First Drop of Crimson by J. Frost

It’s the first Night Huntress World novel and I have to say that Jeaniene Frost is definitely doing something right.  First Drop of Crimson is another fascinating story and one everyone should be hoping to get.

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.

Even though First Drop of Crimson is part of the Night Huntress World, you can totally tell it’s not a Cat and Bones novel. This may sound like it would be a bad thing, but it’s not. Spade is our hero and you can totally tell its him talking and not Bones. The two may be best buds, but they are definitely from two different worlds and you can really see it when Spade interacts with Denise.

Whereas the Cat/Bones novels are firmly placed in the urban fantasy genre, readers will be happy to know that the  Night Huntress books can easily be classed as paranormal romance.  Which means, you’ll find a happy ending at the end.  Hopefully that isn’t a spoiler for anyone, but I have to say, I like that we’re given more depth to a character that has been in all the Cat/Bones novels to date and he gets his own HEA.  Spade has been through just as much as Bones and his story is just as fascinating. Plus, Denise was put through so much at the end of At Grave’s End, that it’s great to see how she is coping.  To see how she is moving on.

The relationship between Denise and Spade was an amusing ride.  After At Grave’s End, Denise has some very firm thoughts on vampires and she’s really not ready to throw them out.  Spade also has quite a few firm thoughts on any kind of a relationship with a human.  When these two individuals finally do get thrown together, it’s not easy and it’s not hard to see how a relationship is able to bloom.  Whereas Bones was a little on the aggressive side when it came to Cat, Spade isn’t like that at all with Denise. He knows what she has been through, so he doesn’t rush.  At the same time, he definitely takes advantage of any opportunity to get close that he can.

I am a huge Frost fan, as any consistent reader of the site probably knows, but I will say that of all the novels to date, I did think the ending was a little too convenient for Denise and Spade.  Considering the issues Spade had, the resolution to them was a little too neat, but I do have to say that it was something I haven’t seen before.  It may have been a little too convenient, but I’m kind of hoping with it’s introduction, we’re going to see more from the demons of the world in the Cat/Bones novels.  If that’s the case, we’ll definitely be seeing more of Denise and Spade.

As for the plot, it was good.  Not as griping as a Cat/Bones novel, but it definitely gave a lot of characters a chance to shine.  We saw some sides to Ian that were hilarious and I know I’m not the only one who wants more Ian after reading First Drop of Crimson.  Cat and Bones do make an appearance, but for being the central characters of the main series, they do not overpower Spade and Denise.  They are very much there as supporting characters and really don’t stick around all that long.  Plus, we get to see more of the vampire underworld than we’ve seen to date and a lot of the denizens have their own quirks that were fun to see.

Overall, First Drop of Crimson was another great novel by Jeaniene Frost.  It is definitely a stand-alone novel, with little information from the main series to bog down any part of the story, and it’s different enough that it should appeal to anyone who loves paranormal romance.  Obviously, you really should be reading Jeaniene Frost if you haven’t started already.  I can’t wait for the second Night Huntress novel, Eternal Kiss of Darkness, to come out since we’ll be getting more on Mencheres.  For any fans of the Frost novels, these spin-off books are going to be great to learn more about some of our favorite side characters.

Read Order:
First Drop of Crimson
Eternal Kiss of Darkness (July 27, 2010)

Also reviewed by:
Reading Angel
Book Addict
Maryse’s Book Blog
Anna’s Book Blog
Book Lover’s Inc

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

7 Comments

  1. I really enjoyed this book – I thought it was a really fun read and Spade was a sexy hero. One character I loved was Ian – I hope we see him get his own book!

  2. I loved Spade and Denise! Ian was hilarous, I would so like to read a book about him. Now I await Mencheres’s book, which based on all of Jeaniene’s other books has to be good.

  3. I’m a committed Frost fan. By that I mean she is one of the few that I preorder the books without waiting for the reviews. i love series and are excited that authors are using this new idea of an arc to continue on with the same story but down different pathways.

    alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com

  4. I have never read any of Jeanine Frost’s books, but I did purchase this one based on reviews I’ve seen. Her series is on my TBB list.

  5. I love jeanine frost I have her Cat and bones series. I Cant wait to read first drop of Crimson I read the first 20% of the book and what i have read i love it. I love that they used denise and spade because both have similar stories that they both lost someone they love dearly denise lost her husband and spade lost his love one to. I like that your reviews shows and talks about that.

  6. I really want to read this book! I’m glad it works as a stand-alone since I don’t currently have the time to go back and read the original series right now. But I did read how Spade got his name and why he kept it, and since then I’ve been dying to read First Drop of Crimson for more of his story. Jeaniene Frost’s books are definitely on my tbr list.

Comments are closed.