Published over ten years ago by Ace, Guilty Pleasures marked the debut of a series that was destined to grow from cult favorite to a major New York Times bestseller. Now, for long-time Anita Blake junkies and newfound fans, Guilty Pleasures makes its trade paperback debut. Readers will learn how Anita Blake started raising the dead-and killing the undead. And how she met Jean Claude, the master vampire destined to become not only her biggest nemesis, but her greatest lover...
Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Anita Blake may be small and young, but vampires call her the Executioner. Anita is a necromancer and vampire hunter in a time when vampires are protected by law--as long as they don't get too nasty. Now someone's killing innocent vampires and Anita agrees--with a bit of vampiric arm-twisting--to help figure out who and why.
Trust is a luxury Anita can't afford when her allies aren't human. The city's most powerful vampire, Nikolaos, is 1,000 years old and looks like a 10-year-old girl. The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the feisty necromancer isn't playing along--yet. This popular series has a wild energy and humor, and some very appealing characters--both dead and alive. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Death and gore galore ... Hamilton writes with ease and vigour..." SHIVERS 'I was enthralled - a departure from the usual type of vampire tale which will have a wide appeal to any reader hunting for both chills and fun' Andre Norton 'This fast-paced, tough-edged supernatural thriller is mesmerizing reading indeed' LOCUS 'Supernatural bad guys beware, night-prowling Anita Blake is savvy, sassy and tough' --P N Elrod, author of THE VAMPIRE FILES
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More 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.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
246 of 264 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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.
77 of 81 people found the following review helpful
By J. Freedman
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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...
60 of 64 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book was highly recommended by a fellow Amazon reviewer whose tastes mirror my own. Not only did she give it an excellent review, when we spoke she sang its praises. So, I went and bought the book. After all, I had read books by Anne Rice, as well as Donna Boyd, and enjoyed them. So, obviously books about vampires and/or lycanthropes are hardly a stretch for me.
To my surprise, I was hooked once I began turning the pages of this book. It is a totally fun book to read, with its diminutive, feisty heroin, Anita Blake, a formidable vampire hunter who now focuses on being an animator, one who raises the dead. She lives in an alternate America where vampirism is legal, and vampires of the world are flocking to our shores. In good old St. Louis, Missouri, where our intrepid heroine lives, vampires live openly among humans and have developed a bizarre cult following. Of course, since killing vampires is against the law, Anita works closely with the police supernatural squad.
Someone, however, is killing vampires, and although the police is investigating, the most powerful vampire in the city, Nicholaos, a thousand year old being who is ensconced in the body of a beautiful pubescent girl, has commissioned her to find the killer. The reluctant Anita, who finds herself at odds with evil Nicholaos, finds an unexpected ally and friend in the handsome Jean-Claude, a two centuries old vampire for whom she feels an unexpected attraction and affinity.
Anita finds herself in a number of hair-raising situations as she seeks to discover the killer. Along the way she is plagued by vampires, wererats, ghouls, other animators, and fellow humans. The plot is fast-paced and intriguing. Its characters capture the reader's imagination. While most of them are not particularly well-fleshed, as it is basically a plot driven book, the main character, Anita Blake, is quite interesting, as well as compelling, and resonates with the reader.
The author manages to pull together a highly entertaining and enjoyable book. The style is part detective potboiler, part mystery, and part fantasy with supernatural portents. It carries the reader along from its first page to its last, never losing its momentum. In fact, it leaves the reader wanting more. Good thing that this is merely the first in a series of books about this intrepid vampire hunter, Anita Blake. I look forward to reading them all.
To my surprise, I was hooked once I began turning the pages of this book. It is a totally fun book to read, with its diminutive, feisty heroin, Anita Blake, a formidable vampire hunter who now focuses on being an animator, one who raises the dead. She lives in an alternate America where vampirism is legal, and vampires of the world are flocking to our shores. In good old St. Louis, Missouri, where our intrepid heroine lives, vampires live openly among humans and have developed a bizarre cult following. Of course, since killing vampires is against the law, Anita works closely with the police supernatural squad.
Someone, however, is killing vampires, and although the police is investigating, the most powerful vampire in the city, Nicholaos, a thousand year old being who is ensconced in the body of a beautiful pubescent girl, has commissioned her to find the killer. The reluctant Anita, who finds herself at odds with evil Nicholaos, finds an unexpected ally and friend in the handsome Jean-Claude, a two centuries old vampire for whom she feels an unexpected attraction and affinity.
Anita finds herself in a number of hair-raising situations as she seeks to discover the killer. Along the way she is plagued by vampires, wererats, ghouls, other animators, and fellow humans. The plot is fast-paced and intriguing. Its characters capture the reader's imagination. While most of them are not particularly well-fleshed, as it is basically a plot driven book, the main character, Anita Blake, is quite interesting, as well as compelling, and resonates with the reader.
The author manages to pull together a highly entertaining and enjoyable book. The style is part detective potboiler, part mystery, and part fantasy with supernatural portents. It carries the reader along from its first page to its last, never losing its momentum. In fact, it leaves the reader wanting more. Good thing that this is merely the first in a series of books about this intrepid vampire hunter, Anita Blake. I look forward to reading them all.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always a good read.
This series has always been a favorite of mine. It's about Damn time that I got to read them all in one place.
Published 2 hours ago by Jessica Dziezynski
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this series
I love this series of books, this is probably my fifth time reading them. I recommend these to all of my friends.
Published 3 days ago by Jennifer Bolden
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let's Talk Male Strippers for a Minute!
Wow! Surprised this went there, but really liked it. It never hurts to add new characters if they're interesting and the plots of these stories just keep me interested start to... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Michaline Morrison
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this book.
I've been looking for books from this series for years! They're a great horror meets sci-fi meets strange kinky romance. They're a great read for the open minded. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Angela M Hubbard
1.0 out of 5 stars
I really tried to like it.
Sorry, Laurel Hamilton fans - I was looking for new authors and ran across her name in association with 'vampire books'. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Donna Jabara
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guilty pleasures
This was a great book anita Blake vampire series are great books if love vampires and shapeshifters you'll these books
Published 13 days ago by john walls
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most amazing
Still every time I read this book I fall in love with the characters again. Must read books! I've been reading them over and over for years.
Published 14 days ago by love this app works well. wish it kepted scores though.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasureable Reading
Purchased for my great granddaughter. She is really the one that loves it! :) She has much time to read these days.
Published 23 days ago by Lois Thirstrup
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hooked from the first page...Huge fan ever since!
Looking for a good book back in 2002. Was really into Anne Rice at the time, and a woman at a book store told me to check this one out. I immediately was hooked! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jessica_Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars
Guilty Pleasures
Love all of Laurell K. Hamilton's books. Have to get them in order because you will want to read them all. Great Service and fast delivery.
Published 1 month ago by Tammy Long
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 8
books:
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27
books
cite this book:
See all 27 books citing this book
- Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 10) by Laurell K. Hamilton in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Front Matter (3)
- Obsidian Butterfly (An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 9) by Laurell K. Hamilton in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Front Matter (3)
- Incubus Dreams (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 12) by Laurell K. Hamilton in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Classic Seuss) by Dr. Seuss on page 205
- Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 1) by Laurell K. Hamilton in Front Matter
See all 8 books this book cites
- The Killing Dance (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 6) by Laurell K. Hamilton on 6 pages
- Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 8) by Laurell K. Hamilton on 5 pages
- The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 4) by Laurell K. Hamilton on 5 pages
- The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) by Laurell K. Hamilton in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 2) by Laurell K. Hamilton in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 27 books citing this book
