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Chloe Neill - Chicagoland Vampires
I am not so patiently waiting for my library to get the new book out to me. I am really looking foward to this one!
Mmmmmm Ethan! Totally Team Ethan!The sexual tension between Merit and Ethan drives me crazy! I love it!
JULY 6TH....can't wait!
Love this series. Impatiently waiting for my preorder of Twice Bitten to ship.
I'm going to get it next Tuesday. One of my all time favorite series.
When you finish Twice Bitten let me know...I'd love to chat about it. My order came early from B&N and I finished it. It was another terrific addition to the series.
I really enjoy this series, I'm looking forward to the newest one :)
I love this series! I was so excited that it was even better than I thought it would be. (I kind of judged the corny title/cover) But it's great and I can't get enough of Ethen!!!!
Oh, you got the title much quicker than I did. I didn't really think about the title when I first saw it, until I read the part in the book with the reference to it. I was waiting for someone else to finish it! Wasn't it great?!? Would love to chat w/others who finished Twice Bitten....
**potential spoilers below, do not read if you haven't read the book**
The opening was so awesome. The scene with Noah and then finding out who Jonah is. That sets up a very interesting plotline. And then I loved chapter two--the sparring scene with Ethan and Luc was hot and the katas scene with Merit was very cool!
I continue to love the heroine Merit--fiesty, smart, fun, honorable, loyal, hardworking. I enjoyed seeing her strength in this book--she had many kick b*tt moments, as well as times she effectively showed her smarts. It was also good to see her make new friends and bond with some of the other vampires.
I was so excited around chapter eight and then afterwards very, very, very upset with some of Ethan's decision making after that. (I'm not saying b/c it's too big of a spoiler, but I think you know what I'm referring to.) I hate series that draw crap like that out forever and seriously hope that doesn't happen with this series. I want them to be together.
I loved the sparring scene in chapter 21. Ethan's reaction to her finally kicking his butt reminded me of the awesome scene in Vampire Academy when Rose bested Dimitri.
I thought it was telling that Ethan used her first name at that key moment towards the end. The two name thing is an honor reserved for master vamps...this seems to support how he's leaning towards recommending her for the test for master at some point in the future. I'd like to see her take the test for master and see where she'd go from there. For their relationship to work, they need to be on more even footing and ideally both masters.
The storylines with the shifters were well done. It was fun reading how they are organized, learning about their magic, their politics, etc. Very cool to integrate another major supernatural group beyond vampires. I like Eric as a side character and it was good to see a potential love interest for him. I also liked Gabriel and how much he loves his wife/his commitment to family.
I love it too ! It has the perfect amount of humor, romance, action and mystery.
Reading this makes me wish I loved this series like you all do!I mean it is ok and I enjoy it but I feel like I am missing the thrill LOL.
I really enjoy this series, and look forward to each new book. When I was reading the latest book "Twice Bitten," I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. I remember reading along and saying "YES!" out loud and then soon after saying "No Way!" If you've read it you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't read it, this isn't much of a spoiler. Also, if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? ;)
I've just started Some Girls Bite. I was eager to read it because of all the rave reviews, but I'm about 100 pages in & it's just not doing it for me. I'm not giving up, but I feel that I'm missing something.
@Jen we are in the same boat :-)I will say I really like the writing thought it was witty however she does say things like boy crazy which was a little maddening lol.
Oh Gawd! I just finished
I loved it! except dang! still no sex! love the sexual tension though
and then it ended on a cliffhanger- nope that's not good
Good thing I can just dive into the next one.
Irene wrote: "Oh Gawd! I just finished I loved it! except dang! still no sex! love the sexual tension though
and then it ended on a cliffhanger- nope that's not good
Good t..."
Excellent!! A book without loads of sex. I may have to continue on with this series for that reason alone. There is just way too much smut in books.
Oh God!! they finally did "it". I'm gleeful. It was glorious. All sex between hero and heroine is. Unfortunately, since there are two hundred more pages to go, I suspect there will be trouble in paradise.
I almost don't want to finish the book because I know this can't go well.But then there is this question of the RG.
I love this author.
I really liked Twice Bitten. I was glad to see what happened between Merit and Ethan, but after he made the colossal mistake he did, I was even more glad to see with the way Merit worded things between them and how she acted. I just hope she can stick to her guns.
I have these books on my TO READ list.....
