This review was first published on http://rubysreads.com 
 I am so very glad I decided to read this book. I am so very glad that it was recommended to me in the first place. In fact, I'm just glad this book exists. I love it when I discover a new series that already has a few volumes under its belt. It means I don't have to wait for the next book to come out. Or at least, the longest I'll have to wait is until I can to the nearest bookstore. It's kind of like compensation for coming late to the party. 
 Halfway to the Grave tells the story of Cat Crawfield, the twenty-two-year old half-vampire amateur vampire huntress. Cat was conceived as a result of her mother's rape by a newly-made vampire. She has grown up with the knowledge that she was different from other children. Her mother, moreover, has repeatedly told her that vampires are evil and since Cat is half vampire, she has to be on her guard against that half of herself. So, since the age of sixteen, Cat has been trolling bars, luring vampires and killing them. Until one night, six years after her first kill, Cat meets a vampire unlike any she has ever met before. Yep, you got it: Bones. 
 Despite some initial misunderstandings, Bones convinces Cat to train with him to become a better vampire huntress. Cat is willing to learn, but she isn't willing to like her new mentor. He is, after all, a vampire and all vampires are evil. Right? Turns out, not so much. Just like humans, vampires can be both good and bad. Cat is, like many heroines, scarred by her past. She's scarred by the story of her conception, by the first boyfriend she ever had, by her lonely childhood. Halfway to the Grave tells a love story, a mystery and a coming-of-age tale. And it's funny to boot. 
 This book was successful for many reasons, not the least of which was its slow burn. It's a romance, so you know that Cat and Bones will end up together at some point, but Frost doesn't make the mistake of having them imagining each other naked from the get-go. Or nearly having sex on page five. In fact, the story is told from Cat's perspective, so you know about her feelings (and Bones') way before she even gets a clue. This is something I love; when the author shows us that the hero is into the heroine without letting her know. It's one of the reasons I like the first-person narrative so much. The truly delicious feeling when the hero says or does something that shows his feelings for the heroine that she doesn't yet understand, but you do is a surefire hook for me. I fall for it every time. That delicious feeling I get-it's kind of like a shiver up the spine-is what tells me that I've found a book that I'm going to love. And I definitely felt that tingle with Halfway to the Grave. 
 What are some other things I loved about this book? Well, I love that Cat is impulsive but not stupid. I love that she doesn't fall into the trap of incompetency, and yet she's not unbelievably kick-ass, either. She's young and naive, but she's also twenty-two, so it's fitting. I really liked that Cat didn't just think of Bones as her lover, but also as the best friend she'd ever had. I also really, really liked the way that Frost handled the relationship between Cat and her mother. It's dysfunctional at the beginning of the novel and it's dysfunctional at the end, but they still love each other. 
 Of course, the best part of this novel was Bones. He's funny and he's good-looking. He's also protective and caring at the same time. His protective instincts lead him to do the thing more protective heroes should do: better prepare the heroine to defend herself. Bones knows that Cat's not going to walk away from killing vampires, so he makes her better at it. He arms her with knowledge and training. He also doesn't let Cat get away with her sometimes immature perceptions. And, ultimately, he's the one who commits to Cat first. That's awesome. Bones is definitely the best fictional vampire boyfriend I've run across. Though that may not be saying much. 
 I can't end this review without mentioning that the end of the book totally revved me up for the next installment. It's a cliffhanger of sorts, and I can't wait to see how things pan out. I just know it's gonna be great. 
 Oh, and just for fun, here are some of my favorite quotes from Halfway to the Grave: 
 "Face it-without me you're looking for a needle in a fangstack." 
 "You're dead and you're still an alcoholic. That's so dysfunctional." 
 "We're, ah, taking a break to evaluate things, and, um, reevaluate our relationship, so...I stuffed him in a closet!" I burst out in shame. 
 Timmie's eyes goggled. "Is he still there?"