Review: House Rules by Chloe Neill

House Rules 

by Chloe Neill 

(Chicagoland Vampires #7) 

Published February 5th 2013 by NAL Penguin

Source: From Publisher for honest review

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.

At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal —tested like never before.

It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined

REVIEW

This is book 7 in a series, so don't be surprised if I talk about plots in earlier books. If you're not update on the series you may want to come back and read my review once you've read House Rules. 

 "I think Chloe Neill has finally brought the series back around to where I can be excited about it again." - The Book Nympho

Review: Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

Twice Bitten 

By Chloe Neill 

Book #3 in the Chicagoland Vampires 

Urban Fantasy 

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, Chicago's newest vampire. 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.

Unfortunately, someone is gunning for Gabriel, 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 green-eyed, centuries-old master vampire.

Merit, now as one with her vampire self, is becoming more formidable. After her last showdown with Celine she knows she’s got her work cut out for her but Merit’s brain is still her strongest asset. Nick Breckenridge’s debacle has led to his Alpha leader, Gabriel Keene, asking for her help and protection as he prepares for the shifters convening in Chicago. Ethan’s helping with her combat training sessions, which are starting to look like foreplay.

This book was the most exciting, and frustrating, so far. There’s mistrust between the vampires, the shifters are at odds with each other about whether to stay and support the brewing unrest between the humans and the vampires and someone’s trying to kill Gabriel. Merit’s relationship with Morgan deteriorated and she’s still on the outs with her best friend, Mallory. Throw in Ethan’s mixed messages and you’ve got the makings of a very strange brew. Merit is really coming into her own, in spite of the chaos around her. Actions taken by Ethan have the unintended consequence of helping Merit to bond with her fellow vamps at Cadogan House and she becomes that much closer to becoming one with her vampire nature. There was so much going on this story it was hard to put down.

I’m so itching to start the next book because of circumstances that happened at the end of this one. There are still more mysteries to uncover and new ones that will develop. You’ve been forewarned that you should be prepared to read this and the next book back to back.

Series Reading Order:
Some Girls Bite - Review
Friday Night Bites - Review
Twice Bitten
Hard Bitten - Review
Drink Deep - Review
Biting Cold - Review
House Rules - Review Coming Soon
Biting Bad - Releases August 6th

Review: Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neil

Friday Night Bites 

By Chloe Neill 

Chicagoland Vampire Series #2

Urban Fantasy

The story of a young heiress's initiation into the dark society of the Chicagoland Vampires continues...

Ten months after vampires revealed their existence to the mortals of Chicago, they're enjoying a celebrity status usually reserved for the Hollywood elite. But should people learn about the Raves-mass feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle-the citizens will start sharpening their stakes.

So now it's up to the new vampire Merit to reconnect with her upper class family and act as liaison between humans and bloodsuckers, and keep the more unsavory aspects of the vampire lifestyle out of the media. But someone doesn't want peace between them-someone with an ancient grudge...

Friday Night Bites takes place about two weeks after the conclusion of Some Girls Bite; Merit is making plans to move into the Cadogan house, and the vampire community itself has gained a certain level of celebrity. There is word the shifter pack leader Gabriel Keene intends to hold a shapeshifters conference in Chicago, and there are also rumors that the Chicago World Weekly, and Jamie Breckenridge in particular, is taking a particular interest in the underground vampire raves (flash mobs of sorts that meet and mass feed). In order to quell any unsavory press and understand Jamie’s motive, Ethan asks Merit to return to her family and their high society connections. As Merit and Ethan hobnob with Chicago’s high society, a boyfriend from Merit’s past brings new trouble for the vampire community. Merit’s allegiances, strength, and willpower continue to be tested as human-supernatural relationship become increasingly tense and tenuous.

Merit finally makes the move into Cadogan House and attempts to adapt to the vampire world and those she’s been charged to protect as Sentinel. The new crisis involves the family of her old boyfriend, Nick Breckenridge, whose brother Jamie is rumored to be developing a story about suspected vampire raves. Merit has to reenter her family’s high society world to find a way to stop this before it gets started, disrupting the strange détente the vamps have achieved with humans. She’s also continuing to see Morgan, the Master of the Navarre House, at his demand and Ethan’s encouragement, even as she’s still trying to figure out her feelings for Ethan.

Ethan continues to send mixed signals about his feelings for Merit. One minute he’s demanding subservience and the next he’s transmitting lust. She, on the other hand, is trying her best to find that balance between staying true to her nature and being a Sentinel and acknowledging Ethan as her master (good luck with that). Morgan certainly complicates matters and no one seems to want to give her the time to sort it all out on her own. As in the first book, not everyone is who they seem to be and there is another traitor in Ethan’s house. Celine still is a threat even after having been exiled to Europe. Merit also is getting stronger and developing new skills as she works to reconcile her human self with her vamp.