I liked this series, really I did, but Ethan not so much. He didn't really click for me, and his hot and cold act grew a little annoying. Merit, on the other hand, was great.I liked that there was no sex in the first two books, it allowed Ethan and Merit's relationship to build. That's what kept me reading despite my dislike of Ethan.
I'm sorry if I've offended anyone, I know I tend to get attached to my favourite Heroes!
Darcy wrote: "I really liked Twice Bitten. I was glad to see what happened between Merit and Ethan, but after he made the colossal mistake he did, I was even more glad to see with the way Merit ..."I see her not sticking to her decision. She was already wavering by the end of the book... We'll see what happens in the next one.
I have a feeling you are right Jess, but I would like Ethan to suffer for a while first. lol
Oh Gawd!! It happened. He broke up with her. She broke up with him... I could see it coming a mile away and I'm still heart broken.Merit is a little touchy. Marllory snarks about her daddy issues once and they stop talking.
Ethan gets cold feet and she dumps him. She lacks forgiveness. How do you keep friends and relationships if you're that sensitive?
She's a perfectionist. She holds herself to an extremely high standard and she holds everyone around her to that standard as well.
Darcy wrote: "I have a feeling you are right Jess, but I would like Ethan to suffer for a while first. lol"I AGREE!!!! He needs to suffer. What a jerk he was to her.
I would also like to see him suffer, but I also want to see Merit happy. She's been screwed over a few times too many for my tastes.
I haven't finished
yet. I took a break and read a few short stories in between.But I'm still team Ethan. It was love at first sight for him. He asked her to be his consort when he first met her. As he's gotten to know her, he's only gotten deeper in. She feels a connection to him but she doesn't trust it.
This girl has no concept of the term f**kbuddy. I know I've got things a$$ backwards from a traditional sense. But I think she should rock the walls with him and worry about the emotional stuff later.
Irene wrote: "I haven't finished yet. I took a break and read a few short stories in between.But I'm still team Ethan. It was love at first sight for him. He asked her to be h..."
I guess it's just not her style to have a f**kbuddy. I think she really cares about him and to just have sex with him wouldn't be okay with her.
Maybe she should find someone else in the meantime while Ethan grows a set. That guy from the Red Guard was interesting, I thought she was going to do something with him but I guess not.
yeah, I'd like to see a decent love triangle before she finally rides off into the sunset with Ethan.It was never sufficiently answered for me how Ethan got to be there when Merit was attacked.
Was she targeted specifically because of her family connections or did she just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Ethan wasn't on scene when the other women were attacked. He drugged her in an effort to save her the pain of the turning. Sounds like he had some affection for before she got turned.
I don't remember.. wasn't he just passing by or something?
I enjoyed these books and read them all in quick succession a couple of weeks ago. I don't think I'm as enamored as a lot of others are, but it is a good series that I will continue to read.And I must admit, I'm still holding out for Morgan. I always liked him better than Ethan, and after Ethan's actions in Twice Bitten, I'm even more firmly in the Morgan camp. Nothing may ever come of that, but a girl can dream. =)
DarkHeart "Vehngeance" And I must admit, I'm still holding out for Morgan. I always liked him better than Ethan, and after Ethan's actions in Twice Bitten, I'm even more firmly in the Morgan camp. Nothing may ever come of that, but a girl can dream. =)I'm almost finished with Some Girls Bite, so I don't know what happens in future books, but I'm also in the Morgan Camp. I don't like Ethan at all. He's a jerk & I wish Merit would stop bowing to his every whim.
I haven't read Twice Bitten yet and I'm in neither Team Morgan (he doesn't stand a chance, so why pretend otherwise?) nor Ethan (if I come across one more hero character with the cool, calm, and collected aka jerky personality, I'll hurl the book at the wall). Merit's character would be so much better imo if she weren't so set on Ethan. But since she is, I don't find her all that special, and since I don't love either of the main characters, it's no surprise that I don't love this series either. It's a so-so series, with too many cliches for my taste, but interesting enough side characters that I'm not dropping the series for good.
Lazuline wrote: "I haven't read Twice Bitten yet and I'm in neither Team Morgan (he doesn't stand a chance, so why pretend otherwise?) nor Ethan (if I come across one more hero character with the cool, calm, and co..."Since I'm only on Some Girls Bite, I can only base my comment on that book. However, so far I agree with it being a so-so series. I had such high hopes because of all the rave reviews the series has receieved. Sometimes I feel that I must be missing something.
