Frost-bitten…

To celebrate Valentine’s day (a very commercialised holiday), I thought I’d do a post on my favourite author—Jeaniene Frost—and my favourite literary couple.

 

Ms Frost is the author of the widely popular Night Huntress series. I was hooked from the first page of book one. Granted, I have a soft spot for all things vampire. Hey, I spent most of my teens watching Buffy the vampire slayer, so I can’t really help it. However, it’s the great voice and the loveable characters that really grab your attention with this series.

 

I can honestly say the Night Huntress books are one of the rare instances where I love both the male and female characters equally. To me, that’s pretty damn special. So many books have one great lead that draws you in and makes you want to never leave their world. Ms Frost managed to write two of those characters. In one story.

 

Okay, so who is our leading lady? Drum roll please… Catherine Crawfield. Cat to her friends. The Red Reaper to her enemies. And Kitten to one very special man. This is one tough woman. Besides the fact that she killed her very first vampire at the tender age of sixteen, Cat is a force to be reckoned with. After a difficult upbringing, she grew to be a strong woman, completely capable of taking care of herself. She’s independent and can kick some serious butt. Her arsenal doesn’t end there. Cat is also fully equipped with a sharp tongue, and she is certainly not afraid to use it.

 

Now these traits are very important when creating a bad-ass vampire hunter. And there’s the fact that she is very beautiful. However, that’s not the end of it. Underneath all of her hard-core bravado, Cat is really a softy. And I just love that. Oh, and let’s not forget the great sense of humour. Even while ridding the world of the evil undead, Cat still has time to make jokes and sharp one-liners.

 

Then we have our leading man… Crispin Phillip Arthur Russell III, AKA Bones. From bones he rose, so bones he became. Now, in order to keep up with Cat, Ms Frost had to create a great male character. Otherwise, Cat would have eaten him for breakfast. Bones is top notch. This is a man who takes crap from no one. Talk about a bad boy. As if being a fanged undead creature of the night wasn’t enough, Bones is also a bounty hunter. And that is only in his afterlife, never mind how he spent his human years.

 

Bones is not only deadly but also super sexy… and then some. But make no mistake, this isn’t your strong, silent type. Bones has a sharp tongue to rival Cat. Which is a good thing, given the amount of arguing these two do in the beginning of their relationship. He is seriously badass and the last person you would want to meet in a dark alley. But, he will do anything, and I do mean anything, to protect the ones he loves, especially his Kitten.

 

Neither of these characters is perfect. Cat has bad days. Is moody. Swears like a sailor. Makes stupid decisions. Often acts and talks before thinking. Bones likes to get his way and will do whatever it takes to ensure he does. He has been known to steam-roll over Cat—and anyone else in his way—in order to do what he thinks is best.

 

This is what makes them so endearing. Perfect people don’t exist, so why should perfect characters? These two are gritty and flawed, but that’s why I love them.

 

~Raven