"One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress #2)" by Jeaniene Frost

This review is for the second book in the series, and may have unmarked spoilers for those who haven't yet read Halfway to the Grave.

So, this book is a bit of a letdown for me. I assumed the high ratings from the people of Goodreads (and the whopping 52% who gave it five stars) would make this a pretty darn memorable second book- I hadn't assumed it would leave me remembering only the bad, and little of the good. 

Four years pass from when we last saw our feisty heroine resignedly accept her fate. In those four years, it's been business as usual, apparently. I'm not sure I particularly liked that there were so many unaddressed years, even though the author uses them to prove a point and add to the plot.

The Plot:

Cat runs into Ian, the vamp that made Bones a vampire, and decides to spare him. As it turns out, that Ian wants her for his collection, and will do all sorts of dirty tricks to get her, in addition to a shadowy second vampire wanting her dead. And when Bones returns, he intends to have her- forever...

First let me say the notorious sex act(s) this book randomly contains didn't result in my disapproval. It was a scene that, had it been cut out, this book could've been a three star or greater review. The scene I'm describing is mildly spoilerish so feel free to skip on to the next paragraph if you detest spoilers. Highlight to view: Bones bites Cat's neck and drains her of her blood. Cat thinks he's trying to kill her or turn her into a vampire by the time the scene ends- and even though she has a silver knife at his heart to kill him, she doesn't. The thing is, I hate cave men. Men who think 'I'll do this to prove a point' and the authors who allow them to populate and dominate the romance market. Cat was turned on initially by him biting her, but once her vision turned to gray she feared for her life (and thought 'Besides, there are far worse ways to die.'). That is a giant no-no and huge buzzkill for a reader like me who reads to escape, not to read about mind effery in order to prove a point. And also, he used this disturbing tactic to drag her to his cave/place- where he watches her sleep like (dare I say it?) the notorious Edward Cullen.

Of course, the rest of the book had nothing I objected to (other than some scenes where my eyes were rather loose in their sockets), but that scene tainted the entire book for me, which is funny because no other negative reviews I've glanced at have even mentioned it. The plot reminded me of a crepe- delicious but too thin, and it ping-ponged back and forth when in reality, when it was resolved (entirely), there was a simpler way it could've been done.

Something positive? I was right about my prediction of the stilettos coming in handy. And it was a fast-paced read. I'm also reading the next book- I can't give up hope that the series won't redeem itself, after such a promising start.

One Foot in the Grave proves that my opinions are often unpopular and just plain unorthodox, because where many people loved it, I found I didn't. That's okay, because I am nothing if not honest and one of a kind. I can't recommend this one, but about 97% of people who rated it on Goodreads would beg to differ.

Rating: 2 of 5 Stars because of one irritable scene dragging me out of the fantasy.

Content: Ages 18+ for all kinds of sex, and some violence as an afterthought.

Page Count: 357 pages