Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Harlequin (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #15)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Harlequin

(Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #15)

Laurell K. Hamilton (Goodreads Author)

3.91 · Rating details · 39,860 ratings · 901 reviews

Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of her life. Into her world-a world already overflowing with power-have come creatures so feared that powerful, centuries-old vampires refuse to mention their names. It is forbidden to speak of The Harlequin unless you've been contacted. And to be contacted by The Harlequin is to be under sentence of death.

Long-time rivals for An ...more

Get A Copy

Or buy for

Hardcover, First Edition, 422 pages

Published June 5th 2007 by Berkley Books (first published 2007)

More Details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Harlequin, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Harlequin

Lists with This Book

Best ADULT Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Paranormal Romance

3,630 books — 8,554 voters

The Best Adult Vampire Romance Books

1,078 books — 3,454 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

3.91 ·

Rating details

· 39,860 ratings · 901 reviews

Filter

Sort order

May 01, 2013 Crystal Starr Light rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: erotica, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue, idiot-protagonist, romance-in-disguise, ha-ha-ha-no-really, i-whine-therefore-i-am, so-bad-it-s-good, i-should-know-better, you-did-not-just-go-there, what-the-hell-did-i-just-read

For once, I actually can relate something resembling a PLOT that occurs in this book! YIPPEE!

Anita Blake is at her workplace (don't faint!) and meets up with Malcolm, the leader of the Church of Eternal Life. Two of his vampire followers have Execution Hits out for them - executions that Anita is set to enact - but Malcolm hints that his followers have been falsely accused, that there is another threat. And then, while on a date with Nathaniel (and between his pressuring her to do BDSM, somethin ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2007 Amy rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Only those who feel obligated to read it.

Shelves: junkfood, 2007-2008

The Harlequin relies very heavily on dialogue between the characters, which is typical of Hamilton's work but in this case it comes off as clunky and tiresome. Harlequin is riddled with pages of conversation between Anita and a minor character that not only does nothing to advance the plot but does not advance the character development.

Speaking of characters, Harlequin has too many of them. The core cast of characters, long thought by myself and others to be one of the strengths of the series, i The Harlequin relies very heavily on dialogue between the characters, which is typical of Hamilton's work but in this case it comes off as clunky and tiresome. Harlequin is riddled with pages of conversation between Anita and a minor character that not only does nothing to advance the plot but does not advance the character development.

Speaking of characters, Harlequin has too many of them. The core cast of characters, long thought by myself and others to be one of the strengths of the series, is bogged down with a ridiculous amount of minor characters who are given way too much stage time. There are several characters whose appearance does absolutely nothing to advance any plot or subplot(s). It almost seems like they were thrown in so you wouldn't forget that they existed within the world (and sometimes they are minor enough where you really have forgotten who they are), but with all of them making an appearance it is difficult to follow the storyline. Subsequently the characters of Anita, Jean-Claude, Richard, Edward, Nathaniel, and even the long obsessed about Micah suffer from neglect. There needs to be a very large battle or war or something to trim the character list (and Anita's six or seven long-list of lovers) back down again.

The one who suffers the most is Anita, who has lost whatever sense of realism that she once had. Yes, she lived in a world of vampires and zombies and had a quirky day job, but she was still realistic. You could relate to her and feel like if you lived in a world of vampires and zombies you could kick butt too. What happened to her zombie job? Not a mention of it, even though the opening scene takes place at work. I think that was the only time she went to work. What about her hobbies? They have seemingly fallen away to be replaced by managing her sex life - and with six/seven lovers, it really is a full time job (and an unrealistic one at that. Few can manage to date one person, some can manage two, no one could handle six). Her conflict with her faith and her mortal friends? It has been reduced to a bit scene with Dolph - portrayed as a one dimensional racist - raging on about her love life. When was the last time she went on a crime scene? Raised a zombie? Had coffee with a friend? Dealt directly with her necromancy for some reason other than because it created problems for the ardeur?

I did like how Edward was reintroduced. Even though there were only a handful of strong scenes with him, they were the stronger ones in the book. I also like the development of Nathanial as a character but I didn't like his new prominent role in the book. I'd like his role better if it seemed like Hamilton could make up her mind regarding him - it seems like she doesn't know if he's important or not. The same goes for Micah. Now that you've written a whole novella about him, you're going to regulate him to the backseat? Decide who is going to be the main cast and who isn't and stick to it.

