I liked AB, even after she became a strongly erotic story, I did not mind this development, as long as the story was strong.

Now, in Danse Macabre, I still found the story strong enough, but it seemed like the book ended in the middle. We had a lot of action - also in bed :-)! - but no resolution, no end to the arc presented. I hoped that this book would go on where DM left us, finishing what looked like an interesting premise, with new villains, new potential allies, new problems to be mastered. I did not even mind how much analyzing, thinking, grumping, agonizing back and forth AB did related to her pregnancy scare, I could take it as part of the story.

Now, I have had it. I will continue to read this series, but wait for the ppbck.

Why?

The story lines from the last book are still all left hanging.

The background is sketchy:
I did not really follow how the Harlequin came into town, who had really sent them, what their special powers were, how they were split among themselves (at some point, we hear that a Harlequin was actually being impersonated, zero explanation why who how).

The times when AB is unconscious and things - I expect - were happening to move the story forward were not explained. So I still do not understand how and why Richard and Jean Claude got into a lethal fight with each other, I do not understand what precisely the police were doing, when they came in, and why they just faded out again.

The resolution was sketchy too. I do not know what happens now with the Church members, I do not know what type of damage the vampires really took, I am just left hanging.

Edward was fun, I liked his scenes. But what happens to his scary sidekick is not explained.

What I got a lot of:
People in emergency life and death situations discussing their feelings of guilt and anguish. Great! They will have even more guilt and anguish if they do not act in time because they discussed guilt and anguish while the threat was growing, and people were dying.

In all:
This was - for me - not a book ready for publication. Either it is just half a book, and should have gone on for a bit to clear up things and develop things to a conclusion, or it lacks a lot of filling in during the telling of the story to make it complete.

As opposed to many people here, who already were unhappy once the erotic component got strong, I still loved the series up to now.

But I expect to be treated respectfully, when I buy a book, I want to trust such qualities as clarity, flow, sufficient explanations, logic, especially when this is what I got up until now. I did not get it this time.

This was a book I should have read while I was drunk or while I was not fully there. Then, the intellectual problems would not be noticeable, the lack of quality in the explanations would not bother me, because I would think it is me who is not paying attention. This way, I feel that I was sold a shoddy product.

So: I will not give up totally on AB, but this is my last HC for her.

I hope that LKH's other series will continue to be as good as it was, I will risk another HC price for that one, I was happy up until now with that series.
I liked AB, even after she became a strongly erotic story, I did not mind this development, as long as the story was strong. Now, in Danse Macabre, I still found the story strong enough, but it seemed like the book ended in the middle. We had a lot of action - also in bed :-)! - but no resolution, no end to the arc presented. I hoped that this book would go on where DM left us, finishing what looked like an interesting premise, with new villains, new potential allies, new problems to be mastered. I did not even mind how much analyzing, thinking, grumping, agonizing back and forth AB did related to her pregnancy scare, I could take it as part of the story. Now, I have had it. I will continue to read this series, but wait for the ppbck. Why? The story lines from the last book are still all left hanging. The background is sketchy:
I did not really follow how the Harlequin came into town, who had really sent them, what their special powers were, how they were split among themselves (at some point, we hear that a Harlequin was actually being impersonated, zero explanation why who how). The times when AB is unconscious and things - I expect - were happening to move the story forward were not explained. So I still do not understand how and why Richard and Jean Claude got into a lethal fight with each other, I do not understand what precisely the police were doing, when they came in, and why they just faded out again. The resolution was sketchy too. I do not know what happens now with the Church members, I do not know what type of damage the vampires really took, I am just left hanging. Edward was fun, I liked his scenes. But what happens to his scary sidekick is not explained. What I got a lot of:
People in emergency life and death situations discussing their feelings of guilt and anguish. Great! They will have even more guilt and anguish if they do not act in time because they discussed guilt and anguish while the threat was growing, and people were dying. In all:
This was - for me - not a book ready for publication. Either it is just half a book, and should have gone on for a bit to clear up things and develop things to a conclusion, or it lacks a lot of filling in during the telling of the story to make it complete. As opposed to many people here, who already were unhappy once the erotic component got strong, I still loved the series up to now. But I expect to be treated respectfully, when I buy a book, I want to trust such qualities as clarity, flow, sufficient explanations, logic, especially when this is what I got up until now. I did not get it this time. This was a book I should have read while I was drunk or while I was not fully there. Then, the intellectual problems would not be noticeable, the lack of quality in the explanations would not bother me, because I would think it is me who is not paying attention. This way, I feel that I was sold a shoddy product. So: I will not give up totally on AB, but this is my last HC for her. I hope that LKH's other series will continue to be as good as it was, I will risk another HC price for that one, I was happy up until now with that series.