Laurell K Hamilton: Cerulean Sins

• ISBN-13: 9780515136814
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Publication date: 9/28/2004
• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Pages: 560

How the mighty have fallen! Once a sworn enemy of all monsters, Anita is now the human consort of both Jean-Claude, the Master Vampire, and Michah, the leopard shape-shifter. Not quite as human she once was, she is consumed by both their hungers - desires that must be sated time and time again. And when a centuries-old vampire targets Jean-Claude and his clan, Anita finds herself tested as never before - needing all the dark forces her passion can muster to save the ones she loves the most...

 Lord, are we ramping up the sex now. And it's only going to get worse, or so I hear. However, it hasn't gotten to the point that I don't see the point, as I've heard complained on various boards and Wikipedia and what have you. In this installment, Anita has to deal with Belle Mort's envoys, who have arrived in St. Louis before schedule. This, of course, throws Jean-Claude's court into a tizzy, and a slew of complicated vampire politics and relationships cause quite a bit of confusion for our ravishing heroine. (Can we just talk about how much I want Anita's hair? Just for a moment.  -  Okay, moment over.)
 Her issues are further complicated by our erstwhile friend Dolph going off the deep end because his son is marrying a vampire. His anger toward all things associated with "monsters" - Anita included - seriously hinder her ability to do her job when she's called onto a case. Much frustration ensues. And what a gruesome case. We've had gruesome before, which - to become truly disturbing - can only be found in paranormal fiction, since there are no boundaries of physics. For example, tearing apart a human to the point that all is left are bones and goo. A normal human can't do that without the aid of some type of machinery. Thus, the imagination is given limitless opportunity. It's a little twisted that this is what the mind comes up with when there are no restrictions, but that's a subject for a different discussion.
 Anita also adds another suitor to her growing list of guys she's slept with. Possibly two, but I'm not counting non-penetration. Are you? I won't tell you who it is, but it becomes abundantly obvious. Obviously. We also have a return of who I like to call piss-ant-Richard. He is the one incredibly obnoxious part of this series. I started off liking him a lot, but as time has gone and he has failed to adapt to circumstances or even make a lame attempt at an understanding attitude, he has become more and more distasteful. He doesn't change much in this installment. I will give him kudos for coming to Anita's aid on one occasion, but as he follows that with a colossal act of blatant, stubborn stupidity, it kind of cancels that out. I think Anita just needs to punch him in the face or do something else violent to put him in his place. I feel like it's only going to get worse, and from what I've read of future books, I'm not far off.
 Overall: B+
 The Anita Blake series is not going downhill, at least not to the extent I've heard. I think it's still incredibly entertaining and interesting, although Hamilton is increasingly falling to her own personal curse of too much action in too short a time. We have a lot of things going on, and it seems like more time should be passing, only to realize that the day isn't even over. In fact, I think the events in this book take place over a mere two or three days. But the fact that you barely notice says much more about the attention-grabbing power of these novels. I sincerely hope I always enjoy these books as I have been.