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).