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kathydavie's review
2.0
Eighth in the Chicagoland Vampires urban fantasy series for Young Adults and based in Chicago while revolving around Merit, the young Sentinel for her House of vampires.
My Take
I'm not sure what to say. Partly because I'm concerned that I'm bringing my annoyances from the last few novels over to this one. It's better than the last two, Biting Cold, 6, and House Rules, 7. I guess I'll call it mediocre. I know, damning with faint praise.
Where are the police while all this is playing out? What is the newspaper's response? I find it hard to understand how all this rioting plays out in such a vacuum with only the mayor's office and McKetrick as the head liaison in the Office of Human Liaison talking about events. There's one incident with some neighbor ladies which was sweet and a couple boys. That's it.
The entire incident with the GP? Stupid. Just plain stupid. As for the GP's grandstanding and Cadogan House's concerns about how to respond. Why? Why does Cadogan need to even think about responding? They voted themselves out of the vampire union. GP has no say in anything Cadogan does. WTF?
What? I can't believe Merit just let the Volvo go that easily. Catcher's concerns about how he let Mallory's actions slide through under his nose are certainly downplayed. Just another example of dramatic possibilities being ignored. Merit's incident at Grey House? Stupid. I can't see her making that simple of a mistake. Although I did enjoy all the teasing she got later.
Can someone explain to me why Monmouth is calling Merit garbage?
Then there's the ending. It's what we all want to have happen. But this easily?? Again. WTF? Is anybody editing this for silliness? They certainly aren't editing for info dumps. Lord, they're scattered every other paragraph. I feel like I'm stepping around land mines in Eastern Europe. Pssst, if anyone needs examples of info dumps, read this. You'll stumble over 'em everywhere...
Wow, when the truth behind the riots comes out, you'd think wow, great opportunity for drama, tension. And you'd be right. Obviously, Neill didn't think so. Has she no respect for her target audience's intellect?
All of a sudden the police are playing nice? What's with that?
Now for the nice things I can say: Gabe's "prank" on Ethan? Too funny, and it's one way to get a better parking spot! I loved the build-up Merit gave Mallory at the start of the story to scare off the bullies.
It's cute and sweet with Merit and Ethan all lovey-dovey and pranks being played. Then there's the other side with hatred and bigotry...and Merit's father wanting in on the action. I'm not even going to mention all the loose threads. For one, there are too many. For another, well, someone has to put the tension into this story.
The Story
Just when you think it's safe to walk the streets, riots will bring you back to reality. It's a scary reality when humans are out to get you. Nor do they care if they hit their target precisely, which means Chicago itself is at risk.
It could be even more at risk when Mallory can't resist testing her magic to help out.
The Characters
Merit is a newly turned vampire—she's been a vampire for 10 months now—who is the Sentinel of her House. Its ultimate guardian. Moneypenny is a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL with a history. Robert and Charlotte are her still-human siblings. Elizabeth, Robert's wife, is expecting her third. Olivia is Charlotte's youngest; Major Corkberger, a heart surgeon, is Charlotte's husband. Joshua is her ruthless, yet clueless father, the one who tried to pay Ethan to turn Merit; Meredith is her sociable mother.
Ethan "Darth" Sullivan is 400 years old and Master of Cadogan House, one of four groups of vampires in Chicago. Luc is captain of the House Guards; Kelley, Lindsey (she and Luc are hooked up), and Juliet are the official guards. Helen was a White House social secretary before Ethan stole her away. Delia is the House's resident doctor. Louie and Angelo are some of the human guards employed by Cadogan House. Connor is a clueless young vampire.
There are four vampire houses in Chicago: Cadogan; Grey led by Scott Grey; Navarre led, sort of, by Morgan Greer; and, Sheridan House which doesn't exist in this story.
Jonah is captain of the Grey House guards AND Merit's partner in the Red Guard. Aubrey is a jealous Grey House guard. Brooklyn is an unhappy vampire. Dr. Gianakous is Grey's House doctor.
Catcher Bell is a warlock and Merit's friend as well as her beginning teacher in swordcraft. He's also Mallory's maybe boyfriend. Mallory Carmichael is Merit's friend and a witch. One who went very badly awry and is now on probation in the magic community and serving it within the confines of the shifter community, the North American Central Pack. Gabe Keene is the alpha who oversees Mallory's rehabilitation. Tanya is his wife, and they have a new baby son, Connor. Berna is one of Gabe's relatives and bartender at Little Red.
