Like many other reviewers, I've been waiting for LKH to return to her old self and serve up a strong, interesting, multi-faceted character involved in a plot that's scary, fun and holds your attention.  But that is just not going to happen, I guess.  Where to start?  In this book Anita is... dumbed down to an intolerable level.  The first several hundred pages consist of her asking various men to "explain" everything over and over again.  She repeats things like a moron and can't seem to focus on anything.  Example, Byron: "I'm both dom and sub."  Anita: "Dominant and submissive?"  Uh, yeah, that's what it means.  Example, Jean-Claude: "There are three colors of masks: red, white and black.  Red means pain, white means [whatever]..."  Anita: "What does black mean?  Explain."  Gee, I'd think black means DEATH, Anita.  Could she be more stupid?  And she just doesn't get that the Harelequin are (as it repeated a hundred times to her) "the police force of the vampire world," even though she herself is involved in police work.  Or used to be because now she doesn't do anything but talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, and have random sex.

Where to go next?  The sex.  "Nasty, brutish and short" to steal a quote.  With Richard the sex is so quick and brutal that she's bleeding afterwards and he's glad she's hurt.  Is that... sexy?  erotic?  pulse-pounding because she urges him to do it?  No.  It's a turn-off and kinda repulsive, too.  I like steamy erotica and lots of it if it's done well.  Having a woman hurt and bleeding after sex is not cool.  It just isn't.  Don't know what else to say about that.

What else?  The same ol' cliches are trotted out YET AGAIN.  Micah's cat eyes, "pile of puppies," etc.  If you've been reading her books, you know what I'm saying.  Why a supposedly strong, masculine hunk of man like Richard says, "I need to be in a puppy pile" is beyond me.  Bleah.  Cute or lame?  Lame!

For anyone interested in dom/sub sex that's truly hot, try the Ann Rice "Sleeping Beauty" series.  If you want a good vampire/werewolf tale... try anything but LKH.  Like I said, I give up.

I think I'm all worked up about this because it's a real treat to find strong female characters in a paranormal setting, or movies or really in any media.  To have Anita act like a dullard and talk endlessly about her hang-ups is just too "chick lit" for me, I guess.  Why can't she be strong, enjoy hot sex and kick some vampire azz?  And not get all hung up about it?  Maybe that's just too much to ask.
Like many other reviewers, I've been waiting for LKH to return to her old self and serve up a strong, interesting, multi-faceted character involved in a plot that's scary, fun and holds your attention. But that is just not going to happen, I guess. Where to start? In this book Anita is... dumbed down to an intolerable level. The first several hundred pages consist of her asking various men to "explain" everything over and over again. She repeats things like a moron and can't seem to focus on anything. Example, Byron: "I'm both dom and sub. "  Anita: "Dominant and submissive? "  Uh, yeah, that's what it means. Example, Jean-Claude: "There are three colors of masks: red, white and black. Red means pain, white means [whatever]... "  Anita: "What does black mean? Explain. "  Gee, I'd think black means DEATH, Anita. Could she be more stupid? And she just doesn't get that the Harelequin are (as it repeated a hundred times to her) "the police force of the vampire world," even though she herself is involved in police work. Or used to be because now she doesn't do anything but talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, and have random sex. Where to go next? The sex. "Nasty, brutish and short" to steal a quote. With Richard the sex is so quick and brutal that she's bleeding afterwards and he's glad she's hurt. Is that... sexy? erotic? pulse-pounding because she urges him to do it? No. It's a turn-off and kinda repulsive, too. I like steamy erotica and lots of it if it's done well. Having a woman hurt and bleeding after sex is not cool. It just isn't. Don't know what else to say about that. What else? The same ol' cliches are trotted out YET AGAIN. Micah's cat eyes, "pile of puppies," etc. If you've been reading her books, you know what I'm saying. Why a supposedly strong, masculine hunk of man like Richard says, "I need to be in a puppy pile" is beyond me. Bleah. Cute or lame? Lame! For anyone interested in dom/sub sex that's truly hot, try the Ann Rice "Sleeping Beauty" series. If you want a good vampire/werewolf tale... try anything but LKH. Like I said, I give up. I think I'm all worked up about this because it's a real treat to find strong female characters in a paranormal setting, or movies or really in any media. To have Anita act like a dullard and talk endlessly about her hang-ups is just too "chick lit" for me, I guess. Why can't she be strong, enjoy hot sex and kick some vampire azz? And not get all hung up about it? Maybe that's just too much to ask.