Smitten by Books

First Drop of Crimson
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Pub. Date: February 9, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061583223
Retail Price: $7.99
384 pages

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.

~*~*~

Erotically mesmerizing, enticing and seductively engrossing. The First Drop of Crimson is a book like no other in it’s ability to take the reader from a world of reality into a world of fantasy, which in turn makes the world of fantasy real, in every way.

You know a book is amazing when you crack open the spine, read a few pages, and then before you know it, you look up at the clock and notice that an hour and a half has flown by. This is a book that did just that for me.

The First Drop of Crimson is a spin-off of Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. With that in mind, this is also the first of Ms. Frost’s books I have read. Let it be widely known that it will not be the last. In The First Drop of Crimson, readers will focus on Denise MacGregor, a human whose best friend, Cat, is half-vampire. During a previous visit with Cat, Denise’s husband was killed in a vampire attack. Naturally this causes Denise’s world to crash around her, as she completely distances herself from that “other” world. While this occurred in a previous book, the reader is given this, as well as several other bits of background information, so that new readers, such as myself, are able to understand the “whys” of the characters’ thoughts and actions.

Fast forward a year and a half, to the present, when Denise is visited by a corporal demon, Raum, who is set on taking revenge on her and her family members for the actions of one of her descendants, who decided to “skip-out” on an agreement. Once Raum finds out that Denise has connections to the vampire world, he cuts a deal with her – she finds her cousin, Nathanial, returns him, and Raum ceases the slaughter of her family. Denise reluctantly agrees and before she realizes what is happening, is branded by the Demon. The end result? Tainted blood is now flowing through Denise’s veins, which with time, will turn her into a shape-shifter.

Not sure where to turn, she contacts a master vampire and friend of Cat’s husband, Spade. No matter what, she does not want to endanger Cat or her husband, Crispin, leaving Spade the only other option. With their differences and Denise’s grave dislike of the vampire world, there is nothing to worry about with Spade. He will help her find Nathanial, return him to Raum and that will be that. Or will it?

It does not take long for the chemistry to sizzle between Denise and Spade. A former Baron, before turning vampire, Spade has manners, chivalry and ‘genteelism’ to spare. Mix that with Denise’s stunning beauty, braveness, and strength and readers are in for a combustible ride.

Author, Jeaniene Frost, does a magnificent job intertwining heat, sensuality, and passion with love, caring and humility. Ms. Frost is the master of contrast, blending strength with vulnerability, darkness with light, and love with despair in her created world. These contrasts add a wonderful dynamic to the story and the characters. Another aspect that really stood out as I was reading was the descriptiveness of her writing. There were so many times that I could honestly see, in my mind, what was happening. What a delightful feeling to have! The ability to feel the heat radiating from Spade and Denise, the impact of a vampire attacking, the emotions that constantly tugged within the characters. Amazing.

The one and only drawback was feeling I missed out on something by not reading the original Night Huntress series prior to this. There were a few times that I wanted to reach back in time to get to know some of the circumstances and characters better. However, the way the author constructs this spin-off book is well put together and developed, giving the reader background information and providing new and deeper aspects of Spade and Denise.

I can honestly say that after reading The First Drop of Crimson, I am biting at the bit to read more by this author, starting with Halfway to the Grave, the first in the original Night Huntress series. Anyone looking for an amazing story, containing plenty of sizzling heat, action, suspense and unrelenting absorption, will truly delight in The First Drop of Crimson.

The next book in this series, Eternal Kiss of Darkness, is due to release Summer 2010! Can’t wait!

Rating: 9 (Excellent)

Heat Rating: 4 (Hot)

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