Wicked Hour (Heirs of Chicagoland, #2)

by Chloe Neill

In the second pulse-pounding novel in the USA Today bestselling Heirs of Chicagoland series, vampire Elisa Sullivan gets drawn into the shifting sands of Pack politics.
 
Vampires were made, not born—until Elisa Sullivan came along. As the only vampire child in existence, she grew up with a heavy legacy, and tried to flee her past. Then circumstances drew her back to Chicago, and she stayed to keep it safe. With shifter Connor Keene, the only son of Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, at her side, she faced down a supernatural evil that threatened to destroy Chicago forever.
 
After the dust from the attack has settled, Elisa is surprised when Connor invites her to a usually private Pack event in the north woods of Minnesota, and by the warm welcome she receives from some of Connor’s family, even though she's a vampire. But the peace doesn't last. The shifters tell tales of a monster in the woods, and when the celebration is marred by death, Elisa and Connor find themselves in the middle of a struggle for control that forces Elisa to face her true self—fangs and all.

• ISBN10: 039958711X
• ISBN13: 9780399587115
• Publish Date: 3 December 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399587115

Reviews

[Berls]

I enjoyed this book so much more than the first in the series. The change in location allowed for greater distance from the characters of Chicagoland Vampires and let these new characters stand on their own. I found that I liked them a lot more and enjoyed their ability to stand on their own.

In Wicked Hour Elisa and Connor are visiting Minnesota, primarily for the initiation of a pack/family member, but also because some fishy things have been happening there and Connor needs to investigate. This had lots of pluses:

1. We're not in Chicago anymore, meaning we don't have all the old people, power structures and story lines hovering over Elisa and her friends/partners in crime. It really made a HUGE difference for my ability to get to know them and like them on their own.


2. This is the most we've ever seen inside the shifter world, and it's more complex and fraught with politics than I thought. It's not vampire level, but it's a lot more than we've seen previously. I enjoyed getting in deep with them


3. Connor and Elisa's relationship takes on a whole different dynamic - it's partly that they aren't just standing as the son of the Apex and the daughter of a Master Vampire, but as powers and leaders in their own right. It's also that Connor is sort of making a declaration about Elisa by bringing her along - a bold step and one that makes their relationship a lot deeper than I had expected at this point (based on where they were in the last book).

Overall, I really enjoyed the solid detective work - a standard of this and the Chicagoland Vampires series - as well as getting to know everyone better. I do feel like there's some repetition of the previous series potentially happening, but we'll see what direction it takes before I make judgement. And I will admit, I'm very curious about Elisa's "Beast" and what exactly that will become for her moving forward.

Suzanne Elise Freeman does a good job with the narration and I really like the way she has enhanced the personalities. I will definitely continue to listen to the series.

[MurderByDeath]

I was a big fan of the Chicagoland Vampires series, but wasn't quite so sure about the spin-off until I finished the first book (which started slow).  Then I was hooked.  Wicked Hour was even better than the first book combining a group of established friends from the first book with a great setting, snarky dialog, and an interesting mystery.  What is the mysterious beast in the north woods of Minnesota? 

The two main characters of this series are a vampire and a werewolf in love with each other, so I expected the inevitable conflict between species to be one the author might milk for at least a couple of books.  So imagine my glee when she didn't take that trope-tastic route but instead had her two main characters act like rational adults.  

Where the author did skirt the line was the amount of animosity Lis was up against from the werewolf clan.  At times it felt too manufactured to be believed, although towards the end  the author made it work by turning it inward and making it about something larger than Lis's vampirism.

All up it was an excellent sophomore entry in a promising new series I look forward to continuing.

[Chelsea]

I love that we're getting romance so early on in this series! I love seeing them work together and can't wait for the next book!

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Wicked Hour through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wicked Hour is the second novel in the Heirs of Chicagoland series by Chloe Neill. And yes, the entire series is a spin-off of her famous Chicagoland series, in case that wasn't obvious. Fans of her writing are going to love this latest addition to her world.
There's a private event happening in Pack territory back in Minnesota, that's nothing new or surprising. What is surprising is that Conner has asked Elisa to come with him. A vampire attending a private Pack event is utterly unheard of. And naturally, that means that nothing is going to be as simple as expected, or hoped for.
Elisa Sullivan isn't your ordinary vampire – and no, she's really not just saying that. She was born a vampire, not made into a vampire. And that has brought with it several...unexpected surprises along with her condition. But she's slowly getting control over her monster, thanks to the open acceptance of people like Conner.

“There was more to me than fans and immortality: There was the monster that lived inside, created – as far as I'd guessed – of the same fragmented magic that had allowed me to be born, as the first vampire ever created by birth, not by bite.”

I've been looking forward to Wicked Hour ever since I heard that it was coming out. And trust me, it did not disappoint. It was everything that it promised, compelling, heart-pounding, and full to the brim of weres.
Wicked Hour has a little bit of something for everyone. There are witches, werewolves, vampires, magic, politics, and romance. It's a perfect combination, all things considered. And it's something Neill's fans have come to expect.
I was fascinated by this plot. I loved the idea of Conner going out of his way to show Elisa his interest – and by doing something totally unexpected. Such as inviting her to a Pack-only event. It also gave us readers a chance to see a whole different side of this world, and I couldn't be more excited about that.
Naturally, things didn't go according to plan. But I loved every minute of it. The politics were intense and concerning. The mystery was intriguing, raising more questions than it answered, right up until the end.
I devoured Wicked Hour, and that's a fact I kind of regret. Before I knew it, I was out of pages. And that's going to leave me with one heck of a book hangover (worth it). I'm honestly looking forward to seeing the rest of Elisa's tale, ideally alongside Conner and her quirky group of friends.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[kimbacaffeinate]

While not as intense as the Wild Hunger, I quickly slipped in and enjoyed the characters, mystery and strange happens in this secular clan. The pack bought an old resort and live as humans choosing not to come out as others have. The older members are set in their ways and it’s caused issues with the newer generation.

The mystery involved the death of pack members. Conner and Elisa investigate and trouble follows. Elisa struggles to contain her inner “beast” and a battle with transformed creatures results in more problems with the clan. It was intense. Lulu, Theo and Eleanor winks arrive to give aid. The family assists via chats were fantastic. I swooned so hard over Gabriel.

If you like a mix of lore, mystery, snark and enjoy vampire and shifter books, you won’t want to miss this series. I am having a blast with Elisa, Conner and their friends!

We get some romance, and a little resistance, jealousy and threats. This is a thread that will develop over the course of the series and tease me endless, I am sure!

While this is a spinoff, I will confess that I only listened to the first two audiobooks of the Chicagoland series before jumping ship. Now I am thinking I may go back and read them. *sigh* This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer