ARC Review: Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

Biting Cold

by Chloe Neill

(Chicagoland Vampires # 6)

After the ups and downs we've had with this series, I have to say this was the book with the least amount of surprises!  Biting Cold picks up exactly where Drink Deep left off, with Ethan and Merit in a car heading to the midwest looking for Mallory.  Their mission was just to stop her from getting the Maleficium, the book that would unleash all evil.

But quickly the story turned more complicated and the Maleficium issue was solved a bit too fast, but in an indirect way it caused an even bigger problem.  This time Senator Tate is back and we finally get to find out more about him and what he is.  After he touches the Maleficium as Mallory is casting a spell, Tate basically clones himself.  So now there are two Tates on the loose and justice killings start happening in Chicago.

I feel that Merit did quite a bit of maturing in this book.  Having to deal with her best friend turning evil and betraying her hit her pretty hard but she still cares about her and wants to do everything possible to protect her, even if that doesn't mean forgiving her.  Ethan has come back a completely different guy, obviously now he feels Mallory's presence in his head and causes him to lose control.  Their relationship, and Ethan's attitude in particular about their relationship, got on my nerves for most of this book.  I was actually rooting for her hooking up with someone else, even if temporary.

In the end, the fact that he's changed now also brought forward an Ethan that showed a lot more emotion in and out of the bedroom.  I thought I was going to cry when he mouthed "I love you" to her.

There was also such a great cast of characters in this book: Lindsey is adorable as always, Luc was too (even if we got to see him wearing his cowboy boots...and only his cowboy boots), Catcher was also around but as expected so different as well.  And lets not forget Jeff and Gabriel.  I do like my shifters!  But other than the normal vamps, shifters and witches that we are used to reading about in this series, we also got fairies, gnomes, angels and demons.  And then of course there's Mallory.  I was so upset with her but I couldn't stay angry.  I actually started feeling bad for her and what's she had to endure.

Lets not forget the big bad guy of this book, Senator Tate.  Or the two of him that are out running around.  He's bad, he's good.  We get to find out so much more about him and it was also good to close that chapter of the series.

In a way this book felt as if it was tying up loose ends to end the series.  And then the ending came.  Not that I consider this ending  a cliffhanger but some might.  Lets just say Cadogan House will now be running differently and seeing as such.  I think it'll make for a very interesting book to come next and maybe a little bit less politics.

Favorite Quotes:

"Imagine a roaring fire in the dark depths of a Chicago winter.  Imagine the warmth of the fire against your skin -"

"I'll probably be wearing flannel pajamas," I teased, but Ethan wasn't fazed.  He leaned in, his lips at my ear.

"You'll be wearing nothing but your Cadogan medal and a smile, Sentinel."

"Is that a prediction?"

"It's a promise."

"You know what I need?" I asked.
"A chocolate fountain?" Ethan suggested. "A complete paper set of the Encyclopedia Britannica? A lifetime supply of grilled meat?"
"I like all those ideas, but I was thinking a magical spray I can use on Mallory to wash the crazy off her."
"Like Lysol for evil?" Paige asked.
"Something like that, yeah." 

 *ARC provided by publisher

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