Review: Blood Games by Chloe Neill

Title:  Blood Games
Author:  Chloe Neill
Series:  Chicagoland Vampires, #10
Publisher:  NAL
Release Date:  August 5, 2014
Pages:  352
Rating:  

 

While Merit didn’t choose to become a vampire or Sentinel of Cadogan House, she vowed to fight for her House and its Master, and she’s managed to forge strong alliances with powerful supernaturals across Chicago. But even though Merit has had wild adventures, this may be her deadliest yet...

A killer is stalking Chicago, preying on humans and leaving his victims with magical souvenirs. The CPD hasn’t been able to track the assailant, and as the body count rises, the city is running out of options. Vampires and humans aren’t on great terms, but murder makes for strange bedfellows. Can Merit find the killer before she becomes a target?

 

We are on the tenth book of the Chicagoland Vampire Series and we still have three more to go. And I still have no idea where Chloe Neill is going with these books. BLOOD GAMES was definitely better than the previous book with a couple of twists.

Ethan has decided to challenge Darius and become the head of the GP in the previous book and in BLOOD GAMES things don't really go according to plan. We have multiple vampires challenging Darius for GP head so it has turned into a challenge, or as you could say 'blood games', for all of the challengers.

And to top it all off Ethan is hiding something from Merit! Ugh! Again, Ethan? Really? Ethan is hiding something in his past he is ashamed of and doesn't want Merit to know about it, because he fears he will not see him the say way and may leave him. And Merit is being a little pushy with wanting to know as his lover and his protector.

On the Ethan and Merit front I thought they were being a little too ridiculous with each other. I think Ethan should be able to tell Merit anything and Merit should be a little more considerate on Ethan's feelings on not telling her shit. So through most of the book they are both in this mood where Merit is mad at Ethan and Ethan isn't spilling shit. So it is a little tense between them.

I must point this out, or I will go insane. I do not like that Ethan calls Merit Sentinel anymore. I can understand if it's work and he calls her that, but when they are being lovey dovey and intimate? No! Call her by her name in those situations. He will be saying the most swoon worthy things and ruin it for me by calling her Senegal.

BLOOD GAMES was pretty good, but I am at this point where I am ready for this series to end. I love Chicagoland Vampire but I feel like it has been dragging with unnecessary plotlines for the last few books. The ending will leave you breathless and I am excited to see how these last three books will go.

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Review: Dark Needs at a Night's Edge by Kresley Cole

Title:  Dark Needs at a Night's Edge
Author:  Kresley Cole
Series:  Immortals After Dark, #5
Publisher:  Pocket
Release Date:  April 29, 2008
Pages:  368
Rating:  

 
A RAVEN-HAIRED TEMPTRESS OF THE DARK...

Naomi Laress, a famous ballerina from a past century, became a phantom the night she was murdered. Imbued with otherworldly powers but invisible to the living, she haunts her beloved home, scaring away trespassers -- until she encounters a ruthless

A VAMPIRE WARRIOR CONSUMED BY MADNESS...

To prevent him from harming others, Conrad Wroth's brothers imprison him in an abandoned manor. But there, a female only he can see seems determined to drive him further into madness. The exquisite creature torments him with desire, leaving his body racked with lust and his soul torn as he finds himself coveting her for his own.

HOW FAR WILL HE GO TO CLAIM HER?

Yet even if Conrad can win Naomi, evil still surrounds her. Once he returns to the brutality of his past to protect her, will he succumb to the dark needs seething inside him?
 

"A ballerina. And now a ghost." "A warlord and now a vampire." She couldn't help but chuckle at the disparity. "What a pair we make."

I held off DARK NEEDS AT A NIGHT'S EDGE for a long time, because I felt very nervous reading it. A ghost as the heroine? Seriously?! I just didn't think I would like it. I mean how was that going to work out?! But I bow down to you, Kresley Cole. You've made it work wonderfully and I could not for the life of me put down this book. I lost some sleep over it! I will never doubt you again, Kresley Cole.

When he raised himself up, he gave her a sexy, cocky grin that made her breath hitch. "I was good, wasn't I?"

DARK NEEDS AT A NIGHT'S EDGE is about Wroth brother, Conrad! And Oh, my! I have fallen in love with these Wroth Brothers! All of the brothers were present for this book and dear god, I want them all to myself. Sebastian will forever be my favorite Wroth brother though, Conrad in second place! Conrad is a tortured soul and you know that's how I like my hero's best. Becoming a vampire was something Conrad desperately didn't want, and he has been through a lot. My heart beat deep for him.

You told me you would've helped the Russian plunge his sword to be with me—I would've run into Louis's blade for a chance with you."

Néomi was our heroine and a ghost at that. I loved her, she was bright and so full of life and I think she is one of the many reasons I did enjoy the book. My heart burned for her. How she died was so devastating, it broke my heart, but because of the situations bother Conrad and Néomi are in now, him a vampire and her dying and becoming a ghost is how they have found each other. Conrad is very protective of Néomi and I love seeing that alpha male side to him! So , here's to another Kresley Cole book I ended up devouring!I definitely look forward to reading more of these Immortals After Dark books!

