Release Day Blitz & Review: Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Today I've got the pleasure of kicking off a blog tour / blitz for Alyssa Rose Ivy's new book, Flight. This tour was put together and hosted by Bewitching Book Tours. 

Book: Flight (Crescent Chronicles #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal Romance

Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Available Formats: Ebook

Publication Date: August 13th, 2012

Where Did I Get This Book: For Blog Tour / Review - Bewitching Book Tours & authorFirst Sentence: "I'd sworn off men, or really boys, because those were the only type of males I tended to attract."Description: Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy was certainly an entertaining read. Allie, our main character is new to New Orleans and by her own admission, is looking for an adventure. Well let's just say she finds one.

Upon her arrival, much to her dismay, she is immediately drawn to Levi. If I'm being honest, I'm not really too sure how I feel about Levi. He just didn't really do anything for me. He seems to genuinely care about Allie, but he also comes off as a bit of a clinger. He pops up around every corner and gets very serious about her rather quickly.

I don't want to give away too much information, but you already know this is a supernatural story.. so I'm going to spill a few beans here. You see, Levi is a Pteron, which is some sort of crow/human mix. He doesn't turn into a crow, but he descends from people who did and he can fly. Which is awesome. But I'm getting off track. He lets Allie in on his big secret very quickly in their relationship. I'm pretty sure it's the second or third time they've hung out and she was just really warming up to him. It just all seemed reckless and rushed to me. I don't think I'd go spilling my supernatural secrets to random girls.

On a different note, I loved the setting of the story. Ivy is somehow able to make the famous city of New Orleans a character in it's own right. She captures the excitement and beauty of the city (at least what I imagine it to be) wonderfully.

One thing that really bothered me about Flight was the fact that Allie was easily entering and drinking in bars. I've never been to New Orleans, but I know the the drinking age is 21. The majority of the story takes places in various bars and I'm just unclear as to how this is taking place. The book repeatedly states that she is 18, yet a fake I.D. is never mentioned. Plus, when her parents find out she's been frequenting bars all across the French Quarter, they don't really seemed to concerned. This bothered me enough that I did some research about drinking in New Orleans and this is what I came up with. Apparently the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 in 1996. As of right now, some bars will serve 18 year old alcohol if you are with your parents. And some bars will let you in at 18, but some are 21 and over. So I could see how Allie would get away with getting drinks in some bars, but I can't see how she would be able to buy drinks. Unless this book is supposed to take place before 1996, which I don't think is right. At any rate, it confused me.

 I wasn't swept away with Flight but I did enjoy it.I loved the setting, elements of the story were fascinating to me (I am loving the Pterons!) and I think it holds a lot of potential. I'd like to see more development of the Allie/Levi relationship; more insight as to why they are together. We didn't see a lot of the little moments that make people fall for one another, we were just told that they did fall. But at any rate, it was an enjoyable read and a series that I will probably continue.

Favorite Quotes:

I refrained from invading his privacy, half out of politeness and half out of fear he’d catch me.

The loud chatter of the crowd died down as I surveyed the sea of white and black in front of me. I was going to kill Helen, Hailey and the whole lot of them. My red dress stood out like a beacon in a dark sky.

He gave me a flirtatious smile and it hit me; he thought I was a Pteron. I smiled back at him, pretty happy about his assumption. It wasn’t a bad thing if guys thought you were super-strong and able to fly.

 

Author Bio:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write.  

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Review: Blade Song by J.C. Daniels

Book: Blade Song by J.C. Daniels
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Available Formats: Ebook

Publication Date: August 1st, 2012

Where Did I Get This Book: For Review, From Netgalley
First Sentence: "My sword arm is mighty. I will not falter. I will not fail. My aim is true. My heart is strong."
Description: Kit Colbana—half breed, assassin, thief, jack of all trades—has a new job: track down the missing ward of one of the local alpha shapeshifters. It should be a piece of cake.

So why is she so nervous? It probably has something to do with the insanity that happens when you deal with shifters—especially sexy ones who come bearing promises of easy jobs and easier money.

