House Rules (Chicagoland Vampires)

***ARC received by Penguin NAL for review purposes*** This review is spoiler free for the series! (except for one paragraph which is marked) Do you ever have certain books or series that you love so much and every time you read it you think `WHY don't more...

Merit is one cool, tough, and likeable chick! I love her as a female protagonist. This is the seventh volume in Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series. At 27 years old, Merit became a vampire and has since become an important part of Cadogan House. As sentinel, she is in charge of keeping the vampires in her house, and the house in general, safe. Since becoming a vampire, and sentinel, she has seen a lot of tough stuff from Chicago nearly burning to the ground to watching her Master and on again off again lover Ethan die and come back to life. What I love about Merit is that she is tough and isn't about to back down for anyone. She is good at her job and isn't going to allow herself to be one of those simpering, whiny girls who always look to their men to save them. In this book, two rogue vampires have disappeared without a trace. Someone appears to be targeting Chicago's vampires, and Merit and company want to solve this mystery before more vampires fall victim. Merit and Ethan set out to find the killer(s) and find themselves enmeshed in more of a tangled web of secret alliances and dark secrets than they could have expected. What I love about this book, and this series in general, is that Chloe Neill seems to still keep this series going without getting boring or tired. A lot of other authors (*cough* Laurel K. Hamilton *cough Janet Evanovich*) seem to keep going and going like the energizer bunny without benefit of a fresh story line or a new and exciting idea. Neill, on the other hand, still has plenty of story lines to follow. Very good installment in this series.

SYNOPSIS: At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she's become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she'll see her mettle--and her metal --tested like never before. It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago's vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined. MY THOUGHTS: Spoiler Alert!!!!!! This is a solid new installment in the Chicago vampire land series if not the best book so far .It sucked me right in on the first page, it is so well written the words just flow on the pages and paint wonderful scenes in your head that come alive; you almost smell what they smell. You feel what they feel and I went through the scale of emotions like a role coaster ride during this book, from pure joy and ecstasy, anger, terror, sadness and total bliss. It has pretty much everything and I was sitting on needles the whole book and could not put it down. If is full of the lovely snark we all love and quick witty dialog. The chemistry between Merit and everybody's favorite vamp is wonderful and steaming hot they are getting along in their relationship, not smoothly but with bumps and some fab makeup scenes. They now have a relationship and are living together, FINALY!! The snake in the paradise is back, one master vamp Lacey Sheridan now all dressed up like a Merit lookalike. Seriously I was snickering over that. The plot was wonderful and had me on edge the whole book, it dealt with to things the GP and a murder investigation. With the GP out of the house I see a new interesting new line, maybe Amit Patel turns up, in a future book. He has stayed far away from the GP and house so maybe we get to meet him in the future. You got some Jeff, Mallory, and Catcher in it and there are some great scenes with Lindsey and Luc too. We finally get to know what Jeff turns into, but I am not going to tell you. Merit revealed a little of what see saw in Gabriel's eyes/prophecy. Do I see some foreshadowing there? I sure think so. I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next book Biting Bad that is published in August 6, six more months to wait.. I just loved this book and I am giving it 5 stars.

