Book Review: Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1) by Jeaniene Frost

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.

Halfway to the Grave is the first book in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost.  I found the premise of this story very interesting, a half-vampire that hunts and kills vampires.  Freud would have a ball with her psyche!

For me, the story started out slow and didn't really pick up until after Cat and Bones start hunting together.  There was too much time spent on her training with Bones and it got boring, even though their relationship started heating up during the time. This book is definitely not for younger audiences or anyone who is offended by explicit sexual scenes, as there are many. 

I definitely wasn't expecting the ending to the book, but I'm not sure I liked it.  Still, the book was entertaining overall and I'm intrigued enough to keep going in the series.

 I give this book 3 Bookworms.

Book Review: For a Few Demons More (The Hollows #5) by Kim Harrison

Despite dating one vampire and living with another, Rachel Morgan has stayed ahead of trouble until now. A serial killer stalks the Hollows, claims victims across society, and ignites a vicious Inderland gang war. Rachel hides an ancient artifact that could stop the killer or start a battle to the death among supernatural races of Cincinnati. Every action has its price. When the vampire master Piscary is set free and the demonic Algaliarept dares to walk openly under the sun, even Rachel Morgan can't hide forever.

Well, here we start the fifth book in The Hollows series by Kim Harrison with Rachel dealing with the same problem as in the fourth book.  The werewolf artifact.  I still find the idea of this artifact and what it does just... weird.  However, For a Few Demons More shoots back up to the quality of the first few books in the series.

Harrison writes characters that you can completely love, hate, like, loathe, or anywhere in between.  She creates them in 3-D.  Even the villains have soft sides.  Everyone is constantly evolving.  I have to admit, though, that sometimes I want to slap Rachel upside the head because she doesn't learn very quickly.  She runs head-on into danger without a plan, she constantly wavers on her relationship with Ivy.  It would be nice to see her grow up some.

For a Few Demons More is a gut-wrenching, action-packed book.  Be ready for anything, because that's what's going to happen!

 I give this book 4 Bookworms.

Book Review: A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows #4) by Kim Harrison

Narrator, Cincinnati witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan is confronted by Nick, mortal lover who abandoned her. Savage beasts covet what he possesses, and may destroy the Hollows. While keeping a low profile to avoid eternal wrath of a vengeful demon, she must act quickly. The pack gathers for the first time in millennia to ravage and to rule.

A Fistful of Charms is the fourth book in The Hollows series by Kim Harrison.  While I love this series, this particular novel was not my favorite.  This one features werewolves, but I didn't like Harrison's take on how they function together.  They are all after something Nick stole, so Rachel has to help him.  The whole idea of this item and what it does is just strange to me.  I can't be more explicit because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone.

The main characters are here, Rachel, Al, Jenks, and Ivy; who gets more involved than usual, which was interesting.  I really enjoy how Harrison grows each character throughout the books.  As in real life, they change their personalities and views on issues as things happen.  

The story slowed down in places, like when they hung out at the hotel trying to figure out what to do.  The whole big scene on the bridge was sad and a little weird.  It didn't leave me completely satisfied. 

I still love the series.  In my opinion, they need to be read in order to get the full benefit of the stories and the characters.  So read this one, but maybe don't expect as much.  They do get a lot better!

 I give this book 3 Bookworms.

Book Review: Night Broken (Mercy Thompson #8) by Patricia Briggs

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart

Night Broken is a good addition to the Mercy Thompson series.  I can always count on Patricia Briggs to bring new and intriguing elements into her novels!  I'd never heard of the monster in this book, but it's a real creature from mythology.

The characters are well developed and ever evolving.  That's one thing I enjoy about series, the chance to see characters grow and change.  One character, it seems, will never change - Christy, Adam's ex-wife.  She's a little one-dimensional, but she makes a good foil for Mercy.  Although werewolves are supposed to be smart, I don't understand how Christy is able to so easily manipulate all of them against Mercy.

The story flows well and is packed with suspense.  I could read this in one sitting, but I made myself put it down so the experience wouldn't be over so soon.  The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs is one of my favorites.  Night Broken is the eighth and latest published novel.  We have to wait until 2015 for the next one.  So that gives you time to start from the beginning if you've never read any of the books!

 I give this book 4 Bookworms.