Rubinroter Schatten (2011)

Seems like every time I finish reading a new book in either the Night Huntress Series or the Night Huntress World I declare that it’s my favorite one yet. You’re right, it’s happened again. ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS was as enthralling as all the rest. Word to the wise, always start one of Ms. Frost books when you have plenty of time to devote to it. Promise you are going to need that time, because once you start you are not going to want to put it down until completed. Completed with a huge satisfied smile and a burning desire to start the next book in either series or world. Here is my standard warning concerning any of the stories about Cat, Bones and spin off friends’ stories; if you’ve not read the series (man, you have GOT to read these books!) you might want to skip the rest of the review as there will be spoilers. Now if you’ve been keeping up with the series go for it. I try my best to not put spoilers in as I hate them myself when reading a review.With ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS I was presented with a story I’ve been craving. One that features the mysterious Mencheres. Grandfather to Bones and sire to both Ian and Charles (Spade), Mencheres captured my imagination. I mean come on, here is a Master Vampire over four thousand years old, Egyptian, exotic, younger looking than Bones and more powerful than any other vampire Ms. Frost has introduced me to. How could I not be fascinated by him? The wealth of information provided about him in this story was extremely satisfying. And who knew, the man has a sense of humor! Not a laugh a minute kind of guy but the kind that slips in a funny that takes you by surprise because you just don’t expect it out of him. Mencheres is going through a really rough patch in his long life. He’s lost his visions, the ability to locate others anywhere they may be, and the guilt over helping Bones to kill his wife is pretty much doing him in. Just a side note here, after over nine hundred years of not getting any nooky I’m surprised Mencheres didn’t kill her himself, and anyone else that just happened to walk by. Back to reasons for his depression; he has an eons-old feud with a corrupt Law Guardian named Radjedef heating up. And to top it off the man feels like no one, (yes, even the ones he loves) in his four thousand years of existence ever truly loved him or did anything for him without an ulterior motive. Thank the Lord Kira burst into his life. He wasn’t too thrilled at the time she showed up as it really throws his plans in the dumpster. But as in many cases, love shows up when it’s needed, not necessarily when we want it to. Kira is the perfect woman for him. Brave, not easily intimidated, with the plus of not having a clue how powerful, rich, or important he is. In other words, when she says she loves him, he knows it’s for all the right reasons. Course it’s a dangerous and twisted path before they make it to the “I love you”. If you think the Night Huntress Series is all you need to read to get Cat and Bones story, think again. These spin offs are just as important to be in the know of all things Cat and Bones. Besides, why the heck would you deny yourself the extreme pleasure of reading ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS? That’s just crazy thinking!HIGHLY RECOMMEND to anyone 18 and older.

Mencheres is a great character