Goodreads rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost, the fourth book in the Night Huntress series, Cat and her vampire lover/husband, Bones are on vacation. Cat has retired from her job, working for the government fighting the rogue undead. Cat and Bones are trying to relax when Cat begins to have nightmares about another vampire. Gregor is a Dreamsnatcher and he attempts to abduct Cat out of her dreams. Gregor believes that Cat belongs to him. As Gregor invades her dreams more and more, Cat must find a way to stop him.

I enjoyed this book more than the last one in the series, but I had a few issues with it. Gregor’s prior claim on Cat is from his previous kidnapping of her at age 16. Did Gregor manipulate her mother’s mind? Why else would her Mother have thought he was a nice man and sent her 16-year-old daughter off to Paris with him? Where was Cat’s uncle at the time? He was supposedly keeping watch over her throughout the years, having known all along who she was. I also don’t understand Mencheres’ involvement when Cat was a teenager. I found the whole ‘he saw it in a vision’, ‘he erased her memories of Gregor’ and ‘he sent Bones to the bar to meet her that first night they met’ to be a little far-fetched. Perhaps more will be explained in the book where Mencheres is the lead character. I got irritated quickly in this book with Cat’s stupidity. She refused to trust Bones even though he’s a mega-Master vampire. She won’t do as he asks, she speaks without thinking, she’s impulsive, and she practically runs right into Gregor’s arms.

There are so many things I like about these books – the strong lead characters, the dialogue and interplay between them, the sense of humor, the romance and the danger. As the books have gone on, I find myself liking Bones more and more and Cat not so much. She’s stupid, she says annoying, obnoxious things and most of the time she deserves the trouble she gets herself into. Many times I find myself thinking that Bones could do better. Of all the women he’s known over 200+ years of existence, I have a hard time believing that her bold, brashness was what he fell in love with. The fact that he’s never loved anyone before her seems a little weird to me.

I love the series, and I have been reading the books and novellas in the order that Ms. Frost recommends. I’m hoping the reason why Cat is the only woman for Bones becomes clearer to me. She may be the lead character, but she’s not why I read the series.