**Notice** Due to transfering back from a godaddy hosted wordpress blog back to blogger, reviews published before june 2017 don`t all have a pretty layout with book cover and infos. Our apologies.
Showing posts with label Chloe Neill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chloe Neill. Show all posts

Monday, June 10, 2013

House Rules by Chloe Neill

House Rules by Chloe Neill (Chicagoland Vampires #7)House Rules by Chloe Neill

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Trade paperback: 384 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: New American Library
Release date: February 7, 2013

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #7

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.

At the tender age of twenty-seven, 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.

I was a little underwhelmed by the previous Chicagoland Vampires novel, BITING COLD, so I went into HOUSE RULES with a bit of trepidation and lower expectations. My general reaction to HOUSE RULES? It was okay. Not mind blowing, not terrible, just okay. I think the shine is gone from the series for me now, even though I found HOUSE RULES to be more satisfying than BITING COLD.

Let's start with the good stuff. I thought the main plot points in HOUSE RULES were really interesting. Cadogan is separating itself from the Greenwich Presidium, the body that governs all of the vampire Houses, meaning Cadogan has voted to go Rogue. It's a decision that emerged in the previous novel and that gets our full attention in HOUSE RULES. I really liked this idea because it changes the dynamics of vampire politics in the whole Chicagoland Vampires universe, and it puts Ethan, Merit, and the rest of Cadogan House into a new, more precarious position. It was fun watching everyone scramble to figure out what the GP might do and how they would counter. Seeing Cadogan behind the gun was nicely different, since their lifestyle and future were being severely threatened.

At the same time, Merit has to deal with her initiation into the Red Guard, the secret group that polices vampire activity. Up until now, the Red Guard seems to have been a convenient way for Merit to get information other characters couldn't provide so it was nice to see her face a quandary about her membership. I was hoping this storyline would bring greater tension to her relationship with Ethan, but it wasn't really a huge deal, as it turns out. I'm all for HEAs for characters but I feel like this is a big secret that should have major implications on Merit and Ethan's relationship; the outcome was a bit disappointing in this regard.

And, of course, I can't talk about a Chicagoland Vampire novel without getting into my beef that Ethan even exists. I wish he'd stayed dead. I admit that this may be an unpopular opinion but it's how I feel. (Please don't feel the comments with too much hate!) I thought the emotional and political ramifications of Ethan's death back in HARD BITTEN were really great and beautifully written and I just haven't felt invested in Methan since he came back. I feel like it was a big cheat and I clearly haven't gotten over it since that was three books ago! It would have been ballsier for him to stay dead (like Kisten in the Rachel Morgan series -- unless he's been brought back to life since the last book I read, which was right around the time the series transitioned to hardcover) and now I'm just not into it. And I think this is a major part of why the series isn't shiny anymore.

All this being said, I'm not giving up on the series just yet. I think Chloe Neill is a great writer and I love the world she's created. I'm curious to see if the non-romantic storylines in BITING BAD will be strong enough to win me back in August.

Read an excerpt

Jenn

House Rules by Chloe Neill

I was a little underwhelmed by the previous Chicagoland Vampires novel, BITING COLD, so I went into HOUSE RULES with a bit of trepidation and lower expectations. My general reaction to HOUSE RULES? It was okay. Not mind blowing, not terrible, just okay. I think the shine is gone from the series for me now, even though I found HOUSE RULES to be more satisfying than BITING COLD.


Let's start with the good stuff. I thought the main plot points in HOUSE RULES were really interesting. Cadogan is separating itself from the Greenwich Presidium, the body that governs all of the vampire Houses, meaning Cadogan has voted to go Rogue. It's a decision that emerged in the previous novel and that gets our full attention in HOUSE RULES. I really liked this idea because it changes the dynamics of vampire politics in the whole Chicagoland Vampires universe, and it puts Ethan, Merit, and the rest of Cadogan House into a new, more precarious position. It was fun watching everyone scramble to figure out what the GP might do and how they would counter. Seeing Cadogan behind the gun was nicely different, since their lifestyle and future were being severely threatened.


At the same time, Merit has to deal with her initiation into the Red Guard, the secret group that polices vampire activity. Up until now, the Red Guard seems to have been a convenient way for Merit to get information other characters couldn't provide so it was nice to see her face a quandary about her membership. I was hoping this storyline would bring greater tension to her relationship with Ethan, but it wasn't really a huge deal, as it turns out. I'm all for HEAs for characters but I feel like this is a big secret that should have major implications on Merit and Ethan's relationship; the outcome was a bit disappointing in this regard.


