Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead

SPOILER WARNING! Some spoilers for previous books. Read at your own risk.

"Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting - child's play to a succubus like her.

Helping to plan her ex boyfriend's wedding is a different story. Georgina isn't sure which is worse - that he's marrying another woman or that she's having to run around trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. There's a new succubus in town who seems intent on corrupting Georgina's soon to-be-wed ex.

But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that's taken to visiting Georgina's thoughts. Soon she's going to discover who she can trust, who she can't - and that there are far worse places than Hell in which to spend eternity..."

Succubus Shadows is the fifth book in the Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead, who also writes my favourite series, Vampire Academy, and another great adult UF series, Dark Swan. I loved the first three books in this series, but the previous one, Succubus Heat, just felt a little 'off' to me. More of a filler book setting up for the rest of the series. So while I was looking forward to this book, I wasn't desperate for it and I was cautious reading it, hoping it would feel more like the brilliance of the first three. I shouldn't have worried. It was. I completely loved this book!

Georgina isn't too happy. She's having to put up with a roommate she'd rather not have (who refuses to pay rent or do any housekeeping or anything on top of wanting her dead), she's having to try on bridesmaid dresses, help her best friend (who's marrying her ex) find the perfect wedding dress and there is a new succubus around preying on said ex. Oh, and some strange siren call keeps plaguing Georgina in a deadly way. Immortal intrigue of the best kind.

There are a lot of different plots all brought together within this book. Threads left over from I think every book all twisted up together. But it's carefully done, balancing the immortal problems with the more 'mundane' ones so that they all get attention, but without jumping around too much or dragging the story down at all. And despite the rough time Georgina is having, there is still a touch of humor with a few particularly well placed lines and a great sub-plot involving Cody, one of Georgina's vampire friends.

We discover a fair bit more of Georgina's past in this book too. Some of the things she's done before that she regrets, and some reason and understanding of why she is how she is. I couldn't help but feel for Georgina as she went through the things she did in this book. But we also get a much better look at Jerome and Carter, and their motives, in this book which I also found fascinating. They're pretty aloof characters normally, and we don't see much of the real 'them' but we see some of it here which I really liked.

The ending was heart wrenching in places and so sweet in others with a fair bit of shock thrown in. Right up to the final twist I didn't see coming that left me desperate for the next book. There is nothing in this book I didn't enjoy! It's a very well crafted story that was very, very hard to put down. 10/10