I just finished
. I loved it! The ending was so perfect and sweet. It ends on an upbeat note. I had been reading Kelley Armstrong and I stopped in the middle. Don't get me wrong, it a really good book but I was finding it too dark and I wanted something lighter.
Chicagoland Vampires is perfect. Enough drama but not too much.
I had been wishing she'd just do Ethan and save all the drama but that's why I'm a romance reader not a romance writer.
MsBeaglely wrote: "Lazuline wrote: "Since I'm only on Some Girls Bite, I can only base my comment on that book. However, so far I agree with it being a so-so series. I had such high hopes because of all the rave reviews the series has receieved. Sometimes I feel that I must be missing something"My thoughts exactly. I'm quite surprised that this series is so popular, when I find everything about it just average. It's the typical vampire romance with a slightly different setting. Not that I should be surprised about all these overestimated series anymore. Few of these too-popular series are really worth the hype.
Lazuline wrote: "MsBeaglely wrote: "Lazuline wrote: "Since I'm only on Some Girls Bite, I can only base my comment on that book. However, so far I agree with it being a so-so series. I had such high hopes because o..."I'm going to respectfully disagree with you. I can only speak for myself and in terms of this series the reason I find it great is because of the character Merit. She is a really strong character who is appealing in many ways. She's not whiny or the ever popular "too stupid to live" character. She says what she means and means what she says. I also like the world that is presented. Vampires actually have legislation and are widely known but other supernatural creatures are still in the closet. The side characters are not all that notable, but Merit takes the cake for me.
There have definitely been times where I have questioned why people keep talking about a series, but that's what makes reading great. Everyone can have their own opinion.
Read all three and loved them! Can't wait for more of Merit and Ethan! :)
Jess wrote: "Lazuline wrote: "MsBeaglely wrote: "Lazuline wrote: "Since I'm only on Some Girls Bite, I can only base my comment on that book. However, so far I agree with it being a so-so series. I had such hig..."First of all, THANK YOU for disagreeing with me. I am very expressive when it comes to my opinions and I hate it when people don't argue their points with me. So thank you for replying, and in such a cordial manner too. :D
Secondly, keeping in mind that I haven't yet read Twice Bitten, I don't like Merit because of how she acted towards Megan and Mallory at the end of Some Girls Bite. It was annoying and highly uncalled for because I felt they hadn't done anything wrong and she should have been mad at Ethan instead, but was lusting after him. And Ethan can be pretty endearing sometimes, but I still find him too typical of a male character. I can name at least 5 male characters off the top of my head that resemble his personality, and that's way too many. And Merit really is a fine female character, but it's her relationship with Ethan that bugs me along her interactions with people that genuinely care about her.
And lastly, I tend to be really fickle in my opinion of books/series I read. I read one book and base most of my feelings by the ending of it. Then I read the next book in the series and my feelings change once again. It happens over and over, so all things considered, I might just love CV by the end of Twice Bitten. :3
I was not much offended that Ethan was indecisive. I was upset when Merit didn't cut him such a break. I guess I respect Merit for being a girl who knows what she wants and is willing to hold out for it. I think she blew things out of proportion with both Ethan and Mallory. Some patience and understanding would be in order.
Lazuline wrote: "Jess wrote: "Lazuline wrote: "MsBeaglely wrote: "Lazuline wrote: "Since I'm only on Some Girls Bite, I can only base my comment on that book. However, so far I agree with it being a so-so series. I..."No problem! I find nothing wrong with having good discussions about books, as long as it's kept respectful :)
If your issue was with the relationship between Ethan and Merit, I don't think you'll like Twice Bitten! They had the same issues, but I did feel that Merit stood up to him a little more and didn't take his crap. I think she really does have feelings for him and knows what she wants while he isn't sure. He wants to be this stoic leader for his people, but he also wants a relationship. Well buddy... you have to make a choice. He really bothered me in this book. I'm hoping that Merit goes another way entirely and chooses someone else.
@Jess: As long as Merit's standing up for herself and not forgiving Ethan just because he looks hot, I'll probably get through the next book. And I think the stoic leader crap that Ethan gets off on is just that. I mean, he was with a traitor and no one really thinks any worse of him for it, so I don't see why he can't just ditch the act and be honest with himself and Merit. And I wish Merit would fall for Morgan instead, but I know that's impossible in series like this, so I'm not gonna delude myself.
