One Foot in the Grave

Night Huntress, Book 2

By: Jeaniene Frost

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

You can run from the grave, but you can't hide. Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her. But when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever and that Bones won't let her get away again.

Jeaniene Frost, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, lives with her husband and their very spoiled dog in Florida. Although not a vampire herself, she confesses to having pale skin, wearing a lot of black, and sleeping in late whenever possible. And while she can't see ghosts, she loves to walk through old cemeteries. She also loves poetry and animals, but fears children and hates to cook.

Love in vein: listen to another Night Huntress novel.

©2008 Jeaniene Frost (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Proving that her first book was no fluke, Frost ratchets up the action and stirs up the suspense big time in her second Night Huntress novel. That said, it's the sizzling passion of her star-crossed lovers that really makes this book a genuine keeper!” ( Romantic Times)

“This series is only getting better…between the exciting action scenes and the rekindled romance between Cat and Bones, I did not put this one down until the last page.” ( Coffee Time Romance)

Great addition to the series!! Love Cat & Bone! :D

5 stars

Great addition to the series! I love Cat and Bones and since book #1 left off without a happy ending I was anxious to continue the story and see their story continue. This story certainly lives up to my hopes. :D

Cat is a half vampire and hasn't had an easy life. She's currently working for a Government run organization that hunts killer vamps and protects humans from them. She likes her work but is sad because when she was blackmailed in to this job 4 years before, she was forced to split company with the love of her life, Bones. She hasn't been able to move on and just lives for her work.

Bones is a 200+ years old vampire and in love with Cat. When she disappeared 4 years before he knew that someone had taken advantage and used her weakness of her mother to get to her. He's been searching for Cat for all these years and is determined to find her. Just when he's finally getting close he gets an unexpected windfall that leads him to her in the form of a friend's wedding.

Bones and Cat split up at the end of the last story but both haven't been able to get over each other. In the years since they split, neither has been able to move on to other people. Cat hass determined that it couldn't work with Bones even if she wasn't trapped in her job because she thinks that Bones would decide she has to turn vampire and Cat doesn't want to do that. I think she uses this as a reason to convince herself not to go looking for Bones because she still longs for him. Cat has made a friend in her new life named Denise. Denise does convince Cat to finally go out on a date with a nice man named Noah. Cat tried dating Noah but knows she'll have to split up with him because it just isn't working for her and she can't convince herself to give Noah more than a kiss. When Denise ends up getting married it brings about a couple of coincidences that bring Bones and Cat together. When Cat sees Bones she's freaked, not sure why he's back in her life and wondering if he still wants her or is pissed at her. There's also been trouble with vamps trying to kill her because of bounties on her head so she also worries that Bones might be planning to take her out for the money.

Bones quickly disabuses her of the notions that he intends her harm and tells her that he's there to keep her safe from a couple things that are a risk for her. One is that whoever had a price on her head still does and so there's more killers looking for Cat's head. Also, Ian, Bone's vampire sire, is out to capture Cat. Cat had a run in with Ian previously and unfortunately, when finding out he was Bone's sire, let him go for the life she owed Bones. Ian wasn't happy to escape with his life and since Cat's a rare half-vampire, Ian wants her to "belong" to him for bragging rights and is trying to find her for that reason. Bones has decided to protect Cat and also uses some slightly underhanded methods to discover if Cat still loves him. There's some drama as Cat has to discover the truth about a few things and figure out what to do about Bones. She decides to risk her job and try dating Bones again. They try to start back up slowly but end up in a show down with her mother (who still hates the undead with a passion) the very first evening they decide to restart their relationship. That actually goes relatively well but when her work finds out who she's dating things aren't quite so easy. Their slow start gives way relatively soon and things get hot and heavy between Bones and Cat as they rebuild their relationship and getting even deeper with each other. All the while, they have to deal with her job, hit men, jealous exes, Ian and numerous other issues. There's quite a bit going on but I liked the way the end came out. Things get pretty much settled in the end and Cat and Bones are securely together. It ends in a very nice start to Cat and Bones' HEA.

I love this book and seeing Cat and Bones get back together and work things out. They're such a great couple and I love their chemistry and interactions. I so wish I had a Bones of my own and Cat's a great heroine even if she does make some mistakes. Once again, Frost did a great job with the story lines, making the romance and action story lines good balances for each other and making it all work well together. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I'd highly recommend this book. 2 thumbs up! :D

**Spoiler**

If you could sum up One Foot in the Grave in three words, what would they be?

Nice catch up

Who was your favorite character and why?

Juan... He is a ladies man

Which scene was your favorite?

When they bring Dave back as a ghoul. That was a nice happy ending.

Absolutely loved this book

What made the experience of listening to One Foot in the Grave the most enjoyable?

Steamy romance, a female hero that was not helpless. Great story line. Leaves me wanting more.

What other book might you compare One Foot in the Grave to and why?

Maybe to some of Jacqueline Franks books. Underworld creatures with humans and the sex.

What does Tavia Gilbert bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Perfection!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh and cry, yes. And hold my breath listening to some of the very intense steamy parts. Very well written.

Any additional comments?

I've listened every book I can find of the Night Huntress, Night Huntress World and Prince of Darkness series all by Ms. Jeaniene Frost and absolutely love them all. Very sad the I have to wait now for more.

Once you go dead...

Would you consider the audio edition of One Foot in the Grave to be better than the print version?

Yes!

What about Tavia Gilbert’s performance did you like?

Tavia Gilbert has set a high mark for me in terms of audiobook narrators. She captures every character perfectly and though I was hesitant to ever listen to audiobooks, I can’t even pick up one of these books without wishing I was listening to it. She completely immerses you in the story and the characters to the point where I constantly find myself talking in an British accent…not unlike a certain talk, blond, undead vampire…Bloody HeII!

