Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill Narrator: Sophie Eastlake
Length: 10 hrs 47 mins
Series: Chicagoland Vampires #12
Published by NAL Trade on March 1, 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 368
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I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
As the Chicagoland Vampires series continues, Merit and Ethan find themselves in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, where winning may require the ultimate sacrifice...
A vampire’s grudges don’t stay dead long...
Merit is 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...
The Chicagoland Vampires series has been one of my favorites for quite some time. It’s hard to believe that in their world it’s only been a year. They’ve been through so much. The characters have all grown and changed through all their trials.
Midnight Mark’s enemy kind of rolls over from Dark Debt. They definitely have more tricks up their sleeves to bring down Cadogan house and the city’s vampires in general. I noticed a much more intense, protective side of Ethan. He’s always been protective of Merit, but I thought he was on the edge of losing it a few times. As usual, this protectiveness brings trouble between the couple. It is nice to see a couple that grow throughout the series instead of just getting an HEA with no more problems. Ethan and Merit go through all the growing pains a normal couple would go through.
It was funny to see Mallory and Catcher in their new roles. It seems like they, too, are going through normal couple stuff. Very down to earth and fun. But I love that this couple also knows how to work together. Like they have one brain and just know what the other is going to do. They play a big part in Midnight Marked. Mallory and Catcher are an awesome couple. I’ve always loved them together.
Merit comes face to face with an enemy of old. It was really a struggle to see if her new vulnerability was going to be her downfall in their confrontation. I couldn’t believe that this person was still actually around. I loved how Merit was able to turn everything into a great positive for the vampires.
We see a bit of different magic in this book, so it is everyone on deck to decipher just what the team is dealing with. I loved the puzzle and how it was all put together. I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming, but our enemy brings on a surprise. I still can’t believe I didn’t see that coming.
So, the ending. Let’s just say I did get a bit weepy and mushy. It was romantic, and unexpected. I had totally forgotten about this thing between Merit and Ethan. I’m such a sucker for a bit of romance. I feel like in Urban Fantasy, the special “moments” are few, so it was really great to see this one.
We have a lot of things left in the air, and I think we only have one more book to do it in. A year is going to be a damn hard wait to see how this is all put together. The book is probably going to have to be a good 1000 pages! No wonder we have to wait so long!
Overall, I thought this was a really good addition to the series. We had mystery, suspense with some good relationship issues. There was also the need to bring all the supernatural beings together, so we got to see the werewolves and RG as well. It was an all hands on deck. Definitely a fun read!
About Chloe Neill
Chloe Neill was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest—just close enough to Cadogan House and St. Sophia’s to keep an eye on things. When not transcribing Merit’s and Lily’s adventures, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys—her husband (also her favorite landscape photographer) and their dogs, Baxter and Scout. (Both she and the photographer understand the dogs are in charge.)
