Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jul 18, 2012 Shannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-books, vampire, read-in-lafayette, fantasy, series, favorites, audio-bookin-it

This is a great book! It's my second time reading it and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. I love the world LKH has created. It's very creepy and gross at times, but so much fun to read about! There are a lot of supernatural beings here, but Edward is still my favorite :)

***2019 REREAD***

This was a reread, and I still loved it as much as the first time. I actually listened to this one, and I wasn't super crazy about the narrator, but I still love the story, so it's all good. Moving on to b ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2021 Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: great-side-characters, adult, urban-fantasy, series-anita-blake-vampire-hunter, 2021, read-on-my-kindle, for-a-challenge, 3-stars, paranormal, e-book

3 stars. This was a very interesting and fun start to the series. And I’m not gonna lie, I’m shocked at how well this book holds up given the fact that it was published in 1993. It doesn’t feel dated at all so brava to Ms. Hamilton for that. It reads like a really timeless book that I could believe was a more recent publish.

I loved the action and the world building in this and some of the side characters were really interesting. My main issue with this book was Anita Blake. What a weird characte ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2025 Olivermagnus rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: june-25, 2025, fantasy, vampires, horror

Guilty Pleasures is the first book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. Anita is a petite, tough woman who works as an Animator (she raises the dead) for a company in St. Louis Missouri. She also spends time working with the FBI in their supernatural investigations division. Anita’s role as a gun-toting necromancer who raises the dead adds a unique twist to her character.

During a bachelorette party, Anita finds herself at a strip club called “Guilty Pleasures”, featuring male vampire and l Guilty Pleasures is the first book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. Anita is a petite, tough woman who works as an Animator (she raises the dead) for a company in St. Louis Missouri. She also spends time working with the FBI in their supernatural investigations division. Anita’s role as a gun-toting necromancer who raises the dead adds a unique twist to her character.

During a bachelorette party, Anita finds herself at a strip club called “Guilty Pleasures”, featuring male vampire and lycanthrope strippers. It is owned by Master Vampire, Jean Claude, who is tall, dark, erotic, and French.

After things get bad at the club, Anita finds herself suddenly entrenched in the vampire world against her will. They want her to investigate why vampires are being murdered, and why the police investigators are not having much luck solving the crimes. They threaten her best friend as a bargaining chip to force Anita’s hand.

The story unfolds in a dark and twisted alternate reality where vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures coexist with humans. There are some truly bad creatures involved in Anita’s investigation.

I first read "Guilty Pleasures" when it was published back in 1993. Back then it was a hugely popular series and there weren't that many vampire/ paranormal series around. It was interesting to read about old school scary vampires for a change. You don't seem to see as many of those in more recent urban fantasy stories, which focus a lot more on romance. This book is definitely more comfy in the horror genre.

Reading it now, in 2025, it didn't appeal that much to me. My vampire reading tastes are more linked to the Black Dagger Brotherhood than the more violet and scary Anita Blake universe. Anita is still one of the very best characters created in the urban fantasy genre. What sets this novel apart is that it predates the urban fantasy genre’s rise, making it a classic in that genre. I enjoyed revisiting, but I probably won't continue the series. ...more

Like · see review