לילה של חלומות אסורים

Night Huntress Universe #4

by Jeaniene Frost, ג'אנין פרוסט, לינדה פניאס-אוחנה (Translator)

חלומותיה הקטלניים מאיימים להרוס אותה בלילות.

לאורך כל מערכת היחסים שלהם קאת ובונז הסקסי, הערפד – עכשיו כבר מאסטר – עמדו כנגד כוחות שאיימו להרוס אותם. הם נלחמו באין ספור יצורים אל-מתים, התגברו על הפרידה הכפויה וצלחו קרבות בערפד מאסטר נקמני עם כוחות על-טבעיים.

בשוך הקרבות הם הצהירו על אהבתם קבל עם ועולם האל-מתים, ונשבעו אמונים זה לזו בברית דמים, החזקה מכל ברית אחרת.
עכשיו הם רצו קצת חופש.

אך התקווה לחופשה רומנטית בפריז מתנפצת, כשקאת מתעוררת לילה אחד אחוזת אימה מסיוט, שכמעט עלה לה בחייה; גרגור, ערפד מאסטר, שכוחותיו עוצמתיים, טוען שקאת נקשרה אליו בעברה והיא שייכת לו בשבועה, שקאת עצמה אינה זוכרת.

גרגור קורא לקאת אשתו, והוא לא יוותר עד שתחזור אליו.

קרב עקוב בדם מתחיל בין גרגור, הרודף את קאת בחלומותיה, לבין בונז המחזיק בליבה, ורק קאת יכולה לשבור את אחיזתו של גרגור. היא תזדקק לכל הכוחות שהיא יכולה לזמן כדי לנצח, גם אם במהלך הקרב היא תצטרך להסתכן ולסכן את שאהבה מכול, את בונז.

בקרב הזה אחד מהשלושה חייב ליפול.

Genres: Vampires, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Adult

312 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2009

About the author

Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author. Works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, the Broken Destiny series, the Night Rebel series, and the Beautiful and Beastly series. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to twenty-three different countries. Jeaniene lives in Maryland with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies with her husband, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cook books frighten her.

For information on Jeaniene's books, please visit: www.jeanienefrost.com

Reviews

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Marital Problems Stars

First read 2/23/2014
Reread 11/22/2015
Re reread 11/19/2019
Reread 4/18/21
Reread 4/24/22

"Let's see how long someone lasts if they suggest that my wife is not my wife."-Bones



"Bloody sneaking bastard," Bones ground out, even as my jaw dropped. "I'll congratulate him on his cleverness - while I'm ripping silver through his heart."-Bones

*Spoiler Below*

My heart OMG my heart. Destined For An Early Grave, the 4th book in the Night Huntress Series, was a nail biting, angsty read! The drama is so high in this book my stomach tied in knots the whole time. While on vacation Cat starts having dreams of a vampire named Gregor, in which he tells her that he is her husband, not Bones. He tells her that they are blood bonded and that her memories of him have been blocked, but she can get them back by drinking his blood. Gregor is doing everything in his power to get Cat back. Can Bones and Cat's relationship make it past a forgotten husband, or will Gregor tear their love apart?

"Mmm hmmm." The low exhalation came from a brunette farther up in line. I gave her an arched brow and tapped my engagement ring for effect. "Taken, honey." She was human, or I'd have thrown down at the second lingering look she gave Bones before shrugging at me. "Nothing lasts forever." My teeth ground. "Except death." Sonya said something in French that made the woman's mouth curl sulkily before she turned away with a last parting shot. "If you can't stand for your man to be admired, you would do better to keep him at home." With her heavy French accent, her h's were almost silent. You can't kill her just because she's a tramp, I reminded myself. Even if you could have her body discreetly disposed of... "He fucks even better than he looks," I settled on saying. Several heads turned. I didn't care; I was pissed. "And that beautiful face is going to be clamped between my legs as soon as we get ooome, don't you worry."-Cat

My Bones:



"Hey, Walks Like An Egyptian, how about for once you drop the formal stuff and talk like you live in the twenty-first century?" "The shit's gonna splatter, start buggin', yo," Mencheres responded instantly. I stared at him, then burst out laughing-Cat and Mencheres

Damn did Cat and Bones go through some shit in this book. Bones is losing his shit, stressed the hell out, scared that someone is going to take his wife from him. Cat is worried that Gregor is going to try to kill Bones because vampire laws says it's death to a vampire that sleeps with another vampire's spouse. They both lash out at each other many times in this book. Their fights seemed very realistic, because no relationship is all rainbows and roses. Everyone fights and everyone says stupid things. And their fights get bad. They separate for a short time, and each thinks the other cheats. Which is some major angst in this book. BTW neither did really cheat it just looks that way.

"It makes you a spiteful brat," Bones snapped, striding forward until he loomed over me. "What say you to that?" I dropped Liza's braids and got to my feet. So the gloves were off, huh? "That it takes one to know one. What's the matter? Are you mad that you sauntered in there, swinging your dick at Marie and reminding her about old times, but you didn't get the results you wanted?"-Bones and Cat

My Cat: (Yes I know her eyes are suppose to be glowing green but I photo-shopped for 20 mins and couldn't get them green from the bright red so I was just like fuck it!)



"Either you're a very good actor...or very naive. Gregor wants you back, and he's amassing support for his claim of a blood-binding with you. Vlad Tepesh has named you as a friend. And Bones, who was notorious for his promiscuity, married you and started two wars over you."-Marie

Gregor is a dirty bastard. He is called the Dreamsnatcher because if he touches in you in your dreams he can pull you to where is he. Gregor had visions of Cat's power and that she was meant for Bones so he steals her when she is 16, verbally abuses, and manipulates her into bonding with him. Mencheres finds out what Gregor has done, and he goes and gets Cat. Mencheres buries her memories of everything and locks Gregor away for years. Gregor escapes and he is coming to get his wife back. He pulls every dirty trick he can to force her back. He turns Justina into a vampire, kills Rodney(Bones close friend and Justina's boyfriend) and almost kills Bones by liquid silver poison hidden in a knife during their fight to the death

"Despicable whoreson, her choice has been erased by Mencheres. He dragged her screaming from me only an hour after our binding!" "I don't give a rot if Mencheres yanked her off your throbbing, rigid cock," Bones snarled. "Go dream a little dream, you sod!"-Gregor and Bones



"You're right - we won't change. I'll always want to protect you, and I will get insanely brassed off when I can't. You'll always jump into the fire for me, no matter how much I want you to stay safe on the sidelines. We'll have to constantly battle our own natures to make this work. Are you willing to take that chance?"-Bones

Of course there are some moments when Bones acts like an ass, but I could understand where he was coming from, he really acted like any jealous man who is scared they might lose the love of their life. I love that Cat turns to Vlad when Bones and her are apart. Vlad is a great friend to Cat. They have a special and close friendship that I really enjoyed. It gave me a close look at the real Vlad and I loved what I seen. Something big happens Cat get turned into a vampire. I have to say that my favorite part was when Cat kills Gregor, he was such a slimy bastard that I really enjoyed his death. I know bloodthirsty right? This book ends in more of a to be continued fashion. I have to just say this series is so good I didn't even want to stop and write reviews for the books. I wanted to just devour the books one right after another without stopping, but books this good need their praises sang, so here I sit writing!

