Halfway to the Grave

Night Huntress, Book 1

By: Jeaniene Frost

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

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 unlikely partnership.

In exchange for help 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 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.

©2007 Jeaniene Frost (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Take one half-human/half-vampire female with serious anger and parental issues, add in a sexy ancient vampire with his own agenda, and you have the makings for a truly combustible series. Sign me up for the sequel!” (Romantic Times)

Halfway to the Grave is a great listen!

It is rare to find one of these books that draws their characters so deeply and has such emotion and poignancy. But these qualities are not only available in this particular book but throughout the whole series. If you want a truly great paranormal romance read this is the book for you.

great book

this book kept you interested. had some funny moments. good reading. will be reading the rest of the series.

If you want Action, Love, Suspense, this is it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

These are not just some silly love story. The author has a way of wrapping love, action and suspense all into one here.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cat - she is different and that makes her interesting.

Have you listened to any of Tavia Gilbert’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes - I couldn't put the books down. There was so much going on in the books that there was never place in the book that I thought "this would be a good stopping point." When they end, you need the next book immediately.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I have listened to this entire series that Tavia Gilbert has narrated. I do not like how she does the voice of Bones. He is supposed to sound masculine but instead just sounds like a pansy feminine man. He doesn't even sound tough. He does sound compasonate but for his charecter and the amazing old vampire he is supposed to be... well it just was not there.

worth it!! this is a new series for me

loved it and running to the next book see you there! ! ! ! !

Gave this one a shot and I was pleasantly surprise

Where does Halfway to the Grave rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I put her up there with Kim Harrison (Rachel Morgan / The Hollows series), Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels Series), Kevin Hearne(Iron Druid Series). All of these authors had me worried half-way through their first book (I'm usually impatient and overcritical about story setup)... but once they hit their stride, I can’t stop listening/reading until I get to the end of each of their series.

Other authors that I really like and that I would put in in her genre are Jim Butcher(The Dresden Files) and Larry Correia (Monster Hunters International), my two favorite urban fantasy authors...

ONE NOTE: One tip on Jeaniene Frost's writing style that is completely different from any of the other authors I've mentioned above is her "Sex" scenes. I've never read what I would call "Steamy Romance" novels, and I had a sort of an OMG moment when the first sex scene came around... made it through without cringing too much... I was only left with the thought, "Wow, I sure hope a family member doesn't pick up my iPod and start listening to that book"... not because the book is bad, mind you... on the contrary... I've read the entire series and love it... I guess I'm just what most people would call prudish and easily embarrassed...

What was one of the most memorable moments of Halfway to the Grave?

Fight training advice for 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."

Have you listened to any of Tavia Gilbert’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Tavia's voice is a perfect fit for this audio book. She smoothly shifts into each character, be it male or female role, and does a beautiful job with it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

These sure aren't your sparkley kind of vampires...

Fairly Typical Vampire Romance

Jeaniene Frost is capable of better-than-average paranormal romance, but this book isn't one of those. It isn't bad by any means; it just doesn't stand out compared to the many other books of this genre. I enjoyed it enough to continue with the series, but likely only when I can get the subsequent books on sale.

The main characters were likable enough, and I appreciated the backstories used to flesh out their characterizations. However, I had difficulty understanding what made Cat so irresistible to Bones and how quickly their mutual-attraction-turned-love occurred. This has been a criticism of mine for Jeaniene Frost before, so maybe that's just a thing with her writing. I also found Cat's mother too unidimensional and caricature-like.

Tavia Gilbert's interpretation of Bones was atrocious, and how this made it out of production is beyond me. It's highly possible I enjoyed the story less because of how bad the narration was for this character. I felt like I was listening to Tiny Tim from a Dickens classic rather than Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I only really recommend this to fans of the author. If Audible has it as part of a sale again, then consumers of paranormal romance should check it out.

Narrator s Annoying!

The plot of this book is good but the narrators voice for Crispin was truly annoying. It was hard to tell what ethnic accent she was going for. I did finish it but it was a struggle. Do yourself a favor and read this one, don't listen to the audio book.

Not Really My Favorite Drink, But Close Enough!

Ok I know my profile says "you write it, I read it!" I do draw the line somewhere though. I DON'T READ ROMANCE NOVELS. Ok once, but that was on a bet (I try not to lose bets, especially ones that have payment for a huge expensive dinner date involved). This is about as close to a romance novel as I get (unless there is money involved or something worth reading a romance novel for, and yes that includes another date). I'm a huge vampire freak (and no I don't consider Twilight a legitimate vampire story), and so I was instantly drawn to this series when it came up on my recommended list. Little did I know that about one quarter of this book is a romance novel. Of course being the typical "guys guy" that I am, I rolled my eyes, muttered "You have got to be kidding me", and continued listening when the first hints of the romance part of this book showed up. By the time the action got hot and heavy I was trying really hard to turn off the book. I mean really I was, for some reason I couldn't get my pause button to work and I had to sit and endure listening to that feminine hormone enduced passage rot away my brain cells. If that wasn't bad enough Jeaniene Frost just sort of slips it in here and there, so I am really enjoying the story only to have hot stuff find her way into my listening pleasure. I mean really what self respecting guy doesn't turn it off? Like I said I was having technical issues, so I really didn't have a choice. It's a conspiracy really, because the pause button worked just fine at every other point in the book (I complained but Audible said the problem was on my end, yea right). So even though I had to listen to some of this book under duress it really is pretty good. You know except for the steamy romantic sections. Still have my man card intact (I think, you guys bought those excuses right?)! *Cough* Oh look a flying elephant!

Tavia Gilbert does a great job with this book. Really makes it come to life, or is that half living if the book is about a half vampire? Anyway, good book, great narrator, give it a listen!

WOW!!! Riveting book!

I purchased this because it was on sale. I'd never heard of the series but...it was on sale and I needed something to listen to while cleaning the house. I finished it in a day. I was absolutely riveting. Romantic, suspenseful and emotionally charged. I'll be buying the other 3, sale or not!

Great story once you get past the British accent

Any additional comments?

This is the first romance book I have read and I have to say it has made me want to explore the genre more. The British accent bothered me a bit at the beginning, but after awhile when the character really started to develop I started to enjoy when I would hear that person come into the scene. The swearing is still a little annoying for me but it's nothing that ruins the story. I read this book in 4 days, I just couldn't put it down unless I absolutely had to. I have since purchased the rest of the books in the series as well as gone to Jeaniene's website to see the "reading order" of her books. She has definitely made my list of favorite authors. Tavia does a superb job of reading, she has a broad range of voices which capture each character very well.