fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsJeaniene Frost Night Huntress World Eternal Kiss of DarknessEternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Mencheres is a millennia-old vampire who was once the Pharaoh Menkaure. He thinks he’s seen a vision of his own doom and now has something of a death wish. One night, he’s intentionally losing a fight against some ghouls when a human woman intervenes to help him.

That woman is Kira Graceling, a thirtyish private investigator. Kira is brave, selfless, and maybe a bit of a martyr. (For example, in one early scene, Mencheres offers to help Kira’s terminally ill sister for a price, and Kira doesn’t even wait to hear what it will be, instead jumping to conclusions and offering something much steeper than what Mencheres was about to demand.) Kira hears Mencheres’ cries of pain and wades into the fray. This eventually leads to a relationship that changes both Kira’s and Mencheres’ lives, and puts them in danger when Mencheres’ eternal enemy realizes he can use Mencheres’ affection for Kira against him.

The plot doesn’t break much new ground in the field of vampire romance; the jaded ancient who finds love and regains his joie de vivre is a classic trope of the genre. Jeaniene Frost builds a fun and sweet novel around that trope, however. Eternal Kiss of Darkness features a tender, sexy love story and just the right amount of horror/violence elements. Then there’s the comic relief. Several scenes in this novel are hilarious, such when a vampire confrontation ends up posted on YouTube and garners critical comments about the acting, and pretty much anything Vlad Tepesh ever says. (As in many vampire novels, ol’ Vlad makes an appearance, and Frost’s version is one of the best I’ve seen. With his wry sense of humor, he steals every scene he’s in.)

I really enjoyed Eternal Kiss of Darkness. It’s a breezy, quick-moving read that’s perfect for a hot summer weekend. While it’s a spin-off of the NIGHT HUNTRESS series, no prior knowledge of those books is required. In fact, Eternal Kiss of Darkness is the first Jeaniene Frost book I’ve read, though I liked the brief appearances by Cat and Bones in this book and will probably go back and begin reading their story soon.

Night Huntress (Cat and Bones) — (began in 2007) Publisher: Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father — the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership. In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner — are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side… and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

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Author

  • Kelly Lasiter

    KELLY LASITER, with us since July 2008, is a mild-mannered academic administrative assistant by day, but at night she rules over a private empire of tottering bookshelves. Kelly is most fond of fantasy set in a historical setting (a la Jo Graham) or in a setting that echoes a real historical period (a la George RR Martin and Jacqueline Carey). She also enjoys urban fantasy and its close cousin, paranormal romance, though she believes these subgenres’ recent burst in popularity has resulted in an excess of dreck. She is a sucker for pretty prose (she majored in English, after all) and mythological themes.