And, of course, I can't talk about a Chicagoland Vampire novel without getting into my beef that Ethan even exists. I wish he'd stayed dead. I admit that this may be an unpopular opinion but it's how I feel. (Please don't feel the comments with too much hate!) I thought the emotional and political ramifications of Ethan's death back in HARD BITTEN were really great and beautifully written and I just haven't felt invested in Methan since he came back. I feel like it was a big cheat and I clearly haven't gotten over it since that was three books ago! It would have been ballsier for him to stay dead (like Kisten in the Rachel Morgan series -- unless he's been brought back to life since the last book I read, which was right around the time the series transitioned to hardcover) and now I'm just not into it. And I think this is a major part of why the series isn't shiny anymore.


All this being said, I'm not giving up on the series just yet. I think Chloe Neill is a great writer and I love the world she's created. I'm curious to see if the non-romantic storylines in BITING BAD will be strong enough to win me back in August.


Read an excerpt


Jenn

Monday, December 17, 2012

Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

Biting Cold by Chloe Neill Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Trade paperback: 352 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: NAL
Release date: August 7, 2012

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #6

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

Warning: This post contains unavoidable spoilers about the previous Chicagoland Vampires novel, DRINK DEEP. Don't read further unless you're okay with spoilers or have read DRINK DEEP.

I really enjoy Merit and the world of the Chicagoland Vampires series so I'm very sad to say that I found BITING COLD somewhat underwhelming. The story picks up shortly after the end of DRINK DEEP, with Ethan and Merit on the hunt for Mallory, who was behind all of the badness in the previous novel. Merit obviously has some qualms about her mission but she wants to stop Mallory before anything else can happen with the Maleficium, the big bad book that Mallory and other baddies, like ex-mayor Seth Tate, are drawn to. Thus begins Ethan and Merit's journey to the Maleficium's new home, to protect it. From here, things spiral out into a larger storyline, involving fallen angels, gnomes, and more.

Let's start with the stuff that I did enjoy: I really liked moving outside of Chicago and seeing more of the world that Chloe Neill has created. We get to learn more about the supernaturals who inhabit the world, and about the Order, which I've always been curious about. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Paige, a member of the Order who is tasked with protecting the Meleficium near the start of the book. She's a cool character and I hope she sticks around so we can see more of her. I also really enjoyed the whole Seth Tate plot line, which I won't discuss in too much detail to avoid spoiling it for you. I will say that I thought it was really cool and I love what the story reveals about the world and about the ex-mayor. (Hit me up on Twitter if you want to chat.)

On the downside, I was kind of meh about the Mallory storyline. I really like Mallory and she's been given a very interesting arc over the course of the series so parts of BITING COLD felt a little anti-climactic after everything is said and done. While the stuff about familiars was very interesting, there was something about her punishment that didn't feel all that serious, though I do understand that she's more in need of rehab than jail time since dark magic is an addiction for her. I'm reserving full judgment until I read HOUSE RULES, the next book, because I think this could be a really awesome arc overall, which will show us a lot about Merit, Mallory, and Catcher, but this part of the story felt a little flat for me.

I'm also on the fence about Ethan and Merit. Don't get me wrong, I liked watching Ethan and Merit negotiate their romance, but there's a part of me that wishes Ethan had stayed dead because I thought it was such a ballsy move to have him sacrifice himself for Merit. I can understand why some readers are overjoyed to have him back but I feel like his rebirth is something of a step back. Despite this, I do still like him as a character and leading man and there are some neat moments in BITING COLD where he's trying to figure out how to be back and what it means, for him, for his House, and for his relationship with Merit. And I did really like the way this part of the series is progressing. Both Merit and Ethan want to be together but there are obstacles in their way, which they strive to overcome. There are definite developments and I like that Chloe Neil doesn't have them stagnating in a will-they-won't-they place.

BITING COLD may not be my favourite Chicagoland Vampires book but there are some interesting developments that will likely sway future books. Merit's world is a little bit bigger and a little bit scarier now but this novel ends in a way that has me really excited to see what happens in HOUSE RULES. Come on, February 5!

Read an excerpt

Jenn

Monday, May 21, 2012

Welcome to the First Annual Chicagoland Vampires Spring Fling!