Or maybe it’s all the other missing kids that Kit discovers while working the case, or the way her gut keeps screaming she’s gotten in over her head. Or maybe it’s because if she fails—she’s dead.

If she can stay just one step ahead, she should be okay. Maybe she’ll even live long to collect her fee…

So, Blade Song. I honestly don't even know where to begin. I have so many thoughts flying around in my head that I am struggling with putting it into words. But for you, I will do my best. First of all let me say, that  I literally could not put this down. I declined an invitation to go to my favorite Chinese restaurant to finish Blade Song. If that doesn't tell you how awesome it was, then I don't know what will.

It has a lot of elements that Urban Fantasy readers are familiar with; werewolves, witches, vampires and a strong heroine who welds a sword. Sure, it's been done before. I'll bet you can name 10 books right now that contain these elements. But for some reason, this did not bother me. Guys, Blade Song was just that good.

Let's begin with Kit. Kit is our resident badass. She is half-aneira, which is an ancient race of assassins. Kit has had a extremely difficult life and it has made her into beautifully flawed character... which makes her easy to rally behind. You care about her and want to see her succeed. She's a determined little thing that simply refuses to fail. I love that quality in a heroine. But what I really love about our dearest Kit is that she is smart. She is well aware of her shortcomings and thinks before she acts. She knows that she isn't as strong as some of the creatures she goes up against and she keeps her head.

With that being said, I felt like Kit's personality faltered at times; she would sort of go in and out of character. The main occurrence that stood out in my mind is when she was considering a future with Damon. Daniels built Kit up as this woman who needed to be independent. She had been badly damaged in the past and she drew strength from being on her own. That's why it really surprised me when she was fully willing to dive headfirst into a commitment. It just did not seem to fit with her character. I'm not saying that I did not want her to, it just felt off to me.

Speaking of Damon, lord have mercy, do I ever have a fangirl crush on this werecat. I'll be honest, when he was first introduced, I was not a fan. He comes of as, well let's face it, an asshole. He's pushy, demanding and even gets a bit physical with Kit. However, as his story unfolds and things progress, his character does a complete 180. You begin to understand Damon and he becomes much more appealing. 

But, there was one thing that really rubbed me the wrong way. It may seem silly and I certainly didn't hold it against his character, but his pet name for Kit irritated me immensely. Every time called Kit "baby girl" I felt like rolling my eyes. Why on earth did he call her that? Nothing about her is babyish. "Kitten" I get - he's a cat shifter, her name is Kit... I can roll with that. But baby girl? No.

Okay, moving on. The story centers around the job that the werecats have hired Kit to do - find the Alpha's missing nephew. I do not want to divulge too much information regarding the mystery, but I will let you this - it was AWESOME. It's a story full of adventure, magic, mystery and of course.. violence. What is an Urban Fantasy without a little ass-kicking, right? The pacing is perfect - it's not rushed, but it doesn't drag either. All things considered, I adored Blade Song. It's dark, gritty and all out exciting. I has a few minor hiccups with the story, but nothing serious. I will be eagerly anticipating a sequel!

It was a seductive thing, full of promise. Full of warmth and wonder and lies.

I'll be damned if I act like a mouse, you overgrown tomcat.

"I'm part of the package, kitten. Your bodyguard, babysitter and tattle-tale, all rolled into one." Flashing his teeth at me, he added, "Aren't you pleased?"

In the back of my mind, some part of me thought: Pretty... And I immediately wanted to punch myself.

Keeping my voice level, I shook my  head. Mustn't enrage the antisocial monster standing five feet away.

But of course, instead of saying something honest like Yes, bitch, it hurts, Damon just shrugged.

I wasn't human enough to die easily.

I didn't move for probably ten more minutes. I wasn't sure if I could. If I moved, I just might shatter.

"Child, you suffer from an excess of great stupidity or great bravery. I'm not sure which."

"I just sliced and diced a Burmese python while you were busy growling at the universe, fuzz bucket."