"No. It was my insistence in taking Gregor on alone that caused our separation. I could have told you it was a trap before putting you into that panic room. I could have told you about New Orleans and had you take those pills, so Gregor couldn't learn it from your dreams. But I wanted to handle everything myself. My pride and my jealousy drove us apart. Every mistake you've made with me, Kitten, I've made the same with you, but I don't want to talk about that anymore. I don't want to talk at all."-Bones

[KristenReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 Stars

I enjoyed this book much more than the last one. The writing was fantastic, the dialogue engaging, the romance prominent, and the witty one liners never fail to put a smile on my face. But the best part was Cat finally, FINALLY putting Tate in his place. It was about time!

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars – Vampire Romance/Urban Fantasy

Considering this is one of my top preferred PNR series, that Cat and Bones are my favorite kick-ass romance couple, that Bones is my #1 all-time beloved bad boy vampire hero, and that I LOVED the previous three books, especially my favorite One Foot in the Grave; my expectations for Destined for an Early Grave were incredibly high. After all, it’s Jeaniene Frost, who writes some of the snarkiest, funniest, and most entertaining dialogue that I’ve had the joy to read.

So, was it all that I hoped it would be? For the most part and overall, yes, but boy was it an emotionally frustrating journey, and I was tense and discouraged with the way things stood and/or were headed for Cat and Bones for about 200 pages of the book.

Cat and Bones have battled countless rogue undead together, defeated a malevolent Master vampire hell bent on their destruction, and were married the old fashioned vampire way, with a sacred-until-death blood bond, so they should be enjoying a smooth sailing HEA right? With a manipulative, vengeful, cunning Master vampire named Gregor claiming marital rights to Cat, not on your undead life.

The story picks up soon after the events of At Grave’s End with Cat and Bones embarking on an extended holiday for some much needed R&R, but their plans for a romantic Paris holiday are ruined by the powerful Master vampire Gregor, known as the Dreamsnatcher, who’s terrorizing Cat’s dreams. Seems that Gregor is convinced Cat belongs to him, and he’s ruthlessly determined to win (steal) her back. Now Cat and Bones face their toughest enemy yet, their own pride, insecurity, jealousy, and fear, as they battle against Gregor’s claims and unconscious hold over Cat.

Cat and Bones come to blows over their disagreement of how to handle things; he acts controlling and overprotective and she acts reckless and impulsive. They have some rather nasty arguments and fights (including an all out brawl turned sparring match that was smokin’ hot), both say some mean, hurtful things that they don’t really mean, and things get rather dicey for our beloved couple. Sounds like a marriage to me; just swap family, sex, and money problems and your spouse leaving his shoes in the living room and dirty clothes on the floor for the marital strain of a merciless dream snatching vampire, and there you have it.

There were numerous times that I wanted to scream out loud in utter annoyance over Cat and Bones’s immature, stubborn behavior and bad communication. I worship at the altar of Bones, but he pissed me off on several occasions. Cat just quite wasn’t her usual snarky, lovably bitchy self and spent a lot of the time battling her inner demons instead of the rogue undead. Several of the key secondary characters play an intriguing part this time around, including Spade, Vlad, Mencheres, Cooper, Rodney, and Cat’s mom Justina, and a fun new character, a ghost named Fabian, has an important role in the story.

With lots of thick tension and intense drama, it’s the heaviest of the series so far, but luckily there’s still plenty of Frost’s winning dialogue, clever banter, and zingy, hilarious one-liners for some nice belly laughs. I would have liked more romance and tender moments between Cat and Bones, and of course more sex (there’s only 2 short scenes); but through it all the strength of their love shines through and their persistent devotion to each other holds tough.

Frost must have a clear vision for where she intends to take the series because she once again managed to pull things together brilliantly and kept me hooked, even when things weren’t looking very promising for our beloved duo. I just need to keep my faith in Frost and Cat and Bones....and of course have patience until the next book comes out! Luckily the first book in the spin-off Night Huntress World series, First Drop of Crimson, featuring Bones’s best friend and fellow vampire Spade and Cat’s human best friend Denise comes out January 26, 2010 and should help tide me over! Big 5 stars!

Here are some of my favorite funny moments/lines (possible spoilers ahead if you don't want an advance screening of a few scenes/lines).

************************************************************************

Cat referring to all the stares Bones receives from women when they are out on the town, (page 16)

“...the lustful glances thrown his way made me wish he wasn’t such a damned bowl of eye candy.”

Cat worried that she insulted Bones’s vampire gal pal while waiting in the bathroom line during the opera’s intermission, (page 18)

“Bring me some liquor, Bones, fast, to take my foot out of my mouth.”

Cat putting an uppity, skanky society bitch at a Paris Opera House in her place when she directs verbal come-ons at Bones and unwisely eggs Cat on, (page 19)

“He f**ks even better than he looks”, I settled on saying. Several heads turned. I didn’t care; I was pissed. “And that beautiful face is going to be clamped between my legs as soon as we get ooome, don’t you worry.”

Cat teasing Bones about his ardent romantic antics in a Paris alley, (page 21)

“Are you crazy? There are half a dozen vampires nearby-” “None within eyesight,” he cut me off with a chuckle. “They can hear, Bones” I continued to object, facing the building as he spun me around. He continued to laugh. “Then do be sure to say flattering things.”

Cat feeling insecure compared to Annette at a party, (page 300)

“Next to her, I felt like Carrot Top in drag.”

There’s also a nice reference and homage to “The Matrix” in a scene that had me laughing hard.

************************************************************************

Whew, this review turned out long, but I love this series!

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, talk about not being able to put a book down!!! I literally fell asleep reading it, woke up early today, reached for my lamp and picked up where I left off... inbetween the human things of quickly shopping (discount the tidying up!), eating and doing the bathroom thing, I read....

I loved the prior books, the 2nd probably being my favourite and then I picked this one up... boy what a ride this turned out to be!!! I was right on a few things that I thought was going to happen but before they happened, I thought I was wrong about my guess... Confused? Then read this book!!!

