I can't remember what books I was buying when I was at Waldenbooks when a stranger walked up to me and looked at what I was buying, told me if I liked that type of author that I would absolutely love Laurell K. Hamilton. I have to admit, I was quite skeptical, but since the first two books were extremely well priced I bought them and took them home. I didn't touch them until I finished reading what I had bought (I can't believe I've forgotten).

When I first started reading Guilty Pleasures it made me itch. I didn't think I could sit there and read it. The first chapter about killed me, but since I have reread it I don't know why. It may have been because this was a completely new author, a different writing style than I'm used to, or something else that I'll never quite realize.

The chapters in Guilty Pleasures aren't long, but they are good. There isn't any formal introduction right away about what's going on or even who the heck Anita Blake is, perhaps that's what I'm used to, being introduced to the characters. You get pulled in slowly, kind of like fishing (you, the reader, are the fish) and the next thing you know the book is over, the case is solved and you are still hungry for more.

This book introduces you to Anita's world full of Vampires, Shapeshifters, Magic and more. The things that occur in this book are what shapes who Anita becomes later on, who she is forced to be. It is a foundation on which the other books have built and you can't just pick up in the middle of the series and expect to know what's going on.

There are several reasons why I like Anita. She seems like a real person. Laurell did something wonderful when she created Anita. I can actually feel as if I went to St. Louis that I could run into this woman on the street. It's absolutely amazing what I feel when I read about her 'life' and the things that are going on. There are times where I felt angry when she was angry because I'd be angry about being woken up by the phone after only two hours of sleep as well. Who wouldn't? That's something normal people would be angry about. I can also see myself relenting to being designated driver for a friend's bachelorette party.

I enjoy Anita's bluntness. She let's you know she has no clue as to what you are trying to tell her, she lets you know what she thinks and what she's going to do about it. There are very few times I have seen her hesitate. If she's going to shoot someone, she shoots them until they are dead. Yes, the books are violent and filled with gore, don't let the kiddies read them.

The first book is a great introduction to Anita's background, her strengths and weaknesses, her personal morality and it gives you an insight into how the series may progress. The first book is also a good length, it's short and to the point. You get introduced, you get hooked and you go buy the second book. I've enjoyed reading it more than once, as I have the others.

Throughout Guilty Pleasures you learn the rules of dealing with Vampires, never look into their eyes or they can enthrall you. There are laws protecting the vampires from the humans and vice versa. There are, of course, loop holes along the way that are exploited.

While becoming familiar with Anita and her life, she's also solving a case and trying to stay alive while doing it. You'll get to go on adventures with her in every book and they will keep you entertained, enthralled, in fear. So if you like horror, romance, thrillers and mysteries, you should enjoy these books. They have sex, violence, blood and magic, again, don't let the kiddies read them. So start your adventure with Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, in book one - Guilty Pleasures.

I'm finally ready to start the second book. I started this book several months ago, possibly June of last year, perhaps May. I had a really hard time reading this book and I don't know why. I haven't read romance in a long time and this book is considered a romance yet there's a possibility to classify it as fantasy or thriller, too. I put it under fiction.

My sister read this trilogy and she said it took her a long time to read the first book as well but she had flown through the other two books. I am hoping that will happen. The first book is hard to get through because it has a slow beginning, then the excitement is pretty well spaced out with the 6 chosen getting to know each other through arguing, fighting, and rare conversations.

In order to know the background of each of the people involved I knew I had to finish the first book and now I have so I can start on the second. In this book you follow 6 chosen people who are to fight a war on another world to save all worlds. The timeline span thousands of years. Love is found, family is lost and found again, new things are learned by those who lived hundreds of years previous to the current time. Magic is involved intensively and some of it I find quite improbable. The magic I find unbelieveable is at the end of the book and has to do with online shopping. If you can't make it that far, flip to the last couple of chapters.

If you have read this book and would like to give a better review of it, please feel free to contact me to do so at chelle @ sweetly-evil.org.