ARC Review, Interview & Giveaway: Blood Games by Chloe Neill (Official Blog Tour Stop)

 

BLOOD GAMES

Chicagoland Vampires Series #10

by Chloe Neill

Publisher: NAL Trade (August 5, 2014)
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Adult
Format: ARC (352 pages)
Source: Free book from publisher for honest review
Find It: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-AMillion | iBooks | IndieBound | Tantor
Rating: ★★★½☆ (3.5 stars)

Summary
While Merit didn’t choose to become a vampire or Sentinel of Cadogan House, she vowed to fight for her House and its Master, and she’s managed to forge strong alliances with powerful supernaturals across Chicago. But even though Merit has had wild adventures, this may be her deadliest yet….

A killer is stalking Chicago, preying on humans and leaving his victims with magical souvenirs. The CPD hasn’t been able to track the assailant, and as the body count rises, the city is running out of options. Vampires and humans aren’t on great terms, but murder makes for strange bedfellows. Can Merit find the killer before she becomes a target?

At A Glance
I love this series and the characters but why the hokey writing all of a sudden?

The Good
The Chicagoland Vampires Series was one of the first urban fantasy series I ever read. It had all the elements I loved in a UF and it still does. I love how Chloe has kept true to her style of heavy mystery and investigative storylines. I feel like I learn so much with each book as this supernatural world keeps getting bigger and broader. I never want it to end.

Merit kicked ass in this book. It's so interesting how she takes the most random pieces of evidence and utilizes her connections to bring everything together and bring the bad guy down. She has the most amazing team on her side and she is stronger for it.

But it was Ethan who went through the most in Blood Games. The power is shifting and Ethan is caught in the middle. He may finally get the chance to guide his race and make a difference if only others would stop trying to hinder his progress. Ethan is really put through the ringer as he is hit from all sides. I respect him so much for going through hell just to ensure a better and fair life for his fellow vampires. Though he did go back to his old ways of being closed-off and secretive like before, which was frustrating, I did understand his motives.

The crew was all present. I feel like the old Mallory is finally back. Like the whole evil witch thing never happened. The plot was good, especially with the two main storylines being so engrossing, and the action was pretty exciting. The ending was definitely interesting too. I wonder where the next book will lead.

The Bad
Even though I love and will always love this series, I find myself getting annoying with the cliché and hokey dialogue and writing in the past few books. I often find myself rolling my eyes over silly puns and over the top gushing.

There is a huge power shift in Blood Games and I was super excited for the change up, but the final decision on who got the power made absolutely no sense at all. I understand the decision for the sake of keeping this series interesting and suspenseful, but realistically, it had no backing or logic.

The Snuggly
Ethan and Merit go through some tough times in this book, and even though they both irritated me at times, I loved how solid their relationship was no matter their current problems. I think they grew even closer by the end and I didn't think that was possible.

There is a sex scene or two. For a adult/new adult audience.

Final Thoughts
A great plot and detailed storylines like always. Merit and Ethan are perfect, even when they aren't. I am not feeling the silly dialogue and bad puns, but hey, it's not like I am going to stop reading this series. I am way too invested. Recommended.

Author Bio
Chloe Neill was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest—just close enough to Cadogan House and St. Sophia's to keep an eye on things. When not transcribing Merit’s and Lily’s adventures, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys—her husband (also her favorite landscape photographer) and their dogs, Baxter and Scout. (Both she and the photographer understand the dogs are in charge.) Visit her on the Web at www.chloeneill.com.

Jennifer: Did anything (or anyone) surprise you while writing Blood Games?

Chloe: Mallory surprised me with her encyclopedic knowledge of the supernatural, and the Nymphs surprised me with their industriousness. Oh, and Ethan surprised me with his vulnerability in this novel.

Jennifer: What is your favorite part of the process of writing a book?

Chloe: Being done with it! (I say that now because I'm trying to finish DARK DEBT.) Actually, the initial research and idea-gathering is really fun. Just letting your mind float around different option is a lot of unregimented fun.

Jennifer: Why write in urban fantasy out of all genres?

Chloe: Because I am most interested in that fantasy/supernatural element, and how its situated into our real world. I love making up the rules and thinking about myth origins, and I'd much rather explore those issues than paying bills and going to work, and other nonmagical things. :)

Jennifer: What's your funniest (or weirdest) moment as an author?

Chloe: At SDCC a couple of years ago, Patricia Briggs told me she loved my books. I had a moment. :)

 ~~~~~~~~~~

The fun doesn’t stop here. Want more chances to win? You can also enter the Blood Games Grand Prize Giveaway, which runs July 28  through August 8 on Chloe’s web site.

What is the Grand Prize Giveaway prize?

• An engraved Cadogan House medal necklace
• A Kindle Paperwhite
• A complete set of Chicagoland Vampires Audiobook CDs (graciously provided by Tantor Audio)
• A limited edition Cadogan House keychain
• Chicagoland Vampires bookmarks, pens, and lanyard

 ~~~~~~~~~~

You can also enter my giveaway for a chance to win:

 

Limited Edition Cadogan House Chrome Keychain

Chicagoland Vampires Tote Bag

The autographed Chicagoland Vampires novel, Biting Bad

Swag, including Chicagoland Vampires bookmarks and pens, and Cadogan House lanyards

Open internationally! Details on the rafflecopter. Ends August 23rd.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the other Blood Games Blog Tour stops:
 

Monday, July 28 – Booklovers For Life | Finding Sanity In Our Crazy Life
Tuesday, July 29 – Nocturne Reads | Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust | Krista’s Dust Jacket
Wednesday, July 30 – Reading on the Rocks | A Book Obsession
Thursday, July 31 – Professional Fangirls | Reading & Writing Urban Fantasy, Paranormal & Romance | Cere’s Book World
Friday, August 1 – Meredith’s Rambles & Babbles | Fallen for Books

Monday, August 4 – Tru Bookie’s Review
Tuesday, August 5 (Release Day) - Saucy Wenches | Literary Escapism | Vampire Book Club 
Wednesday, August 6 – Book Suburbia
Thursday, August 7 – Nomi’s Paranormal Palace | Between Fantasy & Reality
Friday, August 8 – Team Nerd Reviews