I am super stoked about today's post because we're participating in the First Annual Chicagoland Vampires Spring Fling! I've been in love with Merit and the world of the Chicagoland Vampires since I picked up SOME GIRLS BITE and the series has gotten bigger and better with each installment. The sixth book in the series, BITING COLD, comes out in fewer than 80 days and Chloe Neill has set up this lovely one-week tour as part of the celebration! (Plus, May is Chloe's favourite month.)

About the Chicagoland Vampires Novels: Turned into a vampire against her will, twenty-eight-year-old Merit, the heroine of Chloe Neill’s New York Times bestselling series, 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. The sixth book in the series, BITING COLD, will be released on August 7, 2012.

Chloe Neill Hard BittenWhy I Love these Books: Merit's an amazing protagonist who jumps off the page and she's surrounded by a cast of equally compelling characters. (I adore all of the Cagodan vampires we spend time with but I have particularly soft spots for Lindsay and Malik.) Plus, the overall story arc of the series gets bigger with each book and watching Merit and the other Cadogan vampires rise to the occasion makes for an absorbing and fast-paced read. There's also a lot of humour in the books, even with all the heavy moments, and I love a book that brings the funny. And, of course, there's Jonah. Love him. I'm sure most people are on Team Ethan but I think Jonah's the bee's knees. My favourite book so far: HARD BITTEN. Here's why.

Did you Know?: Merit, the heroine of the Chicagoland Vampires novels, is obsessed with chocolate? She kept an entire kitchen drawer stuffed with chocolate delights, including chocolate-covered pecans and giant, gold-wrapped bars of Lindt chocolate that remind her of the chocolate bars in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory?

The Spring Fling is your chance to get familiar with the Chicagoland Vampires novels and get excited for BITING COLD so I hope you'll visit each and every blog on the tour. There are fun facts and amazing giveaways on each blog and I'd strongly encourage to visit each one.

Chloe Neill First Annual Chicagoland Vampires Spring Fling

May 21
Mystifying Paranormal Reviews
Tynga's Reviews

May 22
A Book Obsession
Goldilox & the Three Weres

May 23
Literary Escapism
Under The Covers

May 24
Nina Reads
Wholly Books

May 25
Looksie Lovitz
Starry Night Book Reviews

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So what's up for grabs here at Tynga's Reviews?

An amazing prize pack for one lucky reader (I wish I could enter this giveaway!):

Chloe Neill Some Girls Bite
* one (1) signed copy of SOME GIRLS BITE (to get you hooked) *

Chloe Neill Charmfall
* one (1) signed copy of CHARMFALL (the third Dark Elite novel) *

* DRINK DEEP/CHARMFALL bookmarks *

and

I survived Hard Bitten

* various CV swag, including "I survived Hard Bitten" buttons, quote postcards, CV stickers, and signed Cadogan House bookplates *

---------------------------------

Here's the scoop on SOME GIRLS BITE:

Chloe Neill Some Girls BiteThey killed me. They healed me. They changed me.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was mine. I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world-and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker… and this one decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Turns out my savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now I’ve traded sweating over my 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 my gratitude-and servitude. Right…

But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I’m surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy, and Ethan’s attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone’s still out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?

My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood…

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

And here's the rest of the series. You can click on HARD BITTEN and DRINK DEEP for my thoughts on these books.

Chloe Neill Friday Night BitesChloe Neill Twice BittenChloe Neill Hard BittenChloe Neill Drink DeepChloe Neill Biting Cold

---------------------------------

giveaway

Chloe has generously provided the prize pack described above to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

US/Canada only

Ends Sunday, June 3, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jenn

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

image Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

Book stats:
Trade paperback: 352 pages
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: New American Library
Release date: November 1, 2011

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #5

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and Merit the vampire can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn, or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times have never been more precarious for the vampires. If only they could lay low for a bit...

Then magic rears its ugly head when Lake Michigan turns black.

The mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows a panic is coming. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for both the vampires and humans.

WARNING: There is NO way to talk about Drink Deep without discussing the I-can’t-believe-that-just-happened moment from Hard Bitten so please don’t read this review if you are unaware of what I’m talking about.

