2-for-1 Reviews! Some Girls Bite & Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill [+ Giveaway!]

Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, book 1)
Chloe Neill
NAL Trade
April 7, 2009
ISBN-10: 0451226259
  
First in a brand new series about a Chicago graduate student’s introduction into a society of vampires.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was Merit’s. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker—and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she’s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude— and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan’s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone’s still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

Some Girls Bite is the debut novel by Chloe Neill about a grad student who suddenly finds herself a vampire and well, it is GOOD.  Merit, the main character, was attacked by a rogue vampire and next thing she knows, she's ankle-deep into vampire politics. Most importantly, she's now part of House Cadogan and has to "service" the Master: Ethan Sullivan.

But it's not as dirty as I make it sound. Unfortunately.  It means that she owes her loyalty to him and to the House and has to do anything and everything to defend them. But having to deal with Ethan, their growing attraction and having a new life as a vampire is nothing compared to the fact that someone is still out to get her. Could it be the vampire who first tried to murder her? Or a vampire from a rival House?

Merit doesn't know but she has to found out before someone else dies.

Like I first mentioned, Some Girls Bite is incredibly awesome. I was very impressed, the plot is tight and consistent, the character development absolutely compelling. I must say that the first thing I look for in a good book is character development and Neill more than delivered. I loved every character - even the "bad guys"! - especially Morgan. He's second to the Navarre House and just sounds yummy! And Jeff, the twenty-one year old computer genius. Can I please have him? I just fell in love with ever character and from the beginning, I loved Merit and her story.

Neill has created a fabulous new world where vampires mingle with humans, nymphs fight over the Chicago river, and shape-shifters who are incredibly hot and funny (Jeff. Seriously - Can I have him?) The book has great, funny characters, hot sexual tension and more than enough action. I absolutely loved reading Some Girls Bite and I can't wait to start Friday Night Bites, the second book in the Chicagoland Vampires series.

***

Friday Night Bites (Chicagoland Vampires, book 2)
Chloe Neill
NAL Trade
October 6, 2009 
ISBN-10: 045122793X

The story of a young heiress's initiation into the dark society of the Chicagoland Vampires continues...

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... 

Friday Night Bites is the second book in the Chicagoland Vampires series and the awesomeness just continues! Merit has only been a vampire for about two months now but in that time she has risen in power and status in the Cadogan House, the house of vampires in which she belongs to. Something I love about this character is how she's not perfect, the fact that she's now pretty high in the upper echelon of the vampire politics hasn't gone to her head. She's adapting but still struggling with her new life and trying to balance her human and vampire sides and when Ethan Sullivan, the master of Cadogan and her boss, orders her to reconnect with her old human family in order to found more information and try to keep the raves out of the human eye, she doesn't have much choice but to accept.

Merit is also trying to deal with her love life. She's being courted by Morgan, the new Master of the Navarre House but she also has feelings for Ethan, which isn't good because from the beginning, he's put vampire politics before anything that could happen with her, and on top of that, it seems that he doesn't necessarily trust her. It definitely annoyed me whenever Ethan sort of played with her. He would once second kind of flirt and open up and next thing you know he's shutting the metaphysically door right in Merit's face! Needless to say, I liked Morgan way more but there's just something about Ethan I love too and I hope they somehow manage to make it work.

My other favorite characters are back! Jeff, the twenty-one year old genius shifter, Mallory, Merit's best friend and Catcher, Mallory's boyfriend, Merit's trainer and fourth-grade sorcerer. They're all such great secondary characters and make the story even more entertaining and fun to read.

Throughout the book, there's hints about what the next book is about and of course, I'm itching to read more! Friday Night Bites is a fabulously well-written, sexy and funny story and this series has quickly become one of my favorites yet!


Now - time for the giveaway! I have some Cadogan swag for a lucky winner; including a bookmark of Chloe's up-coming YA debut book called Firespell (Out in January) which I can't wait to read! (It sounds so good!) The bookmarks are super cute and I also added a handful of other different ones.

Stupid Flash.

So! To enter, leave a comment and I'll choose a winner Sunday night, and the goodies will go out on Monday! And also, don't forget to check out Chloe's Chicagoland Vampires books, they're awesome!