So I’ll start with the good news. There is a lot less sex in this book than in the past few. In fact there are only two real sex scenes and they aren’t that long. They actually fit into the story and aren’t there needlessly. Also there is an actual case and mystery for Anita and crew to solve, and a character I liked reappeared and was integral to the story. But that is where the good news ends.

Instead of endless repetitive sex scenes where someone “brings” or “brought” Anita. We get endless conversations about polyamory. Often among the poly group itself. Who spends all their time talking about their sexual orientation to their sexual partners? Especially where there are no new developments to discuss. I swear for the past 4 books Anita, Nathaniel, Micah, and Jean Claude have been saying the same things. It feels like cut and paste at this point. Also I guess since Asher is gone petty behavior was split between Jean Claude and Nathaniel. There was a scene where Jean Claude and Nathaniel were mad Micah shared something about work with Anita and not them. Why is that petty? Because Micah was working and he wanted cop advice, and the conversation took place hours before those two got upset. Not days, or weeks, but hours. So what conversations can only be had in group chat? Even when it has nothing to do with the group, and the majority of the group can offer no assistance?

There was a mystery, but it didn’t get moving until about 2/3′s of the way into the book. And there was no urgency in solving it until the last 20 or so pages. For so long there was nothing but unnecessary poly drama, then two issues that were conveniently connected. But hardly any investigation and although there was a murder the stakes felt very low.

Finally my main issue is with how Hamilton writes women who are not Anita. While there was one character who for a change did not hate Anita on sight, every other person with a vagina Anita came across for the first time did. It’s tired, it’s boring, and it’s ridiculous. My thing is if for every 10 women you meet 9.5 hate you, then it’s you not them. Also the women acted ridiculous. Clinging to strange men ready to fight Anita for their attention. One crazy drunk, sure. But everyone. I feel like Hamilton doesn’t know how easy it is for straight, especially attractive, women in their 20′s to get laid. What bikini clad hottie is fighting for one random penis, when if he leaves with someone else 3 more will show up in minutes offering themselves.

I also hated how much time was spent bashing Donna. She’s not crazy and her anger and jealousy was not misguided. Edward is and has been since they met lying to her. Until he drops the Ted mask and let’s her see who he is in entirety, he’s the thing keeping them from having a peaceful relationship. Also, Edward is also having an emotional affair with Anita. It’s not just work but whole major parts of his life that he won’t even hint at to his future wife. With all of Anita’s poly drama she shouldn’t even have time, it should be Bernardo who knows all. Part of his opening up is because she is a woman. Donna is reacting to her instincts, everyone is lying to her, and instead of coming forward with the truth they all know they call her crazy and a big mouth behind her back. Which brings me to the point that it is totally normal for a person to tell their secrets and fears to their best friend and spouse. It’s cool when Edward tells Anita things, or when Anita and her boys talk to each other about things people told them in confidence. But when Donna does it she has issues keeping secrets? So everybody can know her business, her husbands business, and her kids business. But she can’t talk to anyone about anything?

I could honestly go on. Like how Anita seemed to be more in mourning over Nathaniel’s haircut than Domino’s death. Or that instead of leaving the hole and letting us focus on the characters there are, two more were added and an absentee frenemy seems like they are back for good. But I’ll stop. Things story wise are better. But that is in comparison to recent books, and not much improved. If you were frustrated and angry after reading Crimson Death, then you will feel the same with this. I know people are saying the series is dead, but I honestly don’t think so. It’s why I continue to torture myself. There was good material to work with, however it was pushed aside for drivel. We get it the author and heroine are poly. Message received, now let’s get back to the action. A person’s sexuality is part of who they are, but for some reason for Anita it has become all of who she is. And it’s not that interesting. What is needed is a strong editor who can stand up to Hamilton. Someone who is a fan of the series and knows what the books can and should be. It seems like the author is surrounded by Bride’s and victims of the arduer. Everyone just wants to make her happy, and we the readers are the hateful women who she thinks are just jealous. Sigh…

Serpentine (an Anita Blake novel) by Laurell K. Hamilton is another fantastic, gritty, twisted tale of mystery, murder, and of course, romance. And I loved it.

