Although the book is part of a series you can basically read any book in the series as a standalone.  The author provides you with some history on the main characters so you are pretty caught up on things, no matter where you start in the series.  This is a series that in all honesty I read because I am invested in the lives of the main characters.  There are times in the book when the author drags things out that could be said much quicker, as if the author is trying to make the book longer.