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bear_ridge_tarot's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a spin-off book from the Night Hunter world that Cat and Bones, and centers on Denise MacGregor. She is the best friend of half-vampire Cat and an average human who has already had more brushes with the shadowy paranormal world than is healthy for a mere mortal. Still reeling from the loss of her husband, after a whirlwind romance, Denise suddenly finds herself in the middle of an ancestrial mess.
Suddenly the prey of a pissed-off demon shapeshifter, Denise needs help from someone just as powerful. While Cat and Bonesa re unable to come themselves (as they put a stop to a supernatural war), Bones cashes in a favor to send his centuries-old friend Spade to protect Denise. With such powers swirling around her, Denise must walk a fine line, lest she lose more than her life.
While I love the idea of shapeshifting, pulling demons into the mix of supernaturals in the world of vampires and ghouls, magic and ghosts… it seems a bit clique. The manner of killing a demon, where magic comes from, and the way that the storyline allows Denise to survive being friends with vampires and ghouls feels a bit forced. This novel is necessary to see how Denise becomes the wife of Spade, as mentioned in later books, but overall not one of my favorites in the universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Addiction, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Rape, Drug use, Trafficking, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Miscarriage
anits12's review against another edition
The story line was predictable but i enjoyed reading it. also liked the guest appearance of the main cast. and hope to read an Ian's story in future
tigerxwasp's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this I really did, but I spent most of the story wanting to slap the main female character Denise hard across the face.
klippy's review against another edition
5.0
I do not know where to begin. I loved this book but I love all of Jeaniene Frost's books. I felt like it had enough romance, mystery and excitement. I liked the fact you got to know some of the secondary characters from the Night Huntress Series better. I am going to be reading the 2nd one in this series soon. I am wondering if there will be a 3rd one and what character it will highlight.
halynah's review against another edition
4.0
Nice read, interesting plot, one of the most interesting characters from ''Night huntress'' Spade. I took away one star, because I'm not very keen on Denise, but everything else is perfect! The idea with addictive blood is fresh and unique, Ian is charming ,as usual, and Spade is wonderful! A must-read for all the fans of the''Night huntress'' series and all avid readers!!!
skysreads28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
trudyd's review against another edition
4.0
Complicated, thrilling, suspenseful. I got all of these emotions and more in First Drop of Crimson. I have read this twice at least. I have recently become addicted to audiobooks. The performance had be on edge chapter after chapter. Wonderful, exciting, even knowing the ending. AMAZING!!!!
aliceboule's review against another edition
3.0
I had always found Spade to be riveting. His gentleman behavior and old fashionedness stode out when placed next to the rather blunt characters of Cat and Bones. But mostly, I had always noticed his attitude towards Cat and Bones: caring, loyal kind. It helps that he is rather good looking as well (hehehe)
Having this story revolve around Denise and Spade was refreshing. This is not to say that the moments in which Cat and Bones were present were not my favorites (because they were) but because after having followed their story for about a week it was nice to meet new people. Mainly though Denise is such a wonderful character. She is firm in her humaness and unwilling to change simply for her lover. (also i like that she is somewhat of a demon- i loooove demons * in novels of course hehe* i think this comes from my obession with Al from Rachel Morgan series but anyways)
I have noticed that Frost has a tendency of making the plot a bit slow in which all the characters are either introduced or remembered and then developped. Only almost at the end does the plot culminate, usually in around 5 or 6 pages. In those few pages the villian is conquered and the heros walk off (or fly if they are vampires) into their happy ending. Why. Why can't we have a more balanced plot?
Enough with the rushed endings; can we not have a comma or a exclamation point or question mark? Sometimes a plain period is nice too.
Bascically, this was a pleasant addition to the rather extensive Night Huntress Series. I hope though that the series will return to Cat and Bones' perspectives!
Having this story revolve around Denise and Spade was refreshing. This is not to say that the moments in which Cat and Bones were present were not my favorites (because they were) but because after having followed their story for about a week it was nice to meet new people. Mainly though Denise is such a wonderful character. She is firm in her humaness and unwilling to change simply for her lover. (also i like that she is somewhat of a demon- i loooove demons * in novels of course hehe* i think this comes from my obession with Al from Rachel Morgan series but anyways)
I have noticed that Frost has a tendency of making the plot a bit slow in which all the characters are either introduced or remembered and then developped. Only almost at the end does the plot culminate, usually in around 5 or 6 pages. In those few pages the villian is conquered and the heros walk off (or fly if they are vampires) into their happy ending. Why. Why can't we have a more balanced plot?
Enough with the rushed endings; can we not have a comma or a exclamation point or question mark? Sometimes a plain period is nice too.
Bascically, this was a pleasant addition to the rather extensive Night Huntress Series. I hope though that the series will return to Cat and Bones' perspectives!
kk7's review against another edition
5.0
This is the second time that I have read this book. The first time, I was not overly impressed as compared to the Night Huntress Series which is one of my very favorites. This time, I am doing a series re-read of the Night Huntress with the other stories from the same world all in the suggested reading order. This time around, I really enjoyed it. This is Spade and Denise's story. In a previous story, Denise lost her husband Randy in the Zombie war and suffered a miscarriage. The next time that she saw Cat, Bones, Spade and crew, she was almost raped and Spade killed the rapist in front of her. Although Spade saved her life, it was understandably too much for Denise. Too much death and loss. She pulled away from the supernatural world in an effort to rebuild her life. We all know that was too good to be true. An ancestor of hers, summoned a demon and then skipped out on the payment after banishing the demon. It has been many years after the original summoning and the demon is back for revenge. He is killing her relatives in an effort to track down the man who owes him payment ( his soul?). After killing three of her relatives, he tracks down Denise. She promptly relealizes that she is in over her head and that no human is going to believe her or be able to help her track her relative in time. The telephone numbers that she had for Cat and Bones no longer work. The only person she can reach is Spade. He agrees to come and help her although he thinks she may be suffering from a mental meltdown. Many things happen throughout the course of the book after this point. I likes the flow of the romance. They did not instantly fall in love and they did not forget their past loves. We also get more history about Bones,Spade and Ian.