Title: House Rules (Chicagoland Vampires Book #7) Author: Chloe Neill Rating: 4.75/5 Stars Genre: Paranormal Sub-Genre: Romance & Mystery Publisher: NAL Sold by: Penguin ISBN: 0575113456 Synopsis At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal—tested like never before. It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined. Review Author Chloe Neill does it again; she hits the ball right out of Wrigley Field and blasts the Chicagoland Vampires into 2013 with a home run, with all the bases filled. Merit, Ethan, and Cadogan House are back with a vengeance. In House Rules, they have declared themselves free from the European Greenwich Presidium, the vampire ruling council, and are finally set to become true revolutionaries. Yes, it should be noted that these vampires are 237 years behind Yankee Doodle; but when you live forever, what’s the hurry? Fans of the series should be prepared for lots of adventure, with plenty of twist and turns and vampiric political intrigue. Yes, romance is on hand too. How could anyone resist Ethan, Catcher, Jeff, Morgan, Luc, or Jonah? The alpha-males may be in full predator mode, but so are the ever-present ladies of Merit, Lindsey, and Mallory who can give as good as they get in the love department. When it comes to Neill’s newest book, her savvy dialog and witty banter is in full swing. The characters’ relationships are believable, and you are pulled into the rich world that author Neill has created. Neill writes some of the best dialogue in paranormal fiction; the wit, snark, charm, and friendships shine through when her characters verbally spar. “That guy,” Lindsey said, “is a douche. Asterisk, I hate him footnote, he can suck it.” Lindsey speaking about McKetrick “You need to whip them out to compare notes,” Merit talking to both Ethan and Jonah Breaking the ties that bind with the Greenwich Presidium, presents its challenges to Cadogan House, which reaches out to the Rogue vampire of Chicago as the Cadogan vampires are soon to be all considered rogues. Cadogan House’s decertification from the Greenwich Presidium is pending, and the entire GP is headed for Chicago. Lacey Sheridan, Ethan’s progeny and wanna be lover, is on the house transition team; this should make for an interesting transition. Maybe Ethan needs to take a page out of the French Revolution and employ the guillotine. Just a thought. Of course nothing ever goes smoothly for the vampires of Chicago, and Merit is boot deep in dead vampires. Plus her life is about to change–for better or worse? Only time will tell. Merit, being the voice of the book, is as funny, snarky, and sarcastic as ever. Can you tell I have a major girl crush on Merit? I want to be her BFF in the worse way; move over Mallory and Lindsey, Lover Karen is elbowing in. “If you get old and gray, I’ll be honest about your roots.” Mallory to Merit “Vampires don’t get old or gray, I’m stuck with this hair forever.” Merit’s response. Could I really be Merit’s BFF if I wanted to steal her dark and deadly boyfriend Master Ethan Sullivan? Could I? Gone are the days of Darth Sullivan, as Merit has fallen in love with Ethan and he with her. Took them long enough. Excuse me as I digress. To say that Ethan had issues would be like saying that the Grand Canyon is a hole in the ground. Because of Merit Ethan became a better vampire, stick not so far up his butt, but still occasionally there. Merit, of course, would take said stick and whack him with it. Gotta love Merit…keeps Ethan on his toes. “Ethan Sullivan, registered smart-ass.” Merit on Ethan “Your cars are always so flashy.” Merit to Ethan “Your car is so……….orange.” Ethan’s rebuttal The one aspect that turned my stomach was the vampire registration. Yes, these people are vampires, but they are citizens of the good ole USA, where we don’t register our native born residence. I’m not talking about green cards. This is registration because their diet is different…reeks of Nazi Germany to me. I’m glad that Cadogan House is in a revolutionary mood; hopefully that mood extends to the mayor of Chitown too. I whole heartedly recommend House Rules Chicagoland Vampires for this book and the whole series is not to be missed by any paranormal fan. The Chicagoland Vampire Series keeps getting better and better, and House Rules is a diamond in the series. I have a personal note for the author: 750 pages next book, please. My adventure with Merit and gang always ends too soon.

Twists and turns, danger and blood, secret alliances, murder and mayhem, spies in the highest ranks, jealousy and shifters- sounds like fun, right?! 'House Rules' is the witty, funny, moving, adventurous, surprising and shocking next installment in the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill. I love this one best so far, and the action and dialogue are the best of the best from Neill. Great series for the vampire and other supernatural lover with enough plots and big personalities to keep you interested and totally engaged. Read these in order and do it now. Never a dull moment with surprises you won't see coming. Our best gal-Friday vampire Sentinal --Merit- sure knows danger and action once again in Chicago with a big cast of characters we have come to know so well. On to the next one! Keep reading!

Synopsis: Now that Cadogan House is going rogue, there is a bit of an upheaval in the life of the vampires. They have to deal with the GP and their arrogance, Lacey, Ethan's ex, is back in town, and someone is beheading vampires. Don't forget that Merit is in the Red Guard, and Ethan doesn't know... Review: Oh yes, the fun Chicagoland is back. This book is packed with politics, action, and some lighthearted humor that makes Chicagoland great. The world wasn't enhanced in this book, as it's already established, and nothing new was introduced. I did enjoy the politics and conflicts of this novel. The chaos of the book and the "who dunnit" mystery was kept the book moving at a fast pace. I liked the new vampire registration scheme, and McKetrick is the new big bad. I think the underlying prejudice that some humans and the mayoral office hold is a pivotal theme that I hope will be explored in future books. A significant plot point surprised me, smacked me in the face, and it explains the title a lot. There were new characters introduced, and some nasty characters returned. However we did find out what kind of shifter Jeff is... and it's magnificent and fearsome (mental sigh)! We saw Gabriel a few times, and I enjoy it when he is on the page. Everyone got a fair amount of page time, and we saw relationships that were strained move forward into some peace. Due to the various plot points, there was not much character development, but characters like Mallory, Merit, Lacey, and Ethan showed change. I think the book could have taken more risks, but I enjoyed what we got. I'm sure you know what I have a problem with: Ethan and Merit's relationship. I did not like how "Merit is in the RG" was handled at all. . . . . **SPOILERS AHEAD** . . . . I'm probably the only one who thinks this, but I believe that Merit took an oath of loyalty, and she should have kept to it. She could have told Ethan "Trust me, I am not cheating on you. But telling you what I was doing would have broken confidences." And they way Ethan treated her while they were fighting, sitting so cozily with Lacy? Sure he told her off later on, but it doesn't negate the fact that he was throwing it in Merit's face. I would expect a 400 some year old vampire to be more mature. . . . . SPOILER ENDED . . . . Ethan and Merit had a lot of sweet moments, especially in the beginning of the book. But their relationship should not take front page anymore because it is starting to get stale. And frankly, I'm tired of Merit becoming all weak because of her boyfriend and Ethan treating her like crap. I'm tired of Merit talking about their relationship as if she is 16 years old. You're "nearly 28"--be an adult. Rather, I would have liked if the books focused on a strong relationship and the grown up aspects of relationships. Also, I wish there were some Catcher and Mallory page time, I think they always have fun scenes. I can see that the series is winding down, so threads are being closed off. That's great. But I don't like it when a series ends with everything tied up neatly like a bow. I am already seeing a trend of "everyone needs to be paired off" happening, and I don't see the point of it. Would it be so terrible if Morgan, Jonah, etc. stayed single by the end of the series? I don't think so, and it would be more believable. But ignoring the childish romance, House Rules is a formidable addition to the Chicagoland series. I am looking forward to the future books if it continues this trend! Sex: One sex scene and lots of sexy scenes Violence: Beheadings, a fight between two very sexy vamps, and explosions. Nothing too graphic. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Series rating: 4 out of 5 stars Quote: "That guy," Lindsey said, "is a douche. Asterisk, I hate him. Footnote, he can suck it." Next Book: Biting Bad: A Chicagoland Vampires Novel comes out August 6th, 2013

