Reckoning (Night Huntress #0.5) by Jeaniene Frost

This short novella takes place before Bones and Cat meet. I can't remember in which book Cat and Bones return to New Orleans but here we learn what was the reason Bones was banned from the city and wasn't in good terms with Marie Louveau when he left the city. 

Bones is contacted by one of Marie's ghouls to kill a vicious ghoul couple in her name. This couple is quite notorious and have been killing for years (disappearing when they finish their "fit" making it hard to catch them). Bones doesn't have just to find them and kill them, he also has to run from a bounty hunter aiming for HIS head. 

It's a nice enough novella. Has quite a lot of action and naturally no real romance in it. It was ok, but I wish it would have been more funny (like his interaction with Cat and his friends). I don't think it matters when you read this one, I think it shouldn't be the first thing you read by Jeaniene or in the "Night Huntress" series, because I don't think it will "catch" you. I think it suits the "Night Huntress" addicts like me :)

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 64 pages, 2 February 2014 / On GoodReads

 

 

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

The Night Huntress is a great, action packed, funny and romantic Urban Fantasy Series by Jeaniene Frost. The Series follows Cat the half breed Vampire and Bones her Vampire lover. Together they fight humans as well as mythological creatures (like other Vampires, Ghouls, Ghosts and more). The Series contains a total of 7 full novels and one short novella finishing their story line. Besides these, there are also 2 more short novellas, one of Bones before he met Cat and another of the both of them with no real connection to the main plot line (published after the 4th novel). There is no significant to the series in reading these two. After the series was finished another book was published - Outtakes from the Grave containing a "Director's Cut" of deleted scenes and alternate versions. 

There are a few more outside novels listed as "Night Huntress World". Two short novellas of outside characters (Happily Ever After & Devil to Pay) with no significant or relevant to the Night Huntress series as well as two full length novels of Charles and Denise - First Drop of Crimson / Mencheres and Kira - Eternal Kiss of Darkness. I inserted those books in the right reading / publishing order in the list bellow. Even though you don't have to read them to understand Cat and Bones' series, the two full length novels explain how the two couples came together and mind you, both of them are GREAT! :) They have a different feel to them since they have alternation POV of the MC and also, naturally they are not Cat and Bones, yet it is in their world and there are "guest appearances" of our favorite characters. 

There are two spin-off series to the Night Huntress World. First "Night Prince" of Vlad the Impaler finding his HEA with Kira which is currently my absolutely FAVORITE PNR / UF books! Second is "Night Rebel" of Ian and Veritas these are superb as well! While these two sub-series can totally be read as "stand alone" series, just bare in mind, characters from all over the Night Huntress World at times make an appearance. I don't think it's necessary to read them if you don't feel like it though.  

I really recommend this series to all PNR and UF lovers. Though Cat CAN be a overly stubborn and sometimes childish she is one hell of a Grim Reaper (with red hair :)). She kicks ass, and it's always fun reading of a strong woman who can handle her opponents as well as hold her liquor. I enjoyed the extra "Night Huntress World" novellas but mostly loved the two full length novels of Cat and Bone's friends as well as Ian and Veritas' spin-off. The absolute joy, the cream and the cherry as well as the chocolate cake and banana muffins are the Night Prince novels. MY GOD I don't know how I lived before reading them..

 

Books:

-- Reckoning (Short- Bones) (published 29 November 2011) ★★★½
1. Halfway to the Grave (published 30 October 2007) ★★★★½
-- Happily Ever After (Short- Chance & Isa) (published 19 July 2011) ★★★★★
2. One Foot in the Grave (published 29 April 2008) ★★★★½
3. At Grave's End (published 1 January 2009) ★★★★★
-- Devil to Pay (Short- Mencheres, Elis & Blake) (published 23 August 2011) ★★★★★
4. Destined for an Early Grave (+ deleted alternate sub plot August 2014) (published 28 July 2009) ★★★★½
4.5 Magic Graves: One for the Money (published 1 September 2011) ★★★
-- NH World 1. First Drop of Crimson (Charles & Denise) (published 9 February 2010) ★★★★★
-- NH World 2. Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Mencheres & Kira) (published 27 July 2010) ★★★★★
5. This Side Of The Grave (published 22 February 2011) ★★★½
6. One Grave at a Time (published 30 August 2011) ★★ 
[ Night Prince 1 + 2 ]
6.5 Home for the Holidays (published 5 November 2013) ★★★★★
7. Up From the Grave (published 28 January 2014) ★★★½
7.5 Outtakes from the Grave (published 22 December 2015)
[ Night Prince 3 + 4-> Night Rebel Series ]