In short, this work is inconsistent with sloppy writing and an unwieldy cast. You are not missing much if you wait until the library's copy frees up to read the book - or better yet, don't read it at all. You're looking for Anita and the Anita that we all know and love died sometime between Obsidian Butterfly and Narcissus in Chains - the one in the current series is supremely shallow and undeveloped.

What is desperately needed - aside from an end to the series - is an editor with a spine. She needs an editor that will tell her "We can't print that, it's a cumbersome, incoherent mess. Cut out X, Y, Z and go back and tighten up your characters, your dialogue, and the flow of your storyline." ...more

flag 35 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2008 Anita rated it it was amazing

The thing I love and hate most about Anita Blake novels is one in the same: I find them utterly and completely addictive. Really, they are nearly impossible for me to put down. LK Hamilton (the author) does a tremendous job of getting inside the heads of her characters. None of the characters are fictional perfect - in fact, it's the flaws they have to overcome that make them interesting. There's never a cut and dry happily ever after, but there is joy, sorrow, fear, love - a whole range of emot ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Aug 16, 2013 Argona rated it it was ok

Shelves: vampire-tales, urban-fantasy, shounen-ai, shifters, paranormal, reviewed, zombies-undead, romance

2.5 stars.
This book is actually very similar to the previous ones when it comes to writing style, pacing and everything else, so if you liked those, you will probably like this one too.

But I am starting to get tired of Anita. Too tired!

The truth is, I have very fond memories from this series, discussing it with my friends, complaining about Anita and simply talking about our favorite boys. Therefore I have always been too generous when rating these books. But I think, I am losing the ability to ...more

flag 22 likes · Like · see review

Oct 27, 2011 Tilly Slaton rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviews-completed

The Harlequin is a very interesting book.

Have you ever tried to make spaghetti sauce from scratch? In the beginning, you add all the spices and you think you have a good thing going. Then after you let it simmer for a few hours, everything explodes and you have this monstrosity of a pot of sauce that has drowned itself in too many flavors?

Well ...that’s this book.

Some people say that you could never have too much of a good thing. I disagree. I enjoy reading about all of Blake’s sweeties, all the ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2007 MissM rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-2007

I stopped buying the Anita books awhile back when they turned into lame bodice rippers. I kept reading them though because I was interested and invested in the Anitaverse. Oddly enough, this book had significantly less sex than previous titles, but sadly, it didn't improve the quality of the story. After years of wishing we could have some plot withOUT sex, we get it and it's dull. The horrible, terribly irony.

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Kipi rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: books-im-ashamed-to-have-read, read-in-2013, annoying-audiobook-voices, audiobooks

SO CALLED SPOILER WARNING! TW: RAPE

UPDATE
Im on the third chapter, and already these things have occured:
- "metaphysical" x 3
- "Who, me?" x 2 (well, the other is a bit of a strech... :-))
- "hard" and "tight" x who knows? (not in the sense you're thinking of though, thank goodness)
- overly describing boytoy's looks x 1
- "it was as if" x 2
- someone could do something "like a sonofabitch" x 1
- Anita being bitchy and needy and gets praise from someone she hasn't earned it from x 2
- a gun is mentioned ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2009 Ashley Ann rated it did not like it

Shelves: my-personal-library

Didn't really like it. These books normally only take me a day or two to read, but this one took me almost two weeks. I just couldn't get into it.

I used to be a die-hard fan of the series, but my interest is fading. I personally think LKH should have either stopped with Obsidian Butterfly which was the last Anita Blake book that I actually enjoyed, or should could have kept going but made the ardour a temporary thing. Pretty sure that was what killed my interest.