I just finished "House Rules" and I have to say I love this series. They are fast reads and this one was another excellent adventure. All the characters are unique and strong, and I love them all, even the bad guys/girls. The storylines are unpredictible which makes them even better. They're witty, although this particular one seemed to have less humor. I've enjoyed every book in this series so far, and this one had a lot going on. My only problem with this series is Ethan. His character is very interesting and well written. But, for some reason, I don't like Ethan and Merit as a couple. I keep hoping her character will get over him and move on. I don't know what my aversion is to their being a couple, but it bugs me. I really liked the chemistry between Morgan and Merit and thought they were really fun, and then Morgan's character was turned into a whiney obnoxious hateful vamp and he and Merit stayed enemies for the most part, and Morgan is only mentioned when the story requires a jerk. That was a little to get used to. It didn't seem to fit that he would turn so hateful and insignificant when the character was so much fun to read. Then Jonah came along. I thought he and Merit were a perfect fit and the character is written so well. I know I sound picky, but I have to like my characters, even the baddies, and to bring in characters and then dismiss them so quickly just seems strange. Although Jonah is a friend, I wanted him to be more. It's probably because I don't care for the Ethan Merit union. But, Chloe Neill is an exciting writer and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Mixed feelings on this one, and just to warn you there's a mild rant or two ahead in this review. For the paranormal story line...4 stars. Couple of nice mysteries going on for Merit/Ethan and the Chicago gang to solve and they were interesting enough to hold my attention along with some drama with Lacey Sheridan, that wicked witch..er....vamp... from the west, and Merit's involvement with Jonah and the RG. The way I see it, this series has lost its romance and for the most part is just going paranormal. Which is okay, but it's not what initially drew me to this series. I liked the balance between the action and the romance. For me this series has lost its steam as far the main characters go. Unless CN can drum up something far more interesting with the existing characters only introducing new characters is going to spark any real interest here, and frankly I love the old characters just the way they were. If you're looking for some hot romance, don't look here. Giving this part of the bk 2 stars. Ethan/Merit are like an old boring married couple. For the first 81% of the bk (yes, really...81%!) all you get is a glance, an occasional kiss on the head, a hand held, a face stroked and a Merit that's just too tired from all her adventures to be interested in any sexual play before the sun goes down. Ho-hum, yawn. What I'd like to know is where is the alpha vamp Ethan who had a sex/blood bunnie on the side while lusting hot and heavy for Merit in the first 3 bks? Where is Merit the girl of the hour who had the vamp guys panting after her? No sexy neck biting or ravenously shared blood drinking and where the heck is the love? Ethan freaking died. You'd think he and Merit would be so ever grateful for a 2nd chance they'd be having wild monkey sex every chance they got on every surface imaginable. But N-O-O-O-! Just blah...that is until the 82% mark when Ethan throws down some jealous alpha male "Mine" kinda satisfaction. Not nearly as much as I'd like and not as in as much detail, but satisfaction none the less that the desire is still there and Ethan/Merit do love each other. Whew...worn out I'm tellin' ya just waiting for the good stuff. This bk would have been a heck of a lot shorter had CN not input a constant re-telling of past events, descriptions and basically the who's who and what was what throughout the bk. Who needed that? What I want to know is who in the heck is just starting this series with bk #7? We already know who these people are and what happened previously, we're fans already, we've read the bks, we need less old news and more new info. Once I got the gist of how things were getting bogged down, I skipped right over all that re-telling. Seemed like every few paragraphs we were thrust back in time making the story drag. Another 2 stars. Also missing was the witty banter and the fun mixed in with the drama. I loved the snarky comments between Merit/Mallory, for that matter Merit with just about most of the characters here...Catcher, Lyndsey, Luc, Ethan etc. The overall tone here is nothing but serious business with impending doom and gloom. There were really too few parts for all my favorite players to actually play much of a role in this story. I have to hand it to CN for attempting to include them all here, though it just wasn't much more than a brief nod to the favorites. In conclusion, was I glad I read this one? Sure, it's good to be back among the paranormals of Chicagoland, but also a tad bit disappointing too. Soooo.....with all that....I'll go with an overall 3 stars. Happy reading!