Review: First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

First Drop of Crimson
(Night Huntress World #1)
By: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Published: Feb. 9, 2010
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

The night is not safe for mortals.

Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows – her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield – and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family’s dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness – and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human – even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the demon nightmare together…

Because once the first drop of crimson falls, they will both be lost.

**You really cannot read this book as a stand alone. There are topics that are brought up from previous books in the Night Huntress series that aren’t overly explained to someone who is new coming into this world. Plus, characters that have already been explained in the previous series pop into this story with little to no intro. So, in all honesty, this book should be read after the fourth Night Huntress book Destined for an Early Grave.

Denise recently lost her husband during a zombie attack. Since that day, she has sworn off everything from the undead world. But now her family members are dropping like flies, all mysteriously from heart attacks, and when Denise finds out the cause behind the deaths, she must dive back into the world of the undead to not only save her life but the rest of her family’s as well. Which is where Spade comes in. Since Denise dropped off the radar, the only number she has that is still current is her best friend’s husband’s best friend, Spade, who is just as fond of the human world as Denise is with the undead world.

I liked the side story of Denise and Spade. You don’t really get too much of them in the other series since that focuses on Cat and Bones. It was interesting to see these two interact with each other since at first they are not overly thrilled to be stuck with the other. There was no instant chemistry or crazy banging like with Bones and Cat. Instead they built up to that point over time in the book. However, once the sparks start flying things get steamy fast. I’m not going to go into detail but there’s this shower scene where Spade “innocently” leaves the light on and takes a shower in full view of Denise to entice her that was pretty darn hot. There were a lot of scenes where once these two got over their prejudices, they heated up the pages. Plus, it was great seeing these two go from distant acquaintances to friends, and then ultimately lovers.

While I was a little annoyed that this spin-off is extremely dependent on the reader having read the other series, I still enjoyed it. I had read the previous books so I was okay but I can see how this would be a problem for others. Even so, if you haven’t read the Night Huntress series, you really should. Especially if you are an urban fantasy fan and like a lil smut with their supernatural world. Jeaniene has a great way of telling a story and engulfing the reader into the world she’s created. I haven’t read a book of hers so far that I haven’t enjoyed.

“Any situation was better faced with an empty bladder, a clean body, and a lack of morning breath.”

Previous reviews from Night Huntress
Halfway to the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
At Grave’s End
Destined for an Early Grave