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Cat and Bones, Justine, Vlad, Spade.... Rodney too... I loved them all... I laughed out loud in places, ground my fists in others and yes, I even had my tears! There were a few short sharp shocks and one or two surprises that I did not expect... all the more reason to love this series... Jeaniene Frost has quickly risen in my ranks of favourite authors...

Highly recommended!!

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat, Bones and ... Gregor (aargh!!!)

This is the book where Cat and Bones are crazily in love and married and spend a few lazy days in Paris.

And suddenly hell breaks loose.

Cat starts having dreams that are nightmares or memories. Someone or something tries to snatch her away while she dreams. And Mencheres will have a confession to make about Cat's teenagehood, when she was young and clueless and she followed a certain someone to Paris. And how him, the powerful Mencheres made Cat forgot and Gregor dissapear.

Cat and Bones' marriage is not as well founded as they thought. Fights between them will start, while they distrust each other.

Cat does not trust Bones' abilities and cunning mind.

Bones does not trust Cat FULL STOP.
Gregor, Vlad, Tate can make even the most sensible vampire crazy with jealousy.

And all these happen will Gregor, the dreamsnatcher, waits for his apportunity to snatch Cat because obviously he wants his wife back.

People will change. Some will become vampires. Some will become dead. And some will be even more deader than the used to be, i.e. completely dead.

This book is a full on adventure, but with so much family drama included.

You're leaving me?

And yes, it is full of funny moments because Cat and Bones even when they are angry and vicious, are so cute together.

I'm biting wrong, too?

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cat ist eine Halbvampirin und verheiratet mit Bones, einem Vampir. Für ihren wohlverdienten Urlaub reisen die beiden nach Paris. Dort wird Cat von Alpträumen heimgesucht. Es stellt sich heraus, daß der Vampir Gregor sich in ihre Träume schleicht und so Cat für sich gewinnen will. Er behauptet, daß er Cats rechtmäßiger Ehemann ist...
Mir persönlich hat das Buch leider nicht so gut gefallen. Es liest sich leicht und man kann der Handlung gut folgen, auch ohne die vorherigen Bücher der Serie gelesen zu haben. Das ist ein Pluspunkt. Allerdings ist die Story mir persönlich zu seicht und fantasielos. Das Buch hat bei mir keinen Eindruck hinterlassen. Ich wußte am nächsten Tag manchmal nicht einmal mehr, was ich am Vortag gelesen hatte. Mir ist es lieber, wenn mir das Buch bzw. die Geschichte, die das Buch erzählt, noch lange im Gedächtnis bleibt. Das war bei diesem Buch leider überhaupt nicht der Fall.

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

where was a festering yeast infection when I needed one?

Gosh girls, how many times have we all had this thought? If I had a nickel for every time I thought this, I would have.... well, considering I'm thinking about it now... a nickel. Okay, not really going to buy mama some new shoes, but still, it made me laugh.

Cat makes me laugh a lot, which is one of the things I love about this series. But, sheesh, the angst in this book!!!


Tell me about it, kid. It was brutal.

You know those couples that are just really uncomfortable to be around because they are either fighting too loudly, making out like their plane is going down, or one of them is storming out? Cat and Bones are that couple. This book is just them being a hot mess.

“God, Bones, why don’t we just invite everyone in the next time we have sex, that way they can stop seeing things piecemeal!”

This is after they beat the crap out of each other with the furniture and then went into having loud sex in the living room so everyone had to leave the room. Again.

They are almost as bad as one of these couples:







Yes. That bad.

So, even though there is a storyline going on about some other vampire dude who wants Cat (she's like Vampire Viagra or something), it is really about their relationship. I like discussing relationship problems about as much as I like discussing festering yeast infections.



On the positive side, I loved the relationship between Cat and Vlad. Strangely, a few years ago, I read Vlad's book and totally raked it over the coals in my review. Now, I think I would actually like it. I guess I either needed context, and this series gives it, or to get a lot more desensitized to vampire smut. Probably both. I think when I finish this series, I will read that one again and see how much my opinion changes.

[Literary Lusts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book didn't quite have the same magic to me as the first three. However, I liked the first three a lot more after reading them a second time so I might feel different about this one too if I read it again.
On the bad side, Bones and Cat fight a lot in this book. Maybe it's just me, but it felt really off. They butt heads and had a few fights in the first three books but not on the same level as this book. I think it's more that instead of their fights escalating throughout the book they were bickering and after each others heads from the start. I also thought things resolved between Cat and Bones way too easily. I wanted them to make up but with all the things they pull on each other I thought it would take a lot more time and work before they would forgive each other especially for Cat. I think my biggest issue though is that the first three books still kept a sense of humor and fun even when things got tense and complicated. I feel like that was missing in this book.

But on the good side, it kept me up until 2 am to finish it in one night and is just as engrossing as the first three books in the series. I also like that Vlad played a role in this book too. There's some huge things happening in this book that kept me on the edge of my seat. As a whole though, even with my complaining i DID like the book. I just feel disappointed in it.

[Rachel L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread November 2024

Every time I read this series I am reminded of how dang good it is. I could be wrong but if I recall the series peaked with this book and while it was still great it never got better than this one. But for me that has to do with angst and conflict and it's done very well in this installment in the series. Cat and Bones have their marital issues, deep seated ones that they have to work out. I loved how even when they were so angry at each other, they still loved each other very much.

Also, one of the best characters is introduced in this book! We love Fabian!

reread 8/2020
-----------------------

Best one yet! I love this series.

[Helen 2.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much drama and heartbreak this time around!


In book 4/7 of the Night Huntress series, Cat is pursued by an egotistical asshole vampire - in her dreams. Gregor is a dreamsnatcher, meaning he can transport people to his side while they are sleeping. He goes after Cat, who he claims is his wife. Another full-out vampire war breaks out - haven't we been here before? Makes me wonder how anyone under Bones' line has survived since Cat showed up.

I had lots of fun reading this; like I said, it was dramatic and heavy, but it didn't bring me down. Vlad and Spade are major characters this time, which made me happy since they're two of my favorites. I also can't wait to read more about Marie, the badass voodoo ghoul queen of New Orleans.

One thing that did make me blue: Rodney's death! *sob*

[Emily May · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of the time when I'm coming towards the end of a book, I start to think about what I want to say in my goodreads review and with this Night Huntress novel the first word that came to mind was 'rollercoaster'. I then skimmed other reviews and found I was far from the only one.

When I first read the plot description before beginning, I was unsure about the story. Books 1 and 2 had been more sex/relationship focused rather than putting emphasis on the story behind it and though this didn't stop me from enjoying them, I loved book 3 when Frost finally decided to develop a good story as well as detailing Cat and Bones' sex life. The plot is about an ancient vampire (shockingly) who claims to have both spent time with Cat and married her when she was sixteen, but her memory was later erased leaving him a stranger in her mind. Furthermore, this vampire (Gregor) has the ability to appear in people's dreams and steal them away if he can catch them, thereby earning him the nickname: Dreamsnatcher.

