Title: Biting Cold
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #6
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: New American Library
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “Good luck,” he said, then disappeared across the field.

Turned into a vampire against her will, twenty-eight-year-old Merit found her way into the dark circle of Chicago’s vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye – and more supernaturals than the public ever imagined. And not all the secrets she learned were for sharing – among humans or nonhumans.

Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest to tail a rogue supernatural intent on stealing an ancient artifact that could unleash catastrophic evil on the world. But Merit is also the prey. An enemy of Chicagoland is hunting her, and he’ll stop at nothing to get the artifact for himself. No mercy allowed. No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on.

Things went seriously wrong in Drink Deep, (although, there was a silver lining at the end) and Biting Cold is all about fixing these mistakes. Chasing down Mallory, coming to terms with Ethan’s return and just generally pursuing the personification of power gone wrong leads to an incredibly fast paced book that starts as soon as you break the spine of the book.

The troubles which Merit goes through to right the wrongs of Mallory are a poignant reminder of the fact that there is sometimes no excuse for one’s actions – no matter how uncomfortable and sick they may be. Merit’s inability to forgive her former best friend and difficulties in overcoming her mistrust are a great way in which to highlight the true consequences of Mal’s selfish actions – her isolation from and destruction of her own relationships.

Many stories focus on the duality of good and evil; the black and white separation of peoples and their actions. However, Neill reminds us that this isn’t the way to view the world – everything is coloured in shades of grey, and nothing is inherently good or inherently evil.

Image source: eBook Bike

Title: Drink Deep
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #5
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: New American Library
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Are they holding weapons?

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times ahven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lie low for a bit and let the mortals calm down.

That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch-black – and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago’s mayor insists it’s nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She’ll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who’s behind this, and stop them before it’s too late for vampires and humans alike.

Neill has been brilliantly unfolding her supernatural Chicago throughout the Chicagoland Vampires series. As Merit slowly unfolds her new supernatural reality, we too are able to find out more about the world of things that go bump in the night. And in Drink Deep, Merit’s (and our) awareness of this world is expanded tenfold. This slow filtering of information and unfurling of their world slowly, but surely draws me into the reality of the world of Cadogan.

Drink Deep is very much about reaching deep – Merit is forced to reach deep inside herself to move past grief and loss. She is forced to transform herself and her very being to begin to exist in a world without Ethan, and without his unerring support. A race to save the city from certain destruction only puts extra pressure on her to come to terms with her loss and new place in a new world.

Neill has a fantastic grasp of relationships – although they can be solid and seemingly unshakeable at one moment, drifting between friends seems to be fairly common. As we grow older, and follow our own pursuits, people drift, just like Merit and Mallory. It is painful and difficult though, and Neill captures their drifting and Merit’s confusion at it beautifully. A poignant reminder that relationships don’t last forever, and should never be taken for granted.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Hard Bitten
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #4
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: New American Library
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: What kind of black magic are we talking?

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals – and they’re camping outside Cadogan House with protest signs they could exchange for pitchforks at any moment. Inside, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan, are… tense. Then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: Get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn’t help that she can’t tell who’s on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who’s tall, dark, and part of an underground vamp group that may have some inside intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the dark, heady heart of Chicago’s supernatural society – a world of vampires who seem ready to fulfill the protesting humans’ worst fears, and a place where she’ll learn that you can’t be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands…

The ending of Hard Bitten shocked me in a way that no other book has – Neill did something to her main character that I have always wanted to do in my own work. The amazingly unpredictable finish to this story made me grab for the next book immediately – I just couldn’t believe that Neill would actually do that in her story. But, I digress, you’ll just have to read this book yourself to gain a true understanding of how amazingly potent and powerful a finale Hard Bitten had.

The first three books in this series focused mainly on Merit and Ethan’s relationship and their work together. The constant push and pull of their attraction and their fight for their people. However, throughout Hard Bitten, Merit is primarily acting on her own and autonomously of Ethan. Revisiting her independence and ability to hold her own throughout her actions was refreshing, and helped to further endear this uniquely loveable vampire to me.

It is in Hard Bitten that Merit truly embraces her place as Sentinel for Cadogan house and her place amongst the fellow vampires. She finally finds the place in which she truly belongs and becomes comfortable in her new body. Something that we all ultimately strive to achieve – a sense of belonging in a chaotic world.

Image source: Goodreads

Title: Twice Bitten
Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #3
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: New American Library
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Maybe I was getting used to the sensation.

Merit, Chicago’s newest vampire, is learning how to play well with others. Other supernaturals, that is. Shapeshifters from across the country are convening in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard: Merit. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene – and to spy for the vamps while she’s at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan’s offering some steamy one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission.

Merit must accept the assignment even though she knows that she’ll probably regret it. And she’s not wrong. Someone is gunning for Gabriel Keene, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She’ll need all the help she can get to track down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals – not least between her and a certain centuries-old green-eyed Master vampire.

Ethan honestly irritated me – a lot in this story. I understand the tension between the characters, and his damage does make the tantalising love story in the background all the more spine-tingling and breath-taking. But, he was kind of an ass throughout. Partly that very frustration kept me turning the pages of the book, but it also made it easier to put down and walk away from. Being so frustrated with a literary character that you kind of want to hurl the book across the room might indicate that I get a little too attached, but it is also a great indication of how crappy they are being.

Ethan’s irritating quirks aside, this book was just as wonderful and pleasurable as the first two books in Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires series. Merit continues to be an astonishingly relatable and vulnerable heroine with a sassy attitude to boot. Although there is a lot of supernatural drama constantly threatening her way of life, her worries and concerns are still so damn mortal. We’ve all had an unobtainable crush, a ridiculous fight with our best friend and feelings of incredible insecurity in our lives. Merit too undergoes these trials – just with a side of bloodsucking.

When you’re talking about vampires, the idea of werewolves, or shapeshifters will undoubtedly raise its head. It is just so ingrained within the mythos of these creatures. As with her revival of the vampiric tale, Neill manages to include shapeshifters within her urban fantasy in a way that is still refreshing. Yes, they are at odds with the vampires, but the details of this are all Neill’s own. A fact that I greatly appreciated – it was hard to predict how these two peoples would come together and relate to one another, and embarking on the journey of discovery with Merit was all the sweeter for the unpredictability.

Image source: Goodreads