Spade and Denise. First of the side series from the Night Huntress World. Falls into the general timeline of the overall series, I would not recommend as a stand alone - should be read after NH book 4. Not much backstory is provided, the reader is expected to already know these characters and setting. Of course, the lead characters are explored in more detail than previously provided. After the events of book 3 led to her husband's death, Denise has removed herself from anything to do with vampires. But when a vengeful demon shows up at her door, she finds herself pulled back into the paranormal world. Unable to reach Cat or Bones, Denise calls Spade, Bones's best friend. Denise is the only human to spark any interest in Spade since his human love tragically died many years ago. She had been off limits, as she was Cat's best friend and also married,but now circumstances have changed. His agreement to help Denise track a long lost relative and stay one step ahead of the demon could be his undoing. That is, if his personal feelings don't undo him first.I had difficulties liking Denise. She was extremely naive in some aspects, then smart and worldly in others. Her behavior ran very hot and cold in regards to Spade. There was some reasonable basis for this, but it got old for me. It took too long for these two to get together. I liked learning more about Spade in his own right away from Bones. I didn't believe in or feel their chemistry for most of the story. I did like the ending and the promise for the future.I rate this 3 stars, with an extra star once Cat and Bones show up. They make everything better. I'm not sure what it was about this story that makes me rank it as maybe the weakest entry in the Night Huntress world. Don't get me wrong, Jeaniene Frost sets the bar very high, so I just didn't love this one as much as I've loved the rest of the related books.The conflict was compelling, and the inclusion of new foes whose weaknesses weren't common knowledge from other stories made it suspenseful in the way some of the other stories haven't been.
What do You think about Nachtjägerin (2010)?
Maybe my favorite out of the whole series, including the original series.
—rach
The cover is disturbing. The story is pretty decent.
—CarolDaniels
