4.5 stars.

Chloe Neill sure knows how to breathe life back into a series. I am relieved to say that Chicagoland Vampires is back on track and that Biting Cold is just as good as the first three books.

The main plot continues from the previous book. Ethan and Merit are leaving Chicago to hunt down the person who wants to steal a very powerful book, the Maleficium, and unleash the evil magic imprisoned within. They are both personally invested and unsure whether they could, or even should, hurt this individual if it comes to that. Things get even more complicated once they realize that there are far more dangerous creatures trying to find the book. It doesn't help that at home, the vampire government is threatening to forever change the Cadogan House.

For six books now, Ethan and Merit have been dancing their exhausting will-we-or-won’t-we dance, and I’m relieved to say that we finally get some answers in Biting Cold. There were hints (just hints, mind you) of a love triangle in the previous book, but I guess Chloe Neill really listens to her fans because she removed it quickly and thoroughly in Biting Cold. Merit is not the same person she was when Ethan changed her into a vampire, but neither is he, and they are, in a way, forced to rediscover each other and find out whether they can function together. When they started their relationship, Merit was not just Ethan’s subordinate, but also inferior to him in terms of wisdom, patience and experience. In Biting Cold, however, the balance of power shifts and these two finally become equals, which makes negotiating the terms of their relationship even more interesting.

As Ethan himself pointed out, Merit has grown in the year since she became a vampire. She became comfortable in her own skin and her role as a Sentinel. She is strong, confident, and not afraid to show her emotions. Rarely is an urban fantasy heroine so easy to relate to: walking alongside her as she experiences love, loss, rejection, triumph or just a quiet evening with friends is a true priviledge.

And where does one even begin to describe the delectable Ethan Sullivan? Tall, blond and stubborn? That’s one way to put it. Perfect on the outside, almost perfect on the inside, poor sense of timing? Defintiely. It’s best not to think about him too hard, though, or I might end up in a funny farm just because guys… ummm, vampires like him don’t really exist.

Those of you who have yet to discover this series can enter to win a copy of the first book, Some Girls Bite, at The Nocturnal Library. Trust me, even if you’re not a hard core urban fantasy fan like yours truly, you will enjoy meeting these characters and spending time in their version of Chicago. The giveaway is US only this time, I’m afraid. Sorry, international friends and readers, I’ll definitely be having another international giveaway soon.