Lazuline wrote: "@Jess: As long as Merit's standing up for herself and not forgiving Ethan just because he looks hot, I'll probably get through the next book. And I think the stoic leader crap that Ethan gets off o..."You never know what could happen in future books! Although I do think Morgan is off the table. There could always be another character.
I finally finished Some Girls Bite. I know a lot of people love this series, but I wasn't really impressed. I really didn't like Merit at all. If I could have I would have loved to reached into the book & slap her. She turned out to be so weak; bowing to Ethan whenever he snapped his fingers only to be used. I had high hopes for Merit too. Oh well.
You all are quite funny. While I do not love this series I do like it, Merit and Ethan in particular.Whoever said this book is cliche is so right but you know I think that is why I enjoy the writing style of Chloe Neill. The bones of this story has been told and will be retold however I like her retelling of it if that makes sense.
As for Ethan I actually like all of his issues. I do think that a 400 year old vampire would have some issues with wanting someone and having that one person want him Ethan not Master. In this story I think he is a leader who has placed the needs of his people before his own needs that the line between Ethan man (vampire) and master is blurred to the point that he has forgotten what it is like to want and be wanted as himself. I mean just imagine living 400 years as a caretaker for other vamps. Most people you meet are vying for his attention because they want his position not him. This really hit home when Merit is watching Lynsey follow behind Ethan and even though she is master of her own house the hierarchy between them us unchanged. Then we have the lovely Merit who just wants him and she is still young enough to be idealistic and stubborn enough to stand by it at least for now. Personally I do not want a love triangle I think it would be much more fun to have watch them deal with their issues and find some middle ground without having a third party involved.
The one character who does nothing for me is Mallory. I mean why is she even in the book and why is she like the ever powerful witch??
Dawn wrote: "You all are quite funny. While I do not love this series I do like it, Merit and Ethan in particular.Whoever said this book is cliche is so right but you know I think that is why I enjoy the writi..."
You definitely make sense when you say you like the way she tells the story. There's always going to be a similar thread that runs through all these books, and we have to decide whether we like that "version" or not.
Mallory is a strange character.. I think she's quite useless also. I feel like a lot of the side characters are useless. Get rid of them and spend more time on Merit.
Just discovered this series last week and read all of them in a week. Loved it. Yeah it was a little sappy, but I'm A-OK with that. I liked the witty dialogue and her take on the vamp social structure.
I finally picked the first book up in this series after a lot of prodding. The cover/title seemed so cheesy to me, and I had avoided reading these for a while.I'm glad that I took the plunge. So far it's been a fun read, and this was after finishing one of the Night Huntress books, which I immediately fell in love with. It's nice to be able to read two books back to back that are both great, since this doesn't happen for me very often!
I'm glad you liked it Stacia! I hate when books have a misleading cover, or cheesy name. Especially when they are really good because it DOES deter people from reading it.It happened to me with Ilona Andrews' series, the covers were so bad that I delayed reading it for a long time.
But I'm glad that you ended up liking this series :)
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Is anyone else reading these? I love this series and would love to chat about them.
If you haven't read them yet, here's a quick synpopsis of book one: A former grad student, Merit is changed into a vampire to save her life following a vicious vampire attack. The plotline is centered around her coming to terms with the changes, being accepted into vampire society and the Cadogan House, learning about the supernatural world, and helping to find the vampire(s) behind the ongoing attacks in the area.
I loved the heroine Merit--fiesty, smart, fun, honorable, hard working. I enjoyed seeing her grow as a character over the course of the series. She starts as a grad student with a closely defined, much smaller world outlook. After she is converted, her world becomes much bigger and she must change to fit into it. I loved the ancilliary charcters--her best friend Mallory, her trainer Catcher (who also becomes Mallory's boyfriend), Ethan the master vamp, Morgan the possible love interest, fun Eric the shapeshifter and her grandpa the Ombud. The romantic tension between Merit and Ethan was terrific.
The book reminds me of one of my all time favorites, the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Biggs. The same sort of style...strong, likable female lead, good plotline, lots of paranormal action and suspense, and excellent world building! And the great dialogue and snarky humor reminds me in style to Shelly Laurenston's Pride Stories. Really a great mix, resulting in a fantastic new series.