Wow! I mean that to the fullest extent of its definition. I really liked this series from book 1, but this one (book 4) takes it to a new level. What Neill does at the end of this book is draw dropping (well, at least my jaw dropped--and I can recall the last book that made that happen: Silence of the Lambs over twenty years ago). I did feel that some of the action seemed to happen all at once, but the result more than made up for that.I continue to be enthralled at Merit’s development as the protagonist and her struggle with most things vampire. I also love her “human” characteristics, something she is aware of and, I think, cherishes. The political drama and its societal repercussions continue to make this series extremely worthy reading. I love the many parallels of the sups’ existence to that of the sundry groups of people in today’s “real world.” The commentary is biting in its accuracy. I am very eager to see where else this series can go, as Neill continues to find ways to keep the series fresh, something of which other writers of long series should take note. I have every confidence that Neill will continue to hold my attention along the marvelous path(s) she has established. When you get to a certain point in a series, you just start reading them without considering whether or not to continue. I hit that point with Hard Bitten. I didn't check any reviews. I didn't consider the action of the prequel. Even though Chloe Neill's books focus a bit on extraneous character development, for some reason Hard Bitten seemed to drag more than the previous books for me. I suspect that had to do with being more interested in other reading material, but I had a hard time picking it back up.Then it ended. And wow, those last two chapters completely turned everything on its head. What looked like it was going to go out with a whimper and be a blatant set-up novel came out swinging. New villains are introduced, old characters are set aside, Merit's relationship with Ethan hits an all-time high on the conflicted meter, as does her position with her father. The GP sets itself up as a future enemy, there are mind-altering drugs out on the market that make vampires aggressive that were the focal point of the plot and are still on the streets. In the span of one paragraph, the demeanor of the whole novel changed, and the rest of the chapter didn't exactly back off either.There are still a ton of other question marks the novel introduces as well. Neill's clearly planning for a longer haul than one novel ahead at this point, if she wasn't already. Still, the biggest one has to be the fate of Cadogan House.I still only gave the book 3 stars because it was suffering a bit early on. Merit's interactions with the lackeys are confounded, certain leaps of logic and other ideas that are introduced later are head-slappers. (Pills branded with a V. Clearly that MUST stand for vampire!) But if you read this far, and you don't quit in the middle of Hard Bitten, it's not going to be the one that convinces you not to get the next book.
What do You think about Hard Bitten (2011)?
liked the story but not sure how I feel about the ending
—Hpandh
Okay. What the fuck was that? I am not pleased.
—WindzHorror