These books have become porn wi ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 19, 2007 Samantha rated it really liked it

Hmm, I debated and debated and debated whether to even write a review for this book because of all the controversy surrounding Laurell K. Hamilton changing her characters. I liked this book. Was it the best Anita Blake book? No. Was it better than the last couple? Yes. It's not a stand alone book so if you haven't read the others you probably should. I always enjoy the politics of the vampires and the wereanimals. I think that it is interesting just like I find our American political system fasc ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2007 Marian rated it it was ok

Shelves: readit

The sex scenes no longer occupy more pages than anything else, but the character list only continues to grow wildly out of control. Which I can live with, actually. What might be the final nail in the coffin, however, is the fact that some of Anita's actions this go round can, and probably should be, seen as those you'd typically associate with any given villain.
Rex of the lions won't bed her so she can feed on all the lions [which the book likens to rape since it's not like everyone being use ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2008 Jim rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal-urban, 3series, 1paper, 2fiction

Better than "Micah", but still too much sex & not enough adventure for me. I really like Anita Blake. She's tough & good hearted, facing some trials that would take most people under. She hangs in there & tries to do the next right thing. When she can't figure out what the next right thing is, she at least tries not to do the wrong thing. It doesn't always work out. Twisted, complicated world she lives in.

I'm a little surprised I've hung with the series this long. I almost gave it up ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Mar 19, 2019 Jenn rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, vampires, paranormal-supernatural, shapeshifting-madness, adult-fiction, read-in-2019, 4-star-reads

I remember the first time that I read this one and being super happy that it seemed like Hamilton was going back to what made the series amazing in the beginning - the police work and Anita working to solve problems. Also, it wasn't just page after page after page of sex. Yes, I get that Anita is a succubus and I get that a lot of people love the amount of smut in these books, but for me, the heart of this series has always been the core characters and their relationships. And I felt the same af I remember the first time that I read this one and being super happy that it seemed like Hamilton was going back to what made the series amazing in the beginning - the police work and Anita working to solve problems. Also, it wasn't just page after page after page of sex. Yes, I get that Anita is a succubus and I get that a lot of people love the amount of smut in these books, but for me, the heart of this series has always been the core characters and their relationships. And I felt the same after this reread. There are also just too many characters coming in that ones who were there from the beginning are just getting pushed aside. And let me tell you, these new characters are not all that. Most are boring and seem to be recycled.

So what did I like about this book? Well for once it focused on story. Another big bad has come to town and they're threatening everything that Anita and Jean-Claude have built. But this big bad is scary. They are the nightmares of vampires everywhere and for most of the visit it seemed like they were only there to observe, but all that changed quickly.

Another thing I liked was the return of Edward. Edward has always been one of my favorite characters in this series and he's pretty much the only man who hasn't slept with Anita - please keep it this way. The mutual respect these two have for each other is something to be treasured. It's also fun watching him try to be a family man while Anita's trying to juggle a harem of men. Aside from Edward we also got to see Cherry again. I miss the core leopards and seeing her in a fairly big role was great.

There were some things I could have done without, but those tend to be consistent from book to book now. Anita's double standards with everyone she meets really needs to go. Also, so does the fact that everyone is obsessed with her. I get when the ardur is there but when it's not, men still love and fawn over her. It just gets tiring. And then there's Richard. We get it, you hate him. Thanks for making us hate him too.

Now off to continue my reread. ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2014 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it did not like it

The Harlequin, the deadly and secret Wild Hunt of the Council, the ultimate police force and nightmare of the vampire world, has arrived in St. Louis. Ostensibly there to examine Malcolm after his refusal to Blood Oath his followers, they are casting their eyes on Jean-Claude

And they are not playing by the rules

The biggest, scariest enforces of vampire kind! Created to strike fear in even the most powerful Masters of the City! Scary! Powerful! A force that should make even Anita quake in her boo ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2010 Chibineko rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ever since the action in the Anita Blake shifted from action in the streets to action between the sheets, the series has taken a turn for the boring. This book seems to show the signs of this more than the others do. What would have been an otherwise interesting premise for a novel has been killed- not by Hamilton's penchant for mind numbingly repetitive sex. No, that I think I could have dealt with. What killed this book is that everyone seems to want to talk each other to death.

This entry in t Ever since the action in the Anita Blake shifted from action in the streets to action between the sheets, the series has taken a turn for the boring. This book seems to show the signs of this more than the others do. What would have been an otherwise interesting premise for a novel has been killed- not by Hamilton's penchant for mind numbingly repetitive sex. No, that I think I could have dealt with. What killed this book is that everyone seems to want to talk each other to death.

