Book Review: A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton

A Kiss of Shadows 

(Meredith Gentry, Book 1)

by Laurell K. Hamilton

Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 2002)

Kindle Edition
File Size: 1336 KB
Print Length: 480 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0345423402
Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (January 18, 2001)
Publication Date: January 18, 2001
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Ratings: ★ ★    

My thoughts:

Merry is Anita Blake's twin sister! I left Anita's world (after book #10) when she became power-hungry then slutty. This is just book #1 and yet I can see Merry now being the slutty AB. Yikes, even Merry's voice, humor and skills as private investigator, purely Anita. The fantasy part is flat, characters are forgettable. DNF!!   

I'm about to start Nightseer, my last book from this author, hoping it's better than this. 

About the book:

My name is Meredith 'Merry' Gentry, but of course it's not my real name. I dare not even whisper my true name after dark for fear that one hushed word will travel over the night winds to the soft ear of my aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness. She wants me dead. I don't even know why...

I fled the high court of Faerie three years ago and have been in hiding ever since. As Merry Gentry, I am a private investigator for the Grey Detective Agency: Supernatural Problems, Magical Solutions. My magical skills, scorned at the courts of Faerie, are valued in the human world. Even by human standards, my magic isn't flashy, which is fine by me. Flashy attracts attention and I can't afford that.

Rumour has it that I am dead. Not quite. I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. To speak that name after dark is to call down a knock upon your door from a hand that can kill you with a touch. I have been careful, but not careful enough. The shadows have found me, and they are going to take me back home, one way or another.

Book Review: Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) 
by Laurell K. Hamilton 

Series: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Orbit; New Ed edition (December 4, 2003)
Amazon Paperback Link

Kindle Edition
File Size: 766 KB
Print Length: 560 pages
Publisher: Jove (April 1, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.'
Amazon Kindle Link


Ratings: ★ ★

My thoughts:

It has been a month since I started this, had to DNF, can't stand Anita's kinky sex life. It was cool at first. Anita went back to being a normal human - Anita as an animator/necromancer and a private investigator. Had fun reading about the investigation involving the RPIT gang but once in a while, sh*t like ardeur would happen and I'd skip. I was halfway thru the book when I realized I've been skipping too many pages, so I decided to DNF. 

As you can see, I have these two more Anita books which I bought years ago when I was sooooo addicted to the series. The last Anita books I read were  Blue Moon (Jan 2011) and Obsidian Butterfly (Oct 2011), followed by Narcissus in Chains just last month (August 2014). I guess it's time to say goodbye to this once-awesome-series. ;(

About the book:

Cerulean Sins, the eleventh entry in the hugely-popular Anita Blake series, finds everyone’s favorite vampire hunter keeping house and kicking butt.

Anita Blake is trying to get her life back to “normal” after a break-up with her werewolf lover. She has settled into a pattern of domesticity, which means that the new man in her life, the leopard shapeshifter Micah, has no problem sharing her with Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City. Things are as peaceful as they ever get for someone who raises the dead, when Jean-Claude receives an unexpected and unwelcome visitor: Musette, the very beautiful, very twisted representative of the European Council of Vampires. Anita soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous game of vampire power politics.

To add to her troubles, she is asked to consult on a series of brutal killings, which seem to be the work of something un-human. The investigation leads her to Cerulean Sins, a vampire-run establishment that deals in erotic videos, videos that cater to very specific tastes. Anita knows one creature of the night who has such interests — Jean-Claude’s visitor. But if Anita brings Musette down, the repercussions could cost her everything she holds dear.

Once a sworn enemy of all monsters, Anita is now the human consort of both Master Vampire Jean Claude and leopard shapeshifter Micah. When a centuries-old vampire hits St. Louis, Anita finds herself needing all the dark forces her passion can muster to save the ones she loves.


Anita Blake returns to find hell hath no fury like a vampire scorned.

About the author

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the SKIN TRADE, number seventeen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now six novels exceeding one million copies in print. Divine Misdemeanors, the eighth in the series will debut Octobe 29, 2009. She lives in St. Louis County Missouri with her husband Jonathon Green, daughter, one pug dog and one boxer/pug dog.

Book Review: Narcissus in Chains (Anita Bake 10) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Narcissus in Chains 
(Anita Bake 10)
by Laurell K. Hamilton

Paperback Link
Publisher: Berkely Publishing Co.; First Edition edition (2002)

Kindle Edition
File Size: 878 KB
Print Length: 656 pages
Publisher: Jove (October 1, 2001)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Ratings: ★ ★

My thoughts:

The last Anita I had ... *thinking.... buffering... loading... giving up... blog searching *Anita Blake*.... oh shoot! ... Blue Moon (Jan 2011) and Obsidian Butterfly (Oct 2011). Yikes! Three years! I now remember why I stopped reading... I do not enjoy Anita being part of the were +vamp pips and the sex! Double yikes, where's the Anita who is so not into meaningless sex!

