Review: House Rules – Chloe Neill

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.

At the tender age of 27, 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

Series:  Chicagoland Vampires #7
Release Date:  February 5, 2013
Publisher:  NAL Penguin
Source:  Provided by Publisher, NetGalley
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Reviewer’s Thoughts:

With Cadogan House on the verge of leaving the GP, vampires start vanishing.  It starts with a couple rogues, but then House vampires also disappear.  It’s up to Merit, along with Ethan and her Red Guards partner, Jonah, to figure out who’s behind the disappearances and why.

As usual, the other houses in Chicago, leave it to Merit to figure out what’s happening to the vampires in Chicago.  As if dealing with the GP and their threat of taking everything that Cadogan House is isn’t enough stress, they also are tasked with who or what is behind the disappearances.  It’s this investigation that gets us back to what I love about the Chicagoland Vampire series.  It’s Merit doing what she needs to in order to ensure the safety of her vampire brethren…no matter their affiliation.

But what I loved most about this book was Ethan and Merit.  Since Ethan’s “return” he’s more human (for lack of a better word).  While Ethan may have appreciated Merit before, he now expresses himself more.  He’s flirty, he’s affection and when he needs to be he goes into full on alpha mode to make sure everyone knows that Merit is his.  He makes sure Merit realizes that she is the one that he’s waited centuries for.  And no matter how mad he gets at her, she’ll always be it for him.

Merit’s grown as her relationship with Ethan becomes more settled.  She’s more confident in her role within the house and the vampire community at large.  She’s confident in her decision to join the Red Guard.  And remarkably, she’s making strides with her family.

I’ve run the gamut of emotions with the Chicagoland Vampire series, but I think with House Rules we’ve finally gotten to a place where things are making sense again.  No weird books or split angels.  Just a battle between good and evil.

I can’t wait for the next installment in the series and I am now on a quest to go back through the other six CV books to find just when Gabriel talked about the vision he saw for Merit (which she mentions in the last chapter of the book).  I’m on pins and needles for #8.