OK. First of all; the back cover blurb is a lieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. A LIE! 
 OK. Not exactly a lie.. but is isn't what the book is about as in entirety. I was expecting the "race" for the book to BE the book. Not 100 flippin pages! Not that it's disappointing. I was just a little thrown that after 101 pages, BAM. Done. Off to another crisis to stop. 
 That being said, I love this world! I love the idea of all the supernaturals living in a world with humans and not some secret society always looking over their shoulder, making sure they wont be discovered. I love the politics, confusing as they can be at times. The different sups and their importance as a whole, makes this an awesome UF addition. I don't know how this woman does it, but after 6 books, I am still sitting on the edge of my seat completely immersed. A lot of series go stale by this point, and I can say with confidence this series has not. I was disappointed after the last book though and I did wait a little while before picking up this one. While this one doesn't quite contend with its predecessors (books 1-4), it was better than the last one and a great book all the same. 
 After Ethan's return and the mind-blowing revelation of the "bad guy" in Drink Deep, Merit sets off to stop Mallory from stealing the Maleficium that is currently being held by the Order in Nebraska. While on their way, they are attacked by someone else trying to retrieve the book for their own malicious intents. After all THIS unfolds in the first 100 pages, we are thrown into action and a hunt to stop yet another sub who made it their mission to fix Chicago on their own terms, causing chaos and panic throughout. Meanwhile, the Cadogan house is dealing with the repercussions of sending the receiver packing, which ultimately leaves them with Darius knockin on their doors again and having to make a serious, yet crucial decision regarding the future of the House. In between all this, we have Merit and Ethan's sexual tension relationship issues. 
 Merit is one of my favorite protagonists in all of protagonist. She is funny, smart, brave and continues to show time and time again that she is not a force to be reckoned with. She has come along way since being Turned and also in her position as Sentinel. I'm not sure I can completely agree with her all the time; I honestly don't think it is her job to right all the wrongs, fix all the problems and keep Chicago safe and in line. However, I do feel that her intentions are honorable and deserve praise. As for her relationship with Ethan. Good Golly, I am SO glad this woman has some independence and doesn't sit on her bum waiting for Ethan to come to his senses and well, man up. Although he was putting her through the ringer, she didn't let it slow her down. She continued on with what she needed to do. She's wholly independent and I like that! I am TIRED of all these co-dependent women in novels these days. I was a little confused about their "reunion" (and please, if I am wrong, correct me) But I could have sworn they had some horizontal tango action at the end of Drink Deep. So, why the reference to "unfinished business" and "making up"? Seems to me they already did. 
 Ethan really pissed me off something fierce. He is such a coward. A scared little coward. I suppose you could claim he was just trying to protect her, and in a sense I guess he was. But after EVERYTHING they had been through together and the fact that he was given another chance at life, you would think that would cause him to be a little bit more grateful and grab life by the horns. Yes, he was stressed and freaked out but he continually pushed Merit away to deal with things alone. It was incredibly frustrating! Their one step forward, two steps back routine was starting to grate on my nerves. The connection to Mallory was odd and unexpected. I was curious to see if there was going to be any short/long-term consequences of this sudden reappearance. 
 Speaking of Mallory. First of all, I thought her remorse was non-existent. You just don't go from being an all out crazy witch addicted to black magic, set on destroying the city for power to, "Oops, my bad." You just don't. It's not logical. After all it's said and done, she has the NERVE to throw herself a pity part. I am glad that Merit wasn't so easy to forgive. And her punishment was ridiculous. Not only that, after everything they had discovered about her, after everything she DID, they were pretty damn quick to let her practice to help get rid of that "other someone" who was terrorizing the city. HELLO! Crazy witch with an addiction here. Surly, a little more thought into that would have been, I don't know, logical. It's like sending an alcoholic into a bar, undercover. How about, NO. But never fear, it all is sunshine and rainbows. About that "other someone"-I am glad that we now know what that specific person is. It was killin me that I didn't know and I thought it was about time we did. It was an interesting take on the lore, common yet with a twist, and I felt it all fit. 
 I bet you're wondering about the GP. Yeah, the douches. I am glad Ethan decided to do what he did. (apparently, he's only a coward when it comes to Merit) There is something seriously wrong with Darius and their whole system entirely. It goes beyond stubbornness and their inability to adjust to current times. The ending wasn't necessarily a cliffhanger but needless to say, I am glad that I have House Rules sitting right next to me. 
 Overall- I loved it. I didn't love it as much as books 1-4 but lovable all the same. Great addition to the series. House Rules, here I come.