Jeff Christopher is a friend, colleague, shifter, and computer nerd who works for Merit's grandfather, Chuck Merit, the former Ombudsman who acted as liaison for Chicago's supernatural before he was fired. Detective Jacobs is investigating the riots and bombings.
Blood4You is a blood distribution company owned by Charla and her chemist brother, Alan Bryant. Robin Pope is a disgruntled employee.
Saul makes great pizza. Sam and Aaron are the kids who stood up to the bullies. Nick Breckenridge is a journalist, a shifter, and sees vampires as the enemy. Which begs the question as to why he's so amenable.
John McKetrick is a nutjob who's got the wrong people fooled. He's the current head of the Office of Human Liaisons while Diane Kowalcyzk is the really stupid mayor.
Greenwich Presidium is the central governing core of all vampires which regulates every little detail of the North American and Western European vampires while giving nothing back. Darius West is supposedly the head of the GP, but there are rumors. Lakshmi Rao is a member of the GP and the Red Guard with a crush on Jonah. Harold Monmouth is am ambitiously vicious twerp. The Red Guard is a clandestine unit tasked with overseeing the Houses and the GP to ensure they don't get out of line.
The Cover
The cover is a deep and lovely purple in the night sky above Chicago as a leather-clad Merit hunkers down on her heeled boots out on a pier and looks back at the city over the gleaming waters.
The title comes from Merit's realization that while Cadogan House may allow vampires to bite humans, doing it to kill is Biting Bad.
My Take
I'm not sure what to say. Partly because I'm concerned that I'm bringing my annoyances from the last few novels over to this one. It's better than the last two, Biting Cold, 6, and House Rules, 7. I guess I'll call it mediocre. I know, damning with faint praise.
Where are the police while all this is playing out? What is the newspaper's response? I find it hard to understand how all this rioting plays out in such a vacuum with only the mayor's office and McKetrick as the head liaison in the Office of Human Liaison talking about events. There's one incident with some neighbor ladies which was sweet and a couple boys. That's it.
The entire incident with the GP? Stupid. Just plain stupid. As for the GP's grandstanding and Cadogan House's concerns about how to respond. Why? Why does Cadogan need to even think about responding? They voted themselves out of the vampire union. GP has no say in anything Cadogan does. WTF?
What? I can't believe Merit just let the Volvo go that easily. Catcher's concerns about how he let Mallory's actions slide through under his nose are certainly downplayed. Just another example of dramatic possibilities being ignored. Merit's incident at Grey House? Stupid. I can't see her making that simple of a mistake. Although I did enjoy all the teasing she got later.
Can someone explain to me why Monmouth is calling Merit garbage?
Then there's the ending. It's what we all want to have happen. But this easily?? Again. WTF? Is anybody editing this for silliness? They certainly aren't editing for info dumps. Lord, they're scattered every other paragraph. I feel like I'm stepping around land mines in Eastern Europe. Pssst, if anyone needs examples of info dumps, read this. You'll stumble over 'em everywhere...
Wow, when the truth behind the riots comes out, you'd think wow, great opportunity for drama, tension. And you'd be right. Obviously, Neill didn't think so. Has she no respect for her target audience's intellect?
All of a sudden the police are playing nice? What's with that?
Now for the nice things I can say: Gabe's "prank" on Ethan? Too funny, and it's one way to get a better parking spot! I loved the build-up Merit gave Mallory at the start of the story to scare off the bullies.
It's cute and sweet with Merit and Ethan all lovey-dovey and pranks being played. Then there's the other side with hatred and bigotry...and Merit's father wanting in on the action. I'm not even going to mention all the loose threads. For one, there are too many. For another, well, someone has to put the tension into this story.
The Story
Just when you think it's safe to walk the streets, riots will bring you back to reality. It's a scary reality when humans are out to get you. Nor do they care if they hit their target precisely, which means Chicago itself is at risk.
It could be even more at risk when Mallory can't resist testing her magic to help out.
The Characters
Merit is a newly turned vampire—she's been a vampire for 10 months now—who is the Sentinel of her House. Its ultimate guardian. Moneypenny is a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL with a history. Robert and Charlotte are her still-human siblings. Elizabeth, Robert's wife, is expecting her third. Olivia is Charlotte's youngest; Major Corkberger, a heart surgeon, is Charlotte's husband. Joshua is her ruthless, yet clueless father, the one who tried to pay Ethan to turn Merit; Meredith is her sociable mother.
