I'm a bit disappointed with this book. Anna is a very strong character, but she did some pretty stupid things. The plot was decent though. I liked reading more of how the witches interact in this world. The main thing that annoyed me was the animosity between her and Williams. It got on my nerves and I couldn't decide who I wanted to slap more. Anna resists fully embracing her supernatural side and Williams is very resentful of that. I can't say I enjoyed the ending. I don't like where the story seems to be heading. ( )

Things have settled into a level of calm for Anna. Her family is living in France on a winery they believe that they have inherited. Her partner David is on vacation and has finally separated from Gloria, the woman she hates and her vampire boyfriend is a model. As much as Anna misses her family she is relaxed and rebuilding a life for herself.

Anna gets a call from Culebra the shapshifter and is told to stay away from Beso de la Muerte because Sandra is going to be there and she has not gotten over the fact that Anna killed her lover. True to form, Anna goes straight there. Anna is nothing but predictable and this is why Culebra told her to stay away, in order to ensure that she would meet Williams there. Though Williams is no longer the police chief he still has connections and he wants Anna to investigate the death of young vampires. He is worried that these deaths will bring attention the community does not need. Anna however is not drawn into the investigation until Culebra ends up in a psychic coma cased by an old foe - Belinda Burke. In the process of tying to help him Fray gets drawn in and his life is also in danger. With the clock ticking down, Anna has to find a way to stop Burke for good.

As with all of the other books in this series, there is little GLBT inclusion. Anna does end up having sex with a woman in a blood exchange but it is something she is embarrassed and ashamed of. It reads more like the magic of the exchange made her do it. It is something that is certainly sexually one sided and done simply as payment for human blood. Sandra, the lesbian werewolf we met in Legacy, is briefly in the novel, but is of course now grieving since her lover was killed in the last book. Heaven forbid there be sex between people of the same gender without shame and a functioning same sex couple where neither partner dies.

The only two characters of colour are Ortiz and Culebra who spends most of the book in a coma. Ortiz who has done little but play the role of servant for Williams ends up dead and this brings his hatred of Anna to a new level because despite what she says, Williams believes that Anna could have saved him if she only believed that she is the chosen one. For the first time ever, we actually learn a little bit about Ortiz and this rounds out his character a little bit but it pales in comparison to how much we have learned about the other characters. His death is little more than a plot device to elevate the tension between Williams and Anna and in this way, he becomes the ultimate servant. To seal the deal we end up with Culebra pledging to give Anna anything she wants because she saved his life. What bound them before this was an interesting friendship and what remains is now nothing more than a master/slave relationship.

Anna has been told repeatedly that there is something special about her and yet she never deigns to ask what that means. She would rather bury her head in the sand and pretend that she is human than deal with the realities of her existence. Anna takes being an ostrich to a brand new level and it is beyond annoying. Considering that this is book five already, I think Stein should have revealed what the deal is with Anna. There is building up anticipation in a reader and then there is a long winded tale - Stein falls into the latter. At least let Anna find out what is and then make the decision to run screaming if she has to. The idea that because she doesn't trust Williams that she doesn't need to know is ridiculous.

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A series i really enjoy but damn poor anna cant get a break when it comes to men smh ( )

Slightly better than the 4th book. I think this series might keep going for a while. It's not a bad read; fun, like most of these candy paranormals. The heroine is fledging out, as are the other main characters & the world. The author has the decency to write a well plotted story & doesn't try to throw in new shockers just for fun. I'll read the next when it is available. ( )

I think that I am done with the Anna Strong series. I can't put my finger on it, why I don't like it, but I just don't. I mean, it's okay, Anna is okay, some of the plot is okay, but that is just it....it's okay. Nothing special jumps out and I feel that five books in is plenty of time to have come into it's own. Meh, meh. ( )