The jury is still out for me with Ethan and Merit is doing the right thing by proceeding with caution. She’s making him prove himself and of course he finds it frustrating. The world created here is an interesting one with humans having awareness of some supernaturals but not a clue about others (shifters, water nymphs, sorcerers). You can sense an undercurrent of things reaching a spilling point and that tension creates intrigue. There’s an exciting climax that was pretty extraordinary, making me fly right into the next book. A lot of my questions from the first book were answered here only to create new situations and mysteries. This isn’t a series where you can read one book and move onto something else and come back to it. I’m jumping into the next book right away. Stay tuned.

Series Reading Order:
Some Girls Bite - Review
Friday Night Bites
Twice Bitten
Hard Bitten - Review
Drink Deep - Review
Biting Cold - Review
House Rules - Review Coming Soon
Biting Bad - Releases August 6th

Review: Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill

Some Girls Bite 

By Chloe Neill 

Book #1 in the Chicagoland Vampire series 

Urban Fantasy 

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was Merit’s. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she’s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord of the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan’s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone’s still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war and there will be blood.

Merit was a pretty contented graduate student whose life changed after one bite. She was attacked by a vampire one evening on her college campus. The vampire was interrupted before he could finish her off, chased away by none other than Ethan Sullivan, the Master vampire of Cadogan House. His only way to save her was to turn her and that decision changed her life forever.

This was an interesting story and good start to what promises to be an intriguing series. Merit’s relationships expand and change significantly as a result of her now being a vampire. The first significant change is that she can no longer continue her graduate studies (turns out the colleges have a rule) so Merit has to come to terms with what will be her new identity. Her roommate Mallory, already obsessed with matters of the occult, is her salvation as she helps Merit adapt to her new circumstances. She also figures more prominently into the story when it’s discovered she has some special gifts of her own and it leads to an unplanned romance.

Merit is deeply resentful of Ethan and she cannot fall in step with the requirement that new initiates pretty much grovel at his feet and swear undying allegiance. Her attitude gets her into all sorts of dilemmas and doesn’t endear her much with her new found brethren. The relationship between these two is complex as both seem to have an unnatural attraction to each other, one that they both seem to want to deny but can’t ignore the reality of their feelings. Ethan has some archaic views (he’s almost 400 years old so I guess it’s to be expected) and isn’t used to being challenged. Jury is still out on him as he’s not showing up so good as a hero but Merit shows promise if she watches her tongue.

There were quite a few extraordinary events that occurred, including Merit’s initiation ceremony and her designated role at Cadogan House. The circumstances surrounding her attack pointed to a much larger plot and set up some conflicts going forward.

I liked a lot about this story, even with its mystique and unanswered issues. I’m looking forward to the next book as there were many other interesting characters that will make this series compelling.

Series Reading Order:
Some Girls Bite
Friday Night Bites
Twice Bitten
Hard Bitten - Review
Drink Deep - Review
Biting Cold - Review
House Rules - Review Coming Soon
Biting Bad - Releases August 6th

Cover Revealed: Biting Cold (Chicagoland Vampires No. 6)

We are a little over a month away from the release of Drink Deep (November 1st), the 5th book in the Chicagoland Vampires Series and now Neill has us drooling over the cover for the 6th book, Biting Cold.

Biting Cold (Chicagoland Vampires No. 6)
Release date for Biting Cold is August 2012.
Synopsis:
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 inhumans.

Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest, tailing 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 book for himself. No mercy allowed. No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on.

Release 11/1/11

Drink Deep Sample Up

Chloe Neill has posted a sample of Drink Deep on her website. Go HERE to read it.

Title for Book 6 in CV series?!

From Chloe Neill's Facebook page.....

Comment: Cool and haunting! (Makes note for CV6, BITING COLD).

(Picture and link that the comment refers to)

This color photo, dating to 1943, is part of a Library of Congress collection that I've posted shots from before. This one is just lovely. And I'm also pretty sure that I know where this train shop building is located. If I'm right, it's one of the massive Santa Fe RR buildings near Topeka's Oakland neighborhood, right across from Our Lady of Guadeloupe church. Today, there's a road bridge that takes you over the top of the rail yards, so you drive into Oakland at almost the level of those upper windows. I always did want to see what was inside!

(link she posted) http://www.boingboing.net/2011/05/20/1943-color-photo-of.html