Blade Bound by Chloe Neill

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The thrilling final installment of Chloe Neill’s New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series sees sinister sorcery advancing across Chicago, and it might usher in the fall of Cadogan House.... 
 
 
Since the night of her brutal attack and unwilling transformation into a vampire, Merit has stood as Sentinel and protector of Chicago’s Cadogan House. She’s saved the Windy City from the forces of darkness time and again with her liege and lover, Ethan Sullivan, by her side.
 
When the House is infiltrated and Merit is attacked by a vampire who seems to be under the sway of dark magic, Merit and Ethan realize the danger is closer than they could have imagined. As malign sorcery spreads throughout the city, Merit must go to war against supernatural powers beyond her comprehension. It is her last chance to save everything—and everyone—she loves.


Source:  Advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book friends! I'm soooo freaking sad that the Chicagoland Vampires are over and done!  Reading this ARC was so hard.  I love Merit, Ethan, Mallory, Gabe and the rest of the gang, so saying good-bye is breaking my heart!  

It's also incredibly difficult to write this review without giving anything away and I definitely don't want to spoil your journey through Blade Bound.  I have three things to say that hopefully won't give anything away.  

(1)  I really think this story arc should have been two books.  And not just because I want more CV books, I swear!  There's a lot that happens in Blade Bound and I would have loved some additional depth to it.  But I get it, Chloe's ending the series and wanted to make sure she got everything in, but still...  *heart-breaking*

(2)  I am satisfied with how the series ended, even if I wish the arc had been split into two books and that it hadn't ended at all.  *sobs uncontrollably*

(3)  I need to know more information about the spin-off series, like now.  

I read the last half of Blade Bound in a public place and I am happy to say that I avoided crying like a baby... mostly.  

If you are a Chicagoland Vampire fan, then let me know what you think of the last book!  Neither of my fellow BiblioJunkies love the series like I do, so they are waaay behind and I can't talk to them about it!  I NEED to talk about it!  

If you haven't read the Chicagoland Vampires yet - WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!  GO BUY SOME GIRLS BITE RIGHT NOW!!!  And once you've binged this awesome series, come back and talk with me about it, please!  

~Shel

A Peek In The BiblioBin #228

Photo source: Bel/Bibliojunkies

Welcome to our Stacking the Shelves post! Stacking the Shelves (or as we like to call it, A Peek in the BiblioBin) has been created by the folks at Tynga's Reviews. It's a way for bloggers to share what books they've won, received for review, purchased, borrowed from the library or friend, received as a gift, grabbed off the bookshelf, etc.

What's in your bin?

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Happy New Year!! It seems we kind of fell off towards the end of 2016. Life just got so busy, you know? So it looks like we're making up for it in our first BiblioBin of 2017. 




For Review:

Rise of Fire (Reign of Shadows #2) by Sophie Jordan

Blade Bound (Chicagoland Vampires #13) by Chloe Neill

Safe Bet (The Rules #4) by Monica Murphy

Afraid to Fly (Anchor Point #2) by L.A. Witt

Waking In Time by Angie Stanton

Under Rose-Tinted Skies by Louise Gornall


Purchased:

Marked By Fire (Sons of Britain #1) by Mia West


Borrowed:

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton


Off the Bookshelf:

The Color of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Prachett

Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill Blog Tour and Giveaways!

We are thrilled to be participating in the Blog Tour for Midnight Marked, Book 12 in the Chicagoland Vampire Series.  If you haven't read this series, go buy Some Girls Bite right now.  We'll wait.

You need to read this series because Merit is kick ass and Ethan is completely swoon-worthy and their supporting cast of characters will leave you wanting more.  This is one of my favorite series and I hope you love it too!

Synopsis:

A vampire's grudges don't stay dead long...

Merit's one of Chicago's most skilled vampire warriors; these days, she doesn't scare easily.  But she and Master Vampire Ethan have made a new and powerful enemy, and he won't give up until he owns the Windy City.

With his last plan thwarted, he's more determined than ever to watch Cadogan burn.  Ethan has put the House's vampires on high alert, but their enemy will stop at nothing, including pitting vampire against vampire...

In this deadly game of cat-and-mouse, the stakes are life or death - and winning might mean sacrificing everything...  

Pre-order here:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Books-A-Million | Kobo | Indiebound


You can also enter to win a fabulous giveaway on Chloe's Blog.  Chloe has the best swag and she's outdone herself with a giveaway that includes a Cadogan House medal pendant!  Enter here.

