Friday Night Bites
(Chicagoland Vampires #2)
By: Chloe Neill
Publisher: NAL Trade
Published: Oct. 6, 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:
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 should 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 really enjoyed Some Girls Bite, so it was no shocker that I enjoyed the second book in Merit’s story. The author does a great job creating Merit’s world and her struggles of adjusting with not only being a new vampire but Sentinel as well, which is like the bodyguard of all bodyguards for the Cadogan house. On top of that at the beginning of the book she moves out of her house which she shared with her best friend Mallory and her boyfriend Catcher and moves into Cadogan house. Which is a huge deal since she has some sexual and awkward tension with her master and head of the house, Ethan.
I loved the tension between Ethan and Merit but I also love the growing attraction between Morgan and Merit. Is it really possible to be rooting for two guys at one time? I will admit that the whole love triangle aspect is sort of getting over played but with this story it works. You have to read the first book to figure out how this love triangle actually came to exist in the first place. Sorry folks, no freebies here!
The author wrote Ethan so well that you can tell that he is struggling with his feeling for Merit. He will give her a compliment and then flip a switch and turn all Master and and act as if he has more important things to do and then dismisses her from his presence. But those rare moments where he lets his emotions show a little bit, you really cannot help but feel for the guy. I mean, he is the Master of the Cadogan house. He really isn’t “friends” with anyone. They all view him as the boss and that is it, so of course the poor guy is lonely.
Which brings us to Merit. She is not like anyone else in the house. She has not only challenged the Master once before but continues to argue with him, which is a big no-no when it comes to Master-subordinate relations. However, that is also why I think Ethan likes her, because she isn’t submissive. She is strong headed and has an opinion of her own.
Another aspect that I liked about the story was the relationship between Catcher, Mallory and Merit. It is exactly what you would think of when it comes to two best friends and a guy. My favorite part to explain this is when Merit goes to their house for a dinner and Mallory and Catcher are arguing about how many varieties of lotion Mallory has. They whole thing rang so true to a real life argument that it had me laughing out loud.
Mallory- “Our Mr. Bell is in denial about certain issues.”
Catcher- “It’s lotion, Mallory, for God’s sake.”
Merit- “Lotion?”
Catcher- “She has, like, fourteen different kinds of lotion.” He had trouble getting out the words, his shock and chagrin at Mallory’s moisturizer stockpile apparently that intense.
Mallory- “Tell him.”
Merit- “Women moisturize. Different lotions for different body parts, different scents for different occasions.”
Mallory- “Different thicknesses for different seasons. It’s pretty complicated actually.”
Catcher- “It’s lotion. I’m pretty sure science has advanced to the point that you can buy a single bottle that will take care of all that.”
Merit- “Missing the point.”
Mallory- “He’s missing the point. You’re totally missing the point.”
Catcher- “You two would agree that the world is flat if it meant you could gang up on me.”
Mallory- “True. That is true.”
Merit- “That’s what makes us awesome. A force of nature.”
See my point? Haha. There is a lot more great dialogue in the book but that one really had me laughing. I too have various bottles of lotions for just this same reason, although the Mr. hasn’t actually complained yet. The author wrote the characters so well that their personalities really shone through.
Knowing how much she likes books Ethan shows Merit the library in the house. They get into a conversation on what her life would have been like if she wasn’t turned and was able to complete her schooling and get a job at liberal arts college looking over old books behind a desk. Merit gets a little defensive about the topic.
Ethan- “My point Sentinel, is that you are more than a woman who hides in a library.”
I knew what was coming. I could hear it in his voice- the low, thick hum of it. I didn’t know why he was trying, given his apparently conflicted feelings about me, but this was the prelude to seduction.
Ethan- “Don’t deny it. I want this. You want this.”
He said the words, but the cant of them was wrong. Irritated. Not words of desire, but an accusation. As if we’d fought the attraction and hadn’t been strong enough to resist it, and we were worse off for it.
Merit- “Ethan.” I said, a hesitation, but he shook his head, gaze dropping to my lips, then drifting shut. He leaned closer, his lips just touching mine. Teasing, hinting, but not quite kissing. My lids fell, and his hands were at my cheeks, fingers at my jaw, his breath staccato and rushed as his lips traced a trail, pressed kisses, against my closed eyes, my cheeks, everywhere but my lips.
Ethan- “You are so much more than that.”
It was the words that did me in, that sealed my fate…
Previous reviews from Chicagoland Vampires
Some Girls Bite
So glad you are enjoying this series, I really love it. Given the last couple of books have taken some pretty interesting turns, but it’s all good! Happy reading! Book Savvy Babe