Hard Bitten
Authors: Chloe Neill
| Hard Bitten [Chicagoland Vampires 04] | |
| Chicagoland Vampires [4] | |
| Chloe Neill | |
| Penguin (2011) | |
| Rating: | *** |
| Tags: | Chicago (Ill.), Vampires, Horror, Paranormal, Fiction, Romance, Occult & Supernatural |
Praise for the Chicagoland Vampires Novels:
"A wonderfully compelling vampire heroine."
-_USA Today_ Bestselling Author Julie Kenner
"If you loved Nancy Drew but always wished she was an undead sword-wielding badass, Merit is your kind of girl."
-Geek Monthly (geekmonthly.com)
"Smart, sexy, and delightful. A must-read."
-Candace Havens, author of
Dragons Prefer Blondes
"A fun cast of quirky characters and smoking' hot sexual tension...A stunning combination."
-Tate Hallaway, author of
Honeymoon of the Dead
"There's a new talent in town, and if this debut is any indication, she's here to stay. Not only does Neill introduce an indomitable and funny heroine, her secondary characters are enormously intriguing and make terrific foils. While the tone of this first-person Chicagoland Vampire series starter is generally light, there is an undercurrent of danger. Truly excellent."
-_Romantic Times_
"Neill creates a strong-minded, sharp-witted heroine who will appeal to fans of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series and Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake." -_Library Journal_
Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals-and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are...tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.
Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society-a world full of vampires who seem ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Epigraph
CHAPTER ONE - MAGIC IS AS MAGIC DOES
CHAPTER TWO - A FISTFUL OF VAMPIRES
CHAPTER THREE - SCIENCE FRICTION
CHAPTER FOUR - THE SAVAGE BEAST
CHAPTER FIVE - DOWN BY THE RIVER
CHAPTER SIX - SEASON OF THE WITCH
HUMAN
CHAPTER EIGHT - THE ART OF WAR
CHAPTER NINE - BE IT EVER SO HUMBLE .
. . UNLESS YOU’RE IMMORTAL AND ...
CHAPTER TEN - LIKE A BOSS
CHAPTER ELEVEN - PARTY GIRLS
CHAPTER TWELVE - OVER THE RAINBOW
WILL BE TELEVISED
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - THE BUCKET LIST
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - ALL THAT GLITTERS
CHAPTER SIXTEEN - THE PERP
AND ONE BAD ATTITUDE
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - V IS FOR VALOR
CHAPTER NINETEEN - RED, RED WINE
CHAPTER TWENTY - THE HANGOVER
PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY ON A STICK
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - DEVIL IN A
BLUE DRESS
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - DEMERITS
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Praise for Chloe Neill’s
Chicagoland Vampires Novels
Twice Bitten
“The pages turn fast enough to satisfy vampire and romance fans alike.”
—
Booklist
“Neill’s briskly paced third Chicagoland Vampires paranormal romance . . . will satisfy returning fans. Merit’s frequently snarky voice and amusing observations about the occasional absurdities of her situation combine with the magic of Neill’s world in a refreshing take on urban fantasy.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Neill continues to hit the sweet spot with her blend of highstakes drama, romantic entanglements, and a touch of humor. . . . Certain to whet readers’ appetites for more in this entertaining series!”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
Friday Night Bites
“
Friday Night Bites
is wonderfully entertaining, and impossible to set down.”
—Darque Reviews
“Proving that her debut was no fluke . . . this qualifies as first-rate fun!”
—
Romantic Times
Some Girls Bite
“Neill creates a strong-minded, sharp-witted heroine who will appeal to fans of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series and Laurell K.
Hamilton’s Anita Blake.”
—
Library Journal
“Chloe Neill owes me a good night’s sleep. With her wonderfully compelling reluctant vampire heroine, and her careful world building, I was drawn into
Some Girls Bite
from page one and kept reading far into the night.”
—
USA Today
bestselling author Julie Kenner
“Smart, sexy, and delightful. A must-read.”
—Candace Havens, author of
Dragons Prefer
Blondes
“A fun cast of quirky characters and smokin’-hot sexual tension . . . a stunning combination.”
—Tate Hallaway, author of
Almost Final
Curtain
“Packed with complex subplots, embittered family members, and politics, this is an excellent first installment to what should be an outstanding series in a crowded field.”
—Monsters and Critics
“There’s a new talent in town, and if this debut is any indication, she’s here to stay. Not only does Neill introduce an indomitable and funny heroine, her secondary characters are enormously intriguing and make terrific foils. . . .
Truly excellent.”
—
Romantic Times
“
Some Girls Bite
is engaging, well executed, and populated with characters you can’t help but love. It was impossible to set down.”
—Darque Reviews
“This may be Chloe Neill’s debut novel, but it doesn’t read like one. Her world building is flawless. Her characters are sassy, sexy, and mesmerizing. Merit is a heroine who strolls onto the paranormal scene like she owns it.
Some
Girls Bite
is fang-tabulous! You won’t want to miss this one.”
—Wendy’s Minding Spot
“I didn’t want to put it down . . . excellently written. . . . [
Some Girls Bite
] brings a fresh perspective on the vampire craze that is going around these days. . . . If you are a fan of vampire novels, I think you should give this one a try. I loved it entirely and am now very anxious to read more from Ms. Neill.”
—Pink Is the New Blog
“Chloe Neill sinks her teeth into a new series that will attract both teen and adult readers alike. The Chicagoland Vampires series starts with a bang and leaves you anxious for more.”
—Teens Read Too
“I could not put this one down. . . . Merit is going to evolve into a fantastic kick-butt heroine. . . .
The thing that elevates this story from great to excellent, aside from the strong heroine and burning hunks of manly vampires, is the well-rounded supporting cast of characters.”
—Dirty Sexy Books
OTHER NOVELS BY CHLOE
NEILL
THE CHICAGOLAND VAMPIRES NOVELS
Some Girls Bite
Friday Night Bites
Twice Bitten
THE DARK ELITE NOVELS
Firespell
Hexbound
NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England First published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, May 2011
