I read Lackey. Whose books eventually, many times, fall into predictable fluff. But even when she botches continuity, the story has an internal consistency that overall satisfies. This...didn't.

Izzy is...she's totally unbelievable, once you know it's all supposed to have been her, and not any form of supernatural intervention. :P

Yeah, I see the parallels. They're also there in The Wood Wife, to a lesser degree, and that's a much niftier book. ;)

And I'll check out StbF - at some point. Just now I've got a pretty good queue of books. :)