Eternal Kiss of Darkness [Mass Market Paperback]

I've read everything this author has written, but was a tad disappointed with Spade's tale, as I didn't feel that Denise was worthy of his love, and I couldn't see the 'passion' that was supposed to have erupted between them, nor how or why Spade had apparently fallen so hard for her when she was still married, but it was ok. Oh, and the picture of Spade on the cover was hot, hot, hot.

This book was on a par with Cat and Bones for me, but it's hard to tell you why, as there isn't the same kind of action going on as with Cat and Bone tales, and there wasn't the angst or so much danger, but still it had something. Two very decent leads, and a great looking Mencheres on the cover (if you ignore the badly-faked drops of blood) are starts.

The book starts shortly after the last C&B one ends, with Mencheres having ventured incognito into a ghoul lair, whilst investigating the recent deaths of several vampires, and as he's masking his signature and strength, he feels pain and is overheard calling out by Kira, an ex-cop turned PI. Despite being unarmed, she goes to his help and is badly stabbed, so Mencheres is forced to reveal himself, his powers and has to use his vampire blood to save her life, but not convert her. The cops that Kira called are on their way, so after killing the ghouls, he flies the both of them off to his home, where he lets her recuperate, but also where he plans to wipe her mind of any memories of him and of her trauma. However, having given her his blood, his powers don't work, so he keeps her at his home for a week, and tries repeatedly to wipe her mind, but fails. And he also cannot read her mind or her thoughts, which hasn't ever happened to him before.

Kira is a feisty female lead, and tries to escape and when she comes across a naked Mencheres, she doesn't attempt to hide her interest in him, but before she can make a proper move on him, her sister's medical condition worsens and Mencheres flies them to her side. With the help of his blood, he stabilises her and leaves blood to be given to her in doses, allowing her to heal (he cannot cure her, as she has cystic fibrosis and is dying), but the price that he demands, and that Kira is more than willing to pay, is that she never speaks of what she witnessed and what happened to her.

Amongst all of this, Radjedef, a vampire 'police' type, who is Menchere's long-time foe, has been trying to frame Mencheres, and when he arrives at a scene where Kira has been exposed to more vampire stuff, he condemns her to death. It will be either him or Mencheres killing her, and so Mencheres volunteers to do so, but as the sire of a line himself, he has the right to bring her back to life, which he does. He then nurtures her through her blood-lust and change, and with her newfound sensibilities and clearer senses, Kira makes her move on her man. Yes, she gets her man, and as in all Jeaniene Frost novels, there is a HEA, but not before there are battles, trials and an enemy to vanquish.

Why did I like this book so much? Because of the way in which JF portrays Mencheres, who up until now, I hadn't really liked, but here we find out more about the man he was, the man he has become, his concern and protectiveness of his line and the people who serve him, his protectiveness of Kira and how he was prepared for her to hate him for turning her, despite him only doing this to save her life. I also loved how, when Kira made her move on him soon after her conversion, he gave her what her body needed, putting her first and not making love to her in the truest sense until she was completely clear in her own mind that this was what she wanted, and not an effect of the conversion. On the next time that they do come together, they are interrupted, but again, he puts her and her needs first, despite 900 years of celibacy. Despite his evil wife and her betrayal, Mencheres opens his heart to Kira, which I loved, as he could well have been cynical and have used her, and I also loved how Kira explained to him, without him first confessing his feelings for her, how and why she fell in love with him, reminding him that he did not need to be chivalrous and take his time, as even before her conversion she had made her attraction clear to him. This felt like a love story, and with leads who actually liked each other and were attracted to each other - we see this, rather than being told this, unlike in Spade and Denise's tale. This couple seemed more believable, and the love scenes, IMHO, were more tender, certainly hotter, and there for a visible reason and more realistic (with Spade and Denise, it felt as if love scenes were included just because readers expect them). Oh, and yes, we get to see Cat and Bones, and Vlad makes an appearance too (I wonder if he'll end up with a tale of his own).

The only bit in the book that I didn't like is the use of vampire names like Wraith, Flare and Patches (ok, Bones and Spade are along the same lines, but they are Brit vampires, and I can accept the touch of British eccentricity and we know that their backgrounds lead to their nicknames), as this was a touch of mimicking JR Ward for me (Rhage, Wrath, Tohrment etc.). That aside, this was an excellent book and we also get a brief clip of the next Cat and Bones tale, with the very first scene we see being one that makes you wish Feb 2011 was tomorrow instead of months away.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness is the second book in the Night Huntress World series which is a spin off on the Night Huntress series starring Cat & Bones. Although the original series straddles the lines between paranormal romance and urban fantasy the spin off would definitely be classed as paranormal romance. Each book in this series features a different couple and allows us to get to know characters who have been on the sidelines in the previous series. I would recommend reading the original Cat & Bones series first because you may pick up some spoilers for it if you read the Night Huntress World books first but I am a massive fan of both series and Jeaniene Frost and would definitely recommend you give them a try.

Mencheres is a character that I've been curious about as we've come to know him in the Night Huntress series and I was looking forward to finding out more about his past in Eternal Kiss of Darkness. Some of the things he has done previously made me a little worried that I wasn't going to like him much but I'm happy to say I quickly grew to love him. He has lived for a long time and done things that he isn't proud of but it becomes clear that he has done it all with the best of intentions. He cares deeply for his friends and the vampires in his line and would go to any lengths to protect them. An old enemy is determined to hurt him and isn't above using members of Mencheres' line to do it, Mencheres is tired of life but has a plan to stop his enemy even if it does mean resorting to drastic measures.

Kira is a strong and likable heroine and one who is perfectly suited to Mencheres. She stumbles into his world by mistake when she tries to help him and ends up with a lot more than she'd bargained for. Both of the main characters have been through difficult times in their past but this only helps them understand each other better. Their attraction was instant but I also felt that Jeaniene Frost did a great job of making their relationship believable. Kira isn't the sort to sit back and let things happen to her, she is more than willing to stand up for herself which is something Mencheres finds very attractive. He is used to people falling at his feet and doing whatever he tells them to so it comes as quite a surprise to him to have someone talking back to him and actually telling him when he's wrong about something. Together they make a formidable couple and I almost like them as much as Cat and Bones which is a big compliment believe me.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness is definitely right up there with the Night Huntress books and I hope we get to see more of Mencheres and Kira in the future. I enjoyed seeing Cat, Bones and Vlad make appearances and I'm even more eager for Vlad's series and the next Cat & Bones books now! Jeaniene Frost remains on my "must read" list of authors and I'm very much looking forward to reading more of her books in the future. If you're new to her work then I'd highly recommend you give her a try.

This is the best vampire romance I have read in a very long time. I really liked both the leads, and the progress of their relationship was believable and touching. I enjoyed getting inside the experience of becoming a new vampire, and I loved the way the strangeness of life with a powerful, ancient vampire was conveyed. Often in supernatural romances, the supernatural elements are a bit of an add-on to what could just as well be a plain contemporary romance between a couple of twenty five year olds, and sometimes the attraction between the characters can seem a bit random. Mencheres convinced me as someone who had been around for a very long time and yet who was capable of a fresh and passionate response, and I liked the way his attraction to the heroine was rooted in respect for her character. She was young but not silly, well-intentioned but not self abnegating, generally very likeable. They deserved to be happy together and I loved seeing it happen. It was also a great, fun, exciting, unputdownable read!