Ethan "Darth" Sullivan is 400 years old and Master of Cadogan House, one of four groups of vampires in Chicago. Luc is captain of the House Guards; Kelley, Lindsey (she and Luc are hooked up), and Juliet are the official guards. Helen was a White House social secretary before Ethan stole her away. Delia is the House's resident doctor. Louie and Angelo are some of the human guards employed by Cadogan House. Connor is a clueless young vampire.
There are four vampire houses in Chicago: Cadogan; Grey led by Scott Grey; Navarre led, sort of, by Morgan Greer; and, Sheridan House which doesn't exist in this story.
Jonah is captain of the Grey House guards AND Merit's partner in the Red Guard. Aubrey is a jealous Grey House guard. Brooklyn is an unhappy vampire. Dr. Gianakous is Grey's House doctor.
Catcher Bell is a warlock and Merit's friend as well as her beginning teacher in swordcraft. He's also Mallory's maybe boyfriend. Mallory Carmichael is Merit's friend and a witch. One who went very badly awry and is now on probation in the magic community and serving it within the confines of the shifter community, the North American Central Pack. Gabe Keene is the alpha who oversees Mallory's rehabilitation. Tanya is his wife, and they have a new baby son, Connor. Berna is one of Gabe's relatives and bartender at Little Red.
Jeff Christopher is a friend, colleague, shifter, and computer nerd who works for Merit's grandfather, Chuck Merit, the former Ombudsman who acted as liaison for Chicago's supernatural before he was fired. Detective Jacobs is investigating the riots and bombings.
Blood4You is a blood distribution company owned by Charla and her chemist brother, Alan Bryant. Robin Pope is a disgruntled employee.
Saul makes great pizza. Sam and Aaron are the kids who stood up to the bullies. Nick Breckenridge is a journalist, a shifter, and sees vampires as the enemy. Which begs the question as to why he's so amenable.
John McKetrick is a nutjob who's got the wrong people fooled. He's the current head of the Office of Human Liaisons while Diane Kowalcyzk is the really stupid mayor.
Greenwich Presidium is the central governing core of all vampires which regulates every little detail of the North American and Western European vampires while giving nothing back. Darius West is supposedly the head of the GP, but there are rumors. Lakshmi Rao is a member of the GP and the Red Guard with a crush on Jonah. Harold Monmouth is am ambitiously vicious twerp. The Red Guard is a clandestine unit tasked with overseeing the Houses and the GP to ensure they don't get out of line.
The Cover
The cover is a deep and lovely purple in the night sky above Chicago as a leather-clad Merit hunkers down on her heeled boots out on a pier and looks back at the city over the gleaming waters.
The title comes from Merit's realization that while Cadogan House may allow vampires to bite humans, doing it to kill is Biting Bad.
yodamom's review
4.0
3.6 stars. Ethan, aka Darth Sullivan, was a very different master vampire in this edition. He was romantic, sarcastic, caring and even compromising. He took Merit's breath, and mine away a few times, once involved getting down on one knee. He had a few fantastic lines one of my favorite was " I'm rarely good Merit. But I'm often spectacular". Oh yes, I agree with that. If he keeps this up his Darth retain could just wither away. He polished his big bad badge when he had an off with his head moment, that was spectacular to read and had me cheering out loud.
Merit, well she spent most of her time be played by Ethan. She said "Ethan Sullivan could play me like a Stradivarius" and he did in may ways. When she wasn't playing house with E-man she was hunting down clues or trying to get close again to her long time gal pal, Mallory. The mystery of who started a riot and why. She also had some family drama that took the couple into normal life zones that was fun to watch them juggle.
Watching the moments between the two of them made the book worth reading. But, I could have missed out on 1/2 of the book, the politics. Arguh, will they ever get toned down. I did skim through many pages of power drama. The mixing of the houses was too brief I thought could have been an interesting little window to delve into. There was a lot of little side stories going on that just fell flat for me, the car, the magical usage, the GP, the disgruntled employee, the riots. The ending was of course a cliffhanger. Do I care enough about what happens to carry on with the series ? I'm on the fence, it is a B rated series for me now I will not rush out to get a copy. It semi missed my reading joy mark.
