In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps . . . welcome to House Rules

9780575113459In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.

At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle – and her metal – tested like never before.

Last week saw the release of House Rules, the seventh book in Chloe Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires series. The members of Cadogan House face an uncertain future, and a vampire-killer is at large . . .

The Chicagoland Vampire series has always delivered sparkling, snarky effortless dialogue and humour, and a great central relationship in Merit and Ethan, who exchange barbs and spark off one another in the way all great couples should. I think these are the major reasons why the series has struck such a chord with fans. Merit in particular is an antidote to the all-too-common ‘damsel in distress’ trope and provides a focal point for readers to get behind. She’s always hugely likeable and relatable, she’s perfectly capable of looking after herself, and we root for her. There’s another factor which I think is very particular to this series, and that’s the deep knowledge and love Chloe Neill shows for the city of Chicago, a city often overshadowed by New York and Los Angeles. In the same way that Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant novels are clearly the work of someone who loves London, Chloe Neill’s novels give you the same feeling about Chicago. Even if you’re like me and your knowledge about Chicago barely extends beyond Michael Jordan. The landmarks, the people, the cuisine (especially the cuisine, the vampires in these books crave a lot more than just blood) – it’s an affection for the city that shines through. And you start to feel that affection as well.

Enjoy House Rules and look out for the next instalment Biting Bad, coming in August!