Twice Bitten
(Chicagoland Vampires, #3)
By: Chloe Neill
Publisher: NAL Trade
Published: July 6, 2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:
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.
Merit is still as snarky and hilarious as ever. I must say that this is a great continuation of the storyline with the added bonus of shifters. Not only is Merit and Ethan being included into pack business but Gabriel hints at the fact that Merit will be protecting his family and unborn child. There is no conclusion to that in this book but the ties between the vampires and shifters are not severed by the end of the book which makes me believe that in due time we will know what that is all about.
I’d also like to touch on the fact that Merit and Ethan get rather close in this book. Ethan has some swoon worthy moments that had me getting that “aw” face. There are parts where he really puts himself out there and becomes vulnerable. For me this was monumental because Ethan has always been, “Sentinel, get in my bed and become my mistress” but in this book he actually shows his true feelings for her and how protective he is over her. There is a part where Merit and Ethan are at the shifters bar with Gabriel when gun fire breaks out and considering Merit is not only one of his guards but stands as Sentinel, you would think that she’d protect Ethan from the gun fire. However, before she has a chance to react, Ethan is on top of her protecting her from the flying bullets. Moments like that really showed how much he really cared for her.
Now maybe this is just me being nitpicky but I don’t like the cover model. Not only is she drastically different from the original model but she doesn’t match Merit’s description. Merit is supposed to have dark hair with bangs, neither of which this model has. Now I could see thinking “maybe Merit went for a new look” except for the fact that the author describes Merit’s hair and how either Merit or Ethan brush her bangs back, you are reminded of the fact that the Merit we know is not the Merit on the cover. And for some reason that bugs me… a lot. I like the covers to actually resemble the characters.
I honestly cannot wait for what else Neill has in store for not only us as readers but for poor Merit and Ethan. Where do the shifters come in? What happens with Ethan and Merit’s relationship? With Celina (big bad villain from book #1) on the loose, will she strike again and if so how? All of these questions are darting around in my head after reading this and I cannot wait to see what happens next. Until next time…
“You undo me, Merit. Wholly and completely. You don’t take me at my word. You challenge me at every opportunity. And that means when I’m with you, I am less than the head of this House… and I am more than the head of his House. I am a man. In my very, very long life, I need you more than I have ever needed anything.” -Ethan
Previous reviews from Chicagoland Vampires
Some Girls Bite
Friday Night Bites