 

Review: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Book: The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Stand-Alone or Series: Series, Darkness Rising #1
Pages: 400

Genre: Young Adult / Urban Fantasy

Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Publication Date: April 12th, 2011

How Did I Get This Book: ARC Tour

Description: Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

I had been eagerly anticipating The Gathering since I heard Armstrong was writing it. The Darkest Powers trilogy is one of my favorite series and I was so excited at the prospect of a spin-off series. However, unfortunately for me, this new addition was overshadowed by The Darkest Powers Trilogy. In a spin off sort of situation, it is hard not to compare books to the original and sadly, The Gathering did not live up to the original trilogy.




Lets begin with the good things, shall we? As always, Armstrong does a marvelous job with the characters. My personal favorite is Daniel. While we don’t know what kind of supernatural he is yet, he is a card-carrying member of the overprotective club. He doesn’t act irrationally though; he is usually in control of his emotions. I am also excited that a new type of supernatural has been added into the mix – a skin walker (ala Mercy Thompson). It’s a departure from the traditional werewolf book, which is always exciting. I also LOVE Armstrong’s writing style. Everything flows beautifully and the dialog is always so realistic. She has a remarkable talent when it comes to creating characters – they always seem to jump right off the page.

  

I did have a difficult time connecting to the heroine, though. Maya just didn't hold that spark for me; she didn't stand out on the sea of YA supernatural heroines. Again, I hate to do it, but I cannot help but compare her to her Darkest Powers counterpart, Chloe. I could read about Chloe for ages and Maya is just sort of bland in comparison. I am excited to see the series crossover, but when I saw Kelley at a book signing she said that wouldn’t happen for quite a while (book 3 at the earliest, if I remember correctly).

Another issue I had with this book was the pacing. The book really dragged for me - hardly anything happened for the entire book. There was a lot of plot setup for the following books. I think that my issues with the book pacing may be because I have read the Darkest Powers Trilogy. Because the story takes place in the same world as in the DP trilogy; the bad guys are the same. Therefore, the time that is spent in the book discussing what is really happening in Salmon Creek is a bit boring, because I already knew. Its no mystery for the old readers and that takes away some of the magic of the book. While the characters are busy speculating and pointing fingers, the readers who are familiar with the story are ten steps ahead of them. 

I really, really wanted to love this book. I adore practically everything Kelley writes and I am a huge fan of the Darkest Powers trilogy. That being said, The Gathering was a bit of a let down. I cannot help but compare it to The Summoning; and it simply does not live up to it. The Gathering is missing all of the excitement that normally comes in an Armstrong book - the majority of this book was built-up. I understand that you need to develop a world, but for readers of original series, this provides for a very tedious storyline.

Favorite Quote

"He looked at me, startled, and what I saw in his eyes was so raw that my breath caught and all I could do was sit there, staring at him, that weird floating feeling trickling through my veins."

Review: Stray by Rachel Vincent

Book: Stray by Rachel Vincent
Series or Stand-Alone: Series, Shifters #1
Pages:  618 (Mass Market Paperback)

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Publication Date: June 1st, 2007

Description: I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.
I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride—constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.
This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them....

I am going to try and keep this short and sweet, because I am sure you all have read countless reviews of this. Stray by Rachel Vincent was a decent series opener. Our heroine, the ever spunky Faythe (yes, that is the correct spelling) is an evolving character – one who has a lot of growing up to do. She makes her fair share of mistakes and often makes rash decisions and assumptions pertaining to the people around her. She is extremely pigheaded – which proved to be both a good and a bad thing. At times I found her sheer will refreshing, but most of the time I found her a bit annoying. She never listens to anyone and decided early on that everyone is out to get her. She is incredibly self-centered; she has a hard time seeing things from other peoples perspective. Faythe is also prone to throwing temper tantrums at the most inopportune times. 

However, I give Vincent credit for creating a character that isn’t perfect; it makes Faythe feel real. I just didn’t exactly like her.  I hope that as the series progresses we see a larger change in Faythe, because I see a great deal of potential in her character. She is determined, spunky, sarcastic and tough – but she definitely as a lot of growing up to do.

