I should not have listened to another reviewer that said not to be fooled by the cover. The cover is a good allegory for the book.

The writin..Show More »g is juvenile and the story is amateurish. It's like Anita Blake "light." If you like the Anita Blake series, you might like this. If you don't like Anita Blake, you probably won't like this.

The writing is akin to a Harlequin romance novel from 20 years ago. (Guilty of reading many of them.) The author overused her thesaurus and it's terribly distracting. We don't need every little nuance described -- "furrow" for a frown, "padding" to walk, etc. -- in flowery language. If the plot is strong enough then you don't need to fill up your pages with descriptive words that make the actions of the characters seem unnatural.

The main character is selfish -- just like Anita Blake. It's ALL about HER. Why should the readers care about some selfish person who whines and complains and is only concerned with what she can get out of a situation? She has no redeeming qualities and I don't care to waste my time with stories about people I can't feel sympathy for, or relate to in some fashion.

The narration doesn't help the weak writing. She makes everything overly dramatic -- just eating a meal (done often and adds no value to the story) is made to sound like a MONUMENTAL event. I caught on by about the fifth meal (yes, slow learner), when I realized that despite the narrator's exaggerated tone and inflection an alien was not going to come clawing out of someone's stomach.

I'm through with trying new (to me) vampire series based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I'll stick with the ones I know at least have decent writing even if I don't always like the direction the story takes -- Sookie Stackhouse and Kresley Cole's series.

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I have really been enjoying this vampire/supernatural series. The explanation for vampirism seems almost more plausible than most of the paranormal fi..Show More »ction novels I have read. For example: an alteration in the DNA. They are still living, still warm, can eat food but need blood supplements, are mostly immortal with some fatal flaws.... It is a bit irritating that we are kept in the dark as to Merit's real first name. And Merit should just boot Ethan to the curb. Cynthia Holloway's narration can be a bit confusing at times as there often isn't enough variation to differentiate between characters but she still does a pretty good read. Definitely not detracting enough to take away from the story. Bottom line is that if you enjoy listening to authors like Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Jennifer Estep, Carrie Vaughn, Kim Harrison, Richelle Mead, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, J. R. Rain (another really good find), and T. A. Pratt, you will probably enjoy this series as well.

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I have read and listened to a lot of different vampire series and this series is definitely in my top five. The story line is wonderful, the narrator ..Show More »is excellent, and the characters are fun. I love this series and can’t wait for the next book to come out in August. I have already listened to this series a few times and will continue to do so. 5 stars.

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Just like my headline says, this is (by far) the best book of the Chicagoland Vampires series. Chloe Neill really packed some punch with this book. Th..Show More »ere are so many layers to the story that you just can't seem to absorb the content fast enough. Just when you think you've figured out what is going on (and who's behind it), then the rug gets yanked out from underneath you, and another layer gets added to the story.

I can't really do a full review on this book b/c there would be way too many spoilers. All I can say is that I can hardly wait for Book 6, Biting Cold to come out in August 2012!!!!

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It's a measure of how much I enjoy this series that I purchased Biting Cold on the day of publication. All that day I looked forward to listening...I..Show More » pressed play and...wait, what is this? This isn't Merit!!

Biting Cold has a new narrator. So characters have new voices. And words have new pronunciations.

So much for snuggling in with a old friend.

The change in narrator is so disorienting that it's difficult to separate the story from the performance. It does seem that the pacing is far slower than in the previous five books, and that the characters have changed--their personalities are different. I wonder if Chloe Neill had the time she needed to polish this book--or if she's bored with Merit and Cadogan House.

I am really disappointed.

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IF I MAKE IT THROUGH THE BOOK IT WILL BE A MIRACLE!!! The story isn't bad but for some reason the narrator is so monotone that I can hardly pay attent..Show More »ion. She speaks softly and all of the male characters sound the same. (Gruff or tired) she sounds bored. HOPE the next book goes back to the original narrator. Being that it is an audio book this is important more energy is needed to keep the listers attention.

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