Blue Moon is book 8 in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, and it’s available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook. The audiobook, read by Kimberly Alexis, is highly recommended. She captures Anita’s personality so accurately that listening to the book feels like spending an evening with friends, and the audio effects amplify the danger and terror at just the right moments.

In this book, Anita has made her choice between her lovers, and even though she chose Jean-Claude, she still drops everything when Daniel, Richard’s younger brother, calls to inform her that Richard got arrested for rape down in Tennessee. Knowing firsthand about Richard’s saintly Boy Scout morals, Anita knows Richard is innocent, and keeping him behind bars is not a good idea since the full moon will rise in five days. She must get him out of jail.

Colin, the master vampire in Tennessee, refuses to let Anita enter his territory. Jean-Claude tries to negotiate her entry, but it’s a stalemate. Anita plans to go anyway, so the threat of war between the two vampire clans looms, along with whatever trouble Richard is in. Hamilton throws Anita into a land battle for trolls, an artifact, corrupt cops, lying cowgirls, and encounters with many women Richard slept with when he auditioned them to replace her as lupa, demons, and psychotic rapists. Anita must untangle the lies and betrayals, cross lines she never thought she would, and reevaluate her stance on good versus evil.

Hamilton shows just how far off the rails Anita has come since readers first met her, as she becomes the monster she always feared and hunted. The irony is that it is not her actions that make her think she’s a monster; it’s her lack of regret. Anita justifies the bloody torture and even wishes she could have done more, which makes her a monster. Hamilton also shows how petty, angry, and jealous Richard is through his sleeping around and constant accusations to Anita about choosing Jean-Claude over him, a non-human bloodsucker.

Once again, Anita takes in the ‘munin’, but her control slips and Raina gets the upper hand, calling the wolves with an undeniable mating call. Anita must race through the woods and find sanctuary before one of the wolves claims her. Raina’s power through the ‘munin’ is destruction and sex. Unable to tame the power, Anita uses it on Damian, one of the vampires with her. Damian resists temptation and gets out of Anita’s way. To safely rid herself of the ‘munin,’ she must sleep with Richard. Really, Hamilton? Why bring back more relationship drama? So that happens, and now Anita is confused again. The marks powered up because of their joining, and she is back to dating both men. Anita has taken sex off the table for everyone because she needs time to think. You don’t say.

So much is going on in this book, yet it never gets confusing. The different plotlines are straightforward, the imagery is solid, and the character, world, and metaphysical development are all top-notch. The action is fast-paced, keeping readers turning the pages, and the romance is dramatic yet steamy. Anita is having a crisis of faith. I can’t wait to see what the next title brings. As for this one, it’s a 4-star read or listen.