I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
"Slaying It"
by
Chloe Neill
short stories, urban fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by InterMix on July 17, 2018 and has 77 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Some Girls Bite, Friday Night Bites, Twice Bitten, Hard Bitten, Firespell, Hexbound, Drink Deep, Charmfall, Biting Cold, House Rules, Biting Bad, Kicking It, Blood Games, The Veil, Midnight Marked, Dark Debt, The Sight, Blade Bound, The Hunt, Wild Hunger, The Beyond, The Bright and Breaking Sea
A short story, 13.5 in the Chicagoland Vampires series, revolving around a House of vampires and set in a modern-day Chicago. The focus is on the very pregnant Merit Sullivan.
My Take
Oooh, Merit is pregnant. With a first. Yeah, her first baby as well as the first vampire baby. Oh, yeah. Although, at the end of Blade Bound, 13, both Merit and Mallory have had their babies, so…
It’s all from first person protagonist point-of-view from Merit’s perspective, so we hear all about Peanut kicking away as well as Merit’s determination to be in on the kill.
Ain’t that just like a politician…wanting anyone else to pay after events in Blade Bound. That Cadogan House is just too easy…*sigh*…
Yep, there’s action, but it’s more about relationships and the support provided between friends.
A good bit of laughter is the “competition” to name Peanut. Yep, bets have been laid. Merit’s own bet is that Jonah and Margot hook up. Only Margot is still struggling with a bad relationship.
Aww, it’s so sweet that the neighbors have warmed up to the vampires. All it takes is saving the city a few times. Even sweet (and funnier) is the tiny plastic katana Gabriel brings for Peanut.
The Story
It’s been a peaceful time for Chicago and Cadogan House. So peaceful after events in Blade Bound that Merit is bored. Until she’s attacked. And Ethan goes off his nut!
The Characters
Merit Sullivan is the vampire Sentinel of Cadogan House, and she’s pregnant with Baby Sullivan, a.k.a. Peanut. Ethan “Darth” Sullivan is the vampire Master of the House and her husband. Malik is Ethan’s second-in-command. Margot is the House’s scrumptious chef. Security includes Luc, Kelley, Brock, and Lindsey, Merit’s closest friend in the House. Joe.
The newly pregnant Mallory Carmichael Bell, a sorceress and Merit’s best friend, is married to Catcher Bell who works for Merit’s grandfather, the city’s supernatural Ombudsman. Jeff Christopher, a white tiger, is also part of Grandfather’s crew.
The Houses
There are three vampire Houses in Chicago: Cadogan, Grey, and Navarre.
Jonah is captain of the Grey House guards as well as part of the Red Guard, a secret organization that keeps an eye on Masters; Merit is his partner in the Guard. Scott Grey is the Master of his House. Kat is their House sketch artist.
Cadogan House’s neighbors include Mrs Donna Plum, the Newtons who are debating which puppy to get, and the Ewings who are on vacation.
The bad guy is a vampire who has a Very Strong Psych gift. The Brown Mule is a hangout for connected families. Corbin McClelland controls a lot of racketeering.
Rowan Cleary is an abusive Rogue vampire with financial dreams…and Margot’s ex. Elizabeth is Merit’s sister-in-law. Clive is the pizza boss. Gabriel Keene is the Apex of the North American Central Pack of shapeshifters. Tanya is his wife and Connor is their nearly three-year-old son. Elisa was Ethan’s sister. Trudeau’s is the luxury department store Merit’s mother adores.
The Cover and Title
Eek, the cover has a haunted feeling with that turreted roof line rising up from amongst the trees, silhouetted against a bright but cloudy sky, a full moon hanging in the upper right corner. At the very top is an info blurb in a deep coral with the author’s name immediately below it in white. The title is below the forest in that same coral. Beneath that is a fancy label with a turquoise outline, the black of the bottom forming the background for it with white text providing the series info.
I suspect the title is more metaphorical than literal, as the good guys are “Slaying It”, with it the idea.
