Reading Lark After Dark: Book Review: Reckoning

Reckoning (Night Huntress Series #0.5)

Release Date: November 29th, 2011

Source: Kindle Edition owned by Reviewer

Where to buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google

Audience: 18+

THE RUNDOWN: In New Orleans, a pair of undead serial killers is about to turn Mardi Gras into a horror show - unless the immortal hitman Bones can hunt them down first.

WHAT WENT DOWN: A prequel to an already established series, The Reckoning proved to be just as interesting, engaging, and filled with super cool danger as its companion books in the series.

Protagonist Bones once again wows us with his British charm, good looks, and all-around badassness. A vampire hitman for hire, it appears he has no qualms about killing and asking questions later, but that is not the case. His strategies are always well thought out and he definitely cares about the people who help him along the way. His mercy makes him both admirable and tragic and the combination makes him all the more alluring.

This story, though a bit shorter than most of the books in the series, made me laugh, cry, and even gasp at moments. Only Frost, in such few words, could make me feel so much for peripheral characters such as Becca, Jelani, and Ralmiel. Loneliness, vengeance, and honor, displayed by these three characters, were also reflected in our main character. Her characterization, as always, was spot on. And she never lacks for such imaginative plot and descriptive settings.

THE "DOWN LOW": *sigh* Woe is me. Wherever Bones is concerned, I expect HOT VAMPY SEX. Alas, it was not to be in this book. There was only a single scene where it was alluded that he took home his new female friend...in order to please her.

To have been a fly on that wall...

*double sigh*

But at least being there while he changed from his natural brown hair color to his signature platinum blond we've all come to love definitely did it for me. YUM. E.

Favorite part of the book: (After Bones decides that ending Becca's life is the biggest act of mercy) “You’re safe, Becca, and there’s no pain anymore. You’re not injured. You’re not even here. You’re in a beautiful field, flowers all around you. Can you see them, Becca?” She nodded, her features slipping into relaxed planes that were completely at odds with the ragged stitches around her mouth. “… you’re warm, and you’re lying on the ground looking up at the sky… look at it, Becca. See how blue it is…” Her stare became more fixed. Bones leaned forward, his mouth settling on her throat. Her pulse was so faint, he could barely feel it against his lips. “Sleep now, Becca,” Bones whispered, and bit deeply into her neck.