The central relationship was hot, and since both are shifters, they "know" they have met their mates, so there's none of that dancing around, trying to figure out if they are right for each other. It's just, "Hello, we're mates, now let's have hot, wild, animal sex"...which worked for me! The sex scenes were scorchers, fit in around the 2 suspense threads. And that's where the book lost me. First since the main crime has no resolution at the end, I assume we are supposed to run out to get the sequel. I just felt used. And second, there was way too much time spend describing the "bit players" who weren't really important to the story. I guess they were the central characters in some of the other books, but since this was my first Halle shifters book, I was bored by them, and felt pulled out of the story. I enjoyed the relationship between Bunny and Tabby, but got impatient with the "cat and mouse" game going on with the other 2 women who were Tabby's friends, and the shifters who chose them as mates.