Friday Night Bites (Chicagoland Vampires, #2)

by Chloe Neill

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...

• ISBN10: 045122793X
• ISBN13: 9780451227935
• Publish Date: 6 October 2009
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
• Imprint: Signet
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451227935

Reviews

[Chelsea]

Currently obsessed with this series. If you want a good urban fantasy that's great for binging then I highly suggest this one. I love the main character Merit and have a love/hate relationship with Ethan even though I clearly want them to be together. I also really love all the side characters which really makes the book for me. There's so many different personalities that are a big part of this story and it makes it so much more fun to read!

I especially loved the plot of this one because we got to meet more of Merit's family and saw her go to some upper class parties with Ethan. I love seeing bits and pieces of that world even though it's obvious Merit doesn't want to be there (which just makes it more entertaining). Normally I'm not a fan of politic books but vampire politics are a lot more fun to me and I'm glad we're learning more about them. I can't wait to continue with this series!

[Silvara]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

I spent a lot of this book rooting for Morgan. I know, I know. It's obvious from the beginning of book 1 that Merit is interested in Ethan, and he in her. Even if it doesn't look like it will work. But Morgan seemed like such a sweet guy. I couldn't help hoping! (And no, I won't say who she picked, because she didn't exactly pick? And because spoilers. *nods*)

Merit did a few stupid things during the course of the book. Some of them made sense for her personality and what was happening at the time. But I couldn't help wanting to bang my head and yell at her. She also had a few really smart moments though, so it helped that it was somewhat balanced out. Also, Ethan needs to start actually telling Merit the things she needs to know prior to the moment she should have known them. If she's Cadogan's Sentinel, she needs the knowledge she's lacking by being such a new vampire.

I liked the bit of mystery, as well as some of the twists the book took. I'm super curious about the head of the Shapeshifters. I liked the little bit we saw of him before the book closed, and I'm hoping he stays likeable in the next book.

I don't like Merit's father at all. Pretty sure we're not supposed to like him, but I'm kinda hoping something bad happens to him in the series soon. He needs a serious dose of how to treat others and that he isn't the be all end all.

This book was a quick read, and I did enjoy it overall. If you like urban fantasy, and snarky/sarcastic characters you should read this series.

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated Aspects:

• I love the world Neill has created from the houses to vampires. The author does a wonderful job of explaining their hierarchy and rules that govern them.


• Merit is living in Cadogan House and adjusting to vampirism. We see growth in Merit as she accepts her roles, and also see how it affects her. We learn more about her vampire side and I am curious about the potential Merit has. Her friendships and such too a hit as she adapts into her role particularly her friendship with Mallory.


• Friday Night Bites delivered a darker tale than its predecessor Some Girls Bite. The tale is filled with political issues, house squabbles and threats.  Celina is a villain you will love to loath and she provided some intense moments. She has a huge vendetta against Cadogan House. Merit’s Dad was interesting. *raises eyebrow* Can you say political shark? The investigation and conflicts between Merit and well.... EVERYONE kept things interesting.


• The relationship between Ethan and Merit added a lighter, sexier, and fun element. I enjoyed their banter and the snark was fantastic. We see them begin to respect each other but I hope they never lose their BITE. While both may deny it, you cannot miss the sexual tension. I thought Morgan was fun-loving in the first book but I found myself wanting to smack him. The vamp needs a timeout. Ethan can floor you with a look or jaded remark but I still want to LICK him! I worried about a love triangle in Some Girls Bites, but things are resolved by the end of installment.


• Cynthia Holloway continues to narrate and while not a favorite, she is growing on me. I cannot quite listen at a comfortable speed. On normal speed she speaks to slow and bumping it up some characters sound like they've enjoyed one too many coffees.

Decaffeinated Aspects:

• In Some Girls Bite we had this gang of characters interacting but as Friday Night Bites moved the series forward we lost the interaction between this motley crew. Sure, the banter between Ethan and Merit helped, as did all the drama in her personal life, but I missed this close-knit group.


• While we see growth in Merit, we also see her hold grudges, and act like a spoiled child. I wanted more of the powerful, strong determined woman we witnessed in book one.


• As much as I like the world, I want more details on Ethan and other characters. I am hoping Neill shares their stories and history with us.

This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Berls]

For more reviews by Berls, check out Fantasy is More Fun

My Initial Reaction…

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one; so much of what happened I the first book was too convenient for me – from Merit’s transformation to vampire and her grandfather serving as the ombudsmen to Mallory’s sudden discovery of her magical powers. But in Friday Night Bites things are not coming so easily and it’s a lot more believable.

The Narration…

Cynthia Holloway continues to underwhelm me, but she’s bearable as a narrator. She doesn’t make characters come to life like my favorite narrators do, but she also doesn’t butcher them like the horrible narrators.

The Characters…

I enjoyed getting to know Merit better in this book. On one hand, she’s continuing to train with Catcher Bell and she’s struggling; her inner-vampire is proving challenging for her to control and she’s even beginning to wonder if something wasn’t quite right with her change. On the other hand, we’re seeing Merit interact with her family and in her previous comfort zones. For me, these talents were much more believable; she’s capitalizing on family connections, doing research in the Cadogan library, and thinking strategy.

I also really enjoyed Merit’s relationships with Morgan and Ethan – the scenes with both of them are fun reads; Morgan is so sweet, even if their chemistry is off. Meanwhile Ethan is beyond frustrating, but their chemistry is really captivating. We’re getting to know both men better and I’m not sure who I’d like to see her work things out with more. With Selena gone, Morgan is a new master vampire and he doesn’t quite no how to handle that role yet. It seems like he’s more vulnerable as a result – and I can’t decide if I find that more endearing or frustrating because he can be a bit childish. Ethan on the other hand is very confident. Sometimes it makes him a flat out ass, but his confidence can also be intoxicating. It was a real treat to see him and Merit getting to know each other better, especially when out in high society.

