Friday Night Bites

I have never read this series before and I had bought some prior to this order, but I am hooked! I love this series and I have to find out what happens next, perfect for rainy fall days with a cup of tea and a comfy blanket. I love the story lines, and can relate to the main character I just feel like I am in their world.

Ten months have passed since the vampires came out of the closet and revealed themselves to humanity. New to the biting night life, upper class Merit struggles with her bite and her position as sentinel of the House of Cadogan; one of the three vampire "Houses" in Chicago. However, those are minor problems compared to her constant disputes with the dude who changed her, four century old master vampire Ethan Sullivan. Currently, vampires are riding a wave of good will media. However, rumors fly that wannabe tabloid reporter Jamie Breckenridge has learned about Raves in which humans serve up blood like a cocktail hour. Merit knows him as his family and hers (human that is) travel in the same elitist circle. Merit needs to persuade ambitious Jamie to drop the story before the humans go for blood. The second Chicagoland vampire tale (see SOME GIRLS BITE) is super urban fantasy starring a tyro bloodsucker who continues to have major relationships with mortal and vampires; Merit still connects (loose definition) with her social climbing parents and other mortal family members and obviously with her new vampire family. Fans will appreciate Merit's efforts to balance her two teetering worlds summed up simply by TGIFNB (Thank God it's Friday Night Bites). Harriet Klausner

Chloe has outdone herself, and is truly coming into her own. I loved Some Girls Bite, and this sequel has taken what I loved and developed it beyond my expectations. Merit is *honest,* and the emotional stakes are higher because of it, the payoffs sweeter. Merit's relationship with Ethan is well done. Their future is a true dilemma with tangible costs and benefits, beyond the usual "oh you're my boss/maker i really shouldn't but i can't resist!" I can't wait to see it continue. This genre could learn a lot from Chloe in the plot department too. In Friday Night Bites we get logical, high stakes conflicts with multiple rational players. They conclude without everyone in the room ending up dead. It makes the threat of death actually threatening. A war is coming to this world, and it will mean something when it arrives because these characters don't get slaughtered every day. Speaking of slaughtered, I love the integration of mystery and intrigue minus excessive gore. Don't get me wrong, I can handle my share of blood, but its no substitute for plot. One issue I do have with Chloe's writing is that someone's "brow" is "arched" on at least 25 separate occasions in this book alone. That being said I'd sit through en eyebrow DANCE if it meant more of this series. Here is where I would normally say "HURRY MOAR OM NOM NOM" but its so GOOD, and I want it to stay that way, so I'll wait. So... when's the next one coming out?? :)

Chloe Neill's sophomore effort makes it very clear that the greatness of her first book, "Some Girls Bite", was not accidental. The book opens a month after the events of the first book. There is a great deal of recapping in the first few chapters (the only thing that I could do without, but I understand that it might be necessary for those who missed the first book). Merit is still struggling with her transition to a vampire, but things are even worse now because almost every single relationship in her life is undergoing major changes. Her best friend is caught up in her own problems (learning to be a sorceress), and Merit is trying to juggle adjusting to her new life, solving a new mystery involving her House, and hiding a dark secret - the fact that she feels separate from her inner vampire and has to spend a lot of energy trying to control it. I won't go into the details of the plot: the readers should be left unspoiled, all the better to enjoy the satisfying conclusion and the final cliffhanger, which is more of a lead-in to the third book. The trademark fine qualities that distinguish Chloe Neill's first book are present here: wonderful characterization and character development, interesting plot, emotional honesty and nuanced, intelligent writing. One of Chloe Neill's greatest strength as a writer, especially a writer of paranormal fiction, is her ability to make her characters' emotions and actions ring true, thereby making them and the rest of her universe seem very real (a quality she shares with another excellent writer, Patricia Briggs). She has a very light touch and her way of portraying Merit's pain and struggle is both sensitive and sympathetic, without resorting to heavy-handed melodrama or artificial toughness that is the trademark approach of too many paranormal books. Merit's relationship with Ethan has grown even more complex, and during the course of the book I found myself alternately wishing she would just realize how destructive their attraction was, and hoping that perhaps things would work out. I must say that I didn't like Ethan very much in this book, most of the time, but then there were moments that almost made it all worth it - which is exactly how Merit feels throughout the books. And, while it's difficult not to feel for Merit (another testament to Chloe Neill's excellent writing), and not to feel offended on her behalf for the way Ethan treats her most of the time, it's also impossible not to keep reading, not to keep wondering what will happen with their relationship, because honestly, anything can happen, which is another great things about these books. "Friday Night Bites" is intelligently written and contains little actual "ass kicking" but much plotting and intrigue. There are many mysteries left to unravel. With every step the reader learns more of the complexities of the Chicagoland universe, and at the end of the book, is left longing for more. I for one can hardly wait for the third installment wh

Friday Night Bites is the second novel in the Chicagoland Vampires Series, and I cannot praise the author's imagination enough for creating this wonderful story for our enjoyment. It has all the elements that I love in a good urban fantasy: amazing heroine; excellent supporting cast; multidimensional antagonists; and a fascinating story line. In my opinion, the second book didn't just equal the excellence of the first, which is what very few new authors are able to achieve, but surpassed it. Here's why. The plot of Friday Night Bites builds on the previous book, but there is enough back-story to fill in the holes for those who haven't read it. The hectic nature of Merit's job as a Sentinel of the Cadogan House and her roommate Malory's active love life with her boyfriend and Merit's instructor Catcher Bell both force her to a dreadful conclusion - she must move into the Cadogan House. As if her life was not difficult enough with the inability to finish her graduate work, having to reconcile to her new supernatural status, and learning how to defend herself and her house against older and stronger foes - she now has to deal with living in a house full of vampires whom either hate her or in the best case just distrust her. She is also pseudo-dating the newly elevated Master of the Navarre House, whose alliance is very tenuous based on previous history, and her unresolved feelings for her own Master Ethan make her life a pure hell. To add to this already explosive stew, a new danger is emerging for Chicago Vampires, threatening to expose the dark underbelly of vampiric society - raves. If the world, which has temporarily been soothed by the glamorous image the vampires presented, learns about the horrors of these hidden blood parties, a war will most certainly follow. Therefore, since the threat appears to come from one of Merit's childhood acquaintances, Ethan and Merit are forced to infiltrate the world of the Chicago's elite and further associate with Merit's estranged family. Oh and did I mention that Celina Desaulniers has been released by the Greenwich Presidium and Merit, having almost killed her, probably heads up her most wanted and hated list? What's a girl to do! Not only was the story line action packed and beautifully executed, but the character development was truly spectacular in this book as well. Merit's character continues to grow and evolve as she learns more about herself and her new powers. She is finally beginning to realize and accept that her old life is forever lost to her. Furthermore, it was interesting to see how much her upbringing was ingrained in her and how quickly she was able to blend in with the rich and the famous. Ethan was also better explored in this book and we were able to learn more about his nature through numerous tidbits about his past. Merit and he spent the majority of the book together investigating the threat and their interactions and developing bond were both compelling and hilarious. Who knew th