41. 
Title: "Beauty: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Outtake"
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Pages: 33
Genre: Erotica
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: May 9, 2012
Rating: ***

This short story, which is essentially a teaser for the upcoming Kiss the Dead, embodies what Vintage Blakers detest and Progressive Blakers want: smutty vampire smut.  This erotic short contains what early Anita Blake novels are missing - sex, comfort, and contentment.  One Amazon reviewer labelled it as a "novella" because calling it a "story" offended her sensibilities because of a purported lack of plot (although why calling it a novella of 33 pages makes that better, I'm not sure), and another bemoaned charging for what other authors would likely release for free on personal blogs.  These responses are now typical for Hamilton's work, and I believe readers will need to consider their own motivations and desires before pursuing any Anita Blake novels.  I, for one, enjoy the sexually-satisfied Anita far more than the conflicted and haunted Anita, and purchased Beauty because I was in the mood for a bit of erotica - and that is exactly what Hamilton delivers in this short, nothing more, nothing less.