Heroines of Fantasy: Miss May

May is such a sweet sounding month, but I do not have a sweet heroine for you today. For this month’s Heroine of Fantasy feature, we’re heading back into the book world to meet Jeaniene Frost’s Cat of the Night Huntress series.

 Cat Crawfield

Due to her mother being raped by a vampire and getting pregnant, Cat is both half-human and half-vampire, which gives her the unique strength to combat these evil undead creatures. Every night she goes out hunting, hoping to find her father and kill him so maybe her mother can stop living in fear.

One night, she tries to lure and kill Bones, a vampiric bounty hunter that’s on to her. He imprisons her in a cave for days until he convinces her that the two of them would make a pretty good team. Of course, romance isn’t far off.

Cat is very young in the first book, so it’s no surprise that she can be immature. Throughout the series she does grow up some. She serves on a secret military team hunting vampires for a while, and delves deeper into the vampire world with Bones (I’m not going to go into detail and give anything away, but it’s a wild ride). Cat is stubborn, tough, and not afraid to take risks—she’s basically been using herself as vampire bait since she was sixteen.

She also has a hot temper, as does her lover, Bones, which makes for some very fiery spats—and fiery make-up sessions. Caution to those who may not like the racy so much: Frost is very graphic in her descriptions. But if you’re comfortable skipping over the sex scenes, the rest of the story is a lot of fun and very imaginative.

Cat is a badass girl we can all admire. Be it monstrous vampires, ghouls, or ghosts, she’ll take them all on. She is, after all, half dead herself.

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One Grave At A Time ~Jeaniene Frost

After the events of Book 5 in the Night Huntress series, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than to sit down and relax with her vampire husband, Bones.  But thanks to the unwanted gift by the voodoo queen of New Orleans, Cat’s still attracting ghosts, one of whom asks her to help take on a particularly nasty one.

Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter centuries ago.  Even though he’s now a ghost, he’s been killing ever since.  Every Halloween, he takes physical form and murders women.  Cat, of course, won’t stand for that, but how do you fight a monster who’s incorporeal 364 days out of the year?  They might not be able to touch him, but Kramer packs quite the punch for a ghost, and he’s set his sights on Cat.

The Night Huntress series is one of my favorites.  Cat’s grown a lot over the books.  This installment wasn’t as exciting as previous ones.  Though fighting a ghost is certainly cause for action and excitement, I mean that it lacked the usual emotional punch.  Cat and Bones were pretty mild together, and aside from taking on this ghost on principle, there wasn’t really an emotional stake for the characters.  Enjoyable read nonetheless.

This Side of the Grave ~Jeaniene Frost

Cat Crawfield has survived a lot over the past several years, but now a zealot ghoul is using her unique existence as a half-vampire turned full vampire as fuel to incite a war between vampires and ghouls.  She and her master vampire husband, Bones, will have to put a stop to it before it comes to all out war–or Cat’s execution.  Their one potential ally, however, is just as dangerous, if not more so.  Marie, the ghoul-queen of New Orleans, possesses a power that even vampires should fear, and an alliance with her may have more consequences than any of them could have foreseen.

Ms. Frost is still going strong with her Night Huntress series.  Cat and Bones are a little mellowed out in this installment, compared to previous knock-down relationship spats, but I found it a nice change of pace.  Besides, Cat’s got a lot of other stuff going on right now, and I’ll just say that it made sense for Bones to be a little more sensitive to her.

What else can I say?  I love the characters, the storytelling, and even five books in, Frost is still delivering some nice plot twists.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness ~Jeaniene Frost

This is the second spin-off of the Night Huntress series.

Kira Graceling is a private investigator who believes in doing the right thing.  When she hears someone being attacked by a group of thugs, she doesn’t just keep walking, though she should have because she suddenly finds herself in the world of vampires and monsters.

Mencheres is an ancient Master vampire who’s grown weary of the world, until Kira–a fearless, beautiful human–risks her life to save him.  To keep her in his world would be dangerous, but he can’t stop thinking about her.  In the meantime, another powerful vampire who has been planning vengeance against Mencheres for the past several thousand years is readying to strike his final blow, and Kira will be caught in the middle.