You have been forewarned. =)

After the epic-ness of Hard Bitten, I was expecting something truly incredible out of Drink Deep. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite as blown away as I’d hoped. Don’t get me wrong -- Drink Deep is an excellent installment in the Chicagoland Vampires series but it just didn’t knock my socks off in the same way that Hard Bitten did. That being said, it’s still a solid novel filled with lots of excitement, fights, and mystery; it just didn’t punch me in the gut the way Hard Bitten did at the end.

Drink Deep takes place about two months after the tragic events of Hard Bitten. In some ways, the book is all about treading water -- the characters are all struggling in the wake of the events from the last book -- the anti-vampire movement, the Greenwich Presidium taking over Cadogan House, Ethan’s sacrifice -- including Merit, who also has to contend with Jonah’s increased presence in her life and his offer to join the Red Guard, a secret group of vampires who try to protect vampirekind outside of (and sometimes from) the system. Merit is understandably discombobulated by everything, though it’s Ethan’s loss that’s really put her off her game. As bad as I felt for Merit, it was nice to see just how much Ethan meant to her.

It was also really neat to see Malik as the leader of Cadogan House. He’s one of the characters who’ve been hiding in the shadows in some ways, since he wasn’t super important for any of the previous storylines, and it’s refreshing to see him in a more central role because I’ve always enjoyed his quiet and his wisdom. Unfortunately for him, he’s taken over the House at a terrible time and he has to deal with Frank, the weaselly representative from the Greenwich Presidium, and the anti-vampire protests that continue from the last novel.

The central problem of Drink Deep -- the magics mentioned in the blurb -- is a well-written mystery that leads Merit and Jonah down several wrong paths before homing in on the answers. I love it when authors are able to have their characters make smart decisions that end up going nowhere, since it adds a realistic level of frustration and tension to the story.

You know who was really frustrated in Drink Deep? Jonah. He’s been interested in Merit for a while and he’s itching to make his move so we get to see more of smoldering Jonah than we have in the past. Jonah’s really grown on me, much as he has for Merit, and there’s a part of me that’s definitely rooting for his handsome self. I don’t have much hope for it but I’ve got my fingers crossed all the same.

As always, Chloe Neill has delivered an engaging novel full of surprises and left her readers dying for more. We’ll have to wait until August to read the next installment, Biting Cold, so there’s plenty of time to speculate about what incredible surprises she has in store for us next.

Read an excerpt

Jennsig2

Monday, November 14, 2011

Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

imageHard Bitten by Chloe Neill

 Book stats:
Genre: Urban fantasy
Trade paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: New American Library
Release date: May 3, 2011

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #4

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewer: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals-and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are...tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society-a world full of vampires who seem ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...

I cannot believe what Chloe Neill did with this one. I finally started reading the Chicagoland Vampires series last year and read the first three books -- Some Girls Bite, Friday Night Bites, and Twice Bitten -- one right after the other. I had initially hesitated to read Some Girls Bite because I didn’t care for the cover but I couldn’t resist the storyline for long. Now, having read the fourth book, I’m completely blown away. And more than a little flabbergasted because the author has done something that changes Merit’s whole world in Hard Bitten in the most essential of ways. I want to keep my post spoiler-free so I won’t say what happens but you’ll know it when you read it. (If you really need to know, you can find the info on the Interwebs but it’s way better to just read the book.) Suffice to say, I *need* my copy of Drink Deep to show up in my mailbox soon or I might expire. But I appreciate Chloe’s willingness/desire to write Big Events into her books and I’m sure the series will be even more exciting now that the proverbial bar’s been raised even higher.

(Did you all notice how the title theme has changed? Before, the word bite was in every title, and the sixth book is titled in the same way -- Biting Cold. If this is like what Rachel Vincent did with her Soul Screamers series (when the titles shifted from My Soul To... to If I Die and When I Wake), it could mean that Merit and her friends are going to get even more shaken. Woo!)

But enough about the thing I can’t talk about! The things I do feel free to say are all overwhelmingly positive. I read Hard Bitten in a single day because it was just so good. I had to know what was going to happen next since the stakes (haha, pun!) are pretty high in this novel. Ethan and the House are in danger of being put into receivership by the Greenwich Presidium, the vampire council that takes care of business, and the mayor of Chicago wants any excuse to throw Ethan in jail. The one he’s using? The vampire raves. This leaves Merit and Ethan in an awkward position as they negotiate their way through some particularly murky political waters: the GP wants them to leave it alone but Mayor Tate isn’t really giving them that option, plus their home is surrounded by vampire-hating protesters. Really, this is a pretty typical time for Merit since she became a vampire but it makes for some excellent reading.

