This was my first book in the Lily Bard series. I was looking for Christmas books so read this out of order. I'm not a huge Charlene Harris fan - I don't care for the vampire series at all- but loved this one. I immediately downloaded and read books 1 and 2 in the series next. The main character is a woman who had been brutally attacked in the past and goes on to learn self defense and get very strong. Because of her experiences, she has as hard time relating to people but is making friends in the small town she lives in. I like the characters. These books move very quickly. I usually read cozies and this is a bit more graphic than a cozy but a great series. I'll read the rest.