On the other hand, I am a huge fan of her love interest, Marc. I would take him just as he is. The two of them have a lot of history, but Faythe does everything in her power to keep their relationship purely platonic. She is unsure of her feelings considering Marc, because he doesn’t fit in her life plan. She wants to get as far away from her old life at the ranch as possible, but Marc is perfectly content there. So, she cuts off all ties to him and tries to move on, while he holds on for dear life. 

The action/mystery part of the plot was extremely engrossing; I would definitely classify this as a “page turner”. There is a great deal of excitement, action and just overall tension that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The romance and love triangle portion of the book was a bit off for me. I’ve already talked about Faythe and Marc, but now let’s discuss the third wheel, Jace. I was just not buying the possibility of Jace as a love interest. Right from the get go it is obvious who she is going to end up with – the girl always goes for the crazy passionate brooding guy. Always. Jace never stood a chance.

I enjoyed Stray, but I did not love it. I did not like the heroine and that’s a BIG problem – especially a book that is written in a first person POV. I will continue with this series and hopefully Faythe will come to understand that the world does not revolve around her.

 

Favorite Quotes

"Lit majors are not known for watching where they're going; most of us walk with our eyes in a book instead of on the path ahead."

"Apparently the complete works of Shakespeare packed quite a wallop."

"I'm glad you think so. I've always considered my sense of humor to be largely under-appreciated, so it's nice to finally meet a fan."

"Wonderful a death match on my first day behind bars. Some girls have all the luck."

"Kicking ass is surprisingly therapeutic"

"He was half again my size, but when we embraced, I felt like I was holding him up, and it was all I could do to remain standing. He buried his face in my hair, his body shaking against me with the spasmodic rhythm of unrestrained sobs. It was almost more than I could bear gracefully."

Review: A Chance for Charity by S.L. Baum

Book: A Chance for Charity by S.L. Baum
Series or Stand-Alone: Series, Book #1

Pages: 254
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal Romance

Purchase A Copy: Amazon
Publication Date: June 4^th, 2010

How I Got This Book: From author, for review

Description (From Goodreads): A new family has just arrived in the isolated mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. Welcome the Johnstons - Jason (a doctor), Rachel (a designer), and their niece Emily (a current High School Senior).

Emily has lived the life of a quiet loner in the past, trying to go unnoticed. But with Telluride being such a small and welcoming town, she finds a group of friends at school almost immediately.   When Emily meets Link (another new transplant in town) her world turns upside down. She doesn't understand why she feels a magnetic pull toward him, or why she unknowingly lets her guard down around him. Link is just as confused by his own need to be with her.

Emily knows she is playing with fire. She should be doing whatever she can to keep herself isolated, to keep Link from getting too close. Danger has a way of finding Emily's family - that is what keeps them on the move. They arrive in a new town every few years - it is safer that way.

Because... Emily isn't really Emily... her real name is Charity - and Charity has an even bigger secret. Charity and her family are not like other people, they have "skills" that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend.

Before long, Charity is struggling with the reality that her two lives are coming closer to each other with each passing day. Soon Link will find himself wrapped in a supernatural world that he never knew existed - and discover that mortals are not the only beings that walk this earth.

A Chance for Charity was a beautifully crafted, well developed paranormal story. While the story falls under the young adult category, the characters themselves do not behave like naive teenagers – because they are nothing of the sort. Although Charity (who currently goes by Emily) appears to be a seventeen-year-old, in reality she is in her nineties. She, and her companions, Catherine and James, are “immortal ones”. They never age and can heal themselves, but they can be murdered. 

Baum does a fantastic job with the characters, especially Charity. I found her to be extremely endearing and easy to sympathize with. For the past seventy odd years she has kept the world at a distance, after she lost her first love during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She looks to Catherine and James for companionship, but it is obvious that she is missing something. 

