I may have to revise my rating when my book-euphoria passes, but right now I'm too excited to read the next one to quibble about whether it's a 4 or 5 star book. 
 I love a stong heroine, and Elena fits that perfectly. I also enjoy watching characters grow and change, and both Elena and Raphael do that. The book also features a complext world that I found easy to pick up and understand. That's something I think Nalini Singh does well. 
 And bonus features... Elena has FRIENDS. That's right. She has friends who support her and love her and don't disappear over the course of the book. Yes. 
 I really like a HEA ending to my stories, so I hesitate to start a series that doesn't have a forever HEA ending, but I'm really glad I picked this one up. And VERY glad I've already got the next one on hand to read, too!