Review: First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World #1) by Jeaniene Frost

First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World #1) by Jeaniene Frost
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: November 9, 2011

Night Huntress World
1. First Drop of Crimson - Paperback | Kindle
2. Eternal Kiss of Darkness

Night Huntress
(find all the books in this amazing series on the first book review)
1. Halfway to the Grave

Jeaniene Frost
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

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 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 lusts for 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 nightmare together . . .

Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.

My Thoughts: Oh, my.  Spade, you sexy beast, you have made me adore you even more with this book.  I didn't think that was possible, but you pulled it off.  I really think it was the way you fought against falling for Denise.  You had your reasons and they were good ones.  But you couldn't resist the allure of one certain damsel in distress.

Honestly, Spade has been one of my favorite secondary characters since he was first introduced and I was thrilled to dive into his story.  He's just so... fun to read.  Proper and gentlemanly, yet he has this wicked, feral, protective edge that worked for me.  Plus, there's that whole "vamps are perverts" thing that makes me laugh constantly.  It's not even that they're perverts, they just don't have the hangups that humans do.  Nudity isn't an issue with them.  Which reminds me... Ian, I can't wait for your story!

This was a very nice addition to the Night Huntress world.  Cat and Bones get a cameo, Mencheres and the other vampires get to pop in and stir up trouble.  Spade might not quite up to the level of Bones in Chapter 32 but he knows how to bring the sexy.  While the buildup to Denise and Spade coming together is slow, it is well worth the wait.  Those two are explosive when they finally reach that point.

Quite frankly, while I'm predisposed to like anything set in this world, Jeaniene Frost did an outstanding job giving Spade depth and making me like him even more.  Denise and her issues made an interesting foil for the vampire who didn't want to get involved with a human.   Spade's willingness to kill to protect her was something Denise has to wrap her head around and I liked watching her come to terms with it.  Their world is scary and dark and oftentimes the good guys have to be ruthless.

I love, love, loved the book, still adore Spade and was thrilled to see him get a girl who can hold her own against him and his kind.