Merit and Ethan’s romantic(?) relationship also gets a lot of time, which I like. Their relationship has gone through pretty much every possible incarnation and they’re now in a relatively professional mode, though Ethan would prefer something more. Watching Merit fight herself on this issue was great, at least for me. =)

Mallory, Merit’s best friend who recently discovered she was a sorcerer, also has a nice plot line in Hard Bitten. Like Merit, she’s conflicted, but not about love. Mallory’s life has taken such a crazy turn and she’s not sure how to reconcile her new life with the life she had envisioned for herself. It’s something a lot of folks can relate to, myself included, though I am obviously not a sorcerer. In some ways, it reminds me of Merit’s first weeks as a vampire since vampirism wasn’t something she chose and it was nice to see Merit take the adviser's role because it highlights how much she’s grown as a person.

I’m going to go stalk my mailperson now. Perhaps that will get Drink Deep to my house faster...

Read an excerpt

Jennsig2

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Cover Love

Some great covers have been revealed lately and I thought I would share my favorites with you!

First: Divergent by Veronica Roth (May 2011)

Make sure to read the description, it sounds awesome!

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.

Next stop: Blood Ties by Mari Mancusi (August 2011)

I haven’t read this series, but I think the cover is stunning!

The final battle is brewing between Vampires and Slayers. But for Sunny McDonald, the true war is being fought over her heart.
Though now officially back in the arms of her vampire boyfriend Magnus, Sunny finds she still can't forget the gentle mortal Jayden who once saved her life. And when the darkness threatens to steal his humanity, Sunny finds herself with a choice. Stay true to Magnus and the Blood Coven or defy them in a desperate attempt to save Jayden’s soul.
Meanwhile, the Blood Coven is gearing up for its toughest fight yet--going head to head with a splinter group of Slayer Inc who's regrouping in Tokyo, Japan, still determined to take over the world. In dark blood bars and hidden temples, it'll be Vampires vs. Slayers in a showdown that could cost Sunny not only her heart...but also her very life.

An last but not least, Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill (may 2011) & Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Feb 2011)

 

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a product description for these book just yet, but I’m sure they gonna be great!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

July New Releases

The big majority of these titles have been featured during the Paranormal Summer Fest, but July is so full of awesomeness that I wouldn’t want you to miss any of them!

Here are the stars of July!

Product description from goodreads.com

Other-final-664x1024 Other by Karen Kincy

Release date: July 1st, 2010

Product Description:

Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves.
When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate-into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and-most importantly-stay alive.

twice Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

Release Date: July 6th, 2010

Product description:

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.

BloodLaw3a Blood Law by Jeannie Holmes

Release Date: July 6th, 2010

Product Description:

To stop a vampire killer, she’ll have to slay her own demons first.
A provocative and savvy vampire, Alexandra Sabian moves to the sleepy hamlet of Jefferson, Mississippi—population 6,000, half vampires—to escape the demons lurking in her past. As an enforcer for the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigations (FBPI), Alex must maintain the uneasy peace between her kind and humans, including Jefferson’s bigoted sheriff, who’d be happy to see all vampires banished from town. Then really dead vamps start turning up—beheaded, crucified, and defanged, the same gruesome manner in which Alex’s father was murdered decades ago. For Alex, the professional has become way too personal.
Things get even more complicated when the FBPI sends in some unnervingly sexy backup: Alex’s onetime mentor, lover, and fiancé, Varik Baudelaire. Still stinging from the betrayal that ended their short-lived engagement, Alex is determined not to give in to the temptation that soon threatens to short-circuit her investigation. But as the vamp body count grows and the public panic level rises, Varik may be Alex’s only hope to stop a relentless killer who’s got his own score to settle and his own bloody past to put right.

Unchained2 Unchained by Sharon Ashwood

Release date: July 6th, 2010

Product Description:

Ashe Carver, monster-killer, has the scars to prove it. But faced with a custody battle, she's hung up her stakes and taken a job at the public library, determined to show the courts and her ten-year-old daughter that she's as good a mother as she is a hunter.

Easier said than done. There are lovelorn vampires haunting the library, a slime demon in the shopping mall, and her new-mom sister needs a hand with her ghostbusting biz. Then, after centuries guarding a supernatural prison, Captain Reynard strides into her world like a hero from the library's Must Reads. Smokingly gorgeous, passionate and courageous to a fault, he has only weeks to live unless Ashe finds the thief who took his soul.

