Blood Noir: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novel vol 15: Anita Blake Vampire Hunter 15 [Paperback]

I had high hopes for this book but in alll honesty it just wasn't any good. For me this series has just become a farce. It seems like Hamilton has totally lost sight of her original characters and is, instead, using them to act out her own fantasies. I had a feeling the series would go this way when she introduced the 'ardour' and I really wouldn't mind all the sex scenes if the plot was more substantial.
Blood Noir's plot hinges on a very thin premise: the idea that Jason looks exactly like a pair of twins. Which leads to all sorts of confusion. Oh, and for the need to him to prove to his Dad, who is on his death bed, that he is not gay. Ummm...okay, is that really all this successful author can come up with?
After reading the previous books (cough, Danse Macabre)I am just so sick of the constant sex scenes. It seems like everything, and I do mean everything, revolves around Anita's sexual interactions. Hamilton involves Anita in scenes that, perhaps, are meant to be quite shocking but, in fact, I find them the complete opposite now! And they are not even well written. The same phrases and words pop up throughout the book which becomes very annoying, for example, 'he brought me' (cringe). To an extent this is unadvoidable in a series this long, however, I believe that the editor was too afraid to do his/her job properly with the book relying on phrases like this to bulk it up.
Oh and I do actually like Richard as a character but he has changed so drastically from the person he was first presented to be and I think that is a shame. You cant help but wonder to yourself why he even wants Anita anymore? Their ideals are worlds apart and if he was as strong a character as Hamilton makes out he just wouldn't put up with it, or rather her.
I really wanted to like this book so I am trying to find something positive about it...ummm. Oh yes, there was a bit at the end with the bad guys and Anita kicking some butt which was slightly reminiscient of the earlier books, except for it lasted approximately two or three pages.
Hope this helps.

I have been a fan of this series since I first picked up Guilty Pleasures but I do feel that the author has lost her way. This book just did not work for me- the plot was weak, the sex was ridiculous and all of the interesting plot cliff hangers from the end of the last installment were ignored in favour of a focus on Jason (sorry, but he is not a well developed or meaningful enough character to warrant a whole book)

I do not mind some sex scenes but I don't want them at the expense of a meaningful storyline and in the case of this book it was clearly an either or. I suspect that the author is under pressure to turn these around in record time and it shows. I want to know what is happening with Haven and the Lions, what has become of Valentina? Did the Cape Cod Master Vampire have to kill his wife? What of Malcolm and the church? So frustrating to pick up the series and have none of the investment made in the last few books paid off

To be brutally honest I have to say that this time Laurel was quite restrained with the sex. Why? She waited until page 13 before starting to give the readers a 10 page sex session. What really infuriates me about this is that it appears that Laurel really can't write anything that doesn't end up with an orgasmic session sacrificing the plot on the alter of nepotism.

Whilst this may work with an immature audience, we the readers who helped her establish herself have been thrown by the wayside in order for her to indulge her vanilla sexual fantasies. But wait, whats that? In this book there's reference to... SHOCK HORROR, BDSM. At times I do wonder if this author knows anything about personal relationships as its completely ridiculous. Anita would earn more cash flat on her back than she seems to make doing anything else plus the way things are going it's a case of any excuse to make the beast with three, four or five backs. Also throw into the mix the lack of mental stimulous and Anita really should be a case book study for any number of psychologists as the human brain really does need more stimuli than is actually presented to the character.

Anita must obviously be suffering from at least one brain injury now that is turning her into a sexual addict as it seems to be her only answer to anything. "What your Dad's dying? Quick jump into bed with me and lets have sex." "What do you mean that your dog died yesterday, you know what helps you get over it? Lots of sex."

Whilst I'm not coming over as a real fan I've more than paid my dues to this author and so I want to lay down a challenge. I want her to write a book that whilst it can have the occasional sexploit within, rests purely on plotline with characters that we care about that have real hooks in them, where sex is there as an aid to the plotline and allows a relationship to develop rather than the "flat on her back for "vanilla" sex with all and sundry." After all Laurel appears to be a one trick (and yes, I do realise the irony of that statement) pony. The challenge is set so lets see if she can attempt to create such a book however should this turn out to be the mythical white whale, I really do think that Laurel should personally have to repay all her long suffering fans every penny they've spent on the dross that is so dire it cant even be classified as "literoritca."