the shapeshifters have come to town (cue dramatic music), and Ethan, always on the watch for new allies, has sent Merit out to protect the leader in the hopes of currying his favor. The book begins right where Friday Night Bites ends, and over the course of the book, we get a few mysteries wrapped up (including the "blank invitations" thing) and a few new mysteries added to keep things interesting. There's action, romantic scenes, and character growth. 
 Merit is getting stronger, both mentally and physically, and there are some wonderful scenes illustrating how far she's come. Chloe Neill manages to balance Merit's increasingly impressive power with the fact that she's still just a fallible human being. Some of the side characters get a little more scene time here (particularly Jeff, Lindsey, and Mal, along with a bar of Noviates), and we get some more info/backstory on Ethan. My only problem (and this might just be me) is that, while I'm liking Merit more and more each book, I'm liking Ethan less and less. I don't want to spoil anything, but my mouth actually fell open at some of his choices, and not in a good way. I probably shouldn't want to stick pins in a little Ethan voodoo doll, but I really, really do. Anyway, the book is still fabulous, written with surprising elegance, and I'll keep my fingers crossed for some sort of redemption on the romantic front. Preferably redemption involving groveling, epic jealousy, or a mallet to the head. :) 
 Even though many of the problems of each book are self-contained, you get a sense of a building story outside of the "villian of the week" format. Merit is getting stronger, war may be coming, alliances are being made or broken, and it just feels like chess pieces are being set up.