Merit, well she spent most of her time be played by Ethan. She said "Ethan Sullivan could play me like a Stradivarius" and he did in may ways.
Watching the moments between the two of them made the book worth reading. But, I could have missed out on 1/2 of the book, the politics. Arguh, will they ever get toned down. I did skim through many pages of power drama. The mixing of the houses was too brief I thought could have been an interesting little window to delve into. There was a lot of little side stories going on that just fell flat for me, the car, the magical usage, the GP, the disgruntled employee, the riots. The ending was of course a cliffhanger. Do I care enough about what happens to carry on with the series ? I'm on the fence, it is a B rated series for me now I will not rush out to get a copy. It semi missed my reading joy mark.
vampire_mother's review against another edition
5.0
Oh God!
Honestly, at the end I thought that Ethan will ask Merit to marry him...
Maybe in the next book?
Honestly, at the end I thought that Ethan will ask Merit to marry him...
Maybe in the next book?
luciearan's review against another edition
3.0
Další díl ze série Upíři z Chicaga, tentokrát o trochu slabší. V případě takto dlouhé série je však jen přirozené, že budou mít některé příběhy tendenci se, mírně opakovat. Nic to však nemění na tom, že i tato kniha je, tak jako ty předchozí, příjemná oddechovka, která se snadno čte.
witchylevy's review
5.0
Another great book in this series. We start to be confronted with immortality vs mortality. Merit considers a new path for a few moments and then chooses whatsoever truly wants. Things come to a head with some adversaries.
amym84's review
5.0
Biting Bad picks up a couple of months after the events of [b:House Rules|12958034|House Rules (Chicagoland Vampires, #7)|Chloe Neill|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1337695344s/12958034.jpg|18115358]. Cadogan House officially broke from the Greenwich Presidium and seem to be living just fine as a "rogue" house. Of course just when things seem like they might be quieting down, a riot breaks out at the Bllod4U factory. Add to it the fact that the GP has decided to blacklist Cadogan House (making it forbidden and considered an act of war if any affliated house so much as looks at a Cadogan vamp) and things are back to "normal" for Merit and crew.
I really felt like with Biting Bad we are getting back to what the series was before the life-changing events in [b:Hard Bitten|9581001|Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, #4)|Chloe Neill|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372850762s/9581001.jpg|12773071]. Everyone is trying to get back to where their characters once were it seems. Obviously there are a few alterations due to the events of the previous books, but Biting Bad reall focused on Chicago politics and the mystery surrounding the riots. Ethan and Merit's relationship held strong throughout the entire book which was a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the back and forth between the two as much as anyone, but when it gets to the point where every book questions their relationship, it was bordering on tiring. Biting Bad keeps them solidified as a couple while everything around them seemingly falls apart. It was good that Merit's attentions weren't split between her feelings for Ethan and the mystery. More focus could be put in figuring out the riots and what they mean for the vampires of Chicago.
Neill still makes the relationship between these two hot, but it seems natural not forced. I'm very interested to see where their relationship moves to in future books. Since we are here, I hope that Neill continues to focus on them strengthening the relationship and is done with tearing them apart and putting them back together.
Mallory too is beginning to return to normal making moves to fix the damage she brought when she became evil Mallory. I had a terrible gut feeling that maybe this is a little premature on her part, but hopefully I'm wrong about that. I do like that Neill is taking her time repairing Mallory's relationships. The things she did could have hurt a lot of people, it's only realistic to think that there would be hesitancy for her friends to completely trust her again.
John McKettrick is making trouble once again for the vampires. I'll admit, I was hoping he would be more of a hands on foe for our group, but I guess I can't count him out just yet. I'm interested to see if Neill has more in store for him.
The end of Biting Bad is a slight cliffhanger. Nothing too bad, but it definitely leads us right into [b:Wild Things|12958042|Wild Things (Chicagoland Vampires, #9)|Chloe Neill|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370886480s/12958042.jpg|18115366] which will be out in February 2014. I'm happy that Chloe Neill could successfully take us back to the feeling of the first books in the series. In the chaos created with the last few books it's nice to go back to the slightly familiar.