In sum, I hated were and vamp politics so I DNF the book. I'm now reading book 11, Cerulean Sins and so far Anita is back to being 'human'. I skipped the synopsis, I'm hoping this will be a good one. 

About the book:

Hamilton's vampire-hunting Anita Blake faces a plethora of foes in her tenth outing. Just returned to St. Louis after six months away, Anita is still no closer to choosing between her lovers--Jean-Claude, a vampire, and Richard, a werewolf. But she has to rely on both for help after two of the wereleopards that she has been watching are abducted at a seedy club called Narcissus in Chains. Anita and her boyfriends rescue the wereleopards from the sinister people holding them, but Anita is wounded in the fight and put at risk of becoming a wereleopard herself. Richard angrily captures the wereleopard he believes is responsible and threatens to execute him. Anita must now rescue that wereleopard from Richard and the werewolves he leads, even as she mourns the apparent end of her relationship with him. Then she realizes that those who kidnapped the first two wereleopards are targeting other lycanthropes. Maybe she will be next. With plenty of steamy sex and graphic violence, this is engaging reading for vampire cultists.

About the author:

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the SKIN TRADE, number seventeen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now six novels exceeding one million copies in print. Divine Misdemeanors, the eighth in the series will debut Octobe 29, 2009. She lives in St. Louis County Missouri with her husband Jonathon Green, daughter, one pug dog and one boxer/pug dog.

Book Review: Bite (Anthology)

Bite

Authors:
Laurell K. Hamilton
Charlaine arris
MaryJanice Davidson
Angela Knight
Vickie Taylor

Paperback: 297 pages
Publisher: Jove Books; First Printing edition (December 28, 2004)

Ratings:

 ★ ★ ★ ★




My thoughts:

Bite is a collection of 5 short stories, (1) The Girl Who Was infatuated With Death by Laurell K. Hamilton, (2) One Word Answer by Charlaine Harris, (3) Biting In Plain Sight by Mary Janice Davidson, (4) Galahad by Angela Knight and (5) Blood Lust by Vickie Taylor.

The first one is an Anita Blake short story by Ms. Hamilton, this happened in between Blue Moon (read my review here) and Obsidian Butterfly. The story is about a girI who is suffering from bone cancer. Her mother found out that she had asked a vampire to turn her and  now her mother  hired  Anita to find her daughter and execute that vamp. Blue Moon was a Richard-Anita book so this one is focused on Jean-Claude and Anita relationship. I haven't read Obsidian Butterfly so I couldnt tell if this story is connected with that book. Book 1 was just an OK story, and I dont think readers who have not read the Anita series would be interested to start with this book.

The second story from Charlaine Harris is about Sookie Stackhouse's cousin Hadley. Her vampire cousin  was a lover of the vampire queen of Louisiana (Eric and Bill's boss) and was recently staked so the queen sent her lawyer to Sookie to deliver Hadley's legacy. I think the story happened after the Witch war (?). I'm not sure - it's been a year or two since I read the series. It must be after Book 3 or 4 because Bill here was just "a friend and a neighbor" to Sookie. Sookie fans doesn't need to read this, as this story added nothing to the series.

I didn't like the third story by MaryJanice Davidson. The plot wasn't interesting to read, too predictable and the characters confused me. The last two short stories surprised me. I was almost ready to give up when the story became a page turner. I haven't heard of Angela Knight and Vickie Taylor but I was impressed with their writing. I liked the fourth one, Galahad story by Angela Knight.  I read that this is also part of the Round Table series (which I would like to start one day). The story is about Caroline who was recently turned into a witch and was getting visions of the future. She saw someone murdering people to create an army of bad vampires. She also saw a vision that  a vampire swordsman would be the perfect man to do the job. The guy in her vision turned out to be Galahad, one of the  best knights of the Round Table. Together they set out on a mission of stopping the bad guys in creating an army of vamps.

Blood Lust, the final story is about a microbiologist, Daniel Hart who invented synthetic blood. After having the synthetic blood perfected, his employer - a vampire, stole his work, his house, everything he has including his fiancee (which was turned into a vamp). He wanted to kill his vampire employer but he realized, he couldn't kill him if he's human. So he finds Deidre, a woman vampire to turn her. So the story goes from there.