The book begins when Charity, Catherine and James move to the small town of Telluride, Colorado. Because they do not age, they are forced to start over every few years to avoid discovery. The trio is constantly looking over their shoulders for the Lords family – a family who has made it their legacy to hunt down the immortal ones. When they arrive in Telluride, they change their names as a precaution, here Charity is known as Emily Johnston. James and Catherine pose as Charity’s Aunt and Uncle, since they appear older then Charity.

Like the character of Charity, I was also impressed with James and Catherine. As the book progresses both characters are fleshed out and we are given their back stories. I don’t want to give too much about the characters away, but the way they met was very creative. Both Catherine and James care immensely for Charity and act in the parental roles, even though in reality she is over ninety years old.

Soon after the makeshift family arrives in Telluride, Charity meets Link. She instantly feels comfortable with him and cannot seem to stay away. She knows that by allowing a relationship (of any kind) to progress she is putting her family in danger, but she cannot get him off her mind. She feels that she knows him from somewhere and Link feels the same pull towards her.

The only problem I had with this book can be found with Charity and Link’s relationship. Let me start by saying that I loved the two of them together. Link brings out another side to Charity; a side that she has kept hidden away for decades. He too has kept his distance from others and they sort of heal each others wounds. That being said, I thought their relationship progressed way too fast. They go from acquaintances to friends at a reasonable pace, but there descent from friends to soul mates was like lightning. I could kind of see it from Charity’s perspective; I mean she has been waiting to fall in love for a while. But Link is only twenty-two. How many twenty-two year old guys are ready to make a declaration of love after something like two months? Please don’t miss understand me, I was thrilled with their relationship, I just wish they would have slowed down at bit.

On another note, the plot line and writing were phenomenal. You get to meet a few different supernatural creatures as the book progresses – some vampires, witches and even a few shifters. However, I really appreciated that the supernatural elements were not over done. This was obviously a book about supernaturals, but that was not front and center. Often times with these sort of books, the characters themselves suffer because the author was so focused on their supernatural qualities and traits. All of the characters in A Chance for Charity were beautifully developed and the plot lines were well thought out.

There is also plenty of excitement packed within the pages; things really start to heat up when the Lord brothers come to town. Catherine, James and Charity have to decide whether to runaway once again or to stay and put up a fight. Like I said before, although they are immortal, they can be killed. They are terrified of losing one another, because they are all they have. I cannot imagine how lonely it would be, living on forever as you watch those around you die. The three of them keep each other sane; I don’t think they could stand it if they lost one another.

On a final note, the setting is also to-die-for. The images of the quaint ski town of Telluride that Baum paints are gorgeous. I could easily picture every different setting; Catherine’s store, Charity’s mansion, the ski slopes – every lovely detail was described. Yet, the writing never seemed to drag. The pacing was always just right. While we get a lot of information about each character, it comes in short segments so it is never overwhelming. There is nothing I hate more than when a writer goes off on a side note for pages and pages and pages. Thankfully, this is avoided and everything flows smoothly.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Chance for Charity and look forward to reading the sequel, which is going to be published sometime this year. Besides the minor problem with the pace of Charity and Link’s romance, the book was flawless. I connected with all of the characters, loved the storyline and cannot wait to see what happens to Charity and the gang next.

Review: Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

Book: Twice Bitten (Chloe Neill)
Stand-Alone or Series: Series, Chicagoland Vampires #3
Pages: 355
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Description (From Goodreads):
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 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.

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 green-eyed, centuries old master vampire. 

After zooming through Some Girls Bite and Friday Night Bites, the first two books in Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires Series, I was extremely eager to sink my teeth into Twice Bitten. 

Twice Bitten starts off a week after the second book ended. Merit has become more adjusted to life inside the Cadogan House and is still on the outs with Mallory. They make up about halfway through the book, which, unfortunately means that we see less of Mallory,and therefore Catcher throughout it. I was extremely disappointed by this because I not only love the Merit/Mallory friendship, but I just adore Catcher and Mallory as characters. We also see less of Merit's Grandfather and the rest of this gang. Jeff makes a few appearances, but not nearly as many as I would have liked.

