Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires Series #4)

Wow killer of an ending but still have hope!!

ok first off i prepare myself for the emotional roller coaster that I'd be having in this book having read previous reviews from those who were lucky enough to get advance copies i knew that the ending of this book will leave me chewing on my nails till there is nothing left but stubs and boy did it!!
To start off Neill builds a world of a budding romance, none stop action, laugh out loud humor and suspenseful mystery that will leave you breathless for more. Trust me when i say this series is amazing. she gives a new take on vampires specifically of a newly turned vamp "Merit" coming to terms with being changed against her will and her new position in Cadogan house as there Sentinel. What i love about Neill is that you never know what to expect from her (*ehem the ending ehem* ). I LOVE LOVE LOVE this series. Her plot run smoothly and Neill seems to make it her job to squeeze out such gut wrenching emotions from her readers though out each book. I'll admit that i laughed and cried and even got a little frustrated with certain scenes in this book and that's why i loved it so much. You see how Merit grows though out each book to such an amazing heroin and how she struggles with her emotions like any other person and not just jump into sex and death. I love Merit, she's kick ass, witty, sarcastic, determined and she refuses to let people walk all over her especially a certain drop dead gorgeous *cough cough* ; ) master vamp Ethan. U sees their love- hate relationship grow in each book into something beautiful and new .This book you get a chance to see Ethan finally admits his true feelings to Merit. *sighs*. I also love her secondary characters which you get to see more in this book Mallory/Catcher, Jeff and the pack, Lindsey and Luc, Grandpa Chuck and a certain Jonah which i can't decide whether i love his sexy self yet or hate him. But a certain green eyed vamp will always be my number one ; )
The story line is fresh and new. Hard bitten leaves off shorty after Twice bitten. Merit in this book shows her true colors as sentinel of the house and is determined with the help of her friends to find out who the culprit is in this drug distribution that is ruining the vampire world. i couldn't figure out who it was till latter on in the book which was great because it kept me reading till the wee hours of the night. It also tied up some loose ends I had of Merits past and why she became a vamp against her will.
Now drum roll please..... The ending... ok I'd like to start out by saying .... GOOD GOD FROM THE HEAVENS ABOVE WHAT THE HECK KIND OF ENDDING IS THAT!!!!!! breathe in breathe out ... now that i got that off my chest. I was this close (pinching my index finger and thumb together with only a millimeter of space between them) to ripping each page out the book and burning the remains and stomping on the ashes!!! i had to read that section of the book over a good couple of times because i could of sworn my eyes were playing tricks on me but NO that was not the case so after my little fit with said book (thank god it's still in one piece) i went to Neill's blog to see if there are any answers as to what possessed her to write such an out of this world ending and there was only 2 words said "trust me" soooo that's what I'm going to do I'm going to trust Neill and pray real hard that there will be some serious magic and resurrection happening in Drink Deep!! other than that little nugget i LOVED the book and the series

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

A twist I'm not sure I appreciate

While I really enjoy the arthor's writing style and characters, the ending of this book makes me unsure of whether or not I want to continue with the series. Don't get me wrong, I understand she can take the series in any direction she would like, however this twist nearly makes me want to throw my hands up. The main characters are higly relatable in their sarcasm, emotions, and flair. All in all I say it is a well written book with a shocking twist at the end. Don't read this book if you don't want to be surprised, shocked and a little dumbfounded. It will definitely leave you shaking your head and wondering what can possibly happen after this.

8 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

so dissapointed...

why? that is my question... there will be a twist in the next book i am sure but i can not believe chloe would end this book this way... so very dissapointed. i am not sure i want to continue reading or not.

8 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

hated the end

I agree wih the others - horrible ending. If it isnt fixed I will not read this series anymore. Disappointing and depressing!

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

If you're looking for depressing

I loved the first three books of this series. Full of suspense and emotion. My conflict with this book is the fact that I read to take my mind off my own troubles. Relieve some stress and get wrapped up in feel-good fantasy. It's irritating to me that authors think they're doing their readers a favor by throwing in the unexpected just for the sake of unpredictability. Its a cop out. I waited anxiously for this book to hit my nook at midnight. I read late into the night and every free moment after until I finished tonight. Now I'm angry and upset over a fictional story. Very disappointed that through 3.95 books the author pulls you in one direction only to wipe it all out. In two or three sentences. I don't understand why it's cool to rip out the reader's heart. I can watch the nightly news for that. Thanks Chloe Neill for nothing. At least on this one.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

The fourth Chicagoland Vampires is an exhilarating entry

As anti-vampire protesters picket Cadogen House, three women go missing. Chicago Mayor Tate warns Master vampire Ethan Sullivan head of the Cadogen House that he will go to jail or worse if he fails to catch and hand over the serial killer of humans. Ethan assigns his young Sentinel Merit to investigate the homicides.

