Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

 

HER DEADLY DREAMS LEAVE HER IN GRAVE DANGER

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they’ve fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it’s time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She’s having visions of a vampire named Gregor who’s more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn’t know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won’t stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor’s hold over her. She’ll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she’s ever face . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, book four) by Jeaniene Frost

Start date: August 7, 2021

End date: August 10, 2021

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Trigger warning: child grooming, sexual abuse, offensive language

I have reached a point in reading this series where I feel like my book reviews serve a legitimate purpose. These popular books star awful characters in a way that makes their thoughts and behaviors seem normalized. Flawed characters make for dynamic writing, but the work must acknowledge in some way that the characters are imperfect. If it doesn’t, readers might aspire to be like them. My review today is going to touch on topics in this book that some readers might have difficulty reading about.

Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill

 

In the first thrilling installment of Chloe Neill’s spin-off to the New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series, a new vampire will find out just how deep blood ties run.

Some believed that Elisa Sullivan, as the only vampire child ever born, had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Conner Keene, the lone son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she’s a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he’s prince of the Pack and its future king….

When the assassination of a diplomat brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, and between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever.

Wild Hunger (Heirs of Chicagoland, book one) by Chloe Neill

Start date: August 18, 2021

End date: August 19, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I really thought I was going to dislike this book. I put off reading the spin-off to the Chicagoland Vampires series because I was disappointed that that series ended. I didn’t want to read about the child of Merit and Ethan Sullivan (that should not have existed!). I wanted more stories with Merit and the gang. I grew to love her character, and I didn’t see how I could enjoy a story that took place in her world but didn’t involve her.

After reading quite a few not-so-great paranormal romance/urban fantasy books, I felt like I needed a palate cleanser. Enter Wild Hunger. I already liked one series by the author, so I figured I’d finally give the spin-off a try. At the very least, if I didn’t like it, I would have other books on my reading challenge list to give a chance to.

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

 

SOME THINGS WON’T STAY BURIED…

AT GRAVE’S END

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

At Grave’s End (Night Huntress, book three) by Jeaniene Frost

Start date: July 25, 2021

End date: July 27, 2021

Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars

Trigger warning: sexual harassment, torture, sexual assault, offensive language

I’ve been reading this series purely out of spite. It started off with me despising Cat and chuckling at how badly written the rest of the characters are. I love to send snippets of the outlandish dialogue to my friends. I enjoy picking apart the plot to expose all the holes. (Where are the editors?) I love to hate it. The writing is awful, but each book gets a tiny bit closer to good writing.

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

 

YOU CAN RUN FROM THE GRAVE, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE . . .

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to ride the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won’t let her get away again.

One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, book two) by Jeaniene Frost

Start date: July 2021

End date: July 2021

Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars

Trigger warnings: sexual harassment, transphobia, bad writing

It’s been nearly five years since the events in Halfway to the Grave. Catherine “Cat” Crawfield has settled into her new life as Special Agent Catrina Arthur or maybe it’s Cristine Russell or Red Reaper or Brunette Reaper or somehow still Cat despite staging her death under that name. Not even a quarter of the way into the book, everyone gives up on any of the new names and all the characters call her Cat. The reason she needed a new name in the first place is because she killed the governor of Ohio at the end of the previous book, and a prerequisite to working for the secret government agency was to fake her death. Her mother, teammates, and even a new friend, Denise, call her by her old name except when they’re in public, but they don’t even seem to remember to do that all the time. Because of her noncommittal to her new identity, it wouldn’t be difficult for bad guys to track her down (spoiler alert: that’s what happens).

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 

Dear Reader,

Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over 2,000 years isn’t. And being cursed into a book as a love slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior’s day.

As a love slave, I know everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all, how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander’s sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She alone bothered to take me out of the bedroom and into the world. She taught me to love again.

But I was not born to know love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace—the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a 2,000-year-old curse?

                                                                                                          Julian of Macedon

Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter, book one) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Start date: August 4, 2021

End date: August 6, 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5 starts

Content warning: child abuse, filicide, suicide, sexual slavery

            Dr. Grace Alexander is a sex therapist who desperately needs to get laid, according to her best friend, Selena. She’s a fortuneteller who believes her latest spell will end Grace’s self-imposed celibacy. It’s Grace’s birthday and a full moon to boot, so after some pizza and a little too much wine, Selena convinces Grace to summon Julian of Macedon, the sexy-as-hell man pictured in a supposedly magical book Selena got from a thrift shop. After chanting his name three times under the moonlight and nothing happening, Grace gives Selena some good-natured ribbing that has her going home demoralized. But soon it becomes clear to Grace that Julian is no longer in Selena’s book but within the confines of Grace’s home, and he has one mission on his mind: have earth-shattering sex with Grace.

Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander

 

Welcome to the secret wing of County Hospital—where vampires get transfusions, werewolves have silver allergies, and one nurse is in way over her head…

Nursing school prepared Edie Spence for a lot of things. Burn victims? No problem. Severed limbs? Piece of cake. Vampires? No way in hell. But as the newest nurse on Y4, the secret ward hidden in the bowels of County Hospital, Edie has her hands full with every paranormal patient you can imagine—from vamps and were-things to zombies and beyond…

Edie’s just trying to learn the ropes so she can get through her latest shift unscathed. But when a vampire servant turns to dust under her watch, all hell breaks loose. Now she’s haunted by the man’s dying words—Save Anna—and before she knows it, she’s on a mission to rescue some poor girl from the undead. Which involves crashing a vampire den, falling for a zombie, and fighting for her soul. Grey’s Anatomy was never like this…

Nightshifted (Edie Spence, book one) by Cassie Alexander

Start date: August 3, 2021

End date: August 4, 2021

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Content warning: child abuse, sex, offensive language

Edith “Edie” Spence is a newly minted registered nurse working at Providence General Hospital. After her brother, Jake, overdoses one too many times on heroin, Edie is offered an extraordinary deal from a mysterious stranger: if she works for County Hospital on Floor Y4, the powers that be will make sure Jake stays clean. Without fully understanding what she’s agreeing to, Edie signs the paperwork. That’s when her life goes sideways—Y4 isn’t any old floor at County. It’s where firefighting zombies recuperate, syphilitic dragons get treatment, and vampire baby showers are performed.

