I can't believe the series is over! I've been following the Chicagoland Vampire series for what feels like forever and to have it end with Blade Bound is a bit bittersweet, even knowing there's going to be a spin-off series.

And being the series finale, I was expecting a bit. . . more from this book that I didn't really get. Most of the books in this series involve some sort of paranormal drama that needs to be dealt with. High stakes. All that good stuff. And there's a problem like that for sure, but a lot of the book centered around the wedding? Which, fine, I mean Merit and Ethan certainly deserve some downtime but it just didn't sync up with the other books the same and, going in with the expectation of an action-packed fast paced story, it was a bit of a letdown for me.

That said, I can never hate any of these books and while the ending wrapped up Merit and Ethan's story, there were definitely loose ends for the spin off series that I'm excited to see play out.

Just when you think she's pulled ever known paranormal cliche she still manages to weave a magical and entertaining story

I have a thing I do with books I'm really excited about... I hoard them and wait for just the perfect time to read them because, while you can read them again and again, you can only read them for the first time once. That's what happened with Blade Bound. I love the Chicagoland series, I love Ethan and Merit, and I didn't want their story to be over. I know there is the Heirs of Chicagoland series, and I'm thrilled about that, but still, this is the last Ethan and Merit book.

So, on to the book. I adored seeing Merit and Ethan's happily ever after. The first part of the book was definitely focused on the wedding festivities (the bridal shower was so imaginative and perfect for Merit), and as soon as the wedding is over the weapons are out and the magical drama is on. We have old foes, including the vampire that threw Merit into the vampire world, new magical challenges and solutions and a whole lot of excitement.

I also enjoy watching Merit and the gang solve their magical mysteries and this was no exception. It was exciting (I especially liked how libraries save the day), the gang fights, fail, but never gives up, and in the end it comes down to Merit against the big bad.

Swoony sweet, exciting, funny, and magically satisfying, Blade Bound was a great way to say goodbye to the Chicagoland Vampires series.

Disclosure: eARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

5 Stars!

A great segue into the new series! Can't get enough of Merit and Ethan!! Give me more.

This was an action packed ending to this series. I thought the plot was very entertaining and there were at least cameos of all the main characters from over the years. I was a bit disappointed that the baby only comes into the story at the very, very end. I feel like we've been waiting for years to find out about the prophecy and then it was only a tiny bit of the story. I felt a bit cheated to be honest. I am excited to check out the branch off series and hope we'll see some of these characters in that.

It's all a bit of a pickle when our favorite vampires have to go to work again fighting a vampire with dark magic. Sentinel and Master, lovers and friends, what would Chicago do without them?

It’s finally Merit and Ethan’s wedding and all they want is for everything to right, which it does, until just after the reception. Now they must battle even more evil forces once and for all.
This was the final installment of Merit’s story. From start to end, the book was great. As with all of the Chicagoland Vampire stories, the story was great from start to end. I’ve loved following Merit and Ethan through all of their adventures and I will be sorry to see them go. I look forward to reading more from this author.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Merit and Ethan are getting married (finally). The marriage starts off with a bang when it starts snowing in August.

I loved the conclusion to this series!!!! I felt like the ending was a little rushed, even though I was happy with how it played out. This has definitely been a top series of 2017 for me!

I'm sad to see Chloe Neill's Chicago Vampires series end, but what a way to go out! Merit and Ethan must take on their deadliest foe yet to save themselves, their friends and their city - and fulfill the prophecy. This series was one of the true delights of the urban fantasy genre.

I love Chloe Neil !! Her books are fantastic and Blade Bound was just WOW!!!

Review Scheduled to go live on blog on June 26th @ Naomi’s Reading Palace - http://nomisparanormalpalace.blogspot.com.au

I've been a fan of the Chicagoland Vampires series since I picked up the first book in August, 2013. After almost four years my love affair with this series has come to an end... and even though I was excited to get the last book, I'm sad that the series is over. Blade Bound was the perfect ending to the series, where I was able to see one of the happiest moments of Merit and Ethan's lives and I saw the epic showdown that tested everyone that I've come to love!

Since I first met Merit, she has grown into her position as Sentinel in Cadogan house; she is a fierce protector of those she now calls family. Along with Ethan, and their friends they will do anything to protect Chicago from the new threat on their city. However, this book wasn't just about hard times, there were plenty of happy moments that had me smiling as I saw the love and devotion that Merit and Ethan had for each other.