My first thought on this was: odd. But, as I said before, it made for one hell of a rollercoaster and a fantastic storyline. Frost did right bringing Gregor into the picture to see how Bones could cope with someone that Cat had been emotionally involved with before, especially seeing as a) He has exes by the thousands, and b) Danny the wimp doesn't count. Actually he didn't cope very well, but my god is he hot when he's jealous (haha, my issues are surfacing).

In my opinion, it was even sadder when he left than when we thought he'd died in the last book; and then when it looked like he was whoring it around the streets of New Orleans, I felt Cat's jealousy right there with her (those issues again). I was worried and upset because Bones is a wonderful character and the thought that the author might taint that had me going: Nooooooooo! Obviously not out loud.

And Frost's writing just gets better and better. Like the hilarious part where Mencheres attempts to speak the 21st century language and comes out with words like 'bugging' and 'yo'. I won't quote it again because I've already spazzed over it in my last review. Hehe.

Now I'm just getting to the point where I'm hoping the novels never stop. As if book 6 doesn't come out til August, though?! Argh.

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*The 'meh' in the series*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

Second re-read: 07.11.2018
The forth book in the series starts months after book three (six years from book one). Half-vampire Catherine ‘Cat’ ‘Cathy’ ‘Kitten’ ‘Commander’ ‘The Red Reaper’ Kathleen Crawfield (27) and her vampire bounty hunter/hit man Crispin Phillip Arthur Russell III (Crispin was his human name) ‘Bones’ (247), are now in another mess; someone is claiming that Cat's their wife, not Bones' and this is causing quite a wall between the two of them. Cat is still holding back, and Bones is at his last straw. Can their love make it? Overall, this book is actually quite meh. Don't get me wrong, it's still good and all that, but at the same time it's the least enjoyable in the series. I don't like how Cat holds back, Bones deserves so much more. On to the next one!

“Bloody hell, Kitten. Never thought to be flogged by my own furniture. Do you know I saw bloomin' stars when that cracked over my nog?”

Other Character:
→ Justina Crawfield (45), Cat's mother. Gregor turns her to a vampire against her will.
→ Baron Charles ‘Spade’ DeMortimer, Bones' best friend; known each other for over 220 years.
→ Liam Flannery aka Ian (over 200), Bones and Spade's shire.
→ Rodney, a ghoul and friend of Bones. Gets killed when he tried saving Justina at the end of the book.
→ Donald ‘Don’ Williams (around 50), the head of a unit in the FBI called the Paranormal Behavior Division; a combination of CIA, FBI, and the armed forces. He was Cat's boss and he's Cat's uncle; her mother's rapist's brother (Max).
→ Tate Bradley (late twenties), had been a sergeant in the Special Forces, a very select unit of them, is now on Cat's team. He was Cat's second-in-command. Gets turned into a vampire by choice by Bones.
→ Dave and Juan, was Cat's other two captains. Dave gets killed by a vampire and at end of the book two, Rodney and Bones makes him a ghoul. Juan gets turned into a vampire by choice by Bones.
→ Denise, Cat's friend for over three years. Cat saved her from a vampire. Randy, her husband. Randy get's torn apart by zombies at the end of the three; dead.
→ Cooper, a member of Cat's team, he’s smart, fast, and ruthless. His years as an undercover narcotics officer probably helped there. He’s performed well in training operations, so they are now trying to see how he does in the field. He doesn’t like Cat; thinks she’ll turn on them one day because she a half-breed. He was Cat's third captain.
→ Mencheres (over 4000, though from his appearance, you wouldn’t think he was a day over 25), the vampire who made Ian, so that makes him Bones' fang granddaddy/grandsire. He’s a very powerful vampire who Ian wouldn’t want to cross. Since Cat's father, Maximillian ‘Max’, is a member of Ian’s line and still under his protection, any attack against Max would be the same as an attack against Ian in the vampire world. Mencheres sees things; visions, glimpses of the future, that sort. It’s one of his powers. He can also read humans’ minds, and it seems, half-breeds, too (but not vampires’ minds).
→ Annette (looks around 45), the first vampire Bones had ever made. She had help him when Bones was human, and Bones wanted to return the favor; to become a vampire, she accepted.
→ Doc, Zero, and Tick Tock, vampires of Bones. Bones has well over two hundred vampires (direct members of his line), and that didn’t count the ghouls he’d had a hand in siring, which was roughly another hundred. Zero and Tick Tock gets killed in the zombie attack at the end of book three.
→ Patra (over 2000), a master and Max’s mysterious benefactor. She chose her vampire name in honor of her mother, one of Egypt’s most famous rulers, and merely shortened it when she changed over. Patra is the daughter of Cleopatra, and Mencheres refuses to kill her because she’s his wife. Bones kills her at the end of book three.
→ Vlad Tepesh (several 100 years old.), ummm, the original one; Dracula, a Master. He, too, can read human minds and is pyrokinetic.
→ Gregor, a vampire Dreamsnatcher (he can steal people away in their dreams) and has visions of the future like Mencheres (Gregor intended to alter the future based on one of these visions. When Mencheres found out about it, he imprisoned him as punishment; he managed to escape his prison a month ago). Gregor's older than Bones, more powerful and wants Cat; claiming she's his wife. Cat burns him to death.
→ Sonya and her husband (bonded vampire couple), Noel, Bones and Cat's hosts for their stay in Paris.
→ Marie ‘Majestic’ Laveau, New Orleans’s queen, one of the most powerful ghouls in the nation. Does voodoo. Jacques, a ghoul and the queen's lover.
→ Liza (was 17 when changed by Bones), a ghoul.
→ Fabian du Brac (born 1877, died 1922), a ghost.
→ Hopscotch and Band-Aid, vampires of Bones.
→ Lieutenant Geri Hicks, Cat's replacement with Don’s team.
→ Malcolme ‘Apollyon’ Untare, a ghoul.

“Then you remember the dream,” Mencheres stated. “That bodes ill.”
The fear of that made my reply snappy. “Hey, Walks Like An Egyptian, how about for once you drop the formal stuff and talk like you live in the twenty-first century?”
“The shit’s gonna splatter, start buggin’, yo,” Mencheres responded instantly.
I stared at him, then burst out laughing, which was highly inappropriate considering the very grave warning he’d just conveyed.
“I find nothing funny in this,” Bones muttered.
“Oh, neither do I, but that’s still hilarious,” I managed.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy?.
Series: - Series, Book Four.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - No.
Favorite character? - Bones.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Probably.
New Rating - 3.5 stars.

