I began reading this series soon after my obsession with True Blood (on HBO) started. The book is not great literature by any means—but it was fun and entertaining! The plot is interesting, and the characters are really well developed.
Be warned: the show is very loosely based on the books, so if you're trying to find out what's going to happen this season on True Blood—this series probably isn't going to be much help. I'm still enjoying both series though—they're each wonderful in their own way!