Blade Bound was a challenge for everyone, as the threat took over Chicago, but it was hard for Merit as Gabriel's prophecy hinged on the outcome of this showdown. It was always in the back of my mind while I was reading, and I had my fingers crossed throughout the story. I did see some hints dropped throughout the book, but it just added to the excitement of what was unfolding.

Chloe Neill has a writing style that hooked me every time. I love her world building, how attached I became to the characters and the humour that she entwined throughout the story. I will never forget Merits love for mallow-cakes and pizza, her love for Darth Sullivan, and the strong person she had become. But what I loved most was the Epilogue! My heart melted and I was excited to get that final glimpse... because I think we'll be getting more from this world in the future!

I love this series so much. Let me just say that this series is absolutely brain candy, but I am OK with that. Sometimes, it's exactly what I need. Plus, vampires that aren't sparkly, shape shifters, sorcerers, and an awesome grandpa. Ethan and Merit are so fun to read about and it was a totally satisfactory ending to the series for me. So, here's my official review:

First line: It was midnight in Chicago, and all was well. (Ha! If that’s not a harbinger of things to come in this series, I don’t know what is!)

Summary: I know, it sounds like every other book in the series, and it kind of is, but it does wrap things up nicely. Chicagoland is under attack from an unknown source. An unknown vampire enters Cadogan house and attacks Merit. Ethan and Merit, with the help of all their supernatural friends (sorcerers, shapeshifters) and Grandpa Chuck Merit. There’s a wedding! And lots more.

Highlights: A wedding. Prophecy. Lots more.

Lowlights (or what could have been better): I read in a lot of reviews that it’s the same old thing (with 13 books in the series, it averages about one a month of Merit’s vampire life) and it is. That said, I loved the series (and as I said above, it’s total brain candy—if you are looking for high literature, this isn’t it and that is totally OK with me).

FYI: Don’t read the preview for Chloe Neill’s next series in the back of the book unless you want a major spoiler. Read the book first, THEN read the preview.

First I would like to address the scurvy guy on the cover. For not quiet a decade I've been reading this series and the main male character is Ethan Sullivan Master Vampire of Cadogan House Chicago, think the most elegant alpha male in existence, whom wears Armani and can swing a swords without breaking a sweat. The book cover is the total opposite of Ethan and it made me cringe. The dude looks like he hasn't bathed in years and looks nothing like the dapper Ethan described in the series. Guess the cover designer never read the books.

I hate endings, and this last book by Chloe Neill of her Chicagoland Vampire series is no different. Yes, the book is a completion but not having a future Merit adventure to read makes me sad. In this book a little more than a year has passed for Neill's Chicago Vampires since the series started, but for me the conclusions of the series has been not quiet a decade of being in Vampire Merit's world; which is full of vampires and other supernatural creatures. I put off reading and reviewing this book for several months. I finally relented and decided to 'Listen' to the book instead of reading to put a distance between me and the last book. Yes I added degrees of separations to try to lessen the pain of the conclusion of one of my favorite series. Neill writes some of the best urban fantasy in during the run of this series, and the urban setting of Chicago set this book up as the premiere vampire series of the last decade. The book is a good bye and the plot is not as mysterious as the previous books in the series, as this book was an extension of the last book in the series, and anticlimactic as a series conclusion. This book isn't the best of the series, but Neill's quiet good is better than most authors best effort.

I was so excited for Blade Bound! There were certain things I was dying to see and to have answers to. I’m glad that we still got new story to go along with the loose ends we had so it wasn’t just a wrap up book, but its own installment, with the series ending bits mixed in.

Merit and the supernaturals of Chicago must deal with the sorceress that previously got away on them. She is back and has cooked up a huge plan to retaliate against the city after she lost everything she had worked so hard for. Honestly, I still wasn’t completely 100% on her end game. Did she want to rule the city? What exactly did she want from everyone? But her plan gets way out of her control and Chicago ends up trying to clean up her mess. As always, we get some great adventure with the gang as they fight to save the city. Hopefully this time proving to the citizens of Chicago that all the bad that happens in Chicago is not the fault of the vampires.

We see Merit go through a few phases in this book. She is her brave self, but we see vulnerability to her as well. I love that she was able to share that with Ethan and they work through things as a team. They have really developed a great relationship.

Blade Bound wraps up this era of the Chicagoland Vampires very nicely. We had things we needed to tie up, like the wedding, a loose sorceress and a prophecy, plus whatever new baddies showed up in this book. I think all of those things were dealt with nicely and we have a good, clean finish to Merit & Ethan’s tale. I’ll be watching closely for more info on the spin off to see if it is something I’m going to dive into. I’m guessing it will, if it gives me the chance to see one of my favorite couples again.