Ashe picks up her weapons to save the day—but not every problem can be solved with a stake. With so much tragedy in her past, Ashe fears the disaster she sees ahead—and prays she doesn't fail everyone. Again.

Memories are the hardest monsters to kill.

unholymagic Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane

Release Date: July 6th, 2010.

Product Description:

ENEMIES DON’T NEED TO BE ALIVE TO BE DEADLY.
For Chess Putnam, finding herself near-fatally poisoned by a con psychic and then stopping a murderous ghost is just another day on the job. As an agent of the Church of Real Truth, Chess must expose those looking to profit from the world’s unpleasant little poltergeist problem—humans filing false claims of hauntings—all while staving off any undead who really are looking for a kill. But Chess has been extra busy these days, coping with a new “celebrity” assignment while trying on her own time to help some desperate prostitutes.
Someone’s taking out the hookers of Downside in the most gruesome way, and Chess is sure the rumors that it’s the work of a ghost are way off base. But proving herself right means walking in the path of a maniac, not to mention standing between the two men in her life just as they—along with their ruthless employers—are moving closer to a catastrophic showdown. Someone is dealing in murder, sex, and the supernatural, and once again Chess finds herself right in the crossfire.

sleepless Sleepless by Cyn Balog

Release date: July 13th, 2010.

Product Description:

Eron De Marchelle isn't supposed to feel a connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce human charges to sleep. While he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to--after all, getting too involved in one human's life would prevent him helping his other charges get their needed rest.
But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia. Julia, with her fiery red hair and her sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. Eron has always felt protective of Julia . . . but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't seem to reach her . . .
Sandmen are forbidden from communicating with humans outside their dreams. But will Eron be willing to risk everything for a chance to be with the person he loves?

linger-210 Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Release date: July 20th, 2010.

Product Description:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves...and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love--the light and the dark, the warm and the cold--in a way you will never forget.

7292791 Dark and Stormy Knights – Anthology

Release date: July 20th, 2010.

Production Description:

They’re the last defenders of humanity, the lone wolf bad boys— and girls—who do dark deeds for the right reasons. Modern day knights who are sexy, funny, mad, bad and dangerous to know because they do what most of us only dream about…and get away with it. In this all-star collection, nine of today’s hottest urban fantasy authors bring us original stories of supernatural, modern day knights that will have readers clamoring for more!

 

cityofghosts City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Release Date: July 27th, 2010.

Product description:

IT’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALIVE AND UNDEAD.
Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess’s bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.
Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city’s most notorious crime boss—and Chess’s drug dealer—gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn’t bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he’s not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.
Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic—all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead.

51p gNI6QDL Shadow Chase by Seressia Glass

Release date: July 27th, 2010

Product Description:

In a job like this, one mistake can cost you everything.As a Shadowchaser, Kira Solomon has been trained to serve the Light, dispatch the Fallen, and prevent the spread of chaos. It’s a deadly job, and Kira knows the horror of spilling innocent blood. But now she has a new role, as the Hand of Ma’at, the Egyptian Goddess of Truth and Order, and an assignment that might just redeem her.A fellow Shadowchaser has gone missing, and so has a unique artifact imbued with astonishing magic. Unless the Vessel of Nun is returned, it will cause destruction beyond anything the modern world has seen. Kira’s got a team at her back, including Khefar, a near-immortal Nubian warrior who’s already died for her once. But as complicated as her feelings for him are, they’re nothing compared to the difficulties of the task she faces.And the only way to defeat the enemy is to trust in a powershe can barely control, and put her life—and her soul—on the line.

7199485 Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready

Release date: July 27th, 2010

Product Description:

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic but eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks as if she might actually finish her bachelor's degree!
But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps?
Ciara's suspicions are confirmed when she's assigned to a special-ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control's oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers. To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious, fatal virus spreads through Sherwood—and corpses begin to rise from their graves—Ciara will not only get a crash course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith, and her life itself, in the hands of magic.