Re-read: 29.05.15
I enjoyed this one. Need more Bones!
Rate: 4 stars.

[Auntee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little concerned before starting this one, since after reading the third book in the series it looked like Jeaniene Frost was heading down the Urban Fantasy/minimal romance path, but turns out my worries were unfounded--the romance is back! Although it's a sometimes rocky road that Cat and Bones must follow, with lots of obstacles that test their love, and jealousies and insecurities they have to deal with, they clearly have an enduring love that I feel will stand the test of time. And while the love scenes aren't many, they're smokin' hot and quite emotional--loved them!

As for the plot, Cat no longer works for her uncle as a government agent ridding the country of rogue vampires and ghouls. She and her vamp lover Bones are taking a well deserved vacation when Cat is bothered by some terrifying dreams. She has dreams of a seductive vampire named Gregor who claims she's his. Gregor is a 'dreamsnatcher'--capable of invading her dreams, and wants her to return to him. It seems Cat spent a month with Gregor in Paris when she was sixteen, and something happened during that time that makes Gregor believe that Cat belongs to him. Of course Cat doesn't remember any of this (thanks to Master vamp Mencheres, who wiped her memory clean and then imprisoned Gregor). But Gregor has broken out of his prison, and wants Cat back. But why? Because he truly loves her or for some other reason? And why did Mencheres butt in? Bones is furious that someone would dare to take his "Kitten" from him, and wants Cat to avoid Gregor as he figures out a way to deal with the powerful vamp. But headstrong, impulsive Cat likes to confront her problems head-on, so you just know her curiosity will get the better of her...This leads to all kinds of problems in her relationship with Bones. Just like a regular human couple, they go through some tough times dealing with a person determined to break them apart, and have to fight their feelings of jealousy and insecurity, deal with supposed betrayals, and wounded pride. Will their love be strong enough to endure this test, or will it crumble under the pressure?

I enjoyed this plotline. Things are never smooth sailing for Cat and Bones, but it's usually because someone is trying to kill one or the other, and you get to see Cat and Bones at their kicka** best, fighting the baddies. And while there is some of that kind of action in this book (especially at the explosive end), Cat doesn't do a whole lot of fighting in this one. Mostly its about the problems in their relationship, and if they will be able to work them out. Most of the characters from the previous books return, some with large roles (Spade, Vlad), others with token appearances or mentions (Cooper, Tate, Juan, Don, Denise, Annette, Justina, Rodney), and a couple of interesting new characters (the ghostly Fabian, and voodoo queeen/ghoul Majestic) are introduced. Cat's friendship with Vlad deepens, and she finally comes to a decision about whether she's ready to become a full-time vamp or not. After she makes that decision, there's a scene that reminded me a lot of Bella and Z (and her 'needing') from JR Ward's Lover Awakened--hawt!

Of course it wouldn't be a 'Night Huntress' book without the trademark quips, rude sayings, and laugh out loud dialogue between some of the characters. Cat gets off a couple of good R-rated zingers, one of which showcases her jealousies to one of Bones's French female admirers: "He f**** even better than he looks. And that beautiful face is going to be clamped between my legs as soon as we get "oome', don't you worry." And another, referring to Bones: "Bones has always been smart. His intelligence was just camouflaged under a mountain of p****."

Spade gets off a few of his own too. Speaking to Cat: "The last time you ran off like Henny Penny to shout the sky down, it didn't turn out well, did it?" And after catching her with Vlad: "Lucifer's bloody balls, is that why you haven't returned my calls?"

And finally, Bones, to Gregor, after Cat mouths off to him: "Don't care for her tongue, do you? How strange. I find it one of my favorite parts."

So, lots of what you come to expect from the 'Night Huntress' series: some fighting, some lovin', some great dialogue, some great vampire tricks, some intrique--all leading up to a big ol' explosive conclusion right out of an action movie! And while things look like they're settled for now (with the bad guys taken care of), somehow you know that they're...not. I think there's a lot more in store for my favorite vampire couple, and I for one can't wait! 4 1/2 stars

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers be everywhere in this one.

I have had some irritation with this series in the previous books, but nothing even close to how pissed off this book made me. Was there even a point to this mess? Because I didn't really see one.

The missing memories courtesy of Mencheres seemed to come out of nowhere. When previously unknown events, that are a secret to all but one, pop up it doesn't seem clever, it just seems like the author pulled it out of her ass. Also, the fact that these events centered around another vampire who just happened to have a previous husband claim which conveniently led to tension between Cat and Bones... You see what I mean? Where did that come from?

The relationship between Cat and Bones hit the skids big time here. I read this book with a huge knot in my stomach. It wasn't a nervous-but-excited-to-see-where-this-is-going knot. It was the kind of knot you get when you hear your parents having fight. You feel sick and wish it would just stop.

Unfortunately, it doesn't stop. For about 3/4 of the book they snipe at each other and say horrible things. Cat also continues to fix any of her problems with a Gin and Tonic. It really seemed like they weren't the same characters anymore. If I didn't know it was the same series I wouldn't even recognize them. All the caring and love that characterized their relationship before seemed to morph into a weapon to club each other into misery with. It wasn't fun to read about. I don't enjoy watching characters treat each other this way and spew out these things they can never take back. For Gods sake, Bones had the nerve to question her commitment to their marriage because she wanted to know the truth of her marriage! (total jerk move by the way) Does that seem like the Bones from the last book? It sure doesn't to me!

Vlad was the shining star of this story. When is he getting his own book? He is a great friend to Cat. I love that he pushes her about her feelings about Bones. That's what real friends do. They push you until you finally admit the truth. I felt so bad for him when he admitted that he missed sleeping with someone. Sleeping alone is one of the hardest things to get used to.

Mencheres also played a part in this one, obviously. He didn't stand out much, but one thing did catch my attention. When and why did he lose his ability to see the future?

Regarding Bones and Cat: There was no "right" person in their fights and separation. I felt more sympathy for Bones, but mostly because Cat burned through any sympathy I had for her in the last book with her handling of the Tate situation. That doesn't mean Bones was justified though. I do think the rant he blasts her with before he leaves is completely justified. I've been dying to say that to her for a few books now. But, Bones shouldn't have deliberately let Cat be hurt by her false assumptions. He knew exactly what she would think and he just let it happen.

The whole point of the book seems to be to provide an extremely complicated set up to compel Cat to finally become a vampire. I can't help but think there was an easier (and more likable) way for the author to go about this. I find Cat's differences as a vampire intriguing, although I feel bad that she still can't be just one of the masses.

