J C Diem is a great writer and this is a good book. However when you dread reading it because you're afraid that she is turning two of the best characters in paranormal fiction into two of the worst, it kinda takes away from the writing. I understand keeping it interesting but there are other ways than by destroying your lead characters. She turned Reese from a good guy hero into a complete jerk.
But that's nothing to what she did to Lexi's character. In the first three books she was this great, strong, self-reliant, independent teenager who pretty much had to look out for herself most of her life. As a result, she was mature and knew how to handle herself. It's why I liked these books so much. It's nice to see a really strong female lead in this genre of paranormal fiction. By end of book four, I could already see that character making a quick exit. Slight spoiler alert ahead! Book five saw a complete reversal of Lexi's character into a pathetic weakling who could do nothing but feel anguish that her hero wasn't sure he wanted to be with her anymore. Not only that, she sat around twiddling her thumbs while he decided between her and the pure blood wolf he dreamed about. The old Lexi would have said " Oh Hell No! You can have him. I don't need some unfeeling, and completely self-centered jerk" and walked away.
That's why I'm only giving this book three stars. I just don't agree with completely destroying the characters you've spent several books building up and in which your readers have become invested.