This entry in the Anita Blake series has Anita enjoying a rare night out with one of her boyfriends when she receives a mysterious white mask. Jean Claude, her vampire master & lover informs her that it is the calling card of the Harlequin- a band of vampires that monitors anyone who is suspected of being too powerful or too abusive of their power. He tells her that the white mask means that they are only watching & that they cannot make any moves until they have given a color appropriate mask. Unfortunately the Harlequin agents appear to have their own agenda in mind, as Anita & her group find themselves being attacked both spiritually & physically.

Seriously, what part of the above doesn't sound awesome? I mean, an elite squad of vampires that answer to no one except the vampire high council & even then, have the power to exterminate one of the council if they were to step too far out of bounds. In other words, the Harlequin is the freaking vamp police. And they're trying to mess with Anita's head & the heads of her loved ones. The premise for the book had a lot of promise.

But in the end, this awesome idea is trampled flat by repetitive sex scenes & long dragged out episodes where Anita & her men talk everything to death. I'm not saying that I wanted it to be all full of Michael Bay-esque explosions, but come on... You have scenes that take 30 pages to say something that could have and SHOULD have been said in three. It got incredibly old after a while & I found my eyes glazing over as I kept reading the same idea spouted over & over again, but through the mouths of different characters. After a while I just wanted to scream at the book "OK- I FREAKING GET IT. Now can we move on?" (I'm not even going to go over some of the more squicky parts of the book, such as the scene where Anita says a girl had "buyer's remorse".)

This book could have easily been shortened by a hundred pages & been the better for it. The Anita Blake series is in DESPERATE need of an editor to take care of not only the grammatical & spelling errors, but to also improve the pacing of the novels. The series has been spiraling into a slow decline & this book shows this. I gave the book 1 star because while the idea of it was interesting, the talkity talk of the book just killed it. ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2019 Anna 'Bookbuyer' rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019, own-kindle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 19, 2012 MischaS_ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: czech, expected-something-else

Já jsem hrozná! Pořád nadávám na to, kam se tahle série, ale přesto ji číst nepřestanu. Takže už bych měla přestat nadávat, asi... :D

Tenhle díl se oproti posledním zlepšil, protože se tam doopravdy něco dělo!! Jupí :D

(view spoiler)

Jinak bych ocenila, kdyby tam bylo víc scén mezi Anitou a Jean-Claudem. Aby byli sami a nemuseli řešit konec světa.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2018 Roger Royer rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampire, horror, fantasy, paranormal

Anita Blake just became one of my favorite heroes. I am interested in her and all of her supporting characters. The book is wonderfully well written and full of surprises.

It is however violent and sexual so if that is not for you then don't read the series.

Well, I believe that the whole series is like this, not just the one book. You don't have to read the other books in the series for this one to be good, thankfully. I really appreciate that as I have only read book four I think and this is b ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 24, 2012 Samantha (Book Lover's Cozy Cafe) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012

This was probably the best Anita book I've since the...well since the ardeur (sp) started and Anita became a whore. Sorry to say that because I love Anita, but she did turn into quite the whore... it was getting to the point where I thought Ms. Hamilton had crossed wires, between the Anita Blake series and the Meredith Gentry series. Because in Anita's first 8 or 9 book maybe less she was this complete barney bad-ass that kicked anyone's ass the f****ed with her. Then she started turning into th ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 23, 2012 Daniela rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The vulturi, ahem, harlequin are in town.

Anita is back to being a self righteous b**** and I really really disliked her in this book.
Apparently,things keep working in her favor, to the point of ridiculousness.
Sometimes I wonder if the books would be shorter is she stops bringing up stuff that doesn't matter like her inner monologue and her pruderies.
For example: chapter 28 was a total waste of time. She starts nagging about Olaf and Peter coming along yet she approves at the end.
It is official. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2010 Holly Full Moon Bites Book Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

~Has slight spoilers.~

Anita Blake is calling in the big gun's-- Edward as The Harlequin, very old vampires who kill for the council and wear masks-- come to St. Louis. But Edward isn't the only one she is going to need--Jean-Claude and Richard must come together with Anita and her other trivium if they are to defend themselves against The Harlequin.

I really enjoyed this fifteenth Anita Blake book. I think we get some of the good-action-suspense-plot back we had from the earlier Anita Blake books ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2010 Kathy Davie rated it it was amazing

First read January 28, 2010: Thank god for the "police", I think. Who'da thunk vampires would have an enforcement group... Although, it's not surprising that there's rebellion within the ranks. The tension continues and the advancements tear on.

