Blood Trail

You'd think I would have learnt from the first book that - as much as I usually love Tanya Huff's writing - this series is just not for me. But I was in a used book store and found books two and three cheap and I just couldn't resist.

I wish I had.

Honestly, this book was kind of awful, compounded because when I started it, I thought I would actually enjoy it. So, I'm not going to get into my problems with the werewolf culture in this story because I have very well developed ideas of good werewolf culture and just because this doesn't fit into what I like doesn't mean it is bad.

However...

Problem #1: Mike Celluci

I saw the show before I ever read the first book. I loved Vicki. I mean, seriously, she's the reason I wanted to read the books. I liked Henry for the most part. While he was a little too sexualized to be my preferred type of vampire, at least he wasn't the brooding woe is me type. I hated Mike Celluci. I mean I loathed and detested him. I had high hopes for this book because, towards the beginning, it looked like he was going to take a backseat. Alas, it not meant to be.

Problem #2: Addendum to #1

All the males in this story are ‘dominant.' No, I'm not just talking about the werewolves. That I could live with. The worst offenders are Henry and, you guessed it, Celluci. They each want Vicki. They each have sex with Vicki. They each do not want the other anywhere near Vicki. They are each jealous. They each think, essentially ‘she is mine.'

He wanted to touch her, hold her...no...he wanted to catch her up and throw her down and reestablish her claim over her.

This is a nice little lovely thought from Celluci's head. With 100 hundred pages left in this book, I almost stopped reading, but I actually was a little curious how this story would end because...

Problem #3: Mystery? What mystery?

Yes, there is someone shooting the werewolves in their wolf form. However, before we hit the halfway mark, we as readers know who it is because the book explicitly tells us. Vicki still doesn't know because we spent time inside the villain's head. We do not get to solve the mystery with her. We do not get to thrill over each revealed clue. We do not get to slowly piece the bits and pieces together and, eventually, discover if we sleuthed right. Instead, we get to tap our fingers, waiting impatiently for Vicki to catch up with the plot.

Problem #4: Grr! Arg!

It took me 1 and 2/3 books of this series to realize why I didn't like the first one and why I will never actually like this series.

Everyone is so angry all the time.

Seriously, if there's a chance for an argument, they take it with glee. If they can be an ass to someone, they are there for it. (Okay, the second one really describes Celluci and, to a slightly lesser extent, Vicki.) But, I mean, these people are angry all the time, angry at the world and I just...don't know why. I mean, I don't want to read about it. I certainly wouldn't want to be around them. And I can't figure how the two worst offenders ever had the social skills to be cops.

Problem #5: Head-hoping

Honestly, I remembered I had this problem with the first book, but compared to everything else that's wrong with this one, it seems minor. Fair warning, though, the head-hoping never stops.

Final note, because of the nature of these werewolves, the undertones, overtones and mentions of incest is strong with this one.

All in all, I'm done with this series.