Waiting on Wednesday: Twice Bitten: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Meme started by Breaking the Spine. It is a feature that  spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I love me some Cardogen vampires - and can't wait for the 3rd novel.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Twice Bitten: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel
by Chloe Neill

Releases Jul 6, 2010

From Amazon:

Twice Bitten: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel by Chloe Neill

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, Chicago's newest vampire. 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.

Unfortunately, someone is gunning for Gabriel, 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.

Currently Reading:
 

Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill

Friday Night Bites (A Chicagoland Vampires Novel) by Chloe Neill
Purchased OMG by me, on my happy little iPhone

PJVs QUICKIE POV: This novel had me at times jumping around like a little girl in literate happiness and other times bored and eye rolling. And while I ended Friday Night Bites fully satisfied as if I had partaken on a very fine cut of Filet...I feel that maybe while I ordered Medium, I really got Medium Well. Have I become too judgmental in my descent into to reviewer land? Friday Night Bites would have had me squirming in happiness at the end, but now, some of the problems took the joy out of what could have been prose perfection.

REVIEW: The start of Friday Night Bites, finds Merit moving into Cardogan House. It is bitter sweet and symbolism for her leaving her human self behind. The symbolism of cutting human ties is rampant throughout Friday Night Bites and her moving into the House is Step 1. Merit blames the move on Mallory and Catcher’s romantic endeavors and her ability to perform her Sentinel duties properly. All in all still denying that she is most likely thrilled to get close to Ethan.

Within the first couple of chapters, the plot is revealed as Merit’s human past comes to haunt her.  Ethan informs her that a close family friend, and her ex-boyfriend’s little brother, Jamie is working for a tabloid intent on publishing nasty stories about vampires. With human/vampire in the happy pink, Ethan and the other vamps don’t want anything to tarnish their squeaky clean image, especially with vampires still remembering the clearings of the past. Their solution, ingratiate into the human/wealthy society of Merit’s past by attending parties and galas to ferret out info and connections.  Everything isn’t exactly as it seems though, as Ethan and Merit soon discover.  Are they the players or being played?

In the romantic section of this novel, Merit is still sticking true with Morgan, even though he basically blackmailed her into dating him. This relationship I do not get in the least, especially with her continuing patient in dealing with him. He might be hot, but a girl needs to make up her own mind. So, it explores a little bit of deeper romantic interest in that category and a bit of upset and jealousies when Merit starts getting tighter with her Master, Mr. Hot Pants himself, Ethan Sullivan. Oh and Oh...not to give any spoilers away, but there was a smokin’ hot scene *yowzers* that just involved a kiss and made me a puddle on the floor. My goodness when Neill gets around to a de-pantsing it should have her readers crawling the walls!

Where the problems lie, in Friday Night Bites. First, series books that reiterate over and over again prior occurrences in the first book drive me bonkers.  I read the book, I know this man.  And for those that didn’t read the book, why make it easy, force them to read that book if they didn’t! That being said, first chapter, total yawn fest as the first book was surmised and placed in a neat little package that I didn’t have the patience to read. Secondly, there was a lot of training and sparring and katanas and katas and what not. Great, for one or two, but it was too much and had very little to do with the plot.  Training with Catcher = cool, training with Catcher over and over again, boring. Also, some of the plot lines were a little trite, and I don’t want to give anything away, but the Bad Guy acted like high school drama queen...and having Ethan, Morgan, Merit and the side characters all trying to dissect these drama creating events was a little bizarre.

What I loved about this novel.  Merit is a cool character, and I can so relate to her. The character interaction has me believing they must be real people somewhere.  Merit’s reactions and inner dialogue are phenomenal and I can so agree with her behavior and reactions to Morgan and Ethan’s actions.  This depth of character always surprises me in Neill’s novels, it is one of the traits that makes her a great storyteller. If you liked Some Girls Bite, you have to move on to Friday Night Bites.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Read Some Girls Bite, first.  While you might hold your own just reading FNB, Some Girls Bites is a great novel and you would be doing yourself an injustice by not reading. Recommended for adult readers, but there really wasn’t anything racy that an older teen would be irrecoverably corrupted by.

Firespell by Chloe Neill - A BWB Review

Firespell (Dark Elite, Book 1) by Chloe Neill



This book purchased with my own moolah (kindle version).


PJV's QUICKIE POV: I was very impressed with Some Girls Bite, so I think I had overly high expectations for this book, which led to a bit of disappointment. The book was entertaining, well-written and enjoyable, but it wasn't very original.

Review: Lily has been abandoned by her parents because of a two year research hiatus in Germany. They send her to Chicago, and an all-girl's private school called St. Sophia's.  Away from her friends, away from her parents, and to a world of old money and a lot of secrets.

Immediately she is introduced to Scout, one of her new roommates, and they become fast friends.  Fast enemies are also formed as she is judged and proved unworthy by the brat pack. In typical Mean Girls style they try and trick her and the insults fly around like mosquitoes in June. All the while, Scout is running around in the middle of the night and is obviously lying about something.  The headmistress, Foley lets slip that her parents might also be lying to her about their careers, and even her new crush interest might not be what he appears.

As Lily is sucked deeper and deeper into the world of St. Sophias and Scout's world, her life might never be the same.

Mean Girls meets The Covenant.  Without the weanie bikinis...let's pause for eye candy.

The Covenant (2006)

When they got into the meat and potatoes of this novel all I thought was The Covenant, with a few revisions. The brat pack was very typical in their behavior, reminiscent of Mean Girls and all those other movies that has a trio of ridiculous and well dressed bitches. Like I said earlier, I was entertained, and will probably read the second novel, but it was much like watching a Miley Cyrus movie. Entertaining if you don't think too hard about it.

My problems with this book lay within the plot.  Friends that Lily had and missed in Sagamore were quickly forgotten after a text message and introduction to the crush interest. Lily and Scout also became fast friends without any kind of development. It was like "Your my future BFF." "Ok." It just lacked the depth of character and relationship building that Neill's Chicagoland books possess.  I hope the second novel is better. Once again, though, excellent writing and I can see that this series might have a great future.

Recommendations: Nothing to worry about parents, book is completely innocent. Recommended for younger teens and all the way up to the adults.

1. Lily and Jason.  Discuss. What do you think the next book holds for them? 
1. Well they will probably finally hook up.  I'm predicting that they might have a few issues with Lily maybe being destined to be evil or something. Which will probably lead to some relationship issues between them. 
2. Lily & Scout's friendship had a lot of secrets, so in the end who did you relate to more, Lily or Scout? How about Lesley or Veronica? Would you hang with the brat pack or be a loner?
1. I related to Lily more of course. The character of Scout was not as developed as I would have thought. Lesley was like a non-entity, and Veronica was just a typical snob queen.  I would most likely be a loner.
3. What do think of the overwhelming trend in YA literature where the parents of the protagonists are either- dead, strung out or shipping their children off to boarding schools? Do you think this is a real look at parents today and what teens are dealing with?
1. I think it might happen more these days than before, especially with  people having to work harder these days and more single parent homes. It might not be typical, but neither is witchcraft.
4. Follow up to parental question.  Authors employ the missing parents to mature their teenage protagonist. The protagonist doesn't have the option to act as an irresponsible teen, because they do not have any parental supervision.  Did you find Lily's behaviour normal for a teenager, or more mature than most?
1. Lily showed some maturity that I don't think many teenagers might posses, especially since she wasn't used to the parental abandonment, which would mature a teen.