Guilty Pleasures

Pretty good. It could have used more detail. I will definitely read the next one.

I really got this book because I was bored. I saw it somewhere and decided to order it. It arrived 2 days, I believe, earlier then it was supposed to. Haven’t put it down really. I’m savoring it. I’m really enjoying. It’s not a very long book, but honestly, 10/10. I freaking love this book. Just finished it, and have ordered the next FOUR in the series. A new one comes out in March of next year. Gotta catch up. I may not agree with everything that our MC thinks or says or agrees with, heavy on the I’m not like other girls type, but I think it gives her character? I recommend, really.

02/13/2021 Second read through and edited review Ok so on my first read through, I hated this book besides Jean-Claude. Second read through, omg I love it!!! Anita actually grew on me through out the book. And her attitude towards the vampires and in the face of death, had me laughing so hard!!! I actually enjoyed all the characters and the way the story developed. The only characters I didn't enjoy, were of course the bad guys. Lord Nikoalas, Theresa, ans Aubrey just danced on my last nerve! Thank goodness Anita is a freaking beast and ended them all in one way or another. And Zachary also got what was coming to him for his role in bringing Anita into this freaking mess!! She is one powerful lady and im here for it all!! Can't wait to start and read the next book

Anita Blake is a bad ads with a new spin on the super natural. Laurell K Hamilton has done it again. Giving us a new world to lose ourselves through. Take the leap into this amazing new world with us.

This book contains adult content, not suitable for young readers, blah blah blah. Although this book isn't a kids book, by any means, it is not overly graphic. I am only 14 and I loved it! It is very interesting how a master vampire is portrayed in the body of an adolecent, and yet she has the mind of a killer. Somehow Laurell K. Hamilton managed to take the most unimaginably sweet kid and turn her into the scariest character in any of Laurell's books. This is my favorite Laurell K. Hamilton book.P.S. this is only my second review, so please tell me if it helped

I have been a great fan of Laurell Hamilton. I greatly admire her writing ability and imagination. And her daring as well, she is willing to confront unusual sexual issues in a genre where sexuality is more often a matter of hints and gestures. Struck by the intensity of the sexual focus in her recent work I thought it would be entertaining to go back and reread some of Hamilton's earlier books."Guilty Pleasures" is the first of the Anita Blake series. What makes the series unique is the strong, tough-minded character of the heroine and narrator. Before "Guilty Pleasures" vampire stories rarely had female leads, let alone one with the hard-nosed style of Anita Blake. She is a professional animator (one who raises the dead) and a licensed vampire killer in an alternate earth where vampires have come out of the closet (coffin?) and are active participants in American life.Hamilton's vampires are of the Anne Rice genre. They are beautiful, deadly and follow their own code of ethics. Many humans have become enthralled with them, but many are deeply suspicious. To Anita they are monsters who, when they go out of control, must be killed. But U.S. law protects vampires that behave themselves. Even so, when someone starts killing the vampires of St. Louis, authorities make little progress. Angered, two of the strongest vampires in the city, Jean-Claude and Nikolaos, convince Anita to hunt down the killer.Jean-Claude is one of the modern romantic vampires, easy to look at with fine manners and style. Nikolaos, on the other hand, is a thousand year old sadistic horror in the body of a thirteen year old girl. Her powers are unimaginable and dark hungers hide under her innocent looks. The vampiress takes an immediate dislike to Anita's feisty style and our heroine spends as much time dodging Nikolaos' efforts to injure and enslave her as she does seeking the killer. Jean-Claude comes under attack as well as he tries to help Anita.Hamilton's way with characters is one of her great strengths. We meet several of Anita's regular companions for the first time. Edward the hyper-violent bounty hunter, and Veronica, a private investigator and friend are outstanding, as are many of the bit players. Her vampires and their human servants are vivid personalities. This gives the novel a realistic feel that comes as a surprise in the vampire genre. The plot is fast paced, often moving from cliff-hanger to horrific confrontation with all the agility of the ball in a pinball game. There is a steady sexual undercurrent that veers towards sadistic and fetish oriented pleasures. It is a natural outgrowth of the vampire personality and is as chilling as it is erotic. In "Guilty Pleasures" it is an effective plot device that keeps the heat turned up. If you are a vampire story fan you will find Laurell Hamilton's efforts deeply satisfying.

The start of a great vampire series! Those who already know that they like vampire novels, anything at all that features a vampire, can skip this review, and likewise, those who hate the whole idea of vampires can skip it. But for those trying to decide whether or not to read more of this genre, or whether the one vampire novel you've already read was a fluke, it may help to have some ways to categorize these novels. Thus: BunRab's Standard Vampire Classification Guide. First, most authors of vampire novels approach from one of the main genres of genre fiction; thus their background may be primarily in romance, or in science fiction/fantasy, or in murder mysteries, or in horror. Second, many vampire novels come in series; knowing whether this is one of a series, and where in the series it falls, may be helpful. Then we have some particular characteristics: - Is the vampire character (or characters) a "good guy" or a "bad guy"? Or are there some of each? - Are there continuing characters besides the vampire, through the series? - Are there other types of supernatural beings besides vampires? - Can the vampire stand daylight under some circumstances, or not stand daylight at all? - Does the vampire have a few other supernatural characteristics, many other supernatural characteristics, or none other than just being a vampire? (E.g., super strength, change into an animal, turn invisible) - Does the vampire have a regular job and place in society, or is being a vampire his or her entire raison d'etre? - Does the vampire literally drink blood, or is there some other (perhaps metaphorical) method of feeding? - Is sex a major plot element, a minor plot element, or nonexistent? - Is the entire vampire feeding act a metaphor for sex, part of a standard sex act, or unrelated to sex? - Is the story set in one historical period, more than one historical period, or entirely in the present day? - Does the story have elements of humor, or is it strictly serious? - Is the writing style good, or is the writing just there to manage to hold together the plot and characters?Laurell Hamilton's series starts from the thriller, and is a continuing series, with new books appearing each year for the last several years. _Guilty Pleasures_ is the first book in the series. The "hero" or main character of the story is not a vampire, it's Anita Blake, zombie reanimator and occasional vampire executioner. However, Jean-Claude, the vampire who in the course of the series becomes the Master vampire of the city, also eventually becomes Anita's lover, and is, we might say, the assistant lead character. The continuing characters include the various vampires living in St. Louis, a few police detectives and officers whom we see regularly, and Anita's neighbors. There are other supernatural characters, lots of them - zombies, ghouls, werewolves, wereleopards, wererats; for all I know, were-wombats may show up sometime. Jean-Claude and the other vampires have the usual super-strength

"Guilty Pleasures" is the first Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novel by Laurell K. Hamilton, but when you read it you will wish that it was not. What I mean by that convoluted sentence is that Anita is well into her career as an Animator when this book opens and the more you find out about her backstory the more you want to learn. One of the most important things in this story is when the master vampire Jean-Claude puts the first two marks upon Anita, which links them psychically and makes her somewhat immune to the mental powers of the vampires. Obviously this will have long term repercussions in the series, but it is not as momentous a change since this is the first novel in the series; when it happens Anita has talked about killing vampires, but we have yet to see her ply her trade. If there had been a prequel to this story, in which Anita earned her reputation as "The Executioner" and we learned the rules of the game in terms of vampires and this brave new world they inhabit, then her transformation in "Guilty Pleasures" would have the weight it deserves. Similarly, the idea that the thousand-year-old Master Vampire of St. Louis wants to hire Anita to solve the sudden rash of vampire murders also has less impact than it would if this story was told further down the line. Hamilton comes up with some excellent ideas in this novel, but you can imagine how much more of an impact they would have if this was the third or fourth Anita Blake novel instead of the first. However, Hamilton gets high marks for giving us the feel that we have stepped into an ongoing story, always a laudable goal. You have to be quite optimistic about her ability to up the ante as the series continues. The world of Anita Blake is one in which the Supreme Court has granted the undead equal rights, so that you cannot kill a vampire without a warrant and you can just imagine the legal morass involving zombies, ghouls and were-beasts. Hamilton has created a world in which the undead are still creatures of the night but have become a part of society, which runs the spectrum from vampire strip clubs such as the Guilty Pleasures of the title to the Church of Eternal Life where becoming a vampire can help you achieve that particular goal. This is a thoughtful look at the "realities" of such a world and although you will recognize elements from Stoker and Rice in this world, Hamilton has constructed one that stands on its own. As for our heroine, she is also extremely realistic: Anita Blake has horrible scars on her body from her battles against the undead, her dreams are tormented by what she has seen and done, she is terrified by her current situation and does not know who she can trust or turn to for help. The fact that she feels fear, cries, gets sick to her stomach, add to her heroism because despite all these obstacles, she gets the job done. There is a much harder edge here than what you find with other vampire slayers. Anita Blake is not a two-dimension characte

The Anita Blake series -- I cannot express enough how MUCH you need it read them if you haven't already. Let me tell you the reasons why.One, the main character, Anita is tough and modern, and she could beat the socks off of the biggest bodyguard out there at only 5'4 (with the help of some uzis, sawed off shotguns, and her precious firestar.) Two, the best contemporary science-fiction/fantasy books you'll ever find. Guns, vampires, werewolves, and necromancers are just a walk in the park. Three, (and I feel MOST important), might I mention that taking one look at ANY of the male characters in this book is enough to make you stop, drool, and forget your own name? How about that delectable French fanged popsicle with the tight leather pants, Jean-Claude? (You can bite ME anytime, JC!)Ahem. In any case, I recommend these books to any sane SF/Fantasy book lover out there, because I'm afraid dissapointment is not an option. I am 99.9% sure you will fall in hopeless love with these books after reading them, so get a head start, eh? Guilty Pleasures is the first book in (so far) a series of nine. Read away, m'friends...