Read again September 14, 2011

Fifteenth in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter erotic urban fantasy series set in an alternate St. Louis, Missouri. The story revolves around Anita Blake's increasingly vampiric powers and the issues it creates for her and the p ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2008 mlady_rebecca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series__anita_blake, author__laurell_k_hamilton__ab, genre__urban_fantasy, characters__vamps, characters__lycanthropes_shifters, 2007, read_more_than_once, 2009, abvh__us_hb_v1__bodyparts, fictional_series__traditional

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Let's start with the cast list. All the main characters were on stage at some point during this book, but some were talked of more than they were actually on stage - specifically Jason and Asher. I always miss the guys when they get so little page time.

But the full list: Vampires... Jean-Claude, Asher, Requiem, Byron, Wicked and Truth, Belle (from a distance), and Marmee Noir (from a distance). Werewolves... Richard, Jason (so briefly), Graham, Clay. Wereleopards... Micah, Nathaniel, and Cherry. Let's start with the cast list. All the main characters were on stage at some point during this book, but some were talked of more than they were actually on stage - specifically Jason and Asher. I always miss the guys when they get so little page time.

But the full list: Vampires... Jean-Claude, Asher, Requiem, Byron, Wicked and Truth, Belle (from a distance), and Marmee Noir (from a distance). Werewolves... Richard, Jason (so briefly), Graham, Clay. Wereleopards... Micah, Nathaniel, and Cherry. Werelions ... Cookie Monster is back. Joseph. Wereswans: Donovan. Wererats... Rafael, Louie, Claudia. RPIT... brief visit from Dolph and Zerbrowski.

(I really want to see Anita, Nathaniel, and Micah at Zerbrowski's for dinner.)

Spoilers ...

Odd book, because a lot of the characters were acting out of character.

Borderline (in whether I like them or not) characters like Requiem and Graham got even more on my nerves in this book. Some of that was the Harlequin messing with Requiem, but it's almost too much. The window for falling for those characters has closed. I'm holding them at arm's length as much, or more, than Anita is.

Richard, poor Richard, tried so hard in this book. He slept in the same bed with Micah and Nathaniel. That's big for him. Unfortunately, he too was a target of the Harlequin, leading him to try to bring Anita's wolf, then attack Jean-Claude. By the end of the book Anita and he were on the outs again.

On the good side, it was nice to see Haven return. And I enjoyed seeing more of Wicked and Truth. The hospital conversation when Haven first returns is a favorite scenes. And a little bit of foreshadowing with respect to Jason.

Oh, and the elephant in the room - Edward. I don't understand why Edward was needed for this job. The wererats were all capable of doing everything Edward and Olaf did. It's not like one of the Harlequin called rats or something. They could have shot the vamp just as easily as Edward and company. I hate how much Edward takes over a book. And, my god, will they just kill Olaf already?

On the other hand, Peter was an interesting twist. I got the feeling if he was a little older, or when he gets a little older, he may end up being more for Anita.

Yay for Nathaniel's date and the promise of Anita meeting more of Nathaniel's needs in the future. The scene with Byron was pretty hot. Speaking of Nathaniel, yay for his unshakable faith. I love that.

(Reviewed: 04/15/2009) ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 19, 2007 Meredith rated it really liked it

Series: #14 Anita Blake

Pages: 422

Number: 37

First Sentence:

"Malcolm the head of the Church of Eternal Life, the vampire church, sat across from me"

Synopsis:

From the Publisher
Readers haven't seen anything yet-new in the "fabulously imagined series" (Publishers Weekly) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of her life. Into her world-a world already overflowing with power-have come creatures so feared that powerful, centuries-old vampires refuse to ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 10, 2013 Pete rated it really liked it

Shelves: hamilton-l-k

The Harlequin is Anita Blake’s 15th book in the: Vampire Hunter series of PNR action and erotica novels by LKH.

The story starts with Malcolm in Anita’s office, telling she will be getting a warrant for the execution of some of his following in The Church of Eternal Life in St. Louis. He has not required blood oaths of the vampires under him, hence he has no ability to keep them from becoming dangerous predators.