I love Jeaniene Frost’s books, and this was no exception.  I loved the characters.  Kira is an amazing, strong heroine with all too human vulnerabilities: a sister who’s dying from a terrible disease, a deadbeat brother, and a backstory with an ex-husband/dirty cop.  Despite all she’s had to face and continues to when she discovers vampires are real, Kira remains centered and brave.

Mencheres is also much more grounded and calm than Bones.  Cat and Bones are good with their violent spats, but it was a nice change of pace to have a sweeter romance develop with these two characters.  But don’t worry, Frost’s hallmark of gritty violence and sex are still a big part of this book.

Destined For An Early Grave ~Jeaniene Frost

This is book 4 of the Night Huntress series following Cat, a half-vampire, and her vampire lover, Bones.  After quitting the secret military operation that hunts rogue vampires, Cat is thinking of a romantic getaway with Bones.  Their vacation is interrupted, however, when Cat starts having dreams of another vampire.  Gregor seems vaguely familiar to Cat, though she swears she’s never met him.  Gregor is older and more powerful than Bones, and claims that Cat rightfully belongs to him.

It becomes a game of hiding Cat from Gregor’s clutches while rumors of war brew.  Cat will discover that she actually does know this vampire, but her memories of him have been erased.  The revelation that comes after she remembers will throw her world, and her relationship with Bones, upside down.

I was surprised when after only 130 pages in, Cat ends up in Gregor’s clutches where she regains her lost memories.  I thought for sure such a confrontation was better built up to over a longer period.  I wish it had been.  The bulk of the story after her escape is Cat and Bones having “marital problems.”  Bones ticked me off so much, I wanted Cat to leave him and find a new love interest.  It may just be my own visceral reaction to that type of drama based on personal experience, but I hated that good chunk of the book.  I thought for sure the rest of the series would be ruined for me.

Thankfully, though I don’t know why, when Cat and Bones finally reconcile (of course they do), I managed to get over my anger and enjoy the end of the book as though the middle hadn’t happened.  If I thought the events in the last book would leave their mark on Cat, this one blows the roof off.  Nothing will ever be the same for Cat again.

If you’ve read this book or the series, tell me what you thought.  I love a good book discussion!

At Grave’s End ~Jeaniene Frost

Book 3 of the Night Huntress series.

Cat Crawfield has it pretty good.  The love of her life, the dangerous vampire Bones, is back in her life, and the two of them are doing what they do best: hunting down other vampires.  Unfortunately, it’s getting harder to keep Cat’s cover, and she’s got plenty of enemies who want her dead.

In addition, there’s a new (or really old) vampire in town, and she’s hellbent on vengeance on Bones and his friends.  Lines are drawn between two major vampire lines, but even those who declared loyalty can’t be fully trusted.  Cat’s heart will be ripped to pieces by the time this battle is over.

Jeaniene Frost’s writing is gritty and vivid, bloody, violent, and sensual.  There’s plenty of blood shed throughout this book, lots of conflict, and lots of emotional wrenching on the characters.  I also couldn’t tell who the traitor in their midst was, which does not happen often.  And the ending is something else.  There is also a new character I am eager to see more of.  (‘Course, it helps that Susan talked him up.)  Vlad, also known as Dracula, makes his entrance, and will be sticking around.

Oddly, I didn’t get emotionally involved with the characters.  That wasn’t to say it was not a very enjoyable read, because it was.  Maybe it was because there were several characters who were present, but not very distinct.  It was hard for me to keep them separate in my mind.  The very core characters, Cat, Bones, Vlad, and Mencheres to a degree, are all very distinct.  Sometimes though, I think crowds of characters, however necessary, can temper the connection.

In any case, very good book.  I’m getting the next book as soon as I can.

Bad Boys or Boy Scouts?

What type of men do women fantasize about?  Bad boys usually top the list.  The dark, brooding types have an air of mystery about them that we just have to unlock.  Plus they’re dangerous.  There is something alluring about risk, and in fiction it’s all the better because there are no consequences for the reader.  We can fall in love with those abrasive, sexy guys in the safety of those pages (or film) and return to life as normal when we close the book, having vicariously experienced the thrill of adventure.  The Bad Boy archetype is certainly more prominent in fiction than his counterpart, the Boy Scout.

