When I saw that this was on NetGalley I got excited. Even though I got declined for an arc of the story I just used it as a friendly reminder that the next book would be out. Short, quick read. Felt rushed in parts and dragged on in others. Wish the author would find a balance in the way the story progresses. She tends to drag out descriptions and history that we don’t really need or at least I didn’t considering that this is book 28 and I have read them all to date. Some parts were really well written and some parts could have used some tender love and care. I felt as though Anita has become more compliant where it comes to her relationships. I didn’t think Anita would acquiesce to her relationships as easily I am so used to her being a spitfire. I know that Anita has her regulars and that poly is a big theme in this series but some of it comes across forced. Don’t hate me I will pick up book 29 with a big smile if it is anything like book 27, I loved the story and crime-fighting of 27. I just wish there was a little bit more to the story my favorite parts were from chapter 24 until the end. I only hope that Neva is in the next book the witch is my favorite new addition to the series. With all this being said this is going to be my first Anita Blake book that is getting a 3-star review.

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Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak, sex, Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak, magic, fight, fight, magic, fight, fight, fight, fight, magic, magic.

That about sums it up in order.

I skimmed a lot. A LOT...there was much more internal dialogue than normal. The story really didn't start until about 25%. However it was filled with our favorite (and not so favorite) characters. Since the last two books were police/crime books that had the Marshall's they were nowhere in this book. Also, there were no wolves/Richard. It was straight up vampire/were politics and Anita dealing with her feelings. The actual "action" took place about 50% in. ( )

Anita is backing up Rafael in his bid to hold onto his control of the rats. There is a new challenger to the leadership and he is using Antia’s bonds with Rafael to say that he is no longer fit to be king. Turns out there is magic within the rats that Antia didn’t know about. I enjoyed this book. There was feeding of the ardeur but it didn’t consume huge sections of the book. During that scene, Anita finds out that the challenger is a servant to another vampire that is hiding from everyone. The rest of the book centers on going to the place of power for the rats and the fight for the leadership. The reader finds out more about the rat clans then has been discussed in the entire series. There is no US Marshall biz or zombie raising in this book just supernatural politics.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
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Synopsis: 'When Rafael, Anita’s friend and lover, is challenged to a fight to the death for the throne of the wererat community, Anita is bound to stand by his side—and the outcome could drastically alter the balance of supernatural power in America. Wererats only respect strength, so Anita must repeatedly prove herself against a host of opponents, even as she and her allies navigate the complicated politics that govern vampires and shape-shifters alike. Further complications arise when Anita realizes Rafael’s challenger has ties to a powerful foe with their own sinister agenda for the wererats. Amid the intrigue, Hamilton still devotes plenty of time to Anita’s ever-expanding polyamorous relationships and upcoming wedding to vampire king Jean-Claude.'
Review: Love that Anita is learning something new about the groups of animals and that her groups are not all that they can be because they are missing witches. The ending of the bad guy was a bit abrupt. ( )

My feelings are a little mixed with this book. There were some things that I really liked about the book but there were also things that I didn’t care for at all. This is the 28th installment in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series and I have read most of the books in the series. I am the first to admit that I haven’t loved them all but I haven’t quite given up on the series just yet.

I was actually pretty excited when I found out about this book. As a long-time reader of the series, I consider myself a fan of the title character in this book and couldn’t wait to see Rafael as the main focus of the book. I really liked learning about the wererats and seeing how things worked in their community. Rafael is facing a serious challenge and I really wanted to see things work out in his favor.

There were some things that I didn’t enjoy quite so much. I love action in books and this book had some of that and I really enjoyed those sections. Unfortunately, it sometimes seemed like the characters would have to talk everything over at great length before anything could be done. At the start of the book, Anita and Rafael decide that they want to have sex. Okay, great. They spend so much time talking about where they will have sex and how they will do it that by the time they actually got around to it, I didn’t care anymore. It seemed like 2/3 of the book was the characters talking about what they would do and the other 1/3 was them actually doing those things. I really would have loved less talking and more doing.

Kimberly Alexis did a great job with the narration. I think that she does a great job with the entire cast of characters and I like the fact that she had a very distinctive voice for each individual. I thought that she had a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time. I do believe that the narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to fans of this series. I don’t think that this would be a good place for new readers to jump into the series but fans of the series shouldn’t miss this one.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook. ( )