Skim, Skim, Skim, Skim, Done.

I wasn't getting dragged down into the depths of rehash hell with every other page, so I skimmed until I got to something interesting. Dialogue, action, something other than what I already knew.

Plotholes, but some good. Not the worst, not the best, but it was good. ( )

Anita is preparing for her wedding and her family arrives. It's as contentious as expected, but that contention is interrupted by crime against supernatural persons escalates, Anita is kidnapped and separated metaphysically from Jean-Claude. Deimos is once again trying to take over control. Very much enjoyed this story without the long drawn out sex scenes. There was more focus on plot and connections between people, and what does it mean for Anita to lose her connections to her poly group. ( )

So I was correct that the previous book (Smolder) could have been put together with this book. All the focus was on the bad guys, with a little bit on Anita's family.

My completionist tendencies are rearing their ugly head, so I might have to go back and read the books I missed. I'm a little curious if Hamilton ever writes a sex scene between Anita and one of the girlfriends. ( )

hmmmm. First - I did not read - I listened to an audio copy. It does make a difference. This book is a bit different in a few ways. The first major difference was there was less sex - still a lot of sex talk - but fewer actual sex scenes and some were kind of glossed over. The reduction of sex was filled in by a major amount of inner dialogue and counseling was frequently in the mix of thoughts.
As readers, we finally get to meet her family (which was great) and the meeting caused me to restructure my views on some. I still really dislike granny, but learned that Anita's Dad is a problem and the rest of the family is fine - flaky but fine.
The next major difference was that the plot was broken between 2 books - a small difference even if it did drive me nuts - but the big difference? The villain was a joke. The idea and character had all this potential, but then Hamilton just did not develop him. It also led me to some serious questions on her worldbuilding. The whole purpose behind the 4th mark was to bind them solidly. This was just not believable. In fact, all of the interactions seemed watered down and Anita would have these long wandering inner dialogs instead of going after the villain or fighting. She was almost a wispy princess in need of rescuing.
Then there was the writing - it came through as choppy and without flow and then would begin to flow only to dissolve again. It just did not feel like Laurell Hamilton. It is almost as if she has stretched this as far as she can, and it is time to end the series. ( )

I love Anita Blake's journey, Each book is amazing! ( )