Bones (Night Huntress series)

Bones is the dark, sexy vampire with his own agenda and a devilish approach to sex.  As with many bad boys, there’s something appealing about him: hints of sweetness underneath that thick layer of bad ass.  Would you want a real relationship with him?  Probably not, unless you fancied pain.  But you’re the reader, which makes jumping into bed with him safe and temporarily satisfying.

Damon Salvatore (Vampire Diaries)

Dark, sometimes evil, and witty vampire with piercing eyes.  Oh yeah, he’s delicious.  But then he can go and surprise us with moments of heroism, which makes us believe there is good in him, if only the right girl can draw it out.

Not to list only vampire bad boys (though that does seem to be the best or most popular form this archetype takes), let’s also mention:

Captain Mal Reynolds (Firefly)

This captain’s line of work is anything but legit most of the time, and he’s not afraid to throw a punch or fire off a few rounds.  Yet he also has a sense of nobility and honor.  Being an ex-soldier, he knows loyalty and nobody messes with his crew.  He may have unscrupulous business practices, but he has limits on what he will and will not do.  Dangerous, yet honorable.  Now that’s a combination.

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The Boy Scout, though apparently outnumbered, is not extinct in fiction.  There’s also something alluring in undiluted devotion and sweet affection.  The knight in shining armor persona has his place.  In a world of darkness and betrayal, there is something safe and fulfilling in the ever faithful and dependable Boy Scout, the ideal man a woman can spend her whole life looking for in the real world and never find.  Divorce rates are high, marriages are not expected to last a lifetime, and more and more children emerge from broken homes.  Yes, we secretly love danger, but we also long for the stability we believe we’ll never have.

Marcus O’Malley (Dee Henderson’s The O’Malley series)

Really, all the men in Dee Henderson’s books are Boy Scouts.  Marcus is a US marshal dedicating his life to protecting high profile figures.  He’s loyal to his family and those he cares about, to the point that when he gets a call from any of his siblings, he will drop what he’s doing and rush over.  How many women would love if their husbands  put them above their work?

Leopold (Kate and Leopold)

Time traveling romances make use of the good boy persona more easily as honor and decorum is expected of men from the past.  Leopold is a man of 1870, and though he might be considered a bit of a rogue in his time since he refuses to conform and marry a rich American, by today’s standards he is definitely a gentleman.  He treats Kate with respect, and when he attempts to film a commercial for her, he refuses to compromise his standards by promoting a product he finds disgusting.  Kate obviously falls for this chivalry, knowing she’ll never find equal in her own era.

Seeley Booth (Bones)

Here is a fine sample of a Boy Scout who is both tough and sexy.  Booth follows the rules, doesn’t compromise his values, and has a sense of honor.  He’d never cheat on you, never put his work above his loved ones, and never break your heart (intentionally).  He is dependable.

So what about you? Do you prefer the Bad Boys or the Boy Scouts?  Or do you find both meet a deep need at various times in your life?  Who’s your favorite Bad Boy or Boy Scout character?

One Foot in the Grave ~Jeaniene Frost

Just finished reading One Foot in the Grave.  This is actually book 2 of the Night Huntress series, the first being Halfway to the Grave.  Both were good reads.  Cat is a half-vampire hunting vampires.  The character has her faults and prejudices, some of which she overcomes pretty quickly–too quickly maybe.  Wanting to change and actually changing are two very different processes.  Her relationship with her mother is a love/hate thing for the reader.  Love because the mother is practically insane and the banter between the two is amusing.  Hate for anyone who relates to having an overbearing paternal figure they feel like tossing in a vampire pit.

The love interest is Bones, a Master vamp (and it’s very hard not to think of the TV show with that name).  Theirs is somewhat of a love/hate relationship too, since when they first met he tied her up and more or less enslaved her.  There are a couple sex scenes; Cat, herself, uses the word “depraved” to describe it.  Most of the book, however, is centered around the hit on Cat’s life and the subsequent skirmishes with vampires.  I hope you like violence, because these guys play dirty–quite a bit of eye gouging.  In addition, the prose is easy to read.  The next three books are on my to-read list.

Note: I have yet to figure out what makes one writer’s prose easy (quick) for me to read, and another’s harder (slower).  Is it an artistic thing?  Linguistic?