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Review: Wild Things by Chloe Neill

Title:  Wild Things
Author:  Chloe Neill
Series:  Chicagoland Vampires, #9
Publisher:  NAL
Release Date:  February 4, 2013
Pages:  368
Rating:  

 

Since Merit was turned into a vampire, and the protector of Chicago’s Cadogan House, it’s been a wild ride. She and Master vampire Ethan Sullivan have helped make Cadogan’s vampires the strongest in North America, and forged ties with paranormal folk of all breeds and creeds, living or dead…or both.

But now those alliances are about to be tested. A strange and twisted magic has ripped through the North American Central Pack, and Merit’s closest friends are caught in the crosshairs. Gabriel Keene, the Pack Apex, looks to Merit and Ethan for help. But who—or what—could possibly be powerful enough to out-magic a shifter?

Merit is about to go toe to toe, and cold steel to cold heart, to find out.

 

You may not be successful. You have powerful enemies. And even if you were--I've already lost you once. I don't wan't to loose you again." His expression softened.

I have to admit the beginning of WILD THINGS didn't go too well for me, I was bored quickly and was waiting for it to pick up like these Chicagoland Vampire books always do. It did pick up, but I went back and forth between boredom and excitement. A very weird pattern. And by the end of this book, it seemed more like one of those filler books that needed to happen to explain what is in store for the future for Cadogan, Ethan, and Merit.

At the end of the previous book, Detective Jacobs comes to warn Ethan that the mayor wants his arrest for the death of that GP member he killed in self-defense and hints that he should stay with the Breckenridges, because he doubts the mayor will be able to touch him. And while they are there the shifters are attacked by harpies and begins another mystery the Merit gang have to solve.

Like I stated in my previous review for Biting Bad, I thought the arrest was ridiculous and in WILD THINGS I feel the same way, I felt like this storyline with the arrest and the harpies attack was just a filler for the book and it was a boring filler. The arrest claim was ridiculous because vampire laws do not pertain to humans. They have no reason to arrest him for killing a vampire in self-defense. Sorry, but I just didn't get that or buy into that, made no sense.

"You're certain?" "That you'll be the only man on my mind?" Especially with the image of him standing there seared into my memory. "Yes. I'm quite certain. Positive, you could say." He smiled a little.

I felt like the real plot was getting to the mysterious prophecy that Gabriel had. Gabe said that he saw someone who had eyes that were Ethan's, but were not Ethan's eyes. We finally get some answers to that prophecy in this book. And Oh.my.god. I don't know how I feel about it, it's pretty cool, but I'd like to hear all the deets from Gabe personally. And there is a big set up for what is in store Ethan and the future of Cadogan. And double Oh. my. freaking. god. I will only tell you it has something to do with Ethan and the GP. You'll just have to read it to find out the what.

But I really felt like this book was basically needed to be written to get to the above secrets I cannot tell you about right now. Gabe's prophecy and Ethan and the GP. And I am more than excited to find out more about both of them. I need the next book, Blood Games now, because I feel like shit is really about to go down in Chicagoland Vampires!

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Review: Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward

Title:  Lover Unleashed
Author:  J.R. Ward
Series:  Black Dagger Brotherhood, #9
Publisher:  Signet
Release Date:  March 29, 2011
Pages:  489
Rating:  

 
Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.
 

All his life he’d wondered why he’d never fallen in love, and now he knew: He’d been waiting for this moment, this woman, this time. The female is mine, he thought.

I feel like I haven't enjoyed a Black Dagger Brotherhood book in a long while, I mean really enjoyed one. LOVER UNLEASHED was fucking amazing though! I wasn't too disappointed with it, maybe with a few things, but all in all, I enjoyed it and that's what matters.

Manny & Payne
Problem! This is supposed to be their fucking book! I am getting sick of all the side stories and whatnot taking over. If you must have side stories, fine. But don't let it overpower on who the romance book is supposed to be about! For what we did get of Manny and Payne, it was wonderful. I enjoyed their love story a lot, of what we got. I really loved Manny ever since we met him and I loved him bad ass attitude.

V & Jane
Oh, god. I admit, I enjoyed them a little more in this book than I did in their own book, Lover Unbound. I just wish we got less of their storyline and more of Manny and Payne's. And it drove me a little crazy with all of V's issues. It was ridiculous and childish to me.

Qhuinn & Blay
My god, your love story is almost here! We didn't have a lot of their storyline, but I am glad of what we did get. Qhuinn finally admits he's in love with Blay! SQWEEEEEEE! Of course he does not admit that to Blay. I loved that he talked about it a little with Layla He's getting there and he's almost there. “I judge you not by the sex of whom you love … but by how you love them.”