2021 Paranormal Reading Challenge

Welcome back to the Paranormal Review! I decided to dust off the old blog to review some of the more recent books I’ve read and truthfully because I missed sharing my opinions with the world. Whether you’ve been a longtime follower of the blog or are a newcomer here, I hope you enjoy what I’ve got in store for you.

Even though we’re more than halfway through 2021, I decided to take on a reading challenge to pay homage to the reading challenge that started this blog. The categories came from past and present paranormal reading challenges on PaperBackSwap that I combined into one cohesive list. As I read and review, I’ll update this post with links to the corresponding review, so feel free to bookmark this page. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for books I should check out, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Can't Wait for Those New Releases – Read books released in 2021.

1. Breaking Badger (Honey Badger Chronicles, book four) by Shelley Laurenston
2. A Grimoire for Gamblers (Trove Arbitrations, book one) by Amanda Creiglow
3. A Terrible Fall of Angels (Zaniel Havelock, book one) by Laurell K. Hamilton
4. Shadowed Steel (Heirs of Chicagoland, book three) by Chloe Neill
5. The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino

The Lost Boys – Read books with vampire or male lead characters.

1. Something from the Nightside (Nightside, book one) by Simon R. Green
2. Jacob (Nightwalkers, book one) by Jacquelyn Frank
3. Unmasked (Blood Bond Saga, book four) by Helen Hardt
4. Damon (Protectors, book one) by Teresa Gabelman
5. Dead Things (Eric Carter, book one) by Stephen Blackmoore

Lions, Tigers & Bears. OH MY! – Read books that have shapeshifters other than werewolves.

1. Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, book one) by Ilona Andrews
2. Wild Cat (Leopard, book eight) by Christine Feehan
3. Tempting the Beast (Breeds, book one) by Lora Leigh
4. Bunny and the Bear (Furry United Coalition, book one) by Eve Langlais
5. Fate Knows Best (Kindred of Arkadia, book one) by Alanea Alder

Calling Miss Cleo – Read books that involve psychic phenomena, premonitions, tarot, etc.

1. Suddenly Psychic (Glimmer Lake, book one) by Elizabeth Hunter
2. Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling, book one) by Nalini Singh
3. Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye (Psychic Eye Mysteries, book one) by Victoria Laurie
4. Jon’s Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case (Jon’s Mysteries, book one) by A. J. Sherwood
5. Truly, Madly (Lucy Valentine, book one) by Heather Webber

The Truth is Out There – Read books with psychic phenomena, aliens, Chupacabra, etc. Anything paranormal fits.

1. Playing with Fire (Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, book one) by Gena Showalter
2. My Colorful Conundrum (Paint Slinging Sleuth, book one) by Molly Fitz
3. Rosemary and Rue (October Daye, book one) by Seanan McGuire
4. Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter, book one) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
5. A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone, book one) by Scarlett St. Clair

Life After Death – Read books that have zombies, vampires, or ghosts.

1. The Warlord Wants Forever (Immortals After Dark, book one) by Kresley Cole
2. Hotter After Midnight (Midnight Trilogy, book one) by Cynthia Eden
3. Nightshifted (Edie Spence, book one) by Cassie Alexander
4. How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake, book one) by Kerrelyn Sparks
5. The Vampire Shrink (Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist, book one) by Lynda Hilburn

One If By Air, Two If By Sea – Read books that involve beings that can either fly or swim (angels, fairies, mermaids, selkies, dragons, etc).

1. Fighting Destiny (Fae Chronicles, book one) by Amelia Hutchins
2. Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin, book one) by G A Aiken
3. Dragons Don’t Eat Meat (Valkyrie Bestiary, book one) by Kim McDougall
4. Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid, book one) by Mary Janice Davidson
5. Darkest Flame (Dark Kings, book one) by Donna Grant

That Old Black Magic – Read books that have a main character who uses magic in some form (i.e. witches, warlocks, etc.).

1. The Wicked and the Dead (Faery Bargains, book one) by Melissa Marr
2. Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, book one) by Devon Monk
3. Easy Bake Coven (Easy Bake Coven, book one) by Liz Schulte
4. Dark Light of Day (Noon Onyx, book one) by Jill Archer
5. Touch the Dark (Cassie Palmer, book one) by Karen Chance

You CAN Judge a Book by its Cover – Read books that you love the cover art or picked it up to read based on the cover.

1. Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler
2. How to Save an Undead Life (Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy, book one) by Hailey Edwards
3. Priceless (Rylee Adamson, book one) by Shannon Mayer
4. Shifter Wars (Werewolf Dens, book one) by Kelly St. Clare
5. The Corsair's Captive (Corsairs, book one) by Ruby Dixon

One Word Titles – Read paranormal books that have just one word in the title.

1. Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, book one) by Kelley Armstrong
2. Stray (Shifters, book one) by Rachel Vincent
3. Fated (Dark Protectors, book one) by Rebecca Zanetti
4. Fireborn (Souls of Fire, book one) by Keri Arthur
5. Spirited (Tidewater, book one) by Mary Behre