As of this moment I do not plan to read anymore of the books following Cat and Bones. I do still plan to read the spin offs, but I just can't handle the mess they have made of their relationship anymore. I should have stopped reading at book 2.

One last thing: How lame to be stuck with Justina for all eternity.

[Exina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8 stars

Cat and Bones have been a couple for six years now, married and have gone through a lot together. But their relationship is far from perfect, mainly due to Cat’s constant jealousy, insecurities about the balance in their relationship, obstinacy, and distrust toward her husband. In this book, it gets over the top.



They have to face their relationship issues due to a frightening, insidious, very dangerous enemy.
The conflict is interesting, the supporting characters make the storyline flow – Vlad, Mencheres, Spade, Justina, Annette, Fabian.



Great story, 4.8 stars because of Cat’s irrational behavior.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is fourth in a UF series so you probably want to read in order. You might consider stopping before you get to this one, though. Just saying.

Seriously, save yourself. I'm not saying this book is a pile of cat barf or anything. I mean, I respect cats more than that. Like, they can't help it if they need to barf! and Jeaniene Frost had all the opportunity in the world not to put this pile of contrived retread together.

I didn't make it halfway and I'm surprised I made it that far. We've had the better part of two books of Cat and Bones talking about not making unilateral decisions for each other. So imagine my chagrin to find this book starts with one long string of one or the other making unilateral decisions. And then Frost gives us a contrived thing about Cat maybe being married to some other vampire first. Like, one we've never even heard of before. From when she was sixteen! All of this is in the first quarter, so I'm not going to spoiler it and you deserve to know before picking this up!

And don't get me started on the lack of imagination that is Gregor. I'd say he's straight from central casting, only he's not even that original. I could go into his inconsistencies and convenient contrivances just to make him any kind of threat to Bones and Cat, but I'd have to spoiler tag it and frankly, I don't care. Suffice to say that he's not even vaguely interesting and having him ruining things for Cat is monstrous. Only I hold Frost to blame because it's all author fiat that any of this exists at all. I mean, I sympathize a little because she wrote the previous books with Bones and Cat vanquishing the foes on the playing field so she had to come up with some new threat to write a book about. Not enough sympathy to forgive this sea of bile, though.

I finally had enough when Cat finally regains her memories and sticks a knife into Gregor only to tie herself into mental knots not to kill him. I mean, at this point, she knows he's a creepy creep who sleezed on, and manipulated, a vulnerable sixteen year-old in the worst way possible. Well, okay, he was interrupted before he pulled the rape together, but it was a near call. So why is she tying herself into knots wanting to spare him? And why for the love of all that's not-quite-dead-yet is she thinking "I still have a soft spot in my heart for him?!?" The only soft hearts in this thing should be his and it should be soft because it's no longer an integral piece. The Cat I thought I knew would have non-metaphorically shredded his heart for trying to claim "I only did what any man would have" in forcing her naked and nearly doing the deed over her active resistance. And then she'd have gone out the front door and challenged his minions to return her to Bones post-haste so she could convince him not to lay waste to their existence in vengeance for what they'd already done to her and don't even think about getting in her way or the hell they'd experience would make them wish that she'd just killed them on her way home. But no, we have to eek out another 60% of a book with this thin gruel so tying herself in knots not to kill him it is! I mean, it's like she doesn't even remember that she has actually spoken to powerful people telling her that they'd fight against them if Gregor's claim is real and that the vampire bonding thing is permanent, no exceptions. Except for death. So not-killing him when she knows his claim is real is literally the stupidest thing she could do and she should know this!

I was so disgusted with that scene I'm not sure I can pick up the next in the series. This is one star, but only because there's nothing lower.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I know why this series is so massively popular!

I have a bit of a confession to make before I talk about this book. First off, I wasn’t too keen on the Night Huntress thing when I started the series earlier this year. In fact, I hated Cat and her beliefs about vampires and wasn’t that enamoured by Bones in the previous three books. That being said, I was skeptical going into this book because I was hoping and praying that this one would capture my attention. Going into this, my favourite book was One Grave at a Time, but after reading Destined to an Early Grave, I love this one more!

I know Frost fans hated the fighting between Cat and Bones, but for some odd reason I revelled in it. No, I didn’t laugh evilly every time they fought, but I thought that Frost did a great job of showing the ups and downs of a relationship. Not only did this make me devour the pages, but I felt that it strengthened Cat and Bones’s relationship in a much better way than if they were frolicking in a field with butterflies and roses and unicorns.

Most of the time, Bones and Cat fought because of misunderstandings. Added onto that is the threat of Gregor, a powerful and really old vampire known as the Dreamsnatcher who claims that Cat is his wife. And you know the deal with vampires....they always claim what is theirs.

I loved seeing Bones’s jealous and of course, wished that it was aimed at me and not Cat. But, hey what can you do? It’s fiction! I can do anything I want.

This book was great! And now I can truly say that I’m a Frost fan because guess who is my wallpaper at the moment! You guessed it, BONES!!! That man does bad things to me.

[Katie(babs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I had finished At Grave’s End, the third book in Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series, I was on the fence whether I wanted to go ahead and read Destined For An Early Grave. If you read my review for At Grave’s End, you know I was less than pleased. I was upset with my reaction because Cat and Bones are one of my favorite literary duos from this decade. And to think that I could turn my back on them because one book in a series I loved failed to deliver. It may be silly and pathetic to some, but when you invest such emotionally into a series and turn away because it no longer delivers the goods, it can be earth shattering.

I can say with much certainty that Destined For an Early Grave is Jeaniene’s way of basically sitting on top of me and not letting me escape. “I won’t let you go without a fight!”. This book was a wild ride with a lot of action, drama and more snark then ever before. And the steamy, passionate love that Bones and Cat share that I found lacking in At Grave’s End? That has been pushed up a notch. Bones does love to use his fangs on Cat in so many ways. Destined For an Early Grave digs deeps into the psyche and emotions of Cat and Bones. This time they are not only tested by both outside sources, but also their inner turmoil. There is one such individual who wants Cat because he had her first before Bones. And then there are those doubts Cat still has when it comes to Bones. Cat may know how to kill the bad guys with great skill, but when it comes to Bones she shuts off. And because of these esteem issues she has, she is the one responsible for the possible destruction of her relationship with Bones.

Destined For an Early Grave begins with Cat and Bones going on a much needed vacation. Cat wants to go to Paris for no reason that she can think of. Bones is all for it because he wants to give his ladylove and vampire wife the world. Off they go not expecting an adventure that may ruin their whole foundation of devotion and trust. Cat shares her heart and body with Bones but won’t allow him access to her mind and deepest thoughts. Bones feels hurt even though he knows the Cat has problems with letting others get too close to her. I really do wish these two would go through some marriage counseling. And they are going to need some major counseling after they finish with Gregor.

