TBR Challenge Review: Under Her Skin by Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook

Format: ebook
Pub Date: October 2010
Publisher: Stories originally published by Running Press in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance.
Length: 101 pages
FTC: Purchased myself during a sale of some kind

This month's TBR Challenge theme is paranormal or romantic suspense. And, since I spaced the challenge again until exactly two days ago, I decided to scope out my digital TBR for a quick read. I picked this up during a promotional sale some time ago, and promptly forgot about it. Basically, here are three short stories, repackaged from another book. I normally love all three authors, but two out of three of these stories were decidedly underwhelming.

RT Convention: Day 2

So...I didn't get this posted yesterday. Not much of a surprise. Busy, busy, busy.

Here are a few highlights from Thursday.

Historical Author Chat: Mary Balogh was unable to attend, but Lorraine Heath kindly stepped in to take her place.

Lorraine Heath, Jennifer Blake

 

Loretta Chase, Sarah MacLean

Waiting on Wednesday: The Bite Before Christmas by Lynsay Sands and Jeaniene Frost

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking the Spine. It highlights books we just can't wait to get our greedy book loving hands on.

The Bite Before Christmas by Jeaniene Frost and Lynsay Sands
Pub Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: William Morrow
Format: Hardcover, ebook
Length: 352 pages

Sands and Frost write very different paranormal romances, so I'm intrigued to see how well these mesh in this hardcover release.

In Lynsay Sands' "The Gift," Katricia Argeneau knows grey-eyed cop Teddy Brunswick is her life mate. She just needs to convince him they belong together, and being snowbound in a secluded cabin will make this a Christmas neither will forget.

It's "Home for the Holidays" in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series. Cat and Bones may long to wrap presents and set up a tree, but this Christmas, an evil vampire and long-buried family secrets will threaten to take a bite out of their holiday cheer.

Waiting on Wednesday: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at Breaking the Spine. It highlights books we just can't wait to get our greedy, book-lovin' hands on.

One Grave at a Time
Pub Date: August 30, 2011
Length: 384 pages
Blurb: Goodreads description (may have spoilers in it!)

I still haven't read book #5 in this series (although it's in the TBR), but I love this series a lot. In fact, I have them on audio also, and my husband loves them too.

This Side of the Grave and other Frost news

I'm counting the days now until the 5th Cat and Bones book, This Side of the Grave, is released. February 22nd is the official release day!!

And since I now have my  husband completely addicted to the audio versions read by Tavia Gilbert, I checked Blackstone Audio's site. The audio version has the same release date...but I haven't found a listing for it yet on Audible. That's not so unusual, since Audible tends to do a less than stellar job of posting not-yet-released titles there. The last two books from the Night Huntress World series were on Audible on release day, so I'm crossing my fingers.

According to Jeaniene Frost's website FAQs, there are now going to be 9 Cat and Bones books instead of 7. And she has at least 2 books planned (contracted) for Vlad, with the first tentatively scheduled for release in 2012!

Cover Watch: Jeaniene Frost and Julia Quinn

Two new covers were unveiled today in widely different genres.

First, Jeaniene Frost has posted both the cover AND stepback for her February 2011 (*whine*) Cat and Bones story, This Side of the Grave. It's gorgeous! I love them both, although I'm undecided about Cat's dress.



Then Julia Quinn posted about her upcoming novel (written in 3 parts, along with Eloisa James and Connie Brockway) The Lady Most Likely... which releases December 28. I'm curious about how much I'll be able to tell who wrote what and how the authors' voices will mesh to make one novel instead of an anthology in the traditional sense.



Both are available for preorder through various online sites.

So what do you think? Are you excited about either of these two covers? Do you like them, hate them, or do they earn a big, fat meh? Any thoughts about the Julia Quinn/Brockway/James collaboration?

Edited to correct a typo

Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon/Harper Collins
Pub Date: July 27, 2010
Pages: 361
ISBN: 9780061783166

Color me surprised, but I didn't expect to like this one. Mencheres has always seemed--well--old every time he appeared in the Cat and Bones series. But since we've only seen him described from Cat's point of view, it stands to reason that there might be more to him than meets the eye.

And he is ancient. No doubt about that. Scary, too.

But Frost was able to not only counter my preconceived notions of how he would act and what he would do--she made me love him more than just a little bit.

As with the previous book in the "Night Huntress World," this one is told in the 3rd person--instead of the 1st person narration found in the Cat and Bones stories.

What made this one work a bit better for me than the Spade's book (although I enjoyed that one, too) was the fact that this is not a damsel in distress story. Not really. This book is about Mencheres. His past, present, and future. And about his realization that even after thousands of years, life can still surprise him.

We get a few cameos from other characters, but they remain firmly on the sidelines of the story. And I adored the heroine, Kira. She's just an incredibly solid person who had some bad things happen to her both personally and professionally. But she doesn't whine about it. She learns from it and moves on.  Even her borderline TSTL moves that endangers her life  make moral sense for her. She just doesn't have the information she needs to avoid getting into trouble.

