Reading Order – Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost

This is one of THE ABSOLUTE BEST PNR/UF series out there!! Bones might be THE hottest vamp ever written! Major swoon alert: be sure to read with a drool bucket 😛

The series follows Cat, a feisty, kick-ass, half vampire hunter with a wicked sense of humor half vampire huntress, who meets and falls in love with Bones (Crispin Philip Arthur Russell III), a deliciously sexy, super protective, uber alpha male hero that will have you swooning in no time. This series is pretty unique in that its technically an UF series but it follows the same couple (Cat& Bones) throughout whole series.

Each book ends with a happy-for-now ending leaving you satisfied that the story has wrapped up but still hungry for next book (except book 1, that one ends on a cliffhanger so if you are starting this series out, be sure to have book 2 lined up because you’ll definitely want to read them back-to-back).

What I loved about this series is that Cat & Bones are together as a couple for the whole duration of it, no on-and-off nonsense or long term separation. I give Jeaniene Frost major kudos for doing a wonderful job of creating drama and driving the plot forward without needing to mess with the main characters’ relationship.

This has plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, seriously steamy HOT sex (Chapter 32 of Book 2 is INFAMOUS… yes, I said the WHOLE chapter!!), an engaging plot, wonderful side characters (with their own books) and a beautiful romance that will melt your heart 🙂

I cannot recommend this series highly enough!!

Book 1: Halfway to the Grave

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

Book 2: One Foot In the Grave

You can run from the grave, but you can’t hide . . .

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won’t let her get away again.

Book 3: At Grave’s End

Some things won’t stay buried . . . at grave’s end

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.

Book 4: Destined for an Early Grave

Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they’ve fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it’s time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She’s having visions of a vampire named Gregor who’s more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn’t know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won’t stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor’s hold over her. She’ll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she’s ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

Book 5: This Side of the Grave

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they’ve triumphed over the latest battle, Cat’s new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous “ally”—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

Book 6: One Grave at a Time

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans’ voodoo queen just keeps on giving-leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Book 7: Up from the Grave – last book of the series

There’s always one more grave to dig.

A random assortment of quotes:

“I’m saying that I’m a moody, insecure, narrow-minded, jealous, borderline homicidal bitch, and I want you to promise me that you’re okay with that, because it’s who I am, and you’re what I need.” ~Cat

“Ask me if I sparkle and I’ll kill you where you stand.” ~Bones

“If I die, I will wait for you, do you understand? No matter how long. I will watch from beyond to make sure you live every year you have to its fullest, and then we’ll have so much to talk about when I see you again…” ~Bones 

“I think we need to have a little talk, woman to skank.” ~Cat

“If you run from me, I will chase you, and I’ll find you….” ~Bones

“You called her Kitten? And she let you? She put me in a coma for three days when I called her that! My balls never recovered from her smashing them into my spine!”

“Why don’t I just give you a pair of my panties to hang around your neck? Then whenever you feel jealous, you can wave them at whoever’s pissing you off.” ~Cat

“He f**ks even better than he looks” ~Cat

“There is only one way to fight, and that’s dirty. Clean gentlemanly fighting will get you nowhere but dead, and fast. Take every cheap shot, every low blow, absolutely kick people when they’re down, and maybe you’ll be the one who walks away.” ~Bones

“Much slower, I turned around to see Vlad examining his fingernails, as if his hands weren’t still ablaze in the flames that had blasted the ghoul’s head off moments before.
‘what the hell was that?’ I gasped.
‘Premature inflammation,’ He replied. ‘Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing, I don’t like to talk about it.’ ” 

“No matter what happens, you will never lose me, I am forever yours, Kitten, in this life or the next.”  ~Bones

Night Huntress world spin-off books 

First Drop of Crimson  (Spade & Denise)

Eternal Kiss of Darkness  (Mencheres & Kira)

Night Prince books (new series following Vlad from the Night Huntress books)

Book 1: Once Burned

Book 2: Twice Tempted