My Rating: 
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
Published by: Blackstone Audio
Publisher’s Summary: From the New York Times best-selling author of the Night Huntress series comes a breathtaking new journey to the dark side of desire.
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 shape-shifter 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.
©2010 Jeaniene Frost (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
My review: I’m personally not a fan of vampire movies, vampire books or teenage vampire impersonators. Especially the kind that sparkle. This title intrigued me and the cover art led me to believe there was a hint of romance buried in the obvious vampire mystery.
The story centers around human, Denise MacGregor who has seen her fair share of vampires and what their powers can do to anyone in their way. Denise had lost her husband, just a year before and had managed to survive the vampires and also the depression that followed. She managed to keep one tie to the vampire world through her best friend, Cat. Cat was half vampire and was married to a full vampire, Bones. Even though they hadn’t spoke in months, Denise still considered them both friends. Little did she know, she’d be needing that vampire connection to save her life, once again.
After three mysterious deaths in her family, Denise is visited by a demon, Raum. The demon needs her to do his bidding… and if she doesn’t? Her family dies, one by one. She figures her only option is calling Cat, maybe she can help. But Cat and Krispin are out of the country and her only option is Spade. Dark, mysterious, master vampire Spade. Denise is weary about trusting him, but what choice does she have? She needed that connection to the vampire world, and Spade was as good as she could do.
Spade whisks Denise away to safety and they begin their search for the demon’s request, Nathaniel. Nathaniel’s past has locked his fate and Denise must turn him over to suffice the demon and release her from his power.
The twosome travel the world, looking for Nathaniel and avoiding Raum. During the listen, the relationship between Spade and Denise grows into a lust-filled romance. The steamy sex and intense underlying heat between the two add to this mystery. How on earth can a vampire control himself around Denise? Denise’s blood was tainted from Raum’s power. Her blood was intoxicating to any vampire and after Spade’s first taste, he knew the situation was worse than he ever imagined. But he loved her… He loved a human, of all things.
Denise and Spade eventually team up with Cat and Bones to finish their quest. The last few chapters of this book I listened too twice… I felt like I missed something, even though I hadn’t. There was so much detail and action packed in that I needed a second round to let it all sink in. I won’t give away all the juicy details, but this is a must listen!
I loved the characters, my favorite being Denise. Her calm, follower attitude changed quickly when she was met with flashbacks of her husband’s death, Raum, a shape-shifting demon, and Spade, a handsome, bloodsucking vampire. She battles with her affection for Spade, not only because it’s so soon after her late husband’s death but also because he’s a vampire. Vampires killed her husband and now she was falling in love with one? Strange, I know, but it kept me intrigued and I was flipping on my iPod at every chance to delve further into the story.
In the end, maybe Frost is changing my vampire-hating ways. I loved this audiobook and I’m hoping to grab the second in the series soon! As long as her vampires don’t sparkle, I’m game.
Narrator Review: Tavia Gilbert is amazing. She bounced quickly between character voices and accents with ease and kept the book gripping through her distinct vocal changes. She gave Denise such a sweet voice that you felt her pain and wanted to befriend her. You wanted her to win… and to live happily, ever after with Spade.
Disclosure: I received this as a review copy from the publisher.
