Book Title: TWICE BITTEN
Author Name: Chloe Neill
ISBN #: 978-0-451-23064-5
Publisher Name: NAL
Date Released: July 2010
Genre : Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
Book Format: Trade Paperback

BACK COVER BLURB:

Merit, Chicago's newest vampire, is learning how to play well with others. Other supernaturals, that is. Shapeshifters from across the country are coming in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard, Merit. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene – and to spy for the vamps while she's at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan's offering some steamy one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission.

Merit must accept the assignment even through she knows that she'll probably regret it. And she's not wrong. Someone is gunning for Gabriel Keene, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She'll need all the help she can get to tract down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals – not least between her and a certain centuries-old green-eyed vampire.


FIRST LINES:

It was the beginning of Route 66, the spot where "America's Main Street" began to traverse the United States. Buckingham Fountain, the heard of Grank Park, was named for the brother of the woman who donated the fountain to the city of Chicago.

LYNETTE'S TWO CENTS:

There comes a time in a person's life when they must eat crow and confess to being wrong. Today is my time.

The Chicagoland Vampire Series have been okay reads for me. The first book more so than then the second (Please see my review of Book One and Book Two). But I still didn't get all the fuss and all the squeals of "Ethan" that I hear vibrating over the internet.

Frankly, to me I felt like these ladies needed to get a life with this rabid fan girl crap. And, just because a cute guy is described in a book I don't get the squeals when said guy had done nothing to deserve them or if the plot/character arc/dialogue didn't support the character love. By this I mean Ethan's action did nothing to support all the ETHAN love going on. I mean come on . . ..

Seriously, there is nothing sexier than a man throwing you off to someone else and putting the needs of his job/position over you. So sexy ladies!

Anyhoo, I think the rabid fan girls of this series were jumping the gun with the Ethan/Chicagoland Vamp Love. Book One was good, but there are a lot of good books out there. Book Two, was so-so. But . . .

Book Three was pretty good. It's like the author is now hitting the stride with the series . . . .

MINOR SIDENOTE/REALIZATION BEGINS:

Wait a minute. I think I had the same feelings when reading the J.R. Ward series. I liked Book One, thought Book Two was okay, but when Book Three came out it turned me into a rabid fan girl until J.R. Ward managed to ruin it for me in every single book after Butch and Marissa.

Chloe Neil please don't ruin it for me, I'm liking you now. May I please say . . . DON'T SCREW IT UP!

MINOR SIDENOTE/REALIZATION OVER:

Now for the big issue. How to write an intriguing thought provoking, review of TWICE BITTEN without revealing anything that happened in the freaking book! WTF? But I tried and that's why this review is a rambling mess! BTW, If you looking for intriguing and thought provoking reviews, no offense, you've came to the wrong blog. LOL!

I'm going to try to write a half-way decent review, but it's going to probably turn out into a rambling mess!

If you remember from the end of FRIDAY NIGHT BITES Merit has received an invitation to meet someone unknown. TWICE BITTEN opens with the meeting and it wasn't what I expected.

This meeting leads to Merit having to make a huge decision. If she accepts the challenge it can take her life and vampirism into a whole new level, but she'll be pissing off one Master Vampire named Ethan Sullivan. So she's hesitant to accept the offer.

SIDE NOTE: Am I the only one who wonders how all those notes got slipped to Merit inside the house without anyone noticing? It's never addressed and not having little stuff resolved, drives my bat sh-t crazy!

Meanwhile, Ethan pimps Merit out again but this time it's to the shifters. The big Shifter conference, which has been talked about since book one, is finally coming to fruition and they want Merit as the guard. The only saving grace to Ethan pimping her out again is that Ethan is pulling guard duty with her too.

Ethan and Merit together, without all the drama crap. Is a thing to behold? They worked great together.

Adam had dropped on top of Gabriel, his arms a protective cocoon over Gabriel's head. Ethan had done the same thing to me. His body was over mine, his arms over my head, his lips at my ear. The contact made me shudder with desire, even as chaos broke out around us. And I wasn't thrilled about the role reversal: I was his guard, after all. I was supposed to protect him. But my rank as Sentinel didn't stop him from surrounding me with his body and from yelling, "Be still!" even as I struggled beneath him, trying to reverse our positions to keep him out of harm's way.

Be still, he silently repeated, as I huddled on the floor enveloped by the feel and warmth and smell of him.

Of course, then Ethan has to go screw it up and then Ethan's ex appears on the scene.

Theirs a whole lot going on inside the Caldogen (is that how you spell it, I had a mental block) House people.

Merit and Ethan have to uncover the plot against the shifters. The shifters are angry, aggressive dudes. Ethan's primal instinct comes out and he man's up and puts Merit first for a moment. But, don't get you're hopes up, because it's a very short moment. As-hole!

Morgan is a baby and he needs to man up. Let's kick Morgan off the island people!

Umm, when is she going to ask about the other people in the house and their positions? Isn't she curious about Malik's wife? I was assuming that the black female vamp was Malik's wife but it's never stated and their story isn't explored. Frankly, I'm interested. But since Merit seems not to be interested then I'll never know. That's one thing that annoys the heck out of me about novels told in first person.

Merit is kinda self-centered. I'm glad Mallory called her on that.

Speaking of all the Ethan love. Screw him. Catcher is The Man for me. Despite all their fights he always puts his woman first. That's a man!

"Mallory Carmicheal and Catcher Bell," he (Ethan) said. "Catcher, I believe you and Lacey met when she was in the House."

"Yep." That was all Catcher said. He didn't bother extending a hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Catcher."

He barely acknowledged the greeting, and my heart warmed. Catcher was gruff, sure, but that usually didn't involve outright snubbing people, at least in my experience. I may have given him and Mallory a lot of crap about their naked shenanigans, but he knew which team he was on.

Umm drawling a blank now.

Umm, I loved the chemistry between Ethan and Merit it's revved up several notches. I can totally see them being a team now, once Ethan gets that stick out of his A--. Now it's looking more like a romance. Since that's what I prefer, want to bet that the next book isn't going to have a hint of romance?

I'll definitely get the next release. And only because in the end, Ethan does this.

Inside the box sat a baseball, its well-worn white leather marked by the signatures of every Cubs player from the pennant-winning team. It was just like the one I'd had – just like the one I told him about . . .

I'm now an Ethan girl. At least until he goes back to being an A-s. I'm fickle like that!

WHERE PURCHASED:
Won ARC from publisher with NO promise to review.

Rating:
B+