Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 16)

Where are the vampire hunter books I fell in love with? Hamilton has completely lost focus... I miss Jeane Claude. I can't hate Rickard anymore, especially considering he was right all along.... This ridiculous plot development has turned Anita into a monster. *sigh* I want to keep loving this series... I really do. Plus, to add insult to injury, they are getting shorter and shorter too. I guess going mainstream has made Hamilton lazy.

Great Book! Love this series more than any other. And I read a lot! I recommend this book to anyone with an imagination and is not a prude. This series is not for the under age crowed. She puts in a lot of detailed sex. They are Not for kids. I Loved it though.

OK, first off I have to ask, Did LKH really write this????
I just dont know what to say. When I read the book; that I rushed to the store to buy on release day, I ranted, raved and cussed worse than a vampire trying to get drunk by drinking holy water. Sorry I digress.
Since I found LKH last year I have read all of her books and been a huge fan, now I feel like I should say R.I.P.
This is the worst book I ever spent money on.
First, the beginning of the book seems to me that LKH has just dropped all pretences and wanted to write really cheasy and bad porn. And I feel that if someone is going to write S&M or other bondage scenes that they should at least read about the subject first. I know that Anita is just starting to get into this, but this was bad. Then the next 200 pages are just trash. Come on, im sorry but running around a town getting chased by news media is not something I want to read in vampire novel, especially 200 pages. It was also extreamly boring. The last few chapters were more along what a fan would expect of an Anita Blake novel; well after Incubus Dreams anyway.
"Oh no, I am sitting on the couch at a batchlerette party and in come the male strippers (of course) and OF COURSE they are not human; and then I cant control my powers and need to have lots of sex. Throw in some choppy preternatual magic and we have have an orgy that of course includes new Lycanthropes.
Oh can someone tell me what the hell is with the rainbow colored tigers???? (I am having flashbacks of Dumbo and the dancing rainbow elephants.) Did anyone else think this strange??? I promise I was only drinking iced tea while reading this.
Another thing that really dosent fit is the way that Anita thinks, especially about herself. I always remember the strong independant woman who always refered to her favorite things, her scars, and talked about her comfert zone with people. It seems that LKH may be changing the character of Anita but there was no transistional period.
This book to me did not feel like it was written by LKH, and if it was I am seriously going to think about not reading her future books. She does not portray her characters or have the personalities that attracted me to her writing. It seemed to me that she just finds some magic way to change her characters to go with her mood. Take Richard for example, fine he got Anita's anger and rage, it changed his character. Then it seemed that she wanted to bring him back and get rid of that choice so Anita just takes back the anger. I really think that you could skip the first 200 or so pages and not miss a thing in the world of Anita Blake.
If this is what we are going to get so that she can release a book a year for each of her two series, then I would beg her to take her time and write something that was worth 20 bucks, and 2 days of reading.
This book in my opinion is not worth the time you will spend reading it and the money you spend bying it. If you must read it please spend 2 bucks on a library card. You will enjoy returning this book!!!

And what is with the scissors on the cover?? Correct me if I am wrong but I dont remember them anywhere in the book and cant find the connection. Was it the only pic they could find in enough time for print date? I wanted to stab myself with a pair of scissors after this book.

I hope that somehow LKH will read these reviews and go back and take some time off and just read all her own books and see how aweful this is.

I loved the first 10 Anita Blake books but then they dissolved into sex orgies. Who would of thought that much sex would be boring!!!
Come on Laurell. K. give us plot and story lines.

I can only say that I have read all the Anita Baker series and have never been unsatisfied. Anita Blake gives me the blood lust and sex fix I need.
After reading the series Laurell Hamilton leaves me knowing the characters and becoming attached to them in one aspect or another.
I have read other series that deal with the supernateral or preternatural and most of the others lack and leave me expecting more. If you are an Anita Baker fan she will not dissappoint you on this one. Maybe the previous reviewers didn't start the series in the begining, knowing each character, their past and their relationships. Get to know Anita from the start of the series and then follow it through. Laurell always delivers.