It’s been a while since I’ve been in Anita Blake’s crazy world full of gorgeous vampires and wereshifters, with danger and trouble around every corner. Serpentine was like coming home. Once again, Anita finds herself in the most crazy situations.

In this installment, Anita heads off with her men to her best friend’s wedding. Sounds simple and ordinary, but if you know Anita, nothing is ever simple. And her life is as far from ordinary as any can be. Between bodies showing up, and conflict with her friends and lovers, Anita has her hands full. But our girl handles it as only she could.

Author Laurell K. Hamilton creates an exotic, edgy world and captivates your mind with unexpected plot twists. One of the things I love about her books is that, although it is a series with one main heroine, each book is a complete story with the romance carry over. There’s no real cliffhanger. That being said though, the books should be read in order to follow the romance storyline but it’s not mandatory, in my opinion. I could not put this book down and look forward to the next one.

It's been a long time since I've read Laurell K. Hamilton's books, especially her "Anita Black" series. "Serpentine" is the latest in her series, and I was amazed at both the (continued) development of her characters, and the expansion of her supernatural world! Anita Blake, and her crew, are as sassy as ever, and I love it! It felt like I never got out of touch with the characters!

The novel begins with an upcoming wedding and an "unknown" type of lycanthropy. Anita is balancing her happiness and her new abilities. At the same time, Anita, her lovers, her coworkers, and her crew, must deal with all of the drama that comes with wedding ceremonies (typically), and the mystery surrounding the family with the serpent lycanthropy. All of the characters reiterate their past whether or not they're from previous books in the series (some are just the events from the characters' backgrounds) as a way for the readers either to recall, or to comprehend the scenarios surrounding them. In "Serpentine," the pasts of several of the characters play a role in what happens throughout this story. And, most of the characters' dilemmas come full circle by the novel's end.

I would say that "fear" is the subplot of "Serpentine." In this book, fear is the constant and it influences the plot and the action throughout the story. You see the degrees of fear in Anita, Nathaniel, Olaf, Bernardo, Donna, and the family with the serpent lycanthropy. It will be interesting to see how the main characters deal with their fears in future books.

As I mentioned earlier, it's been a long time since I've read Hamilton's "Anita Blake" series. It feels good to get back into this urban fantasy series. "Serpentine" reminds readers and fans alike why Laurell K. Hamilton is and remains one of the best authors of this genre. And, while I did enjoy reading this novel, the pace of the story goes a bit too slow for me about one-third through the book. However, once the pace picked up again, I was NOT disappointed.

I've read every book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. I have to say I have been a devoted follower and was thrilled that Anita and Edward were paired up again. The stories with both Anita and Edward have always seemed to be one of my favorites.

From 65% percent on this was the Hamilton storytelling that I enjoy reading. And here comes the BUT... But before the 65% point there was a lot of feelings, mono-logging, feelings, psychoanalyzing, and more discussions about... you guessed it, feelings... I remember Edward even said something about enough bonding for one day (somewhere around 75%) and I wanted to say, YES PLEASE, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! With just shy of 500 pages that is way too much emotional talk and not enough storytelling substance for me. I sure as heck don't want to spend 6+ hours of my reading time reading about fictional characters discovering their feelings. If you can't get enough of Anita's, her poly-group's, brides's and guard's feelings and dynamics then this is the book for you. I'm sad to say, it just didn't working for me.

I received this ARC copy of Seperntine from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. Seperntine is set for publication Aug. 7, 2018.

Written by: Laurell K. Hamilton
Series: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
Sequence in Series: Book 26
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
ISBN-10: 0425255689
ISBN-13: 978-0425255681
Genre: Paranormal Romance | Urban Fantasy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Serpentine-Ani...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/serp...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/serp...

*I did not rate this book on my posted review. Just said it wasn't for me.*

I know that many people have abandoned Anita Blake in the face of the growing number of relationships and the overly polyamorous theme. I know it. I understand it too, but I have a weakness for this series. This is one of the first that I started and although many things tire me, I can not let it go. I sometimes take a long time to read them after their releases, but I do it anyway. I’m not going to tell you that things are changing because it would be lying, it’s in the continuity of previous novels. I concede that I was a little irritated at the beginning of the novel because of the incessant stories in all the novel about Anita’s personal concerns, jealousy, incessant demands for more attention. Yes, it’s still tiring, but we know what to expect when we dive into an Anita Blake novel. At least this time the scenes of sex are limited to the three principal characters Micah, Nathaniel and Jean-Claude and I did not have to think about who were her other numerous partners whose names I easily mix.

Apart from that, how can we resist reading a story about Edward’s wedding? Yes, Edward is here and I did not remember how irritating Donna was. But that’s not all because we also find Bernado and Olaf! Yes, Olaf! Oh I really like that one! It was the icing on the cake and that’s what really enhanced the novel for me. It is a character full of complexity and completely psychopathic but I love it! His interactions with Anita are always a treat to follow!

In addition to all this, our heroes will be confronted with two problems: a population that seems to turn into serpents little by little without a possible return and the disappearance of a woman at the wedding hotel. So of course, and even if it’s complicated, our Marshals will have to get back on duty even on vacation!

Always waiting for the next one in this series I quickly jumped in. This one grabbed me right away with a puzzle they are faced with but are supposed to be having a wedding soon. Hard to believe still Edward is about to be lassoed but not a easy time of it because hey it is Edward after all. When things start going awry you will quickly feel as if you never left Anita and her world this time is spent with a few favorites. The puzzle is one that you too are trying to put together but easy it is not. When you are so deep in not coming out anytime soon the pieces start to come together with when you start to see the answers you get smacked for sure. The heat delightful as always but sometimes you wanted to smack the character that caused trouble between all and tell the future mrs. that enemies are nicer at times than that friend. Another one quickly gorged on so back to waiting again.

This writer is experiencing extreme series fatigue. It is the latest in a long standing series that has, in my opinion, lost its heart and traded in sad, sex scenes for plot. That said this one isn't as terrible as some of the later additions have seemed to me when I gave this series a shot again a few years ago. There is some story to this one, rather than just feeling like a 70's porn complete with cheezy dialogue about pizza delivery men, so I gave it 3 stars instead of 1. This isn't because of the sexually explicit scenes here either. I read erotica, and unfortunately this ain't even to be characterized as that. It feels like the sex scenes are recycled, new characters are introduced mainly so the lead character(s) can have sex with them, dialogue is thin and plot devices are strewn about and then rushed to fulfillment at the end with all the satisfaction of a craigslist hookup. Sad to see a series I once enjoyed has fallen so far from the original premise.

Anita, Micah and Nathaniel are in Florida for Ted/Edward's wedding to his long-time girlfriend, Donna. The wedding is taking place on the same island in the Keys where Micah was investigating a new type of shapeshifter. Lots of pre-wedding drama with Donna's old friend Dixie (who insists that Anita has had or is having an affair with "Ted," and even if she isn't, well her relationship with him is much too close!) left me wondering at what point the Donna would decide to stop letting this "friend" ruin her wedding and kick her out of the wedding party. Meanwhile, Edward seems to be having trouble remaining in his Ted persona, and there was an awful lot of discussion of Anita's relationships with her fiancees (yes, plural) and THEIR relationships with one another. Although Anita is engaged to marry Jean Claude, that story arc doesn't seem to be moving forward. Way too much of the book is spent on Anita and her fiancees mooning about and discussing their relationships. FINALLY late in the book there is some action, but the crime is solved pretty precipitously, and, in my opinion, the ending was not very satisfactory. We never do discover whether Edward's issue maintaining his cover persona was related to the other goings-on on the island or wedding related. While I was pleased that there were fewer explicit sex scenes, I personally think this series went off-track at the point that Anita became some sort of succubus and began her polyamory relationships. Shorter novels with more plot would be a welcome change.

I always glanced at Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series on the bookshelf, and admired her hoards of loyal fans, eagerly anticipating Blake's next adventure. Serpentine will not disappoint followers of the series, but I would warn newbies like me to not start the series with this book. Serpentine is well-written, suspenseful, and horrifying. Anita is in Florida for her best friend Edward's upcoming wedding, and while there with Micah and Nathaniel, they discover a new form of shapeshifting lycanthropy with a family that appears afflicted with a generational course of transformation which turns their bodies into a mass of snakes. Can Anita help them as her inner circle become prime suspects in several cases of disappearing women?

While an enjoyable, edge of your seat read, I found Serpentine confusing because I chose to start with a book too far into the series. I have so many questions, like how did Anita's poly relationship develop? How did she become royalty? I know that these questions will be answered as a backtrack and start the series from the beginning. Despite these shortcomings (on my part, not Hamilton's) I definitely recommend checking out Serpentine.

Told from Anita's single, first-person, POV Serpentine doesn't offer much new content in the way of how the story is developed from the way Laurell K. Hamilton has approached the series in the last dozen or so installments.

Anita, Micah and Nathaniel, along with Nicky and a few other bodyguards journey to a small island off the Florida Keys to attend Edward, sorry Ted's, wedding to Donna. There's plenty of relationship angst from Nathaniel being pissed that Anita and Micah are always working, Micah dealing with not feeling like he can provide everything Nathaniel needs in their relationship, Anita's juggling of work and men, and the big drama of Donna dealing with fallout from believing Anita and Ted were having an affair.

There's a lot of hand wringing about the poly groups Anita and the men in her life are trying to juggle, with lots of conversations about how much therapy they're all in to deal with the relationships and their jobs, and how their jobs are affecting their relationships.

When even more drama and a couple of missing women points the police at one of Anita's fiancés, she gets involved and comes up against multiple things she's never seen before. Help comes from an unlikely source, and it's this point, at about 60% into the story, when it stopped being relationship drama and kicked into the mystery and action that Serpentine started getting good. Really, really good.

Frankly, I'm tired of the polyamory relationship troubles in this series. Anita's polyamory has become so front and center it's completely eclipsing all the other far more entertaining aspects of this series like her necromancy, the action, and the mysteries. I'm becoming more convinced with each new book the moment Anita got the ardeur is when this series started to lose its way.

However, once Serpentine reaches the 60% mark - the story kicks into high gear, and actually takes off and becomes very interesting, and while the last 40% was definitely riveting, absolutely intense, and held most of what I've loved about this series from the beginning, the first third of the story being mired in relationship drama was, frankly, tiresome and off putting.

With each new book most of the relationships feel more forced - like trying to fit square pegs in round holes, but when Hamilton focuses on a smaller relationship group or focuses on the executioner/necromancer parts, and the mysteries, the stories shine and remind readers why we keep coming back for more.

All series, particularly ones that are as long-running as the Anita Blake series, have some stories that aren't as good as others, but lovers of the series will continue to return, up to a point, because we keep hoping for a former glory. The last 40% of Serpentine shows Hamilton still has the writing chops - now if she could just chop some characters out I think the series could be absolutely return to being great again.

3.5 Stars

Haven't read an Anita Blake book in a long time , so glad that I decided to pick this up because now I want to read the rest of the series , thanks Netgalley for letting me see how much I loved this series and for letting me fall back in love with the characters .

Another good read in this series. I enjoy the way the author keeps the readers engaged and the story fresh after so many books. I loved seeing the camaraderie and the emotions in this story. Not only is there a mystery to be solved but we also get to see the friendships and relationships grow and deepen. The story moves at a good pace and I thought it was a nice continuation of this world and its characters.

The 26th installment in the Anita Blake series is very dark and very very sexy.
This was a quitessential Anita Blake book with lots of Edward for us to devour.
There was a wedding, some new magic, and some exciting twists to make sure you stayed on the edge of your seat.
I'm still a bit new to the series, having only read the last seven books in this twenty six book series but each book gets darker and more twisted and I love it.
Murder, Mayhem, Relationship drama, theres really everything in here but the kitchen sink and I mean that in a good way. Theres even the introduction of new magical unknown that Anita and Edward don't really know how to deal with but its a believable unknown and it really makes you wonder how they're going to handle this new obstacle.
I can't rave about this book enough. At roughly 500 pages you'd think it would take some time to get through but I blew through this book in two days. I just couldn't put it down.
I would highly recommend this series to readers who like darker urban fantasy novels with a big dose of sexy added to the mix. This is not a book for the faint at heart.