To keep her master from spending time in prison, Merit and the underground vampires team up to find the killer. However, Merit knows she must watch her back with the underground who have their own objectives. She is unprepared as to the direction the clues lead at the same time humans demand she and her associates mind their own business or else.

The fourth Chicagoland Vampires (see Twice Bitten and Friday Night Bites) is an exhilarating entry as the lead vamps and the Mayor face difficult issues. The story line is fast-paced with a sort of amateur sleuth feel to the plot as the heroine explores the human and paranormal species links while hot heads from both sides want her staked. With a great stunning late twist Chloe Neill continues to rock the urban fantasy sub-genre with her strong thrillers.

Harriet Klausner

4 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Shocked

I absolutely loved the first three books and couldn't wait for this one to come out. I literally just got done reading this one and I loved this one until the end. I do not know how she could have possibly ended this book the way she did. I am hoping something happens in the next book that will change the outcome. If not I do not know if I will continue to read the rest of the series.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Wow

All I can say is Wow. I did not expect that ending at all and I'm not really liking the book right now because of it.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great series, but....

I have never felt the urge to write a review before, but considering that this series has kept me from studying for finals for the better part of a week, I feel as though I should. I absolutely love the first three books. They are great, filled with witty sarcasm and enough action to keep everything alive and interesting. However, this book throws readers for an absolute loop. The characters really progress in Hard Bitten, and I was completely enthralled in the book...until the end. Needless to say, when that curveball is thrown, I pitched a fit, and if I hadn't pulled myself back at the last moment I quite possibly would have thrown my nook. I will read the next book, with hopes that certain issues will be ammended, but I advise everyone to read ahead with caution.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Huge letdown

After enjoying the last 3 books,I eagerly awaited Hard Bitten. And I am sad to say it was not worth the wait. Merit lacks maturity,she's a grad student who often acts and thinks like a teenager.

And the ending which I am not sure if it was to be for 'shock' and hope to bring readers racing back for the next book,left me not wanting the next book.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Disappointed because Chloe kills off a main charactor

I very much enjoyed the Chicagoland Vampire Series until Hard Bitten. I think Chloe made a big mistake in killing off Ethan Sullivan. Chloe's website indicates we should trust her, so I am going to try.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Im not sure whether I enjoyed or really hated this book.

I loved this series, but this book broke my heart.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not What I Expected...

Alright. I loved the other books - especially the growing relationship between Ethan and Merit. But this book simply did not live up to what I expected. The ending I hated. Completely changed the environment for the next book, which I will read and hope for the best.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

She Better Fix This

I'm not as angry or as disheartened as the other reviewers because I'm late to the series and I checked out the reviews for this book before I read it so I was already mentally prepared for what was gonna happen. That being said, the last 2 chapters will mind rape you and have you going, "what the f..." It was a pretty good book, royally eff'd up ending and an annoying new character from the GP. I'm curious to see how she's gonna fix and according to her blog she wants us to "trust" her and she knows what she's doing. Though I don't really see how you can reverse something like that.. With all the betrayls, the twists, cliffhanger... I would recommend trying to space or wait this book out so you don't have to be as anxious and riled as the rest of us for the next one.... The least she coulda done was make the 5th book come out sooner if she was gonna end it like that....

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good reading, sad ending

I have really enjoyed the series--having a difficult time putting each book down. This book was great, but very sad, I actually shed some tears. I am crushed by the ending and can only hope she finds a way to make up for it in the next book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful!

I read a lot of different series i am a huge kresley cole fan, patricia briggs, jac frank etc and now huge fan of ms neill! Series is a must read unlike anything ive read keeps u on the edge highly recommend

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

OMG

I ripped through the first three books in the series in a week and salivated over this 4th book. My heart has a hole that has not vanished for the past 3 days since I read the ending of Hard Bitten. I am a die hard vampire series fan caught pleasantly off guard by Chloe Neill's candid and refreshing works. I hate to wish my life away but no question that November can't get here soon enough! Talk about a teaser....

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well...

I was totally unprepared for this ending because I bought based on my love of the other books in the series and didn't read the reviews. I sincerely hope that Ms. Neill has some magical trick up her sleve to undo the completely unnecessary ending to this book. Please. How can someone come back from ashes? I hope that we get to find out or I will stop buying this authors works.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Conflicted

I have read all the books in the series, with increasing love and interest as the series has progressed. All of the books have great writing style, witty commentary, and awesome character development.

While Merit is the heroine of the series, this was certainly Ethan's "story" or book, if you will. It was intriguing to see their relationship evolve and how that acted as a springboard for Merit to become the Sentinel that she has become. It's what all good relationships are made of, how we make one another better.

The end was totally shocking. And still totally worth reading, just saying, it's gonna be a long 6 months till Drink Deep.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I love this entire world she has created!

I love this entire world she has created!