Gregor wants Cat. A few weeks before Cat and Bones met at the bar where Cat so eloquently asked Bones, if he wanted to fuck her, she was taken by Gregor to Paris. Gregor tried to gain the trust of the fragile sixteen year old Cat, seduce her and marry her because he knew what Cat would be capable of in the years to come. Cat doesn’t remember Gregor at all because Bones, grandsire Mencheres was able to erase Cat’s memories of her time with Gregor. Mencheres also knows how important Cat is because he can see the future. He made sure Cat and Bones met. Mencheres manipulated their relationship but let nature takes it course. Now Gregor is invading Cat’s dreams. Gregor is a dream snatcher and can grab people from their dreams. He is trying to take Cat away from Bones because he believes that Cat is his wife.

Cat knows her heart belongs to Bones, but she needs her memories back. Bones is scared and doesn’t want Cat anywhere near Gregor. What if Cat regains her memories and wants to be with Gregor instead? Both Cat and Bones are walking on egg shells with one another. Cat wants to confront Gregor and the issue head on. Bones wants to place Cat in a protective bubble and kill Gregor himself. And when Cat goes off and deals with Gregor even after Bones tells her not to, he is fed up. What happens after that will have you clutching the book and gasping because the thought of Bones and Cat not being together is horrible.

Not only does Destined For an Early Grave give the reader more insight on the vampire culture Jeaniene has created, but this is where she shows how important friends and family are. Bones and Cat’s support system is wonderful. There are many times that Bones and Cat annoyed me to the point I wanted to smack them because they are just too stubborn to listen to one another. But to circumvent this, there are a few other characters that have grown on me. They keep things in perspective and light hearted. Jeaniene has written a great group of male figures. Bones will always be first in my eyes but now I am total fan girl of Spade, Ian and even Vlad. At first I felt Vlad was a bad rip off of the whole Dracula myth but Jeaniene really makes Vlad shine here. Menecheres is the voice of reason even though he is a manipulative bastard half the time. We also get a different side to Cat’s mother, Justina. She can be a harpy but something really horrible happens that may change your mind about her.

The tension is very thick in Destined For An Early Grave but there are moments where the laughs come out. Jeaniene is a near genius at dialogue. The snarky one-liners are all over the place. I couldn’t stop chuckling and shaking my head at the same time because they are so good and somewhat shocking.

One example comes from Cat when a female patron at the Palais Garnier Opera House shows her appreciation for Bones a bit too much for Cat’s liking. Cat is on line at the bathroom and her bladder is about to explode, so she is not a happy camper to begin with. Cat’s response to the woman is priceless:

“He fucks even better than he looks,” I settled on saying. Several heads turned. I didn’t care, I was pissed. “And that beautiful face is going to be clamped between my legs as soon as we get ooome, don’t you worry.”

Not only are some pieces of the dialogue shocking in nature, but Jeaniene keeps thing lively with the vampire fighting and death. Some of the characters may not make it in the end and you will have no idea who will be alive at the end. Jeaniene does keep you guessing.

Destined For An Early Grave was a very enjoyable and fun read. Those who are fans of this series will be very happy with the results especially that of Cat and how she resolves her issues with her vampire heritage and her feelings for Bones.

[MischaS_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! May I ask for more of Vlad and Ian?? All the time I thought that something is wrong with the vow between Cat and G. this book was clever!
Yup, and something about Marie! :D

[Naomi 🐨 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series!!! ❤️

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Night Huntress #4. Urban fantasy, vampire romance. Best read in series order.
Cat is having nightmares about a vampire named Gregor. She finds out he’s real and that he’d take her at 16 but her memories are gone. It seems she is actually married to this Gregor instead of Bones.

Narcissistic vampire Gregor is a horror. A couple of characters I felt did not deserve his treatment even if I didn’t like them. Cat and Bones are put to the test.
It’s intense and gripping and oh, so triumphant.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fourth instalment of the Night Huntress series was a bit of a mixed bag. It was still a fast paced and engaging read with the same blend of action, romance, humor, mystery that we have grown to expect from the series. It even had plenty of shock twists and turns that kept things quite intense, but was also riddled with a few annoying flaws. Some of Bones and Cat's behaviour was infuriating and it felt like Frost had dipped into the well once too often with some of her story arcs.

Cat and Bones are trying to relax after the happenings at the end of the third book when it becomes apparent that poor Cat has caught they eye of yet another ancient undead sex pest. Gregor "the dream snatcher" has been invading Cat's dreams(the guy treats bedtime with the same sort of creepy glee as Edward Cullen) and is claiming that Cat is actually his wife rather than Bones wife and that Mencheries wiped the whole experience from Cat's memory. Crazy happenings ensue as the "no means yes" former school girl snatcher tries to drag Cat kicking and screaming to his bed!

The plot was a little far fetched, but would not have been too bad if I had not reached the stage where I'm getting bored by the fact that every vamp that meets Cat thinks she is the hottest girl on the planet and simply has to have her no matter what the cost. It is like there are no other women in this world!

Another real irritation was the behaviour of both Cat and Bones. Bones was an asshole at times to Cat even stormed off in a drama laden huff at one point. Cat was even worse as her loose moral code hit an all time low in this instalment.

Despite my moaning I did still manage to enjoy this. Frost managed to keep my attention as the story moved along at a rapid pace.

Rating: 3.5 stars. It might have been 4 if it had less irritating moments.

Audio Note: Tavia Gilbert was awesome as always.

[Kat Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure why I read this entire series. Certainly the writing sometimes left something to be desired and eventually the plot became so ridiculously beaten, abused and tormented that I briefly considered starting a home for it and marketing telethons help others like it.

I think the only thing that saved this ENTIRE series for me was the relationship between Bones and Cat. Passionate, loving, flawed, sometimes almost breakable, realistic. I don't know and since I had to turn my brain off to read this last installment, it's hard to get it going again.

So, read this series at your own risk. I don't necessarily endorse it but if you're looking for brainless sexy times then line up and at least give it a go.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

“Slumber party with Dracula, all things considered why not?”

And this is where the series finally stakes a deeper claim in me and starts improving. Other friends seemed to salivate over this series from the start but I found too much annoyed me to fall head over heels with it. With this fourth book it fares better - the things that annoyed me before aren't there anymore and the characters are driving the story without too many distracting sex scenes.

The biggest game changer is that Cat no longer annoyed me. I think the author tried too hard in the first three to make her so tough she felt unapproachable and too unsympathetic. While she's still tough as nails and impressive as hell, she's also more enjoyable as a main to follow around. Her heart exists besides where Bones is concerned and she's willing to listen and have a decent conversation instead of obnoxiously shrill over anyone trying to talk. Instead of meeting people with an attitude, she acts like a decent person unless they give her a choice otherwise.

