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

I'm surprised that I am giving this book 3 stars because there are so many 1 starred reviews. But there are parts of this book that I enjoyed.

I think the most enjoyable part for me was the fact that one of my favorite and one of the earlier characters of the series, Jason was present throughout the book. I for one have gotten tired of all the new men. I can't even remember their species or their names anymore. I thought the chapters with Richard were pretty good. I am not a fan who is pro Richard or pro Jean Claude. I like them both and I like Micah too. I really enjoy the interaction between Anita and Richard in this book. Also a quip Richard made,(bottom of page 239) was for me very funny.

What didn't I like about the book? At the beginning of the book Jason was a little too cry babyish and that they jumped right into a sex scene that I thought a little raunchy. I was uncomfortable with what happened during Anita's 2 day blackout. Also I do not like all the affects to Anita and friends from Belle Mort and now Marmee Noir that have been happening in the books since Narcissus. With the ARDEUR there is no reason for the author not to try any erotic idea that she finds in her "adult closet".

As has become my habit since I.D. I borrowed this book and will continue to do so. Why keep reading them? Because I do love and wish to keep up with the characters from books 1 - 10. And I'm hoping that LKH will stop writing erotica. One can always hope!

I gave it 2 stars for the last 75 or so pages where Ms. Blake had to rely on her brains. The previous hundreds of pages were tedious beyond belief. Enough with the relationship rehashing and coddling the egos of the men in her life. It's like listening to break-up story over and over again.

One word: PLOT. Always go with plot. Otherwise, it's beginning to read like a bad Dr. Phil episode.

For the past 2 years or so, Laurell K Hamilton has been taking Anita to places she shouldn't be going. Her first books were wonderful. She strayed from the winning formula. In The Harlequin, she started putting it all back together again. In Blood Noir, she succeeded in getting Anita back on track.

I really enjoyed this book!! If you enjoyed the first 10 or so, you will enjoy this book. I am not disappointed. I refuse to tell the plot or "ruin" the book for any of the other readers.

I can't wait until the new one comes out. I am also an avid fan of the Merideth Gentry series.

I am insulted that I had to pay top dollar for a hardcover copy of a "filler" book that was nothing more than a fluffed up novella. A more appropriate title would have been "Jason," in keeping with the previously published filler book, "Micah." The plot is idiotic: his family is o.k. with Jason being a lunarly challenged male stripper, but NOT o.k. with his being gay...which he is not? Huh? In rides Anita to the rescue, offering to pose as Jason's girlfriend - this is contrived, even for fiction. It's not like Jason needed Anita to convince anyone that he's straight, since he was hitting on every female member of the bridal party, most of whom it seems he "knew" (as in the biblical sense) in high school. And then we had Richard's brief cameo near the end of the book where he appeared merely acting as a were-messenger, a job any other character could have covered. Gee, I hope this wasn't a school day. I love Hamilton's books, but after reading Bloody Noir Not, I have to wonder whether she's out of ideas, out of money, her editor held a gun to her head, or if she has started believing her own press releases. Lucky for her there wasn't a money back guarantee with this book.

Cynthia Holloway provides a moving, absorbing and charged reading to another Anita Blake vampire hunter/werewolf novel: this revolving around Jason, her best friend and sometimes-lover whose father is dying on the same weekend as an ancient vampire decides to make her move, cutting the connection which ties Anita with Jean-Claude. An outstanding vampire novel evolves with many unpredictable twists and turns perfect for general lending libraries.