Review: Biting Bad – Chloe Neill

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.

Series: Chicagoland Vampires #8
Release Date: August 6, 2013
Publisher: NAL/Penguin
Source: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

There have been a few series that I’ve lost interest in once we get a fair number of books into it.  With the Chicagoland Vampire Series, this series has gotten stronger as it goes on, despite have a minor blip when a couple of major characters went in a direction most wouldn’t expect.

For book number eight, we have Merit investigating a series of riots that have humans turning against vampires by using Molotov cocktails, bats, brooms and whatever else they can get their hands on.

While the storyline with the riots is exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who’s involved, it’s the relationships between several characters that made this story for me.

• Merit and Ethan:  Things have never been easy for this couple, but in BITING BAD I finally got the feeling their relationship was rock solid.  They work together.  They talk things out when they don’t agree.  And most importantly, they make sure they both know who the other feels.  Merit has started embracing her life as a vampire and I think she grows into a fabulous woman because of that.  And with Ethan’s return, he still maintains that more human quality that the didn’t really have in the first couple of books.  Together, they are this ultimate super couple that leaves me with goosebumps.  I loved Ethan before, but this book made me fall even harder for him.  
• Merit and Mallory:  It was good to see the two of them working on their relationship.  Merit could have been bitter and refused to ever forgive Mallory, but she chooses to look past what Mallory did and try to salvage what they can of their friendship.
• Merit and her family:  Merit had cut herself off from most of her family after she was turned, but BITING BAD finds Ethan and Merit having dinner with her family and Merit realizing that she does need to have some sort of relationship with them, despite what her father did.  It’ll be interesting to see just what his going to happen between Merit, Ethan and her father.
• Merit, Ethan and Jonah:  I was wondering how this relationship was going to play out.  It was clear Jonah had feelings for Merit and Ethan was bound and determined to prove his place as Alpha male in her life.  But I was surprised at how this threesome was able to work together, when needed, and for Ethan and/or Jonah to acquiesce to the other when it meant Merit has the partner she needs.

I loved this addition in the series and I’m anxious to see what’s going to happen next.  If you haven’t had a chance to pick up this series, start SOME GIRLS BITE and see why Ethan Sullivan is one of my top ten book boyfriends.