Anita is known to be homophobic, and we find with long arguments with Nathaniel and B ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 03, 2010 Domino (aka Meme) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance

such a great novel. it had so much action and emotion; just fabulous! not only did Anita and her "monster's" kick some serious butte =)
Richard committed the final offense and Anita has had enough (me too). he has finally been moved to my ultimate crap list. he's becoming a character i love to hate, and do. i guess all the men in the series can't be alluring and oh so dangerous but lovable. Hamilton surely knows what she's doing. she also brought back Haven (Cookie Monster), from Danse Macabre, a ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2013 Calatasde rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013

Richard! Hep göt herifçilik yapmak zorunda mısın?Gerçekten!Bir yere kadar artık.Şüphelerini yenemiyorsan kendinle barışık değilsen istediğini nasıl elde edebilirsin ki?Seni severim ama olmuyor böyle.

Richard'ı bir kenara bırakırsam heralde en sevdiğim sahne Olaf'ın Anita'ya yaptığı haraketti.Beni güldürmek öldürecekti resmen.HAHA!! Olaf'tan böyle bir haraket beklenirdi zaten.

Edward'ın yeni değişiklerini garipsiyordum ama alıştım heralde.Uzun zaman sonra yeniden Edward'ı okumak hoştu.
Nathaniel dom ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2008 Gail rated it liked it

I am getting so tired of Richard the werewolf and his angst. Hopefully, Hamilton is too. Anyway, this time, the vampire police have come to town. They're messing with Malcolm and his non-blood-oathed religious vampires—or somebody is—and they don't seem to be following the vampire cop rules. So she calls Edward for help—and he brings his stepson. There's lots of blood and mayhem. Lots of angst from Richard. Lots of sex. And there may be the final straw with Richard. I liked it anyway. A lot.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Yasmin rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2013, fiction, urban-fantasy, vampire-fiction

No mas!!!

Had a promising start which devolved into one ginormous bitchfest. I could have done without the Dolph angst and the Richard angst. New characters showed up out of no where only to disappear just as quickly and I'm supposed to care?

Who finds this crap appealing?

No more Anita Blake novels for me.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2018 Autumn Miller ~ autumnbookreads rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

4.5 Stars
This installment in the Anita Blake was surprisingly good. In my review of the last book, Danse Macabre, I said that this series had lost my interest and I was feeling like this series had run its course. I questioned how Laurell K. Hamilton could continue with the same story lines over and over again. I felt like the series was getting repetitive and a big part of me wanted to stop reading it all together.
I am so glad that I took a step back and waited a few months before coming back ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 28, 2013 T.L. rated it liked it · review of another edition

As much as I bitch about this series, there must be something worthwhile about it, or I'd stop reading it, right?
My complaint with The Harlequin like with the last several books in the series, is, LKH coms up with good titles, and good premises, sets them up and gets you interested then bogs the plot down with one of three things: Too much sex, the Recurring Butt Hurt of Richard, or the Anger is My Name of Dolph the detective. I know with an ongoing series an author has repeating characters and ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Is it just my copy?	9	99	Aug 24, 2017 08:42AM
Anita Blake Vampi...: The Harlequin (Book 15)	7	56	Jan 02, 2017 02:59AM
Out of Antia's men who's ur favorite?	86	292	Feb 06, 2015 02:42PM

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

676 users

Paranormal > Vampires

647 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

605 users

Fantasy

495 users

Romance

292 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

278 users

See top shelves…

About Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton

19,482 followers

Laurell K. Hamilton is one of the leading writers of paranormal fiction. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Hamilton writes the popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels and the Meredith Gentry series. She is also the creator of a bestselling comic book series based on her Anita Blake novels and published by Marvel Comics. Hamilton is a full-time writer and lives in the suburbs of St. Louis ...more

Other books in the series

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter (1 - 10 of 26 books)

Books by Laurell K. Hamilton

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1)

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #3)

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #2)

The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #4)

Bloody Bones (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #5)

More…

Trivia About The Harlequin (An...

21 trivia questions
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Harlequin

“She should have remembered that people have given everything they own, everything they are, to be taken care of, and to have their pain gone. It's the lure of cults: the promise of a good family; it's what people think love is, but love isn't absence of pain, it's a hand to hold while you're going through it. ” — 206 likes

“You take insult where none is intended, but if you will find insult where none is meant, then perhaps I should try harder to insult on purpose.” — 126 likes

More quotes…