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Review: Here Be Sexist Vampires by Suzanne Wright

Title:  Here Be Sexist Vampires
Author:  Suzanne Wright
Series:  Deep in Your Veins, #1
Publisher:  CreateSpace
Release Date:  January 13, 2012
Pages:  266
Rating:  

 
Sam Parker is a vampire with a gift so strong and substantial that she is invited to partake in a test for a place in the Grand High Master Vampire’s private army. She finds that not only has the army never included a woman, but it has never included a Sventé vampire; a breed that is regarded by the super strong Pagori breed and the hypnotically beautiful Keja breed to be too tame and human-like. Most refuse to take her seriously, especially a Pagori commander named Jared who she craves in spite of herself.

The Grand High Master, however, sees her potential and offers her the position of Jared’s co-commander to help train the newest squad in time for the impending attack on his home. Sam has to demonstrate to Jared and the squad of chauvinists why it is incredibly foolish to underestimate a willful, temperamental, borderline-homicidal Sventé female.

Warning: This novel contains an iron-willed female vampire with an energy whip, a sexist male vampire who is determined to have her, explicit vampy sex, and a romance story with real bite.
 

How could you be attracted to someone who made you so pissed off that you’d considered burning their balls with a lighter?

The synopsis sounds so freaking amazing, as well as the reviews and I just had to give it a go. HERE BE SEXIST VAMPIRES was quite the book and I did like it, but me being me, I did have my issues with it. But, basically we have Sam Parker who gets recruited to be in the Grand High Master Vampire’s private army. And we have this sexist Vampire Commander, Jared Micheals, who has a big problem with women.

I would've liked this book more if they characters grew up way before almost the end of the book. First, let's talk about Sam. She has been through a lot. Her sire is pig. He turned her because he wanted her and used her basically as a sex slave and since she has these special gifts that are so rare he wanted her because of that. Her three years of a vampire and being in hell has made her a tough cookie. But she's a tortured soul.

Sam and Jared have this connection when they first meet. You know the hate/love relationship. At a point Sam accuses Jared of being just like her sire. So wrong. I feel like she didn't do any character growth through this book. I know she was tortured and still afraid to really be with someone, but she is letting that rule her life and in books, I just want my character to grow up and change a little bit.

She had kicked my ass, embarrassed me in front of God knows how many people, and even called me a pretty girl...and all I’d wanted to do was grab her, kiss her and bite her.

Don't get me started on Jared. I expected so much more out of him. He was way too childish for way too long for me. He was basically a total asshole through almost all the book. He did change for Sam to pursue her and all. But he gave her such a hard time at the beginning of the book and still in the middle it seemed, til almost the mid-end. I liked him when he finally grew up, but it took too long. And in my opinion he is still sexist.

I did enjoy watching the relationship between these two and the sexual tension. It was hot. And I loved all the side characters. My problem was character immaturity and the growth. As well as everything was just too long to process. And everything gets totally resolved and processed right at the end. I liked the concept of HERE BE SEXIST VAMPIRES, but it wasn't great. I will give the second a try since I still liked the characters in some extent and the plot of this series.

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Review: Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

Title:  Bound by Night
Author:  Larissa Ione
Series:  MoonBound Clan Vampire #1
Publisher:  Pocket
Release Date:  September 24, 2013
Pages:  400
Rating:  

 
A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD
Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE
A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.
 

Your first thought when you hear Larissa Ione is writing a new Paranormal Romance Series? A lot of screaming, yelling, skipping, insane dancing only a lunatic would do! I adore Larissa Ione. I don't have many favorite Paranormal Romance Series/Authors, but she's one of my all time favorites! Her Moonbound Clan Vampires Series is quite a but different from her other works, but I still enjoyed the ride.

BOUND BY NIGHT centers around vampires being enslaved by humans. It's very abusive all around and I think that was a whole lot of negatives for me. This world seemed much more darker than Ione's other works. We have rape, being beaten, cut, abused. At least most of it is just said/mentioned. Another turn off was I Just couldn't connect with the characters like I have in Ione's other books.

By the end, I did connect a bit better with other characters, but my leading lady and man didn't leave this huge impression on me where I wanted to continue on with the book, but I still finished it. Nicole was very nieve about her family, so easy to trust her family and the company her father build had good intentions. She was just dumb to all the stuff going on around her that it took a while to really open her eyes. And her brother, I seen that one coming a mile away, from the beginning. I didn't hate Nicole, but I didn't like her either. Nothing really special about her to me. Riker had that bad ass vibe going for him. He's a tortured soul. I love those, but again he just didn't stand out for me. I wish he did.

I had many turn off's, but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I did enjoy to some extent. BOUND BY NIGHT was a little bit predictable for me tastes and it didn't stun me into utter believe like some of Ione's other books, but I did get those wonderful jaw dropping moments I sometime get. And note to self. All Ione's books totally have that evil ass(es) who you want to stab to death.

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