Can you believe that we've arrived at the 10th Chicagoland Vampires book? Once again, I'm honored and super excited to be a tour stop for Chloe Neill's BLOOD GAMES (Chicagoland Vampires #10), and once again, I have two great giveaways for you, in addition to my review. Read on for all the deets!
To Be Published August 5, 2014
Publisher: NAL
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Rating: 5 STARS
(From Goodreads) 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?
It's pretty incredible to think about the fact that 10 books in, the Chicagoland Vampires series is still going strong. Each new addition continues to be amazing - I'm always looking forward to the next one. It seemed like my wait for Blood Games was exceptionally long, given the ending of Wild Things. But, finally, the wait is over.
Ethan is moving forward with his challenge for the right to rule the GP, and Merit continues to do what she does best - protect the citizens of Chicago from all the bad things. In this case, there's a serial killer on the loose and the killings have a paranormal ring to them. About the time Ethan, Merit and Jonah are called in by the CPD to help, things in the race for the GP start getting weird. Darius is acting strangely and Ethan is being blackmailed and he refuses to talk to Merit about any of it. Just when Merit thought they had their relationship figured out, she realizes that centuries of stubbornness can't be fixed that quickly.
Blood Games had everything I love about this series. There was not one but two fantastic mysteries to be solved - first is that of who is killing the citizens of Chicago and displaying them in curious positions. Second is that of who is manipulating Darius into acting out of character. Chloe Neill does everything right in regards to the secrets and subterfuge. It was hard for me to figure out who the real culprits were and what drove them to their actions, and I love it when I can't see the ending coming until it's smacking me in the face. Details and clues are slowly brought to light around the ops room table and in off-site meetings between the Ombuddies and the vampires. The pacing is perfect.
One of my favorite parts about Blood Games is that we got to see into the inner workings of Cadogan House more than we have in quite awhile. A lot of time is spent in the house as Ethan prepares for the response to his challenge of Darius' rule. We see Margot, Helen, Malik, and all the other vampires that make up Cadogan as they all rally around their Master. We see a lot of Luc and Lindsey in Blood Games too. Their relationship has also come a very long way since the beginning, and I love seeing them together now.
But, Ethan and Merit are really why we all keep coming back, right? It's their relationship that has catapulted us through ten books now and keeps us begging for more. The fact that Merit - this vampire of barely a year - has completely changed this 400-year-old master is the stuff of romantic legends. It's clear at this point how much they both love and respect and adore each other. And, thankfully, those things don't negate relationship troubles. Ethan can still act like an ass. Merit can still be overbearing. And that makes me love them even more. And, just because they are both now comfortable with their place in each other's lives doesn't mean that Chloe Neill skirts around the sexy times. There's this one scene... well, let's just say that Merit and Ethan don't do sleepy morning sex. Everything about them is passion and intensity, and thankfully it doesn't seem to be fading in the least.
We also see a lot more of Jonah in Blood Games. Ethan reluctantly relinquishes some of his partnering duties to Merit's RG partner, so the spotlight shone on Merit's and Jonah's working relationship, as well as on more of the inner workings of the RG. They've fallen into a very comfortable place where they work in synch with each other and don't shy away from snarking and teasing. Jonah's become one of my favorite side characters, and I hope we see more of him moving forward. I anticipate we will, since the absolutely CLV WORLD-SHATTERING ending to Blood Games will have foundation-shaking repercussions to the RG and all the vampire houses.
No, Blood Games didn't end like I thought it would, but wow. It was so much better than I had imagined. It's clear that Chloe Neill is writing for the long haul, as the world these amazing characters live in continuously shifts and changes, all for the better. If you were worried about the stories becoming flat and stagnant, have no fear. Chloe Neill knows just how to rock you and keep you eager for the next book so you can see what happens next. Ten books in, and I assure you, there is absolutely no sign of me ever abandoning this series.
Giveaways
Chloe Neill has graciously provided me with some awesome prizes to award to one lucky US winner. Fill out the Rafflecopter for a chance to win
- A signed copy of WILD THINGS (Chicagoland Vampires #9)
- A limited edition Cadogan House keychain
- Chicagoland Vampires bookmarks, pens, and lanyard
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
Tour Schedule
Check out all the stops on the tour for chances to win other prize packages!
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
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