38) This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

The Blurb -

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

My Thoughts -

So we make it to Night Huntress book five and I have to say that things aren't as exciting and fun in Cat and Bones world this time around. The series has come a long way over the years but somehow this new installment felt a little dry and flat. Sure quite a few things happened and some of them will have an effect on what comes next but on the other hand I felt like nothing really happened.

Cat and Bones are always portrayed as the perfect amazing couple in the Urban Paranormal Fantasy genre but to be honest I am starting to find them somewhat annoying. Their little chats about their love for each other make me quite nauseous and I never really know who wears the trousers in the relationship. The sex scenes are not tiring for the couple but they do make me yawn. I get the feeling that both of them are just trying too hard and want to prove something that doesn't need to be proved.

While I enjoy the other vampire characters in the series I have to admit I can't remember much about them and had completely forgot the whole Kira story. So I felt a bit confused as to her abilities when it came up. Also Cat's mom returns again and manages to find yet another place in the story. It doesn't matter what happens, the woman always seems to pop up again and again even though she is not needed. In this new release prepare yourself for the passing of one of the 'team'. Don't get too upset though! In true paranormal style it looks like the character won't be gone for long. Why kill him off then?

The plot this time was weak and jumped all around the place. One moment they are in that place, then suddenly there and within pages over there. I have to say I felt dizzy and wasn't sure where everyone was at any one time. Cat gets the job done in the end but I didn't think she really worked much towards it but cheated and used yet another new power. She used to be kick-ass cool but now she just sucks up a new ability, struggles to use it and then pow! All done and dusted!

I really love this series for what it is but this book was, as you can tell, a bit of a disappointment. Maybe I was expecting too much or this was just one of the bad apples and things will get better next time. Who knows. Book six will tell us more but I am really going to have to think long and hard about if I will pre-order it or not.