Over the books of this series have experience the wide array of supernatural characters and a magic and mysterious world; with every new book we build more knowledge and expand this fictional world. Although, don’t underestimate this authors ability to include all of the well loved characters in the prior books as well. As the friends and foes grow Cat and Bones have been tested to the limits, and back again. In the past two novel the relationship of Cat and Bones has been a major player in the suspense of the novel. This Side of the Grave seemed to offer a little release of tension for that relationship, which I found to be a relief. The storyline of this novel took more of a lead in this book which allowed the story to expand farther around these two favorite characters. Cat character is noticeably changing over the book of this series; this book take a moment to reflect on this growth of this character. This was a surreal moment to actually grasp the changes and growth of her character from the innocent young girl that previewed in Halfway in the Grave. Our journey has been enlightening, empowering, and promising; but Frost seems far from done with this tremendously intense world. As tragedy strikes in the most unlikely place in this novel I found myself sad to have seen the changes so soon,  but I believe this expanded Cat’s character further in this small edition. Due to this changes the future of The Night Huntress series will be changing, but that shows promise as well. It is always entertaining to see the appearances of characters from the Night Huntress World Series books still fighting along side Cat and Bones, and look forward to seeing  the future for this spin off series as well. The story of Cat and Bones are books that I recommend to everyone when recommending books. This fifth installment only adds fuel to my desire to spread the word about this excellent series.