EternalKissLJ Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Release Date: July 27th, 2010

Product description:

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness…and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.
Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.
At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master Vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful…human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life, yet sending her away is unthinkable.
But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose between the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

7114946 As lie the Dead by Kelly Meding

Release date: July 27th, 2010

Product Description:

Evangeline Stone, a rogue bounty hunter, never asked for a world divided between darkness and light…
…or the power to die and live again in someone else's borrowed body. After a murder plot meant to take her out leaves an entire race of shapeshifters nearly extinct, Evy is gnawed by guilt. So when one of the few survivors of the slaughter enlists her aid, she feels duty-bound to help—even though protecting a frail, pregnant shifter is the last thing Evy needs, especially with the world going to hell around her.
Amid weres, Halfies, gremlins, vamps—and increasingly outgunned humans—a war for supremacy is brewing. With shifters demanding justice, her superiors desperate to control her, and an assassin on her trail, Evy discovers a horrifying conspiracy. And she may be the only person in the world who can stop it—unless, of course, her own side gets her first.

05 Wait for Dusk by Jocelynn Drake

Release date: July 27th, 2010

Product Description:

There is no sanctuary in the night…
Feared even by her own kind for her mastery of fire, the Nightwalker Mira is summoned by the Coven to take her rightful place as Elder. But with this honor comes grave responsibility—a commitment to the annihilation of the unleashed naturi. For now the foul creatures walk the earth—and neither vampire nor human will survive their horrific onslaught.
A tide of blood is sweeping relentlessly across the European continent, as Mira is dispatched to Budapest for the most devastating test yet of her astonishing powers—and falls into a well-laid trap. With the dark secrets that haunt her growing darker by the hour, she must confront the terrible truth of her past and protect her fragile sanity in the face of unanticipated treachery—a betrayal by her ally, her enemy, her lover…the vampire slayer, Danaus.

Happy Reading!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Signed Firespell + Swag winner!

Hello my Darlings!
It's now time to announce the Firespell + swag giveaway winner, generously offered by Chloe Neill!


The winner, selected by Random.org is...

Aleksandra from Aleksandra's Corner
and she's from Macedonia, how kool is that?

Thanks everyone for entering! Only 38 more followers until I launch a new giveaway, so stay tuned ^^

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Interview & Giveaway with Chloe Neill

In the honor of the recent release of Firespell (Jan 5th, 2010), Chloe Neill generously accepted to answer my questions, and also offered a signed copie of her book and Firespell gift pack, how amazing is that?

Shall we find out some more about this fabulous author?


Firespell is the first installment in the Dark Elite series, how would you describe it?


FIRESPELL is a little like Harry Potter meets Nancy Drew. We meet Lily, a brave and curious 16 year old girl who's thrown into a strange city and an even stranger boarding school.


Three books were announced so far, are you hoping to publish more in that series?

I really enjoy writing about Lily and Scout, her best friend. I love Merit, the heroine of my Chicagoland Vampires series, but I think Lily is a little braver than Merit, actually. She's always willing to take a chance, and that's a very fun thing to write about.

Most people know you for your Chicagoland Vampires series, what's been the readers reaction so far to this new series?

So far, so good! I think some folks have been surprised by the age difference. FIRESPELL is a true young adult novel.
Our heroine is 16, and tends to act like it, unlike Merit's 28. :)

Now let's get to know you better =)



I read you like baking, what's you favorite meal?

I actually don't cook much--I tend to bake mostly sweets. My favorite type of food is probably TexMex. Give me some beans and a tortilla, and I'm in heaven!

Your favorite TV show?

That's a tough one--there are so many good shows out there right now! In terms of comedies, I really love 30 Rock and Community. For hour-long shows, Leverage and Caprica are at the top of the list.

Favorite book ever?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. That entire series is fabulous.

Favorite movie ever?

Probably the A&E version of Pride & Prejudice. :)

A bit morbid, but answers are always so interesting! If you could choose your gravemark, what would it say?

Hmm. Probably something about a live well-lived and a girl well-loved.

The craziest thing you ever did?

Four years ago, I started writing. Never took a class, didn't have an agent. I had a lot of practice writing papers and such, but not writing fiction. That was pretty crazy, but it worked out well, I think! :)



Thanks for having me today! Good luck, commenters, with the contest!
 
On to the giveaway!

Chloe nicely offered a signed copy of Firespell and a gift pack,
 here are the easy steps for your chance to win!

Contest open INTERNATIONALY (thank you Chloe!)
You MUST be a follower
You MUST leave a comment on this post
and Fill the FORM below.

Easy enough?
Contest ends February 16th, 2010.

No way to earn extra entries, but spreading the word is always appreciated =)