My Grade: A-

You can pick up your copy at Amazon , Bn.com, Borders.com, Book Depository, Books a Million

Review: Halfway to the Grave (audio) by Jeaniene Frost

Because I started with the second book in this series, this book was more like a prequel to me than the first book in a series. And since Blackstone Audio just released this first book in audio format, I decided to see how well the series translated to that format. The answer is: perfectly.

The narrator, Tavia Gilbert, brings to life Bones's accent and attitude. Cat is a bit more subdued than she was in the later books, but I think part of that comes from the relative immaturity she has in this book.

For those unfamiliar with the series, here's the "blurb."


Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father - the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership.

In exchange for help finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner...are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon, Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side...and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.


The only bummer is that the rest of the series will not be available for download or on CD until NOVEMBER.

I didn't love this book as much as book #2 in the series, but that could just because I read them out of order. I like Cat much better in later books--after she grows up just a little. She feels just a little too young for me here. But this is a fun book, nonetheless.

My Grade: B+

You can find the download version on audible or buy directly through Blackstone Audio on MP3CD.

Jeaniene Frost: Book Watch

I am officially a Jeaniene Frost fangirl. I blasted through all of the Night Huntress books in one gluttonous rush. I've read the first Night Huntress world spin-off and even downloaded the first Cat and Bones book in audio format from audible. So, of course, I am now impatiently waiting for any new books set in that world.

Here's what's coming:

July 27, 2010
Eternal Kiss of Darkness
ISBN: 978-0061783166
Format: Mass Market Paperback
List Price: $7.99
(Currently 10% off at BN for preorders and 25% off at Book Depository!)
#2 in the Night Huntress World spin-offs. This one is about Mencheres.

It's also available at Borders, Powells, and Booksamillion.

August 3, 2010

Death's Excellent Vacation (anthology) ed. by Charlaine Harris and Toni Kelner.
Contains a Cat and Bones short story. Oh, and there's a few stories by other authors also. *g*
ISBN: 978-0441018680
Format: Hardcover
List Price: $24.95
(Currently 45% off at Amazon and Barnes and Noble via Preorder)
More buying choices: Book Depository,  Borders, Booksamillion, Powells



February 22, 2011
Cat and Bones #5

*sniffle* Yeah, it's really 2011!

Also, there's a novella set outside the NH world. It's in an anthology called Haunted by Your Touch, which has a release date of October 26th, 2010.

Disclosure: other than the Amazon links, I do not earn any commission for the book links provided. I just thought I'd include as many choices as possible for those interested. :)

Review: Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Unlike early fans of the series, I'm a late arrival. Which means I didn't have to wait for each book to be released and read #2-4 back to back. Which might have influenced my reviews just a little bit.

I can honestly say that this is my least favorite of the Night Huntress books so far. I really didn't enjoy it as much. It's not terrible by any means, but it did come across as melodramatic and repetitive.

Cat and Bones are settling into their lives as husband and wife: vampire style. That is until a vampire named Gregor interrupts their honeymoon in Paris by invading Cat's dreams and insisting she is married to him and not Bones. And that Mencheres stole those memories from her. Added to that is the fact that Gregor is capable of abducting people while they are dreaming and it causes Cat to have some serious doubts about who she really is and what she wants.

Review: At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

I can now say I know what the fuss is about. Frost's Night Huntress series is probably the most consistently good series I've read in a long time. At Grave's End finds Cat and Bones newly married in vampire fashion and planning a human wedding.

Further complicating the plans is Mencheres' offer to bind Bones' line to his, strengthening them both. But, as we soon learn, Mencheres is anything but altruistic. He has a reason for everything. And that becomes apparent as a female vamp named Patra launches a terrorist attack in the midst of the binding ceremony--starting a vampire war.

I admit I was a bit annoyed with Frost's wholesale slaughter of Egyptian history, but because this is *fantasy* I gave it a pass.


The tone of this book is sad. Very sad. To the point of being depressing. But the emotional depth of the series is part of what I love about it.  Emotional pain can show reveal hidden depths about characters, and I think we see that here with both Cat and Mencheres. And Vlad--oddly enough. Sure, the beginning shows plenty of Cat's snarky humor, but midway through the book that levity disappears.

The pacing is a bit funky, which could be a turn off for some readers. The narrative either plods along in depressing emotional wallowing or is filled with an overwhelming, frantic urgency during the action sequences. There's very little consistency here, and I think that hurts an otherwise excellent book.

This book sets up not only the next installment of the Night Huntress series but the spin-offs being released this year. I thought it an excellent story that focused far more on the relationship between Cat and Bones than previous installments.


My Grade: B+

Barnes and Noble
BN ebook
Amazon.com Kindle Edition
Books a Million
Book Depository