We are however given some wonderful time with my three favorite blonde vampires; Lindsey, Luc and Ethan. Now that Merit is living in the house she spends a lot more time with all three of these awesome characters, which is fine by me.

I especially love Lindsey's character. She is sarcastic and witty and is a great friend to Merit. I am hoping that in book four, Hard Bitten, that we will be treated to some Lindsey/Merit/Mallory scenes. Wouldn't that be great? The three of them together would be a killer combination.

And, of course, I love Ethan. This book, thankfully, heavily deals with the Merit/Ethan relationship. I don't want to give away too much for those of you who haven't read it yet, but you will be treated to some fabulous scenes. Merit tends to bring out a different Ethan and he starts to really open up. He is however, Ethan. Which means he pulls some really dumb moves - but what else can we expect?

The plot of this book deals with the rising tension of the shapeshifters. Gabriel, the pack alpha, calls a meeting in Chicago for the pack to decide what to do next about the "upcoming war". They have two choices: go hide out in Alaska or stay and fight it out. He recruits Ethan and Merit to act as security guards for the meeting and to help show the pack what is at stake. At the first meeting (one between the head hanchos), Merit saves a by-standing shifter by taking a bullet for her. This creates a gateway for the rocky relationship between the shifters and the vamps. It is Ethan's hope that the Cadogan House can now form some kind of an alliance with the shifters. As you can see, once again the plot is absolutley addicting. The pacing is perfect and we get to explore a world in which we haven't seen much of yet; the shapeshifters world. 

Once again, Neill hit this one out of the park. The characters and their relationships between one another are all developing wonderfully, the plot was interesting and unique enough to keep you pulled in. My only problem with the book was the serious lack of Mallory and Catcher. What was my favorite part of the book you ask? Easy, three words - "you undo me".  Anyways, as you can tell, I loved Twice Bitten; it is a great addition to the series. If you haven't read these books yet, I highly recommend them and you should do whatever is in your power to remedy your situation. 

*one last thing, what is up with the new Merit on the cover? I wish they would have kept the old Model, the new one does not look like the Merit I pictured - I mean, come on, that girl is a redhead.

Review: Friday Night Bites

Book: Friday Night Bites (Chloe Neill)
Series or Stand-Alone: Series (Book 2, The Chicagoland Vampires)
Read Chapter 1 of Friday Night Bites
Description: 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 if 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…

I truly enjoyed the second installment of the Chicagoland Vampires series, Friday Night Bites. The storyline was intriguing and entertaining to follow and as always, Merit was a hoot. After reading Some Girls Bite, I hadn't exactly warmed up to Ethan, but after book 2, I really like his character. I think the author expanded on book one in a great way, and introduced and integrated new characters into the plot beautifully. I also felt like the pace and tone of the book matched the first installment; which isn't always to case. I only had a few issues  with this book. One was that we didn't really see enough of Mallory, I hope in the 3rd book her character will take more of a front seat position. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed and the Merit/Mallory relationship was a bit off. All in all though, I really enjoyed the book and am egarly anticipating the next!

Review: Some Girls Bite

Book: Some Girls Bite - Chloe Neill

Series: Book 1 in the Chicagoland Vampire Series

Book Rating: 5/5

Preview Book on Amazon

Book Description

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.

I am not going to lie to you. I resisted this book for a long time, because the cover looked incredibly cheesy. I was turned off by the name of the book, and shrugged it off as yet another vampire story. Then, I was looking through the shelves at my local library when I decided to give this book a try. I flipped it open and began reading.I couldn't put it down. The story drew me in immediately. I was drawn to Merit and really wanted to see how her story played out. I think that the author did a fabulous job creating a new and fresh world of vampires, when there are so many previous stories that could have been drawn upon. I also really enjoyed all the characters in the book, minus Ethan, who I feel.. lukewarm towards. However, the rest of Merit's gang is fabulous. Catcher, Mallory, Jeff, Lindsey and her grandfather are definitely a hodgepodge of characters that will be fun to follow in the future. If you are thinking about giving this series a try, please do. Merit is a highly entertaining, strong willed character who you will immediately rally behind.