My Rating: ★★★★☆

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Published by: Blackstone Audio

 

My review: As I started this audiobook, the second in the Night Huntress World series, I had a preconceived notion. Human girl gets mixed up with a vampire and his world, they fight a bunch of crazies and then they fall in love. Was I right? Yes. Was the book still full of surprises? Yes. Was it gripping, intense and romantic? Yes. Did I get so wrapped up in the story I forgot to do my laundry? Yes.

Kira, a private investigator in Chicago, finds herself in the midst of a dirty battle between Master vampire Mencheres and a few ghouls inside of a warehouse. Yes, she should have kept walking but her heart told her she could do more than simply call 911. She does what she knows, and tries to stop the fight and protect Mencheres. The ghouls injured her badly and now the tables were turned, Mencheres had to rescue and heal this brave human.

A brave human that knew nothing about him, his world or what she had walked into that day. Mencheres saved her and later tried to erase her memory of the incident, but it wasn’t that easy. Kira was so strong minded that his green vampire gaze couldn’t break her mental walls.

The twosome spend a week slowly learning about one another and waiting for the effects of Mencheres lifesaving blood to cease. Kira stays in his home after making arrangements to take a short vacation from work and talking to her sickly sister, Tina. She tried not to notice Mencheres’ handsome physique, but of course she couldn’t. What would a vampire book be without an underlying, but growing love story?

The story continues to thrive as Mencheres battles his long-time enemy, Roggey and saves not only Kira, but himself.

I was really happy to see the reappearance of Bones and Cat in this audiobook, even though the narrator had given Bones the most annoying voice. That aside, I love both of their characters. I did wish that Denise and Spade, the lovers from the first Night Huntress World book, had somehow made their way into the story.

Even though I had predicted the overall outcome of the book, I would listen to it again. I love the characters and how Frost brings the story to life. The details were very current, even mentioning Facebook.

One of my few criticisms is the cover artwork for this audiobook. The narrator, Tavia, who I’ll comment more on below, gives Mencheres a deeper, more mature voice with a hint of an accent. I’m cool with that, but not with the young buck pictured on the cover. He’s over 3000 years old and his voice may be suiting, but I think the cover art should match better. Or vice versa.

Narrator Review: Tavia Gilbert was wonderful, once again. I love her voice and how she gives the characters each a distinct voice. I’ll be looking for more of her work, along with the rest of this series.