Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill

Title: Friday Night Bites

Author: Chloe Neill
Publisher: Gollancz
ISBN: 978-0-575-09405-5
Pages: 357
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #2
Type: Adult Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Merit is beginning to adjust to life as a vampire and is moving into Cadogan House with it's ever present paparazzi. Merit has barely unpacked when her Master Ethan reveals that an old family friend of hers is sniffing around vampire society and threatening to publish a story about the Raves - mass feeding parties where vampires drink themselves silly. Ethan is convinced that Merit's family is their best starting point so Merit is forced back into the society she once ran from, and finds that balancing human/vampire relations is almost as hard as balancing her love life.

I really enjoyed Some Girls Bite so I was looking forward to reading this and I wasn't disappointed. This book is less about Merit's personal journey and takes place more in the world at large. What begins as a simple nosey reporter soon develops into a threat against Cadogan House and Merit really steps up into her role as Sentinel. More is revealed about vampire society, and we also get to learn more about shifters and sorcerors. Again the author avoids info-dumping, and Merit's world is widened and deepened in this book.

As Merit has moved into Cadogan House in this book, there is more of a focus on her vampire friends and so Mallory features far less. Mallory spends a chunk of the book away perfecting her sorcery skills, and I did miss the Merit/Mallory interaction. However Merit and Mallory did have some page time together and I think the way their changing friendship was handled was brilliant.

The lingering threat against Cadogan House is well developed and cleverly handled. There are a few twists that I didn't see coming, and the author managed to create more questions as Merit solved the mystery. Merit also discovered she has several unique qualities not seen in other vampires, and I can't wait to see where the author takes this.

All in all this was a great read, and I'm looking forward to reading Twice Bitten.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 7/10

Overall: 47/50