Upcoming Releases

May 31- The Darkness Beyond: A Paladin Novel (Alexis Morgan) $7.99
May 31- The Reluctant Vampire: An Argeneau Vampire Novel (Lynsay Sands) $7.99
May 31- Kiss of Snow: Psy/Changeling Novel (Nalini Singh) $14.74
May 31- The Neon Graveyard: Sign of the Zodiac, Book 6 (Vicki Pettersson) $7.99
May 31- Magic Slays: Kate Daniels, Book 5 (Ilona Andrews) $7.99

June 2- The Deadliest Bite: Jaz Parks (Jennifer Rardin) $8.96
June 7- Hit List: Anita Blake Novel (Laurell K. Hamilton) $14.71
June 7- Hunt the Moon: Cassie Palmer Novel (Karen Chance) $7.99
June 14- Passion: A Fallen Novel (Lauren Kate) $9.51
June 28- Deeper Than Midnight: Midnight Breed Novel (Lara Adrian) $7.99
June 28- Kitty's Got Trouble: Kitty Norville Novel (Carrie Vaughn) $7.99
June 28- Burn the Night: The Final Dark Days Novel (Jocelyn Drake) $7.99
June 28- Never Cry Wolf (Cynthia Eden) $8.97

Pricing according to Amazon.

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Twice Bitten / Chicagoland Vampires book 3 / Chloe Neill

Synopsis:

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 suppose 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.

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My Take
5 Stars

Twice Bitten takes a lot of twists and turns and kept me on my toes! I started out this book loving Ethan--middle of the book I was ticked at Ethan--end of the book I found myself softening to Ethan. I don't want to give anything away, but the complex relationship between Merit and Ethan has its ups and downs. Lacey, Ethan's former flame, also makes an appearance to shake up things.

The shifters play a huge role in this book. I really liked getting to know head honcho, Gabriel Keene. Gabriel has a gift for seeing bits of the future. He gives Merit a glimpse a of a startling prophecy that ties her to Gabriel's unborn child. Merit kicks butt in this book, and finds herself in some situations that will test her immortality.

Twice Bitten is an excellent read, and my favorite book in this series so far. Check back in next week for my review of the fourth book in this series, Hard Bitten.

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Friday Night Bites / Chicagoland Vampires Book 2

Synopsis:

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...

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My Take
4 Stars

I just finished this book last night. From the synopsis, it the main "mystery" going on in this book would be who is hosting the raves, and who's participating in them and how to keep it out of the public (human) eye. This isn't exactly whats going on in this book, so I find the synopsis isn't quite true to the book. The question of the raves is just an opening for what is really going on in this book, which all leads back to Celina (the ex-master of Navarre House & the villian in the series so far).

The push and pull of Merit and Ethan's attraction gets a little more intense in this book and we start to see another side to Ethan, which I really like. We also figure out what went wrong with Merit's change from human to vampire. Along with being Sentinal, Merit also receives a new role in Cagodan House that she wasn't prepared for (which is humorous).

I'm ready to delve into the next book, Twice Bitten, and see where it takes Merit.

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Some Girls Bite/Chicagoland Vampires Book 1

Before I get to what I think about the opening book to Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampire series, here is the synopsis:

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 o’ 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.

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My Take
4 Stars

I don't like to do spoilers, so I am going to try to stay away from giving any in depth details about the book.

In the setting of this book, Vampires have come forth and announced their existence and belong (except for the rogues) to one of twelve "houses" under the care of the house's master vampire.
I think this is a great opening book to the Chicagoland Vampire series. Merit, the book's main character, is dealing with the transition from college student to vampire after she's attacked on campus by a rogue vampire and changed/saved by Ethan Sullivan (Master of Cadogan House).

As a new vampire, Merit is proving to be an exceptional and a great asset to Ethan's house. However, Merit finds herself drawn to Master Vampire Ethan, but is also suspicious of him at the same time. She is targeted by an unknown source, and finds herself having to come to terms with what she is and having to decide if swearing her alligence to Ethan will help keep her alive.

This book definately made me want to crack open the next book in the series (Friday Night Bites) and keep reading! I felt that Merit was a well written character I could connect with, and the supporting characters are interesting and fit in well within the storyline.

Chicagoland Vampire Series:

Some Girls Bite
Friday Night Bites
Twice Bitten
Hard Bitten
Drink Deep (November 2011)

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