This was my first time reading Laurell K. Hamilton's work and l loved it. l had never read any book with elements of horror in it either and l have been changed. There were also elements of humour and romance which added to the plot and depth of the read.

l enjoyed the audio version of this read and the narrator and how well she voiced all the different characters and brought forth their individual personalities and connection to the audience.

Was giving Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes.

l really enjoyed this ARC from Netgalley and will definitly try another book and series by this author, and narrator again.

'I don't date vampires. I kill them.' Anita Blake is the Executioner. Of vampires. Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs, but she knows better, having seen their victims. However, a serial killer who murders vampires is on the loose - and the most powerful vampire in town wants Anita to find who they are.

I couldn’t believe this book was originally released in the 90s, and I only got to read it now!

This book definitely had the classic urban fantasy vibe to it. It didn’t shy away from gory details, and it didn’t romanticise vampires as much as the later book generations post Twilight. Having said that, it didn’t feel dated at all, possibly also because of the great audiobook narration. I really liked Anita as the strong and tough main protagonist, with a touch of grey morality.

The whodunnit was excellent - I actually couldn’t figure out the twist. And all the explosive action scenes (pun intended) were amazing. I’m so glad I found the series 30 years later - better late than never! I’d really recommend checking the audiobook, as it’s performed really well, complete with sound effects!

This is a fun, fast read.

I read this book many years ago, and really enjoyed it, and I ended up getting the whole series intending to read them all over time, then the audiobook showed up one day, so I thought I'd revisit it in audio form.

The story is great, a good mix of horror, and comedy, with a hint of erotica/romance, (no, not like Twilight,) more like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The Audiobook was just as good, Narrated by Kimberly Alexis, and she done a excellent job giving personality to all the characters, I like all the slight different accents, it made it very easy to follow when there was multiple people talking.

There is also a few random sound effects in spots, which I think were put in to build tension, but they weren't really needed, in saying that, they didn't hurt it either (I had other audiobooks that has so many sound effects in it I ended up turning them off)

There is something like 30 books in the Anita Blake series, but this one can be read as a stand along story, I've heard that from about book 12 they get more erotic / romantic as they go along, but I'll worry about that where I get there, but for now onto book 2 The Laughing Corpse.

If you like shows like Buffy or if you just like a bit of humour with your monsters then this is worth checking out.

It's been years since I read any Laurell K Hamilton. I was delighted that it has by and largecaged well. Anita is a complex and interesting character, the mystery and world building were goid, and Inenjoyed this new audio production. Would definitely continue the audio series.

This was the very exciting and gripping start of a great urban fantasy series and I loved every instalment as long as it didn't become something else.
The narrator did an excellent job in bringing to life the characters and I loved it.
It was great to catch with Anita and I felt nostalgic for this was-great series
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley for this ALC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I first starting reading the Anita Blake series back when I was a teen and I think I stopped at about the 10th book mark so I jumped at the chance to get the audiobook. Listening to this reminded me of why I love this series so much. Meeting some of my favourite characters through audio was like I was meeting them for the first time again and I loved that this gave me that opportunity.

Anita Blake is an Animator (she raises the dead for information to help the police) but she's also a vampire hunter/slayer. She's judgy, strong willed, independent, quick witted and has a sharp tongue. This is told in first POV there's quite a lot of wry humour which really comes across in the narration.

I really enjoyed listening to this and I might just see if I can get the other books on audio.

Great narrator and a story so engaging that I wanted to continue reading it uninterrupted. Really enjoyable.!

Thank you to not Kelly and the publisher for this ARC and exchange for an honest review

I’d forgotten how fun these where…kinda wish they where given the true blood treatment

Listened on audio this time - only complaint is the choice to whisper yell instead of actually yell for when Anita is screaming at people- just sounded weird


Don’t think I ever got past like book 4 so we shall see how far I go this time

90s vampires are the best

I originally read some of the Anita Blake series years ago and giving it a fresh try through audio was a welcome experience. The narrator was entertaining and the story was engaging, I was suitably hooked.

I have read the paperback version of this a few times before as it has been out for quite some time, and I loved it 4.5 stars.

This time I listened to an audio version. While I still love the story about Anita Blake, our vampire hunter/necromancer FMC and Jean Claude the vampire MMC, I wasn't blown away by the narration so only 3 stars for the audio version.

This is nothing against the narrator, Kimberly Alexis. She has an amazing voice, but for a book with so many complex characters it needs a dual narrative with at least 1 male and 1 female narrator.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the chance to listen to the advance copy of the audio edition.

I absolutely LOVE the Anita Blake series and Guilty Pleasures sits proudly on my bookshelves at home in the novel and graphic novel formats, so you can call me a total fan! I thought listening to the audiobook would add an extra layer to the story and I really enjoyed the narration, it was spot on! Kimberly Alexis, for me, is now the voice of Anita Blake and when I re-read the books, it will be with Kimberly's voice in my head. It was fun going back to the beginning and listening to our first introduction to Anita and Jean-Claude.
The story has plenty of twists and tense moments as Anita becomes involved in a series of vampire murders. Police and vampires alike want to use her animator powers to track the killer and she becomes unwillingly caught between the two societies, each with their own rules and terms of engagement. It's fun, has plenty of action and a kick ass heroine that you will love!

Anita Blake is a professional necromancer who assists law enforcement in solving crimes by raising the deceased. She is also known among vampires as the "Executioner" due to her extensive history of eliminating them. When a serial killer targets vampires, a powerful vampire engages her—albeit with some intimidation—to investigate the case.

I found the concept of worldbuilding intriguing, particularly the exploration of how the undead relate to human rights. The setup was promising, but I felt the plot did not fully deliver. The motivations of several characters lacked clarity, and the murder investigation seemed more like a secondary subplot amidst numerous others. Consequently, the resolution felt somewhat unsatisfying. On the positive side, the main character was exceptionally well-crafted. Anita is just such a badass! Her inner monologues and dialogues were both engaging and enjoyable.

The Audiobook: Regarding the audiobook, the narrator successfully maintained a consistent accent for each character throughout the story. I loved the unsettling childlike voice – That will haunt me some time! Overall, it was an impressive audiobook experience.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was perfect for this book. I listened to this one in a matter of hours, I couldn’t stop! I loved the main character and the other characters were intriguing as well. I will definitely read the rest of the series and I highly recommend!

There are just so many good things I could say about this book. I absolutely tore (pun intended) through this read . Everyone needs to go read it

This first book is a solid start to the series following Anita Blake, a re-animator and vampire executioner, navigating this very new legal world where vampires are now recognized as people under the law, so her second job is harder and comes with much more paperwork.
When a string of murders, were all the victims are vampires, strikes the city a very serious request is made by the most powerful vampire of St. Louis, Anita must investigate and catch the murderer or her life will be in danger.

I had a blast with this book, its a very good starting point for the series were the key players are presented and a nice mystery is investigated and solved, so to all fans of urban fantasy with mystery this is a good book. Really liked the narrator, she gave a nice voice to Anita and really brought her to life. Even of I wished we had a second narrator for the masculine voices (it's just a personal preference).