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House Rules
House Rules
House Rules
Audiobook10 hours

House Rules

Written by Chloe Neill

Narrated by Sophie Eastlake

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

At the tender age of twenty-seven, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she's become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she'll see her mettle-and her metal-tested like never before.

It started with two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago's vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 25, 2013
ISBN9781452679815
House Rules

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Reviews for House Rules

Rating: 4.090047264454976 out of 5 stars
4/5

211 ratings15 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this. Lots of changes for the Cadogan house but they'll survive again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    House Rules
    4 Stars

    Chicagoland Vampires is one of those weird series that you can't help but enjoy. The writing is cliched, the dialogue is immature and the plots are predictable. Nevertheless, the characters are engaging, the actions scenes exciting and the story entertaining.

    The plot in this installment focuses on two separate threads - Merit's investigation into the disappearance and subsequent murder of two Rogue vampires, and the politics surrounding Cadogen House's decision to leave the GP. Both are well integrated into the overall story arc although the resolution for each is glaringly obvious, especially the identity of the serial killer who stands out from the moment he appears on the scene.

    Ethan and Merit's chemistry is as intense as ever and their relationship goes from strength to strength perhaps due to rather than despite the challenges they face from Lacey Sheriden's machinations to Ethan's discovery of Merit's association with the RG. Thankfully, the angst surrounding both issues doesn't last long, and Ethan and Merit manage to overcome their differences and become the couple they are meant to be.

    The secondary characters flesh out the cast very well. Once again, we have appearances by Gabriel, Catcher and Jeff (whose animal form is finally revealed in a really BIG way!). Merit's father finally comes through for his daughter (albeit not without some self-interest) and Lacey Sheriden seems to have finally been put in her place (we can only hope for good). Mallory is apparently back to her old self, which is somewhat unfortunate as the previous developments in her character actually made her slightly interesting but now she is simply Merit's wannabe sidekick again.

    Overall, the series is improving with each book and is fun to read - what else could you really ask for?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    *sigh* Ruining the fricking series. Draw four dots in the shape of a diamond. Label the top point Lacey, the bottom point Jonah, then the left Merit and the right Ethan. Draw a solid line from Merit to Ethan. Then draw a dotted line from Ethan to Lacey. And a dotted line from Merit to Jonah. GRRR!When it comes to Red Herrings, Ms. Neill isn't that good at the hints. Is it sad that I never once suspected the suspect that Merit held for more than half the book? Sorry, that was too obvious a choice. Okay, stupid question. Why didn't they search the house for the missing object FIRST? Wouldn't that make the most sense? And another unnecessary scene... Fade to black is fine in these books. Didn't need one in the first four, why all of a sudden does every book need one? Grrr
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    2.5 stars-** Spoiler** Oh I am so close to quitting this series. I get very little excitement or joy out of it anymore. It just falls flat for me. No, not just flat it pissed me off.

    The first 40 % of the book was dull, political babble. Ethan and Merit had a few moments of love but it was just, meh. There was a weirdly placed murder that got me away from the house drama. Why was it weird ? Well, major developments are happening, the house is going under and another house comes to them for help before they really try to help themselves ? I didn't get that.
    I was so grateful when I made it to 60 %, Merit was sneaking off, playing Sherlock, and being a green eyed girlfriend. At least things were happening. Then it all went to the toilet, with a major flush. Ethan,(aka) Mr. Wishy-Washy, turned on a dime and betrayed her/their "love" by being a complete jerk. He ignored, he talked down to her, he stayed out all night, he turned on her in public, he doubted her without a conversation. (This is not the kind of man I call sexy) What did she do about it, she took it. When he was over his hissy fit she opened her arms and said it was ok.?!?!?! No, this is not the first time he has turned on her. Really ? What is this ? She used to have one hell of a backbone, when did it wither.
    Best part Jeff- he was awesome. ^-^
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well, number 7 didn't disappoint at all. I really enjoyed this story and the mystery behind the deaths a great deal and I was pleased to see that Ms. Neill didn't feel like she had to out-do her previous plots (Merit must save the world!). This book is all about taking care of things close to home; endings, beginnings, etc.

    There was less snark in this book, but still enough to keep me happy, and it made sense within the story line as Merit tries to figure out how to interact with people without sarcasm. Plus, not a lot of Mallory in this book - again, it was completely in keeping with the overall story line of Mallory's rehabilitation, but I still missed that fabulous, electric rapport between Merit and Mallory. Loved reading about Ethan and Merit together, and I'm liking Jonah's character more and more.

    Gonna be a long year until book 8.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Much better than the last book. I really enjoyed the whole book and read it in a day.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A good book but not my favorite. Still a good continuation of the series. See my full review at puretextuality.com

    4.0 Stars
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Merit has to deal with Cadogan house leaving the Grenwich Praesidium, Ethan not understanding her relationship with Jonah from the Red Guard, Ethan not understanding her joining the Red Guard, someone hunting down vampires and an awful lot of politics.Enjoyed the read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The book opens to Merit and Ethan acting like any other couple. It was nice to start reading and know that they were together and happy, even with all that is going on with Cadogan House. Merit finally puts her position as Social Chair to good use and is throwing a party for the house and Chicago's Rogue Vampires, so that they can get to know each other more and hopefully become friendlier. The party starts and Noah (the unofficial head of the Rogue's) informs them that two rogue vampires are missing. To show that Cadogan House is willing to help the Rogue Vampires in anyway Merit takes on the task of figuring out what happens.

    I was happy that Merit and Mallory's relationship seems to be improving in this book. The last book seemed a little off since they almost refused to talk to each other. The mystery of the rogue vampire killings was well developed and kept me interested. The ongoing storyline with Merit and the Red Guard is a nice twist to the story.

    It is full of unexpected twists and every emotion you can think of. I really enjoyed this book and am glad I read it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love this series, so I didn't care at all that most of the twists were completely predictable--it really didn't matter.

    I just love the characters and the world they inhabit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After the cataclysmic events of BITING COLD, HOUSE RULES starts in the eye of the storm. The Chicago government remains hostile to supernaturals, Cadogan House is one the eve of succeeding from the Greenwich Presidium, and a pair of young Rogue vampires go missing. The ominous building of events had me twisting in my seat and it was almost a relief when the dominoes began to fall.

    Malice, politics, and love triangles, Merits life is dramatic on multiple levels. The general douchebaggery of Chicago's mayor and the GP is beyond frustrating, to the point where Lacey's zealous pursuit of Ethan seems almost pure by comparison. However much delusion and self-righteousness goes into Lacey's efforts, compared to the underhanded self-interest and politicking of Merits more deadly enemies. The most interesting and nuanced issue facing Merit is her membership in the Red Guard. It's impossible to divorce Merit's relationship with Ethan from the power and politics of their environment. Merit truly believes in the mission of the Red Guard, but keeping secrets in any new relationship is a recipe for disaster. Caught between the earnest value of her membership in the Red Guard and an oath of secrecy that leaves Ethan on the outside, I enjoyed Merits efforts to be honest and effective in her roles as Red Guard, Sentinel, and girlfriend.

    Full review to follow.

    Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    So, I have been anxiously awaiting this book for months and was so excited to see Merit and Ethan again. As well as all my other favorites from this series. I must admit to being a tad let down. The first half of this book was pretty slow going for me. The House politics got a bit tedious and I wasn't entirely invested in the secondary plot about the murderer either. This is the first time in the series where I have ever questioned why Merit and Cadogan house needed to even be involved in the outside drama. It just didn't really fit together well for me. Plus, I find it hard to believe that Ethan would hire someone from the outside to help with security for the House without having him thoroughly checked out first.

    That being said the second half of the book was a huge improvement. There was significantly more action and the murder investigation came together a bit for me there at the end. Merit and Ethan seem to be settling well into their relationship, although they definitely had a pretty major bump or two in this book. It was nice to see all my other favorites, even if only fleetingly. The highlight of this book for me was finally finding out what type of shifter Jeff is.

    It should be noted that there is no dreaded cliffhanger on this one. There are, of course, loose ends and a whole mess of drama still to come, but nothing panic-inducing thankfully.

    Overall, a decent read. I will definitely be continuing the series, but this book was the least enjoyable for me so far in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the seventh book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. The eighth book will be titled Biting Bad and is scheduled for an August 2013 release. This book was a bit of a transition book again and not as engaging as previous books.Cadogan House is finally, formally breaking away from the GP. This will make them the first House to claim Rogue vampire status. Things are uncomfortable to say the least. Then a rash of vampire murders start happening and Merit is called to help figure out who is killing these vamps. To add to the complexity Merit is finally called in to formally join the Red Guard. This was an okay installment in this series. Basically this is the book about Cadogan House breaking away from the GP. A lot of time is spent trying to find legal loop-holes and in the original contract with the GP in order to ensure that Cadogan can break away from the house cleanly. Things get complicated when Dorian tries to make a grab for the house in a power play. Additional complications arise when Ethan invites his ex, Lacey, over to smooth things out with Dorian.I did like that Merit was finally inducted into the Red Guard. I also liked that she ended up coming clean with all her secrets to Ethan. Having Lacey there to throw Merit and Ethan’s relationship into turmoil was obnoxious and made me roll my eyes a bit. Still I was impressed with how much Ethan and Merit have grown as characters and how reasonable they were about everything.The vampire murders added a heavy investigative bent to the story. It seemed like a very interesting plot line, but I felt the way it was all resolved felt a bit anti-climatic and contrived.Mallory was in the story a bit, she is making progress in dealing with her addiction to black magic. Still she is far from the entertaining and bubbly person we meet early in the series. She isn’t in the story much but when she is the tone is tentatively hopeful.While this book was an okay read, but I felt like nothing all that interesting happened. This felt like another transition novel for me and I am beginning to wonder exactly where this series is going. I feel like after the whole Mallory/Tate storylines were resolved this series lost a lot of momentum that it has yet to pick up.Overall an okay addition to the series. The whole plot around Cadogan House leaving the GP felt like something that had to be done, but wasn’t all that interesting to read about. It was nice to see Ethan and Merit acting like mature adults, but I felt like a lot of the heat between them was missing. I did enjoy that Merit was finally and formally inducted to the Red Guard. I am curious to see what will happen to Cadogan house as it tries to stand on its own.The last couple books in this series have been somewhat disappointing to me. I will probably read one more book in this series before I decide whether or not to stop reading it completely. I tentatively recommend this series to fans of urban fantasy featuring vampires...the first four or five books in the series are very good.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    HOUSE RULES was another fine entry in the Chicagoland Vampires series. There are a number of plot threads that move along in the one. Cadogan House is formally withdrawing from the Greenwich Presidium but not before the aged and tricky vampires in the GP try another trick or two to leave House Cadogan vampires broke and homeless. Merit completes her entrance into the Red Guard and, even though it is supposed to be a secret, has to tell Ethan about it which rocks their relationship. She also has to deal with one of Ethan's former vampires, now the Master of a House in California, who really wants a relationship with Ethan. Merit has momentary doubts about her own relationship with Ethan and there is jealousy on both sides for Ethan and Merit to work through.And, third, someone is killing vampires in pairs. The first pair killed were Rogues. Since Ethan wants a better relationship with Chicago's Rogue vampires, he and Merit investigate. Merit also gets some help in her investigation from the Pack and from her Red Guard partner Jonah. Merit is also trying to rebuild her trust in her best friend Mallory who is under the control of the Pack as she battles her addiction to Black Magic. I liked the way that Merit is forging relationships among the various vampire Houses and with the other supernaturals in Chicago. I liked that she was able to have a civil conversation with her father and get over some of the bitterness that she has toward him. I especially liked that her relationship with Ethan weathered the trials that it faced in this episode.I am looking forward to more in this series. I want to see how Cadogan House manages in the new order without the oversight of the GP. I am especially eager to see how relations with supernaturals in Chicago change now that Merit's old enemy McKettrick has been appointed to a position by the mayor and has semi-official support for his hate campaign against all supernaturals. Fans of strong, smart, kick-ass characters can't go wrong getting to know Merit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    While Cadagon house is busy deflecting from the Greenwich Presidium rogue vampires start showing up dead. As usual a very busy Merit is on the case. We have a great array of all of our favorite characters playing a role in HOUSE RULES. We also have some we don't quite care for like Lacey who is back for to provide support to Ethan while trying to get back into his bed. While dealing with everything else its also time for Merit to be officially Sworn into the Red Guard. Merit believes whole heartedly that it is the right thing to do but Ethans feelings are in the back of her mind and she has a bit of trouble with that. As usual we cant go one book without some sort of conflict between Ethan and Merit. Thankfully they are evolving and adapting and are able to work through things a bit better than before. They very much compliment each other and we see just how much with each book. I loved some of the thoughts Merit was having about their future which coincides with some of Gabriel's past remarks.There are plenty of surprises, humor, and secrets revealed in HOUSE RULES that makes it another great addition to the Chicagoland Vampire series. It is a must read and the series remains one of my favorites. Book 8 BITING BAD is set to release in August thankfully so we don't have long to wait until the next installment.