I bought this book because I love Anita and Sookie series. I was disappointed because those two stories don't add anything to the series. However, I am considering this a great book for Galahad and Blood Lust.


About the book:

A never-before-published Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story from New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton. A brand-new story from New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris, featuring the much-loved Sookie Stackhouse.

A hot new novella from USA Today bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson, set in the world of Undead and Unwed's Betsy Taylor, the newly, and reluctantly,crowned Vampire Queen.

Introduced in the collection Hot Blooded, and on the heels of the wildly successful Master of the Night, Angela Knight has created a fascinating universe of Arthurian Lore and erotic vampirsim. And a sexy original story from Vickie Taylor, a new addition to Berkley Sensation.

Book Review: Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton

Blue Moon

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Jove; First Thus edition (September 24, 2002)

Ratings: ★ ★ ★ 


My thoughts:

I have been a fan of the Anita Blake,Vampire Hunter series for some time now and honestly I was so disappointed with this book. Blue Moon is the eight (of the 20 books) installment of the series. I love the series because of the main character, Anita Blake. LKH created a strong heroine with great narration, powerful characters, good entertainment and the best is for the witty dialogue of the main character. 

The series started out with Anita having one full time job as an animator and then sometimes she helps the Regional Preternatural Investigation Taskforce or RPIT (pronounced as RIP IT) solve cases which mostly ended up in Anita killing vamps and other supernatural creatures. Love that!

This time Anita's life or career has taken a different direction. I can't believe she's getting powers in every book. Okay, let's see, she's an animator/necromancer, vampire executioner, she's got power equal to Jean-Claude and Richard, power over Damian (vampire) and now Lupa (Ulfric's chosen mate) for werewolves and Nimir-Ra (queen pard) for the were-leopards. I hate her life now, please bring back Anita without the super powers please! 

The book contains a lot of gore/violence scenes mixed with sexual tensions and I didn't like it. I hate it when she has to deal with vamp politics and now were politics. I don't know where the story is heading and I'm not sure if i'm going to like the next book Obsidian Butterfly. I miss Edward and the RPIT gang. 

If you love Richard then this book is for you. Blue Moon is all about Anita-Richard relationship and that's my only reason why I finished reading this. If you are new to Anita's world, please pick up the first books and do NOT start with this one. You will not like it and you will be lost. I guarantee you.

About the book:

"Richard was an alpha werewolf. It was his only serious flaw. We'd broken up after I'd seen him eat somebody.”

Still, you never forget your ex-fiancé. And when Richard calls Anita Blake at three in the morning, she knows it won't be good news. It seems Richard had gotten himself thrown in jail on a rape charge. But Anita knows that though he is a monster, Richard's no rapist. And it's up to her to prove his innocence—before the blue moon creates even bigger problems for Richard...”

"Vampire hunter and preternatural expert Anita Blake, must help her ex-fiancé out of a false rape charge. Time is of the essence, however, as Anita's ex-flame is a werewolf and if he's not out of jail before the full moon rises he's in for some big problems." 

http://www.laurellkhamilton.org

About the author:

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. 

Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the SKIN TRADE, number seventeen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve.

There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now six novels exceeding one million copies in print. Divine Misdemeanors, the eighth in the series will debut Octobe 29, 2009. 

She lives in St. Louis County Missouri with her husband Jonathon Green, daughter, one pug dog and one boxer/pug dog.  - 

Book Review: Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton

Title: Burnt Offerings
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Jove (September 24, 2002)

Ratings:

★ ★ ★

My thoughts:
Book 7 of the Anita Blake Series
I don't know. Anita's life wasn't really great in this book. I don't really enjoy Anita's life with the were pack, and I was not also impressed by the Vampire council politics. The only thing I enjoyed in this book was again Jean Claude-Anita-Richard story. I am really enjoying the series but maybe I have to stop for a while.

About the book:

"You can't trust anyone who sleeps with monsters.”

That's what Anita Blake had always believed. But now she was sharing a bed with the Master Vampire of the city. So when an arsonist began to target vampire victims, the creatures of the night turned to their former enemy. For now only "The Executioner" could save them from the inferno...

It's often hard to tell the good from the evil. Just ask Anita Blake. She seems to be developing a soft spot in her heart for vampires-one in particular. So, when an arsonist's fires begin licking at St. Louis's undead, it's up to Anita to save the very monsters she's sworn to destroy.

About the author:

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. 

Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the SKIN TRADE, number seventeen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve.

