Review: First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

First Drop of Crimson

Night Huntress World

by Jeaniene Frost

ISBN-10: 0061583227

ISBN-13: 978-0061583223

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 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 lusts for 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 nightmare together . . .

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

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First Drop of Crimson is Jeaniene Frost’s first book in her Night Huntress World series, a spin-off to the Night Huntress series. The events here take place after NH Destined for an Early Grave.

After zombies killed Denise’s husband she retreated from the undead world, even cutting contact with her best friend, Cat. She has been living quietly in Fort Worth, Texas for about a year. But when family members start dying of so-called heart attacks and a stranger appears right before another cousin drops dead right at Denise’s feet, she knows that the undead might be the only ones who can help her.  Unable to reach Cat & Bones, Denise dials Spade, the vampire that reminds her of blood and death, and all the reasons why she’s scorned their world. And when the stranger appears again, revealing himself as a demon and making a bargain with her to save the rest of her family Spade reluctantly agrees to help her find a lost family member for the Demon.

During their hunt Denise struggles with her growing attraction to Spade and her guilt over her husbands death. While Spade, being attracted to Denise from the start, knows where being involved with a human leads…only to death and misery.

It’s a race against time to not only save Denise’s family but herself as well while dodging the demon and other vampires; with the help of some friends they just might make it, but it won’t be easy and someone will be forever changed by the end…

This is a quick read, when First Drop of Crimson was first released I read it within a day, then when I re-read it the other night it only took a few hours.

Fast paced and entertaining, Frost takes a bit of a side-road from the main series and gives some captivating side characters a chance at their own HEA’s. 

Being a fan of Spade since Cat first tackled him in Bones' cave, I absolutely loved getting this in-depth look at him in his own book. We knew from reading NH that he has had a traumatic experience with a human he loved and refuses to have relationships with the ‘fragile’ creatures; in First Drop of Crimson we delve into his past and find out why that is, what happened to his fiancé, what his family was like, and how a Barron ended up in a South Wales penal colony. And despite being around for a few centuries he still has a lot of growing to do and Frost develops his character masterfully. He’s stubborn and arrogant, dark and sexy and is determined to protect those he loves. The way he tries to shelter Denise so her PTS doesn’t act up is so sweet and heart warming.

I have to say though that I liked Denise better before she got her own book, LoL. She is still a great character and I think my problems had to do a lot with her guilt and insecurities but she does work through these issues and I was happy with who her character grew into by the end. She goes to any length possible to protect her family and loved ones though and she really is quite fierce.

First Drop of Crimson is full of exciting twists and turns, heart pounding action, and scorching romance. And it just wouldn't be a Night Huntress novel, even Night Huntress World, with out some favorite characters joining in the fun - Cat and Bones, Ian and Mencheres. And Ian has some pretty hilarious scenes!

This novel can be read as a stand-alone but there are some scenes and comments that refer to events in NH novels and Frost doesn’t give too much of an explanation. This doesn’t take anything away from the story itself but I recommend you reading the entire series, despite the fact that it is The. Best. Series. Ever!!!

My favorite scene was the shower scene, OMG that was great! And no, it didn’t even involve smexy time! =D

The second novel in the Night Huntress World series is Eternal Kiss of Darkness, featuring the ancient Egyptian vampire Mencheres. You can read my review on that HERE. 

4 Wine Glasses Filled to the Brim AND a Snack Tray!