To be honest, the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris left me 
somewhat ambiguous.  Although I would say that the unique tidbits of 
distinctive southern culture kept a smile on my face and the plotline 
twisted and turned enough to keep me turning the pages.  I think this 
is not a series I would read over and over again.  Once is quite 
enough to glean the aesthetic pleasure I could gain from it.

The series is set in the small, backwater southern town of Bon Temps, 
Louisianna.  The main character is not sassy, brassy, or abrasive.  
Nor is she completely lacking in wit or spine.  I suppose if you were 
looking for an average, everyday, normal (ok, so having telepathy 
isn't so normal...but still), all-american kind of girl who gets in 
over her head and has the adventure of a lifetime kind of story, then 
this would be for you.  The series does take a pretty good look at 
the more casual (non-deadly) pros and cons of dating a vampire.  For 
instance, there is a significant need for iron supplements and a 
night time job.  There's the coming to terms with the idea that your 
boyfriend was at one time acquainted with your neighbor's great-
grandfather during the war...the Civil War.  Then there's the having 
to cope with prejudice from both the living and undead societies 
concerning said "mixed" relationship.

Amidst all of this, the author tries to incorporate a mystery 
plotline (or is that subplot?) which at times almost seems to be at 
war with the relationship plot.  This to my mind was a bit 
distracting that so much time is spent trying to make these two 
processes mesh with each other, that you can't help but feel you were 
gibbed on the intricacy of detail or the richness of ambience.  You 
feel like you're scratching the surface of the story's essence and 
there should be more to it than that.  There are glimpses of it in 
scenes such as the depiction of Bill's lineage, but the continuity of 
these in depth impressions is lacking.

Still, there are plenty of hooks to captivate your attention without 
the whole thing going stagnant.  For instance, there's plenty of 
steamy sex scenes for the main characters and what's with that Eric 
Northman (former viking) dude?  Also, one must stop by every now and again to pet 
Sam, the local shapeshifter/boss....just for kicks.  While certainly 
being much lighter in context than say an Anita Blake novel, for 
those who enjoy the paranormal romantic/mystery genre this series 
offers a pleasant read.  Enjoy folks!