There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in

print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now six novels exceeding one million copies in print. Divine Misdemeanors, the eighth in the series will debut Octobe 29, 2009. 

She lives in St. Louis County Missouri with her husband Jonathon Green, daughter, one pug dog and one boxer/pug dog.  - www.amazon.com

Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

★★★★☆

Anita Blake Book 5

"When Anita Blake's boss at Animators, Inc., informs her that she's expected to raise 300-year-old zombies from a field of jumbled bones just to settle a land dispute, she's understandably annoyed. But as soon as she arrives in Branson, Missouri, to do the deed, the job gets more interesting. A psychotic sword-wielding vampire starts committing multiple murders in the area, and Anita must call on Jean-Claude, her powerful fanged suitor, for help. As always, Anita prevails over the undead, keeping Jean-Claude at arm's length, clearing the cemetery land of an ancient enchantment, and nailing the vampiric killer in one fell swoop."

"First, there were the dead in the graveyard - two-hundred years dead. I'd been hired to raise them to settle a dispute over who owned the land they were buried in.

Then there were the three dead teenagers in the woods, slaughtered in a way I had never seen before.

And then they found the dead girl, drained of blood and left in her bed.

I knew what that meant, all right. It didn't take a degree in preternatural studies to figure out that something was very wrong in and around Branson, Missouri. My name is Anita Blake. Welcome to my life..."

www.anitablakewiki.com

Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Anita Blake Series Book 4

I think I'm falling for Jean-Claude . . . haha. I love the love triangle thing with Jean-Claude and Richard.. so far the funniest installment of the series. So i'm giving this book 4.5 stars!

You get two preternatural experts in one with Anita Blake, animator and vampire slayer. She's one of the good guys in a world full of bad things. A world that Laurell K. Hamilton makes spin in her New York Times bestselling novels.

Now, Anita has fallen for the leader of a local pack of werewolves. She's survived a lot, but this love thing may kill her yet...

www.anitablakewiki.com

Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Anita Blake Series Book 3

"I'm Anita Blake, expert on creatures of the night. I've dined with shapeshifters, danced with werewolves, and been wooed - but not won - by Jean-Claude, the Master Vampire of the City.

And now a darkly dangerous vampire named Alejandro has hit town. He too wants me for his human servant. A war of the undead has begun. Over me.

I would be flattered. If my life weren't at stake..."

"A rogue master vampire hits town, and Anita gets caught in the middle of an undead turf war. Jean-Claude, the Master Vamp of the city, wants her for his own - but his enemies have other plans. And to make matters worse, Anita takes a hit to the heart when she meets a stunningly handsome junior high science teacher named Richard Zeeman. They're two humans caught in the crossfire-or so Anita thinks."

"When a dangerous vampire named Alejandro hits town and claims Anita Blake, an expert on creatures of the night, for his human servant, a war of the undead breaks out and puts Blake's life in jeopardy. "

http://www.anitablakewiki.com

The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Anita Blake Series Book 2

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter for Animators, Inc., is offered a cool mil to raise a 283-year-old corpse. But she knows that "the older the zombie, the bigger the death needed to raise it". Only a human sacrifice is "big" enough to raise this old soul--and Anita's no murderer.

Now, a creature from beyond the grave is tearing a swath of murder through St. Louis. And Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried—and some people better off dead..."

"After a few centuries, the only death 'big enough' is a human sacrifice. I know, because I'm an animator. My name is Anita Blake.

Working for Animators, Inc. is just a job - like selling insurance. But all the money in the world wasn't enough for me to take on the particular job Harold Gaynor was offering. Somebody else did, though - a rogue animator. Now he's not just raising the dead ... he's raising Hell. And it's up to me to stop it ... "

http://www.anitablakewiki.com

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Title: Guilty Pleasures
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Paperback:368 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (August 3, 2004)

Ratings:

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Anita Blake Series Book 1

"I don't date vampires. I kill them" Love this book. Anita Blake is a one strong female lead character and she's very funny! It's not the same as with the other vampire books out there. A good one that can be compared to Anne Rice's novels. I think this is a very long series with 18 or 19 books? Anyway, I liked the first one, I just hope there'll be more Jean-Claude moments in book 2.

I heard they're considering making a movie/tv series out of this series. Jennifer Garner would be the perfect choice for Anita Blake. :)

"My name is Anita Blake.

Vampires call me The Executioner. What I call them isn't repeatable. Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs. I know better. I've seen their victims. I carry the scars...

But now a serial killer is murdering vampires -- and the most powerful bloodsucker in town wants me to find the killer..." http://www.laurellkhamilton.org