Review: Halfway to the Grave - Jeaniene Frost

Flirting with the grave...

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 unholy partnership.

In exchange for 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 newfound 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.

Night Huntress Series:
Halfway to the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
At Grave's End
Destined for an Early Grave
This Side of the Grave (Feb 2011)

For more information visit Jeaniene Frost's website

Review:
Cat was born after her mother was attacked and raped by a vampire.  When she was just 16 she discovered that she is a half-vampire and ever since then she has been hunting vampires to get revenge for her mother.   Thinking herself a successful vampire hunter it comes as quite a shock to her when Bones manages to take her by surprise.  Finding she has been kidnapped Cat has no choice but to agree to Bones' proposition that he trains her and they work together hunting vampires who have killed.  Cat has been taught that all vampires are evil but the more time she spends with Bones the more she comes to question her beliefs. 

Halfway to the Grave has been on my radar for a while and my only regret is that I didn't start reading the series years ago - although the advantage is that there are already 3 more books available for me to sink my teeth into!  I do have to say a big thank you to Jo (Ink & Paper) and Lynsey (Narratively Speaking) for convincing me to read this now though!!  Although this book is labelled as paranormal romance I would personally categorise it as urban fantasy.  Yes there is romance (& very hot romance at that!) but there is plenty of action and the relationship between Cat and Bones doesn't end with a happy ever after (HEA) at the end of this book.  The entire series is based around these 2 characters so I'm assuming we're going to see a lot of development in their relationship throughout the series and I'm hopeful for a HEA by the end of the final book.  I personally love both of these genres and would definitely recommend this series if you are a fan of either paranormal romance or urban fantasy.

I liked Cat immediately - she is a feisty heroine who is willing to fight for what she believes in.  She has a lot to learn in this book and I really enjoyed watching her opinions change as she learnt more about Bones and her vampire heritage.  I wasn't sure about Bones for the first couple of pages but I quickly fell in love with his character.  Although his character is supposed to be British he doesn't really speak English as we would in modern day and it took a little bit of getting used to.  However, by the time we were a few chapters in I barely even noticed that anymore - his speech patters just seem to suit his character.  I loved the verbal sparing that goes on between Cat & Bones and was pleased that this continued throughout the book.

There is a lot of world building going on in Halfway to the Grave so the beginning of the story is a little slower paced but not in a bad way - I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning about Jeaniene Frost's twist on the vampire mythology.  Once the background has been laid down the pace quickly picks up and you are swept along on an action packed ride that will keep you up far past your bedtime.  Like I've already mentioned the story doesn't have a HEA ending and there are plenty of questions left unanswered but that is something I enjoy in a series and I can't wait to see what happens with Cat & Bones in the next book One Foot in the Grave.

Source: Library

Other Reviews:
Ink and Paper
Mindful Musings
Story Wings
I'd So Rather Be Reading
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