REVIEW: Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill

Title: Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, #1)
Author: Chloe Neill
Format: paperback, 341 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: library
Published: April 2009 by NAL Trade

First in a brand new series about a Chicago graduate student's introduction into a society of vampires.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war and there will be blood.

Why I Read this Book: I saw all kinds of conflicting reactions to the 4th book in this series (Hard Bitten) that I decided to start reading this series myself to see what all the hoopla was about.

What I Liked: As the first book in the series, Some Girls Bite sets the foundation for the series. I was pulled into the world of these Chicago vampires.

The secondary characters were fun to read. Carter’s smart, good looking but then became unavailable. Ethan seemed likeable at first but now I’m not so sure anymore. I think he’s hiding something. But I love the romantic tension between him and Merit. Morgan seems like a good guy but he too seems like he could be hiding something. Not exactly trustworthy prospects but they both have my attention. Jeff is hot and I definitely want to get to know more of his character. I love how he flirts with Merit so blatantly. We don’t learn much about him in this book but I hope he gets more page time in upcoming books. And I loved Mallory, Merit’s BFF. She’s a loyal and fun friend.

What I Didn’t Like: I discovered I have a new reading pet peeve: I absolutely hate it when a character agrees to a favor without setting any stipulations in place. It’s like walking into a snake pit blind folded. It’s stupid and you know there’s going to be one helluva price to pay for that agreement. And Merit did just that.

I like strong, kick-ass heroines and unfortunately Merit doesn’t fit the bill for me. She’s training and learning but I’m not getting the ‘tough chick’ vibe from her. It weakened the story for me a bit. She’s tough vocally but I need a little more. Maybe she’ll toughen up in the next book.

Why don’t we know Merit’s first name? Why does she go by her last name, a name that she doesn’t like being affiliated with because she despises her father? It made no sense and I wasn’t given a reason to it. Ms. Neill, you have some s’plaining to do (says me in my Ricky Ricardo voice).

Overall Impression: Even with its faults, Some Girls Bite was a good read. It set the stage for the series and got me interested in Ethan and Merit. And although Merit isn’t my favorite heroine, it was still a fun read. 

 

The Book Vixen’s Rating: