Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill

Title: Wild Hunger
Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Heirs of Chicagoland # 1

Trade Paperback, 352 Pages
Publication: August 14, 2018 by Berkley Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.


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In the first thrilling installment of Chloe Neill's spinoff to the New York Times bestselling Chicagoland Vampires series, a new vampire will find out just how deep blood ties run.
As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she's a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he's prince of the Pack and its future king.

When the assassination of an ambassador brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever.
A full disclosure, I didn’t finish the Chicagoland Vampires series. I stopped at Drink Deep. The last two novels I read weren’t doing anything for me and I felt like the love and spark I found in the first three books were long gone. And I was hoping to find that spark again in Wild Hunger, the spin-off series. Which I’m happy to report I did! True to its series name, Wild Hunger follows the heirs of the original characters of the Chicagoland Vampire series twenty years into the future, specifically Ethan and Merit’s daughter Elisa Sullivan.

I will admit there was some trepidation going into Wild Hunger, worried that we were getting a replica of the Chicagoland Vampire series. Yes, we’re in the same world and all but Elisa isn’t anything like Merit. Merit came into the supernatural world against her will and learned to love it as to Elisa was born into it and didn’t have a choice about anything…what she was and where she came from. So it was quite refreshing to see how mature and independent Elisa was; carving a new path for herself and starting anew in Paris going to school and volunteering her time by serving the house of Maison Dumas. Elisa has the best qualities of both her parent and none of their vexing quirks (Ethan and his strict rules and Merit’s childish antics). It was a welcomed change. And how appropriate that her BFF is none other than Mallory Carmichael’s daughter Lulu, whom is also not like her mother except she's petite and snarky.

As I said I never finished the Chicagoland Vampires series, so I wouldn’t know if Neill ever explored the shifters indepth. But I definitely loved seeing more of the shifters in Wild Hunger. And for Gabriel’s son, Connor Keene to be the love interest was just the perfect bonus. I always loved the shifters (Twice Bitten was my fave!) and found Connor an excellent male lead (never fancied Ethan as the lead in the CV series). I loved the whole friends to lover angle, even if they drove each other crazy as children. It also had the star-cross/Romeo and Juliet vibe (except their families aren’t immortal enemies and not all shifters have love for the vampires). I enjoyed seeing Elisa and Connor’s budding romance and can’t wait to see what’s in store for them; especially with Gabriel’s ominous warning in the epilogue.

Wild Hunger exceeded my expectation and I found myself enjoying everything about this new series starter. I like the new generation characters and am looking forward to seeing more of Elisa and Conner. Fans of the original series will be happy to see key characters making an appearance. All in all, a fantastic start. 


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