At Grave's End (Night Huntress #3) by Jeaniene Frost

At Grave's End
by Jeaniene Frost
Series Night Huntress #3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: December 30, 2008
Genre: Adult/ Paranormal romance
Purchase: Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository 

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.(synopsis from Goodreads)

At Grave’s End is the third book in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost and perhaps one of my personal favorites so far. While Frost delivers plenty of action she also shares the emotional side of Cat and Bones relationship. I consumed this in a single afternoon and again questioned why I have let these books sit in my TBR pile for so long. I will be remedying that by reading one a month until I am caught up. It is written and so it shall be done. (hehehe)

When the tale begins Cat’s life is looking pretty darn good. She has an awesome team, and an incredible relationship with Bones. Aside from vamps recognizing her as the Red Reaper she couldn’t be happier. Despite the fact that they are married by blood, Bones proposes and is determined to give Cat a traditional wedding complete with a beautiful dress. Cat’s relationship with her mother hasn't been good since she hooked up with Bones and the announcement of the wedding isn't making it any chummier. When Cat’s mother Justina calls inviting her to dinner and asking to help with the wedding plans she can hardly say no. When Cat arrives at her mother’s the tale that unfolds is captivating, suspenseful, tear-jerking, ass-kicking, and at times hilarious. It kept me enthralled until the final sentence. Did I mention Zombies? Oh yeah…there are zombies and its epic.

Cat’s character growth in this novel was awesome. She has always been kick-ass, but she matures in this novel.  She has this unbelievable strength and it is definitely put to the test. There are a lot of changes with Tate and while I do not think I will ever love the guy I have come to appreciate him a little more.  Annette is back, the vamp I love to hate. Crap..Frost completely made me flip for her. Mencheres teams up with them and we learn more about him. Then there is Vlad, a super hunky vampire lord with a snarky attitude. I am looking forward to seeing more of him. Bones is divine, scrumptious, awesome, stubborn and oh so romantic. Sometimes I forget what a ruthless killer he can be. The interaction between him and Justina was hilarious and had me giggling. I couldn’t wait to read what they would say next. Justina was a complete surprise in this novel and I adore this feisty little woman.  

With At Grave’s End, Frost gives us one heck of a ride. My emotions were all over the place, as they faced one dilemma after another. There are several villains in this novel, some old and some new. The worst by far is Pantra. She is master vampire on a mission and I would not want to mess her. As always Frost surprises us with a few twists, some new vampire abilities and wickedly good, heart-stopping scenes. My favorite scene happens towards the end of the novel and had my heart racing. Those who love all the steamy interaction between Bones and Cats might be a little disappointed. Frost focuses more on their emotional ties. Those ties are what made this novel one of my favorites. Bones and Cat "the a couple" has become very real.  

I highly recommend At Grave’s End and the Night Huntress series to fans of paranormal urban fantasy. Frost offers interesting and unique characters that you become invested in. She spins a tale that offers hours of not stop entertainment. Next month look for my review of book four; Destined for an Early Grave. There are currently six published in the series, with the seventh Up from the Grave due to release later this year.The series is expected to have nine books.

I gave this novel 4 coffee cups out of 5.