Mallory, Catcher, Jeff, and Chuck Merit all continue to be interesting characters for me. We particularly get to see a bit more of Catcher and Mallory, not only in terms of their whirlwind romance, but also in a teacher-student capacity. Mallory is getting to know more about her powers and I’m loving every glimpse we get of her. I hope she remains a prominent character as the series progresses.

The Story…

For me this story has two main themes: (1) Merit growing into who she is as a vampire, especially within Cadogan House, her new home; and (2) her efforts to uncover and stop a story about suspected vampire raves. I found Merit’s casual dialogue with the other vampires in Cadogan House a little frustrating – most the time they don’t talk like centuries old vampires, but 20 year old frat boys and sorority girls. I did, however, enjoy her efforts to come into her own as Sentinel of the House, from her work with the other Cadogan guards and training with Catcher to her investigative work. Her investigative work is by far the most interesting part of the plot. Seeing her re-enter high society to uncover what’s going on within a family she used to be close to, the Breckenridges. It’s not exactly the warm homecoming she was hoping for and trying to understand why becomes an even bigger part of the mystery.

Concluding Sentiments…

The plot in this book was much better than the first and I have high hopes that the series will continue to improve, especially since the characters have developed so much more in this book. I see a lot of potential for growth, fun, and romantic sparks in future books.

[MurderByDeath]

Just finished reading this book - most of it in one sitting. It just grabbed my attention and didn't let go. While there is a bit of a mystery in this book, it's not the central focus really; the continued adjustment of Merit to her new life and Mallory to hers takes precedent. Each of the characters grow quite a bit in this second book, and while I really don't like the hints of conflict between Merit and Mallory, I'm going to hope for the best, because I really think they have a great friendship. The banter throughout the book is great, and a few chapter titles made me chuckle. I thought Ethan an ass in the first book (although hot), but now I've warmed to him a bit more (also - still hot), now that there are hints of humanity about him.

All said, it's a fast faced, exciting read and I'm looking forward to book 3.

[wyvernfriend]

I like Merit, she's a rather fun character. Her adventures while she contrinues to try to adjust to life as a vampire I find a lot of fun, and largely refreshing. She's caught up in the politics of the region by vitrue of her connections and power and things are about to get more complicated.

She has to try to keep human-vampire relations sweet without appearing weak and try to understand centuries-old political structures without getting killed. I like how the author actually thinks through the implications of being centuries old and how traditions could be much different and how changing a vampire society could take time.

Sometimes the romance got in the way of the story for me but otherwise it was a lot of fun.

[Melanie]

Another Audible.com book. Love listening.

[Cocktails and Books]

Where is that pesky 1/2 star when I need it. This book is so very a 4 1/2 stars!!!!

Friday Night Bites picks up pretty much where Some Girls Bite ended. Merit is about to move out of Mallory's house and into Cadagan House. As the Sentinel, it makes more sense to live on the property and inhabitants she's supposed to protect rather than being across town. Besides, catching Mallory and Catcher in the throws one too many times forced her hand.

What she doesn't expect, the night she moved into the House, is Ethan requesting that she enter her old life as part of the Merit family. Ethan wants to use her and the connection to her father to further his own agenda. What he didn't count on was threats being leveled against the vampires in his house, in particular, his Sentinel by someone from her past.

I enjoyed this one more than Some Girls Bite. The pace was much faster and sucked you right into the action. The interactions between Ethan and Merit flipped between "oh my God, do it already to oh my God, smack the crap out of him". Right smack dab in the middle of their tension, we've got the "required" dating of Morgan. Morgan who is so dang sweet that I part of me kept hoping Merit would drop this Ethan fascination and stick with Morgan.

I'm moving on to Twice Bitten. Can't wait to find out what happens!

[Jo]

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... From Amazon US

After reading quite a lot of YA novels recently, I fancied a nice, funny, action packed adult urban fantasy, yet I didn't fancy trying something new. I wanted a story I knew, characters I loved, something I knew would feinitely grab me straight away, without having to learn anything knew world building wise. I absolutely loved Some Girls Bite, the first in the Chicagoland Vampires series, and as Friday Night Bites was sitting on my bookcase, I picked it up. And now wish I had read it much sooner!

Friday Night Bites has the same humour and sexual chemistry as in the first book, so there were many laughs and many hot moments. There isn't a huge amount of action in this book, but the story more than makes up for it. Unfortunately, it's so tightly wound around other things I can't tell you about, I can't really talk about it. But it's clever! And it keeps you guessing, on the edge of your seat.

The characters are still as good as they once were! I love Merit, she's so strong and so snarky, yet still trying to find her way. The struggles with the "will they? won't they?" love triangle involving Ethan and Morgan is still steaming, but emotional too. Catcher and Mallory are just so great together for a reader; all over each other one minute, at each other's throats the next. I just love them all!

The ending of this book, how the story is resolved is just wow! Seriously, it was scary - not in the horror sense, but in the "what on earth is going to happen to these characters?" sense. You're sitting on the edge of seat, and you don't see the ending coming! It's just so... oh, it's juicy! And I need to read the next book, Twice Bitten, now! I loved this book, and highly recommend this series to everyone!

From Ink and Paper - fantasy book blog.

[Hixxup]

OK so this book was awesome though it took me all day to read, but I have had some distractions throughout the day. Think it was great and omg the sexual tension between Merit and Ethan is OMG! delicious. My favorite quote from this book is "There ain't no party like a cagdon party" I busted out laughing over this part, too frickin funny.