Chicagoland Vampires was a great series for me. It was full of fun, snark, action and adventure. I’m sad to see it end, but am completely satisfied with how it ended. It was sigh-worthy with a tear of happiness or two.

BLADE BOUND marks the end of the Chicagoland Vampires series. What a wild ride it’s been and while I know I will dearly miss these characters, Chloe Neill has done a wonderful job of wrapping up this series.

As one would expect, this book differs from all the other books in the series because it has a bittersweet feel to it. Merit and Ethan are looking to tie the knot and as the big day approaches, so does other trouble.

I didn’t believe for one second that Neill would make this book an easy read. So of course there’s going to be an epic plot and intense mystery in this book as well. I feel like so many other authors would have taken the short cut and just focus on wrapping up the series, but actually, I think this book is even better because of the fact that it stays true to the rest of the series. Merit will find herself in trouble, but of course, her and her friends will prevail.

I really enjoyed this book and definitely felt the warm and fuzzies when finishing it. It’s sad to say goodbye to these characters but I do believe that Neill has done a wonderful job with this series.

Its always a sad thing when a series you love comes to an end so Blade Bound is one of those bittersweet books that you almost don't want to read because once its over it's really OVER. I've been a fan of the Chicagoland Vampires for so many years now and I've loved every minute of it. Merit is such a brilliant character and I love her relationship with Ethan. They've learnt a lot both as individuals and as a couple and they've faced all kinds of dangers along the way. I guess it's probably about time that they got to actually enjoy their happily ever after but I still wasn't ready to say goodbye to them.

If you have to leave a series behind you it's definitely best to go out when it's still on a high note though and Chloe Neill has achieved that here. I don't want to say too much about the plot but I'll give you a little hint - there might be a wedding (but only if they survive the hen and bachelor nights first!). Of course bad guys don't take time off for festivities so Merit and Ethan are still up against the clock trying to bring down the mastermind who has been the cause of so many problems over the last few books.

Blade Bound is full of action, there's plenty of the witty banter and humour that I've come to expect from this series and we get to catch up with all of our favourite characters. I'm sad that it's over but what a ride it's been & I know this is a series I'll be rereading in the future. Even better is the fact that Chloe Neill has announced a spin off series! I'm not going to say who the main characters are in this review because it would be a spoiler for anyone who hasn't read Blade Bound so you'll have to investigate yourselves for more information but I'm very excited by the direction things seem to be going. The first book in the spin off is called Wild Hunger and I believe it will be out sometime next year - it's definitely going straight to the top of my wish list the minute I find an official release date!

Blade Bound (Chicagoland Vampires) is an Awesome addition to this series!! The characters and story line are well-developed. Merit and Ethan are preparing for the wedding, when a threat in the form of sorcery attacks the house. Now they have to and eliminate this threat before the wedding takes place. Sorcha Reed is back and terrorizing Chicago. It is so bad that the humans of Chicago are wanting to give up Merit and Ethan. The Fey, Werewolves and the Vamps are all getting together to get rid of the sorceress. This book tied everything up in a nice neat little bow. This was such a great book to read and I recommend it to everyone. I give BLADE BOUND 5/5 STARS.

What a wild ride this series has been for me, I simply loved every minute of it! The conclusion of this series was bittersweet for my friends and I, because we know that another CLV book would be coming at us again soon. I have been a part of Ms.Neill's blog tours for this series, along with the Devil's Isle series. I have not written my full review yet as I did not want to spoil anyone, and I want to read it again before doing so. I posted the link below to the blog tour post I wrote, which gives a non-spoiler review, some of which I shared below.

As with any other CLV book, I loved it. I thought Chloe did a very nice job of tying up the book series, and that prophecy was killing me! I was glad to read about how that was to come to fruition (if at all..NO SPOILERS REMEMBER) but I could have used a bit more explanation. I never really cared for Merit’s family, the way they treated her it always bugged me. Merit’s brother and father were not really speaking to her, and it was left unresolved.

What was lacking in the relationship between Merit and her human family (with the exception of her Grandfather) was made up for (in spades) by her supernatural, immortal family. Cadogan House truly is one big happy family. Ethan and Merit have grown so much as a couple, and it was great to see them finally embracing where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and in trusting each other to protect and serve together.

I'm very disapointed by the conclusion of the series.
The beginning of the book is exciting and cute, but the main plot is dull and the prophecy's resolution was so rushed.