Hi, everyone, and welcome to the BITING BAD Blog Tour! From July 29, 2013 to August 9, 2013 (click here for full schedule), I’m visiting blogs to give Merit an opportunity to rate the men of the Chicagoland Vampires series–are they “Book Boyfriend” material? Let’s see what she has to say.
[box]Ethan Sullivan, Master
Hair/eye color: Blond/Green
Species: Vampire
House affiliation: Cadogan
First appearance in book (book/page): SGB, pg. 2.
Thoughts: He’s stubborn, pretentious, and controlling. He’s also tall and blond, with a face like an avenging angel (and I’d know). He’s the Master of the country’s fourth oldest vampire House, and my live-in boyfriend. Dating the boss has definite advantages.
Verdict: A+ / Actual book boyfriend. ;)[/box]
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, July 29 – Rabid Reads, Oh Paper Pages
Tuesday, July 30 – The Consummate Reader
Wednesday, July 31 – Me, Myself & Books Blog
Thursday, August 1 – Reading Rain Blog
Friday, August 2 – VampChix & Bite Club, Rantings of a Reading Addict
Monday, August 5 – Wholly Books, Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy, Paranormal and Romance
Tuesday, August 6 (Release Day) – Cocktails & Books
Wednesday, August 7 – Nocturne Reads, Krista’s Dust Jacket
Thursday, August 8 – Urban Fantasy Investigations
Friday, August 9 – Saucy Wenches, Gizmo’s Reviews
[author] [author_image timthumb=’off’]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Njql7JILhbs/Ue_ub1sJ3VI/AAAAAAAAIqo/jdcvI9Wiaqk/s1600/Chloe-Neill.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]
Chloe Neill is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires and Dark Elite series.
She was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest–just close enough to Cadogan House and St. Sophia’s to keep an eye on things. When not transcribing Merit’s and Lily’s adventures, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys–her favorite landscape photographer/husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout. (Both she and the photographer understand the dogs are in charge.) Photo © Dana Damewood.
[/author_info] [/author]
Review
Title: Biting Bad
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #8
Author: Chloe Neill
Publisher: NAL Penguin
Format: Paperback, 368 pages
Published: August 6, 2013
ISBN #: 0451415183 / 9780451415189
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Copy: review copy from NAL
Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she’s already seen a lifetime’s worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back.
Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most. A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water.
Merit and her allies rush to figure out who’s behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there’s any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.
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Biting Bad was reminiscent of the earlier Chicagoland Vampires novels and I for one couldn’t be happier! The first three installments are what hooked me on this series and this latest one has ensured that I’ll continue reading these books for a long time to come, especially with all of the promising new novellas that are already in the pipeline. This novel is Ethan/Merit drama free which was a huge relief because readers can now actually focus on Chloe Neill’s phenomenal writing style and storytelling skills instead of their relationship woes.
The first thing that stood out for me about this book were the recaps; Neill does an excellent job of filling in any memory blanks readers may have while still weaving in new plot threads at the same time. After the first chapter I was able to easily get my bearings in Chicagoland which allowed me to seamlessly reenter this world as though no time had elapsed between installments. I was also so thankful that Neill established within the first one hundred pages that Ethan and Merit were not going to be at odds in this story. This made it feel as though a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders because in the last few books I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop; both of these elements allowed me to just sit back and enjoy the ride worry-free.
I loved how much attention Neill paid to the characters’ surroundings in this book; she knows both Chicago and its winters well, and it shows. I live in Canada and I’m pretty used to the cold but even I got sympathy chills while reading about the city’s frigid temperatures. This novel has a lot of little extras like that and I do like an author with a keen eye for details! Merit’s socialite status is becoming ever more important as this series progresses and I enjoyed how in this installment she has designers vying for her attention in an attempt to be THE fashion designer of choice for vamps. Our Sentinel isn’t usually overly fond of pretty things but even she liked the custom dress. I also had to Google what a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL looks like because of the fun back-and-forth between Ethan and Gabe. Now I understand why Mr. Sullivan had car envy!
Ethan and Merit are great in this installment; they have finally reached a happy place in their relationship and I couldn’t help but breathe a huge sigh of relief. In the midst of the city going to Hell they are still trying to have a “normal” Valentine’s Day and I LOVED THAT! Catcher and Mallory are on the mends as well; I’m so happy that the Chicagoland Vampires are becoming one big happy family again. They have enough drama in their lives without having to take it from each other as well. The bad guy was obvious but Neill still makes you work for it in a roundabout way and no installment in this series would be complete without… you guessed it, a cliffhanger! But it’s nowhere near as bad as some of Chloe’s previous ones have been so you can rest easy.
