HOUSE RULES (Chicagoland Vampires 7) by Chloe Neill Review & Giveaways

HOUSE RULES (Chicagoland Vampires 7) by Chloe Neill-Adult Urban Fantasy

Paperback given by Penguin for review/blog tour

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.
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 Take:

Cadogan goes ROGUE. Did I ever think this day would come? Wellll....possibly, but let me tell you...this series never ceases to entertain me. I've been a loyal Chicagoland Vampires fan for a long time. Well before I started blogging. In fact, this is my first formal review for any book in the series. But, as I said, despite the fact that we're now in book 7 in the series, Merit and crew still make me quite happy. 

For those of you that don't know Merit, she is a somewhat recently turned vampire. She was minding her own business one night on campus, when she was attacked and turned into a vampire. Never fear, sexy Ethan Sullivan was there to help her through. Even though Ethan isn't the vamp that sired her, he welcomed her into his home, Cadogan. See...there are vampire houses set up around the world. Three of which are in Chicago and one is run by our blond hero, Ethan. So, bringing you up to speed (which of course there is loads of drama in between), Merit is the Sentinel of the Cadogan House. She is the sole protector of the Master of the House and is able to make decisions for the House's safety. Nice gig, right? Anyway, in HOUSE RULES, Merit has to find out who is killing rogue vamps in the city AND help Cadogan keep their House and break away from the GP. Heavy stuff. Yes, this book is action packed, but don't you worry...we get plenty of Ethan and Merit love. *sigh*

If you follow my reviews, you know that I love it when I can connect to the characters. Well Merit is not only a heroine that I've connected with, but admire as well. She sure has made mistakes, but she is fearless and takes ownership when she's wrong. Now, I happen to think that Ethan is the perfect compliment for Merit. I've always thought he was sexy, but once they really started to fall in love...I fell hard for him. He continues to deliver some truly swoony lines. Not only do I love Merit and Ethan, but I love the supporting characters as well (Especially Catcher and Gabriel). They all add value and entertainment to the series. 

Ok, here's the thing, this series is one of my all-time favorite Urban Fantasy series. I will follow Merit and Ethan to the end. And, despite their personal ups and downs as a couple, I have faith that they will make it last in the long run. As well as, keeping the peace in Chicagoland among all the supes and humans. Do I want you to get this series? Yes. Yes, you must! Chloe Neill has developed a truly spectacular series. I've become so intensely involved in these characters lives. I'm so glad that I found this series years ago. I highly recommend it. 

*This series is in the adult age group and there are some mature scenes. However, they are not graphic and in my opinion, a mature late-teen reader could handle it.*

Quotes:

~"So you traded up?" I asked, walking toward the car and opening the door. "Do you treat your relationships in the same way?"

"Yes," Ethan gravely said. "And I spent four hundred years shopping before I met you."

It was comments like that that kept me around, even when Ethan was being otherwise insufferable. He popped them into conversation just often enough to make my heart melt.-pg 31

~A burst of pride filled my chest. The man was walking power and confidence, and he was all mine. 

"Seriously," Lindsey whispered, "well done."

"I know, right?"-pg 110

~I glanced back, the House glowing gold in the darkness of Hyde Park, three stories of stone and blood and memories.

A GP issue we hadn't been able to fix.

Four murders we hadn't been able to solve. 

A relationship I'd broken.-pg 259

My Giveaway

• Two “Chicagoland Vampires” tote bags designed just for this tour 
• Chicagoland Vampires pens designed just for this tour 
• A signed copy of one Chicagoland Vampires novel 
• “I survived Hard Bitten” buttons 
• Chicagoland Vampires bookmarks and other swag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The fun doesn’t stop here. Want more chances to win? You can also enter Chloe’s House Rules Grand Prize Giveaways, which will run January 30 through February 7 on Chloe’s web site.

What are the Grand Prize Giveaway prizes?

Prize One: The Paper Prize
A complete set of autographed Chicagoland Vampires novels
A $50 gift card from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice)
A set of personalized bookplates, courtesy of Felix Doolittle
A Chicagoland Vampires tote bag

Prize Two: The Tech Prize
A set of Chicagoland Vampires audiobook CDs (Books 1-6), courtesy of Tantor Audio
A $50 gift card from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice)
A Chicagoland Vampires tote bag

Both prize packages will include plenty of Chicagoland Vampires and Dark Elite swag, including bookmarks, stickers, pencils, or other goodies (as supplies last)

About the Author:

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 atwww.chloeneill.com.