(Full review to be posted on my blog during release week www.coffeeandcharacters.com/blog)

I just reviewed Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton. #Serpentine #NetGalley

Another great Anita Blake series book. I'll try my best not to do any spoiling.....
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Great story in this one. It's time for Edward/Ted's wedding. But as normally, they can't caught a break. Before they know it they are in a case. There isn't as much of the wild sex in it....
This case they face something they have never seen before. You learn about some of the extra characters in Anita's life. I think this was probably the best book in the series yet. Now I want to read more.....

Delighted to find a smaller group of characters on the page.in the book. Previously it could prove challenging to keep track of who was whom.
Happily less sex for sex sake and far more story. Enjoy solving the mystery stories.
Anytime Edward makes an appearance the story seems to be more engrossing.

Anita Blake returns front and center of everyone's attention, even if it isn't her wedding. It is Edward's, aka Ted's wedding. All is not right with the couple as strange things happen with conflicts that cause everyone, including the groom to question if this wedding should go through.

I'm mixed on this story. Anita is the center again as the women in Donna's party are torn up...over Anita's fake sexual relationship with Edward. Not sure why this is coming up but apparently one of Donna's bridemaid just loses it. She is dead set against ruining the wedding and splitting Donna and Ted apart. It's befuddling for all, especially for Anita as she isn't sure why she is being pulled into it. This does all tie into a case that Micah is trying to help fix through his coalition. For this tie in, I liked and see how Ms. Hamilton is fleshing out her stories again.

This book is a step towards the Ms. Hamilton I enjoyed reading and then the wedding drama drags it into a train wreck. The focus is on a case fizzles out and Anita's love life becomes open for every Tom, Dick and Harry to question. Surprisingly, this lengthy story only covered a few of days. Ms. Hamilton is still writing 24 Hours TV series style. Every scene is written out and it feels as if we are witnessing this story in real time. The nice thing about this style is getting to see every little detail that is going on. The down side of this writing style is feeling as if nothing as been accomplished and the series is going nowhere fast.

The drama in this story is confusing for me. I guess it is because I'm more like Anita. The women do not make any logical sense to me and I just want to slap them out of their hysteria. Donna's insecurities are annoying and off putting. I never understood why Edward would want her. And this story finally reveals why he wants her. Basically he wants a family and she comes with the kids. Donna's kids are fabulous. They are amazing ones who are much more mature compared to their mom. I guess Edward just needs to put up with Donna's psychotic behaviour just so he can be a dad to two great kids. I'd rather just take the kids and run. Donna is totally not worth it.

For an urban fantasy about a female character who is supposed to be straightforward and drama free, it is odd to see how the past 10+ books revolve around feelings. Revolve around emotional issues that require a shrink and trying not to "hurt" someone's feelings". I was hoping this latest story would focus back on her work life and move the supernatural plot forward. I can say this book did have a bit more of the supernatural plot than the last few. There is also a bit of a disturbing factor with Olaf and the way he relates to Anita. Speaking of Olaf showing up to the wedding on an invite neither groom nor Anita approved... It never surprises me how badly Donna messes up and represents the stereotypical nagging clueless housewife that drive husbands into another woman's arms. With all that happens in this book, I'm not sure what will happen in the next. It is anyone's guess if Edward does get married and if Anita will be able to have a stable love life.

This erotic romance is recommended to die hard fans who want to see Edward back in the series.

I’ll have to admit, I haven’t read any of the other books in this long series (25 previous books!!!) 🤔
So I was a little worried that I might have gotten a little lost, so with a deep breath, I dived in .....

The series is narrated in the first by Anita Blake, who works in St. Louis, Missouri, as a professional zombie raiser, vampire executioner and supernatural consultant for the police.
The early novels focused on crime-solving and action, and as I researched it eventually revolves around sex.
Now I don’t mind reading about it .....
But it does really revolve around sex !! So if too much sex puts you off, then it’s not the book for you, and I did find it a little hard (no pun) going at times.....


The main story line is set in Florida where Edward (Ted) Anita’s best friend (and one of the few men she hasn’t slept with) is finally going to marry his long-time fiancee.
So Anita sets off with 2 of her lovers (she has one more lover at home) for what’s she hopes is a fun filled Florida vacation....

But it doesn’t stay that way for long, women from the bridal group start going missing and Nathaniel (one of Anita’s lovers) get the blame. So Anita sets out to clear his name and to find the real culprit.
And boy what a ride that turns out to be.
A few twists and turns in the book kept me turning the pages. And a few oooh moments as the book comes to an end, and the ends are all neatly tied up (well, till the next book anyway) 😉

What I liked was poor Edward ....
His fiancé has NO idea what he does for a living, and she hates the closeness that Edward and Anita have, and although both vehemently deny any sexual entanglements, Donna (the bride) refuses to believe them, it doesn’t help that her best friend is certain that they are having an affair and wants her to cancel the wedding !!

We have a very detailed account of the bodies that are slowly growing snake like limbs, we have very detailed description of the weapons that are used, and the author paints a very clear picture of Anita’s world.

So .....
would I recommend it, yes, but I do think you need to read previous books, there was lots of stuff going on that if I’d read previous books I might have gotten. And Anita’s past got constantly brought up (as with all of her previous lovers)

It’s an adventure story, it’s kind of a love story, it’s also got horror elements, and a few sarcastic moments that had me chuckling.

The return of Edward! Like so many others, Edward is one of my favourite characters in Anita's world. I really enjoyed getting peek into his life with Donna and the kids.
That said, I wish the case had more of a presence, instead of taking a backseat to Anita and the boys 'working their issues'. On the up side, less gratuitous sex, on the down side, a lot of relationship drama. I really don't mind seeing how all of Anita's many differing relationships develop, but I would definitely prefer them to be the side plot, not the main focal point.
This was a decent read for die-hard fans.

#Indigoemployee

Anita and company return in the 26th book of the series. Much has changed for Anita over the course of the books. She's no longer alone, but has built a rather unusual family around her. Her consulting job for local police has grown into a career in the US Marshall's preternatural division. She has a better understanding of her own powers and no longer fears turning into a monster - though some would say she's already there. Anita's life is finally coming together

In Serpentine, Anita, Micah and Nathaniel are taking a break from work to attend Edward's wedding in Florida. But just because they are on vacation, it doesn't keep the monsters from coming out to play. When resort guests go missing and Anita's friends and family become suspects, she's back on the case with some unlikely allies.

Serpentine is characteristic of Hamilton's rich writing style and smooth storytelling. Over the course of the series, the mature content levels have varied dramatically, but as Anita gains control over her powers the stories are becoming much more even keeled. I would personally like to see less relationship-therapy discussions and more crime solving, but it has improved greatly over the section of the series in which Anita spends 60% of the book engaging in intercourse with various partners.

If you are fan of Hamilton's work, you will likely enjoy this addition. the best part for me was seeing the distance traveled with Edward - who was introduced in the very first book and has become my second' favorite psychopath - and no my favorite is not Olaf, it's Clay from Kelley Armstrong's Bitten.

I loved the Anita Blake series in the beginning, and I haven't been able to make myself give up on it (yet). The early books were terrific--action-filled and plot-driven. Then the series lost its way and got side railed by bad sex and too much talking. Don't get me wrong; sex is not a make-it-or-break-it for me. However, it needs to be good, steamy sex that is part of the plot, not just a pile of **** plopped into the book gratuitously in the midst of angst, arguments, and way, way, waaaay too much recapping of the sexual and relationship habits of the characters. (If you've been reading the series all along, you already know (too much) about this. If you haven't been reading the series, this is not the book to start with.)
Honestly, I have seen glimmers of plot in some of the more recent stories, which is why I haven't given up on Anita Blake at this time. This book continues that trend; however, the actual plot of the story doesn't get underway until the last 2/3 to 1/2 of the book. Indeed, it would be easy to cut at least the first 1/3 of the book, which is all talk and no (good) action. Still not giving up, but creeping ever closer. I'm getting tired of pages and pages about doesn't-realize-how-gorgeous-she-is Anita and her descriptions of her band of pretty, pretty boys.