Any additional comments?

*There will be spoilers for the first book in this series, Halfway to the Grave!*

Well, I will admit this was never my favorite book in the series as it was more of a filler book for the first half, it was still satisfying and very addictive!

The story starts off four years after Cat left Bones in Halfway to the Grave. Cat is now a special agent working for the government in order to rid the world of rogue undead vampires who are unnecessarily killing mortals. While, I really did not enjoy the whole militaristic feel that this book takes, I truly enjoyed the introduction of the new characters, Juan, Tate and Dave!

Four years have gone by and Cat is still pretty down in the dumps when it comes to anything related to relationships. She left Bones to protect him (though that was just dimwitted thinking) and though she thought it was the right thing to do, she cannot help but miss him. Unfortunately, though we all know Bones would come back sooner or later, we had to spend the entire first half of the book brooding through Cat’s new relationship with a nice pet vet named Noah. AS sweet and kind as he was…he wasn’t Bones. So as much as he cared, I just didn’t. I wanted Bones and no one would suffice.

Finally, Bones comes back! Yay! Though I will admit I love them as a couple, I really have to question Bones’s motives as to why he is so in love with her sometimes…Anyway, Bones resurfaces, ironically, in a wedding of Cat’s best friend. After being apart for so long, Bones still loves Cat and though Cat refuses to admit it at first, she loves him. However, Cat is still terrified that her boss will have Bones killed and they start to date in secret. Soon after, assassination attempts start on Cat’s life and the only one who can help her is Bones.

This was clearly a filler book that also resolved some of the issues in the first book surrounding the mystery of Cat’s father. Though I was slightly bored and wanted to skip through the first part of the book, it was clearly necessary considering the uncalled for ending of the first book. The second half was way better for a multitude of reasons; action, humor, plot and Bones (of course).

The introduction of new characters of Cat’s team was fun and though I didn’t find them necessary they didn’t particularly hinder the story. Juan was the horny latino, Tate the all commanding hard head military boy who is also in love with Cat, and Dave the more normal of her team. Though they were present in the story, they took a backseat and let the stage shine on Cat and Bones.

Bones, well I still love him. I am not sure what he could do for me to not. He is loyal to a fault, loving, protective, funny, kind, passionate, and a complete badass. Oh and he is British – so he pretty much has the whole package. Though I loved in in Halfway to the Grave, I adored him in this second installment. He was just better. It is hard to put much more of Bones into words other than to say he is one of my top heroes ever in books, if not the one at the very top. Though I will say, I definitely prefer Crispin to Bones!

Cat, on the other hand, eh. I still liked her, don’t get me wrong, but she was very whiny and even more stubborn than in the first book. She left Bones (stupid girl) and then got her panties in a twists when he would speak to a vampire he shagged decades ago to help protect her! I wanted to simply yell at her and be like “Make up your damn mind!” She was halfway committed to Bones and that was just rude. Finally, she comes to her senses but damn if it didn’t take long enough. She was also quite rude, obnoxious and completely reckless and while I know her character fits with the plot and story line of the books, I can’t help but hope her character grows up a bit and becomes more worthy of Bones’ love.

Nevertheless, I once again find myself completely enamored with this series. They are action packed, funny as hell, romantic, mysterious and unapologetically addictive. It is a great combinations of some of my favorite genres and qualities I look for in books!

4.5 Stars

**Re-read/listen and new review from 02/16/2021:**
One foot in the Grave is book 2 in the Night Huntress series. I originally read this book around 4.5 years ago but had forgotten the majority of it so it was pretty much like reading it for the first time again. Back when I started this series, I only read the first two books and must have been distracted by other books because I didn’t go any further. I decided to read the full series but knew I would need to start over so I wouldn’t be confused, and the next books would be more meaningful.

If you haven’t read book 1, Halfway to the Grave, all the way through, don’t read anymore of this review.

Based on the way the last book ended, and how this one began, I wasn’t sure if I would like this book and the direction it was headed in. I couldn’t fathom Cat being away from Bones long term. It made me so sad the way she just left him “for his safety” and ended up joining the government group. Then to see that this book picked up 4 years after book 1 ended, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I’m so glad I kept listening because I ended up liking it so much!

This book had humor and some laugh out loud moments, but not quite as many as book 1. There was some good excitement and nail-biting moments. There was also a very fire hot “adult” scene that practically singed my speakers. I’d say more but I don’t want to have my review declined by audible.

I think the author did a good job leading up to the grand finale of this book. That was quite strategically planned.

Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars. I recommend this series so far. I really enjoy the narration. This is great as an audiobook. I will be starting book 3 now.

**Original Rating from 11/24/2016:**
3.5 stars

Great read

Love this book. I think it is just as good as the first if not better.

must listen in order

this is like my 5th time listing to bones and kats story. the story never gets old like watching reruns on late night telly bones would say lol 🤣 but the story must be listened to in order and I'm glad I was able to listen to the book of bones. I got to hear his thoughts when he found kat. lol 😂 and he knew just from a few days with her he was in trouble even told his best bud. but won't tell you anymore just give Jeanne Frost a listen all her stories are worth the listen.

Excellent book series and excellent narrator!

If you could sum up One Foot in the Grave in three words, what would they be?

Awesome awesome awesome

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cat and Bones

What does Tavia Gilbert bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She does an excellent job narrating the books, her different accents for the characters is great and really brings the characters to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

Any additional comments?

Love this series and narrator!

thrilling and filled with action

This was just as nice and capturing as the other books about the night huntress.

Second time around on this one!!!

And what a reunion it is!!! This is an awesome series and I love them all (I am on my second time around!) and the narrator is awesome! She really brings all the characters to life each of them!!! This is just a good all around listen!!!