Vlad was great too - the vampire is too funny and he rocked every scene he was in, which was several. My eyes were glued.

There's trouble in paradise with Bones and while sometimes it was a little too angsty, there was relief to see real emotion from Cat. With what he planned, they had to have some series regulars at play - mainly Slade and Vlad - and I found the two in the house and with different scenes to be fascinating.

We get to meet Marie the Voodoo queen and that was pretty epic as well. Really the characters made this one - the story was good on its own standing but it wouldn't have worked without some of the humor from Vlad, the enduring charm from Slade, and the sexy appeal of Bones. Oh, and Mencheres was awesome too.

There was a slight mystery as Cat has to figure out what Gregori means to her, even making me question what was right and what was wrong, until the author cleared that muddy picture up quickly when revealing new things about the vampire and Cat's history. Bones was in the dark, but not all friends were, which made an interesting reveal.

The book closes with a brilliant battle and some grim changes, making me an official fan of the series who finally wanted to read the next few books.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, Frost really stepped up her game with the third book in this series. I was really uncertain about this one. A vampire who showed up in Cat’s dreams and attempted to steal her through them? A vampire that claims she was married to him when she was 16, but she has no memory of their time together? I was certain everything was about to go very downhill, very fast. Instead, it worked beautifully. The new characters were interesting, imo. Frost brought new material to the table and twisted it until it was possibly more gripping than ever. I’d say the fourth installment is just as great as the third.

[Woman Reading (is away exploring) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ☆ Vampire telenovela

Bound in vampire marriage to Bones at the end of book #2 and engaged human-style at the beginning of book #3, Cat and Bones' relationship appears solid. So it's now time to increase the angst and melodrama.

"I wish people would just leave us alone,” I said. “You remember when it was just the two of us in a big dark cave? Who knew that would be the most uncomplicated time of our lives?”

Tate's efforts to wrest Cat from Bones look downright amateurish compared with the onslaught launched by Gregor. Known as the Dreamsnatcher, Gregor can take away anyone once he touches them during their dreams. He doesn't hold back since asserting that he and Cat were bound in vampiric matrimony 10 years earlier. Few options remain for Cat and Bones as vampire marriages prohibit divorce and bigamy.

Why do these crazy vampires keep trying to collect me?

I liked the premise and the first half of the book was good. But then Frost kicked the drama level and angst skyward, and the second half sputtered a bit as they ran around like headless chickens for a while.

Here are links to my reviews for the rest of the series -

#0.5 Reckoning 3☆
#1 Halfway to the Grave 2.5 ☆
#2 One Foot in the Grave 2.5 + ☆
#3 At Grave's End 3 ☆
#5 This Side of the Grave 3 ☆
#6 One Grave at a Time 3 ☆
#7 Up from the Grave 3 ☆

[AngelLeah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I should write two reviews for this, one for the majority of the book and one for the ending.

Catherine (Cat) Crawfield started out as a bad-ass, tough woman; who was an intelligent, take-charge leader. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way we lost that character. Through the majority of "Destined for an Early Grave", the 4th book in the Night Huntress series, the reader is forced to listen to the inner dialogue of a woman with a very low self-esteem. When did Cat become this woman?!

Have you ever had a female friend who would sit around and whine about the horrible problems in her relationship, while blaming everything on herself? Didn't you just want to scream and slap your friend to wake her up?! Are you really going to let him treat you like that?! Are you going to sit back and cry over losing him while he treats you like a doormat?!

Of course, if this book wasn't written from only Cat's point of view, then we might have known that her love, "Bones" was not the total jerk that we thought he might be. That is a serious downside when writing a book from only one viewpoint. Unfortunately, it ruined this book for me. I spent too much time pissed off at Bones and couldn't really enjoy the book. Although there was an apology, Cat never actually demanded one. Instead, she was willing to move on without even getting one.

hhhmmm.... keep secrets from me, treat me like a child, flip out when I do what I think is best with the limited information that I have, break my heart, publicly humiliate me.... oh, but since I have some of the blame in it, I'll just forget your part and beg for your forgiveness. *puke*

The action in this book was fantastic. The other characters are always intriguing and I'm glad to see that some books have been written about them. The ending was good. Maybe the next book will have Cat back to her kick-ass, smart, independent self. I missed her in this book.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit confused about how to rate this, Might upgrade it to 5 stars someday. I'm super glad to continue this series and to find that I still love it, was a bit scared I won't.

The plot is as amazing as always, and its Cat's crazy ex that is in the way of their relationship. The whole team is still present in this part, except for Tate and others in Homeland security who just made an appearance, mainly cause she quit.. The writing style is astounding and fast paced.

A crazy vampire who can steal people through dreams wants Cat and claims that they are married because he kidnapped her when she was 16 and bounded himself to her before Mencheres caught and imprisoned him. They did everything they could but the guy Gregor refused to give up, sent lots of people after them to kill Bones and capture Cat. He planned on turning her into a vampire Ghoul so he could control her powers as her seir, but Bones bested him and turned her into a vampire and became her seir

Bones and Gregor entered a duel to the death and the winner can claim Cat, but before the fight Gregor kidnapped Cat's mother then turned her into a vampire. Bones won the duel but Gregor's allies hate them now and will try to kill them when they get the chance.

Will defintely edit this review someday, there's a lot more I'd love to add.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was by FAR the weakest in the series so far. Cat was so incessantly whiny that I took longer than usual to finish it because, frankly, I was annoyed by her instead of laughing at her witty intelligence. She is normally a tad emotional, but this was just too much. There was a lot of repetitive mad/angry/makeup between Bones and Cat that felt tired.

Were there NEW elements to the story, yes? They felt a bit weak, though. More effort could have been spent on the "new" adventure instead of on Bones/Cat Relationship.

For example, one of my updates while reading was: "If I took a shot every time Cat cried in this book, I would be dead of alcohol poisoning by now....."

Luckily, the book DID pick up towards the final third, but it felt too little too late. Was there a new editor or something on this book?

Will I continue with the series? Yes, I genuinely like the characters for the most part, even if I hope one of them isn't gone for good.

Not a lot of surprises in this one; lots of... "been waiting for that to happen for a while" moments... The character development was relatively stagnant for most of the book. I hope Book 5 picks up the pace again.

Ultimately, 3/5 stars for me.

[Lonna | FLYLēF · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's the best part of fighting? Making up, of course! When Cat and Bones head to Paris for a holiday, a vampire named Gregor, who has romantic ties to Cat's past, has something very different planned. Another great installment!