I don’t have one single complaint where Biting Bad is concerned. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish; this is the installment that I have been waiting for. Chloe Neill is back on top and her Chicagoland Vampires are better than ever!
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The fun doesn’t stop here. Want more chances to win? You can also enter Chloe’s Biting Bad Grand Prize Giveaway, which will run July 29, 2013 through August 9, 2013 on Chloe’s web site.
What is the Grand Prize Giveaway prize?
- A personalized, autographed Chicagoland Vampires and Dark Elite novel
- A $50 gift card from Amazon, Indiebound, or Barnes & Noble (Winner’s choice)
- A limited editing BITING BAD All Access Pass and Cadogan House lanyard
- CV and DE swag
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
i’m so happy to read that she back to the top^^ i need this book now^^
Soon! August 6th is only a week away!
I am sooo happy that there was no Ethan/Merit drama in this book! I’m such a sucker for a happy relationship! And, they deserve it. I think the Methan dynamic made this my favorite book in the series!
That was my main beef with the last few books. Their relationship was too wishy washy.
I started this one yesterday and I could not agree more with this statement.
” reminiscent of the earlier Chicagoland Vampires novels”
Good! Now read faster. :p
I brought for my lunch break. LOL
I have GOT to start this series! I even have book one downloaded. Maybe if I add it to my review schedule I’ll actually start it…mmmm…that might work 😀
WHAT! You haven’t read these books yet? Bad Traci! LOL
I’m looking forward to being able to read this book.. I just finished “Biting Bad” and am really looking forward to the next one.
Oh, you’re luck if you just finished Biting Bad. It’s so much easier when you can read installments back-to-back.
Goodness! I didn’t know there’s a lot of books in this series already. Though I’ve seen it around, I haven’t read any including Chicagoland Vampires. I’m still catching up with Elemental Assassin, maybe I’ll give this a whirl after.
There are so many amazing series out there that it’s hard to keep up with them all.
Ahhhhh! I need to read my copy and get my review up. Well, I”ve got a week! I should be fine. Good to know it’s good, but didn’t have a doubt in my mind. =)
LOL Oohhh, the pressure is ON now! 😉
Is it Tuesday yet?!!
Hehe Nope. 😀
I’m really looking forward to Biting Bad! I’ve got it Pre-ordered! Great review Carmel 🙂
Thanks Amber!
I am really looking forward to Biting Bad and glad to hear that Merit & Ethan stay in a happy place in this book! Love them!
Ethan and Merit are definitely better when they’re ON as opposed to OFF!
Can’t wait to read this I love the series. I’m so happy that Ethan and Merit have no drama, they have been through enough. Seriously they need some happy time. Great review.
Happy time for everyone! 🙂
I only recently found this great series (thank you, Louisville Free Public Library, for the great eBook selection!) and I fell in love with the characters right from the start. I read the first 7 books back to back, so waiting for Biting Bad has been torture! LOL
OMG you read all 7 books back-to-back, you must be experiencing mad withdrawal!
This series is amazing, and I cannot wait to get my hands on Biting Bad 🙂
You don’t have much longer to wait!
I love this series! I’m listening to the audio books now, preparing for the release.
I haven’t tried the audios; is the narrator good?
This sounds like a great series!
It is! 🙂
BITING BAD (love the title) sounds fantastic.
Hopefully you’ll get to read it soon and see for yourself!
I’m so excited to hear that this book is like the earlier ones, I was starting to worry it wouldn’t get back to what sucked me into this series in the first place. And yay! for no more Ethan drama! great review, thanks!
I’ve been worried about this series too but it’s been slowly making a comeback over the past few installments and this one really sealed the deal.
Love this series! Thanks for sharing the great review.
You are welcome! Only a few more days to go ’til it hits shelves! 😀
I always wanted to meet the author of this series. So thank you for the Blog Tour!
Great review, anyways!
I met her this year at RT and she recognized my blog! *faints*
Love this and can´t wait to read!! =)
Happy Saturday!
//Linda
I have always loved Chloe Neill and have already pre ordered this book! Since its RELEASE DAY…should be arriving soon!!
Teresa