Chloe also provided this sweet swag pack as a giveaway for the touring blogs.  Check out the awesomeness!  

See the rafflecopter below for your chance to win!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3rd Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

Hello gentle-readers!  Welcome to our third (yes third) Spooktacular Giveaway!  It's impossible to believe that we've been doing this for three years.  As always, a big thank you to Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for hosting the hop.  After you enter to win our fantastic giveaway should check out all the amazing participating blogs in the linky below.

Today we are giving away two fantastic books to go along with the Halloween theme.  I've been lucky enough to meet the fantastically talented Chloe Neill on multiple occasions, most recently at Anderson's Bookshop, where she autographed a copy of the first in the Chicagoland Vampire series, Some Girls Bite, for our giveaway.

Guys, if you haven't read this series, you need to.  It is awesome!

Our second book up for grabs is a signed copy of The Collector first in  the Dante Walker  series by Victoria Scott.  Bel loves this series, which is recommendation enough for me (plus there's a pretty hot guy on the cover).  

You know the drill, fill out the Rafflecopter below and good luck!  Don't forget to check out all the other giveaways!

~Shel, Bel & Nat

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shel's Top 10 of 2011

I know we have been a little lax this holiday season with keeping you entertained, but we will definitely be back to devouring books and driving our readers nutes wiht silliness after the holidays.  Until then, please enjoy my top 10 list:

Here at BiblioJunkies we have been discussing what to do with our 2011 "top" lists.  How many books, etc.  Unfortunately, when it came right down to it, I could not narrow my list down to just 5.  In fact, to get to 10 I had to be pretty specific in my lists - favorite by someone other than Meg Cabot or Janet Evanovich (because let's face it, these ladies will always top my favorite book lists) and lets not forget Rick Riordan, whom I adore.  And then I couldn't narrow down to eliminate books in a series (ie The Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices, all of which are fantastic).  It really took a lot of thought and planning to get my list down to just 10, because I have read SOOO many truly fantastic books this year.  Each of the books below have touched (Yes, I am talking to you Suzanne Young) or entertained me and stood out among the plethora of books that I read this year.  So, here's my list, in no particular order:

The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

The Mythos Academy Series by Jennifer Estep

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Alex Van Helsing Series by Jason Henderson

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Hush, Hush by Becca FitzPatrick

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

The Chicagoland Vampire Series by Chloe Neill

I recommend all of these books and/or series.  Check them out and let us know what your favorites of 2011 have been!  Happy New Year and happy reading in 2012!

~Shel

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating. 

High school can be a battlefield, but for Lily Parker, surviving at St. Sophia’s School for Girls is a matter of life and death...

Protecting Chicago from the dark side can be an exhausting job, especially when you’re a junior. So when the girls of St. Sophia’s start gearing up for Sneak, their fall formal, Lily decides to join in on some good, old-fashioned party prep—even if it means not giving demons, vampires and the twisted magic users known as Reapers her undivided attention.

But when a Reaper infiltrates the school, Lily doesn’t forget what she’s sworn to protect. She reaches deep into herself to draw out her magic—and finds that it’s gone. And it turns out she’s not alone. A magical blackout has slammed through paranormal Chicago, and no one knows what—or who—caused it. But Lily knows getting back her magic is worth the risk of going behind enemy lines...

She fell for him in a nighttime world. But the time for dreaming is past—and the here-and-now can be just as fragile their love…

When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions.

Now Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, and she finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have tortured Haden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness, Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longer she’ll have a grip on her own.

And still the nightmare realm of Under won’t let them go. Someone from Haden’s past is determined to destroy Theia from the inside out, starting with those closest to her, forcing Theia to choose between family and friends and a love that may have been doomed from the start

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin - #11

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

This week Shel gives you a Peek in the Biblio-Bin.

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Described by Richelle Mead as “utterly captivating,” Unearthly received outstanding reviews, garnered accolades from New York Times bestselling authors, and was named an Indie Next Pick. In this heart-wrenching sequel, Cynthia Hand expertly captures the all-consuming joy of first love—and the agony of loss. This beautifully woven tale will appeal to fans of Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Aprilynne Pike

Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Only one other person has seen the missing photo—Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.

Over at the bail bonds agency things are going from bad to worse. The bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?

Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated.

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven't been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That's when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago's mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for vampires and humans alike.

Tell us what is in your mailbox this week!