I really felt like with Biting Bad we are getting back to what the series was before the life-changing events in [b:Hard Bitten|9581001|Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, #4)|Chloe Neill|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1372850762s/9581001.jpg|12773071]. Everyone is trying to get back to where their characters once were it seems. Obviously there are a few alterations due to the events of the previous books, but Biting Bad reall focused on Chicago politics and the mystery surrounding the riots. Ethan and Merit's relationship held strong throughout the entire book which was a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the back and forth between the two as much as anyone, but when it gets to the point where every book questions their relationship, it was bordering on tiring. Biting Bad keeps them solidified as a couple while everything around them seemingly falls apart. It was good that Merit's attentions weren't split between her feelings for Ethan and the mystery. More focus could be put in figuring out the riots and what they mean for the vampires of Chicago.
Neill still makes the relationship between these two hot, but it seems natural not forced. I'm very interested to see where their relationship moves to in future books. Since we are here, I hope that Neill continues to focus on them strengthening the relationship and is done with tearing them apart and putting them back together.
Mallory too is beginning to return to normal making moves to fix the damage she brought when she became evil Mallory. I had a terrible gut feeling that maybe this is a little premature on her part, but hopefully I'm wrong about that. I do like that Neill is taking her time repairing Mallory's relationships. The things she did could have hurt a lot of people, it's only realistic to think that there would be hesitancy for her friends to completely trust her again.
John McKettrick is making trouble once again for the vampires. I'll admit, I was hoping he would be more of a hands on foe for our group, but I guess I can't count him out just yet. I'm interested to see if Neill has more in store for him.
The end of Biting Bad is a slight cliffhanger. Nothing too bad, but it definitely leads us right into [b:Wild Things|12958042|Wild Things (Chicagoland Vampires, #9)|Chloe Neill|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370886480s/12958042.jpg|18115366] which will be out in February 2014. I'm happy that Chloe Neill could successfully take us back to the feeling of the first books in the series. In the chaos created with the last few books it's nice to go back to the slightly familiar.
lauren_miller's review against another edition
All I can say is good riddance. So much murder in this installment and yet still so little actually grabbed me. I do appreciate Gray and Cadogan cooperating though. Now if only Morgan would get his head out of his ass...
kate_and_books's review against another edition
3.0
It's a lot of the same as in previous books but I still enjoy them.
hollyollyoxenfree's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, don't get me wrong, or interpret my 3 star rating as bad. I really like the Chicagoland Vampires, and always look forward to reading another installment and being submerged in their world and all of the drama and struggles it contains. But unfortunately, this book felt a little slower than some of the others. I didn't feel like there was a lot of movement of the storyline. Merit is fantastically snarky, as always, and of course the other characters have their charms, but I don't know. This book felt sort of transitional, or something, I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh! I know! It almost felt like it suffered from that dreaded middle book syndrome! Something like that! Even though it's the 8th book in the series... I will most definitely read the next book in this series, because I really do care about these characters and have formed several attachments to them. So while this was not my favorite in the series, I am still glad I read it and will be interested to see what happens next! Yay!
I enjoyed this book, don't get me wrong, or interpret my 3 star rating as bad. I really like the Chicagoland Vampires, and always look forward to reading another installment and being submerged in their world and all of the drama and struggles it contains. But unfortunately, this book felt a little slower than some of the others. I didn't feel like there was a lot of movement of the storyline. Merit is fantastically snarky, as always, and of course the other characters have their charms, but I don't know. This book felt sort of transitional, or something, I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh! I know! It almost felt like it suffered from that dreaded middle book syndrome! Something like that! Even though it's the 8th book in the series... I will most definitely read the next book in this series, because I really do care about these characters and have formed several attachments to them. So while this was not my favorite in the series, I am still glad I read it and will be interested to see what happens next! Yay!
amber1989's review
4.0
Loved this as usual. It was nice to see McKettrick get some comeuppance this time but I thought the showdown with him could have been a bit longer but I am sure this won't be our ladt encounter with him. It's nice to see Mallory getting herself sorted out fingers crossed she doesn't screw up again. Jonah needs a girlfriend asap, he's clearly not over merit and I want him to be happy.
I can't wait till the next one, I wonder how Ethan will get out of his upcoming arrest and I need to know about Gabriel's previous vision about the baby.
I want more Jeff in the next one too
I can't wait till the next one, I wonder how Ethan will get out of his upcoming arrest and I need to know about Gabriel's previous vision about the baby.
I want more Jeff in the next one too