New books to lose yourself in

As I've said in the past, I love to read and well, it creates an escape of sorts.  And...if you read my blog even kind of regularly, you'll know I need an escape every once in awhile.  OK, maybe a lot.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't give up one whirlwind of the chaos, but a brief respite can work wonders for the soul and the psyche.  

That's where keeping a steady flow of distracting reads on my Nook comes in very handy.  I pretty much take it with me everywhere I go in the off chance I'll get 5 minutes to not think about the millions of things I have to do. Although, I sometimes read (research) those millions of things instead of lose myself in someone elses world, which kind of defeats the purpose, but the fact is, I still feel as if I've been able to be productive.  And that counts for something, right???

So what have I been reading you ask?  As much as I love a thick novel with multiple warring plots and bit of kinkery, I also like shorter books that are quick and easy reads filled with a little action, humor and lust.  Over the last two weeks or so I've managed to read the entire Chicagoland Vampire Series by Chloe Neill.  As of now there are 7 books with the 8th installment coming in August of this year.

I know, I know...vampires.  They've been all the rage for some time now but we're definitely seeing a trend towards zombies as of late.  I'm not real sure what the attraction is for me because I have no desire to emulate the lifestyle, but there is always a mystical story with it.  Mystical, magical, a greater power yadda, yadda, yadda or something like that.

Quick Synopsis

Non-conforming, bookwormish girl (Merit) from a wealthy family gets sucked into the recently outed vampire world (pardon the pun).  Not by choice mind you.  The rest of the series details the action-packed drama that unfolds throughout the year or so after her transformation.  Add in quick and witty humor from Ms. Neill with just the right amount of intimacy plus villains you love to hate and VOILA!   You have an expertly written series you'll gladly stay up late to finish.  The only negative I can say is that the further on in the books you get, there is a bit of redundancy on the basic facts.  In a sense, re-telling known info from books earlier in the series. I understand that someone who picks up a mid-series book needs background too, but to to that I say, start from the beginning!

So you don't find yourself somewhere in the middle, here's the series from start to finish.


                

 (Pictures courtesy of www.chloeneill.com)

 Biting Bad,is the next book scheduled for release on August 6, 2013, the day before my birthday, so I'll be sure to treat myself.  On my Nook, these books are $9.99 - $12.99, but I was able to read several of them through my Nook's library's ebook borrowing system.  My husband is very thankful for that. 

At 250-300 pages each, you can get through these books relatively quickly, even if you're as busy as I am.  When I finished House Rules the other day and realized I was going to have to wait til August for more Merit and the Chicagoland Vampires, I was a little sad because the characters really grow on you and well, I'll miss them.  Tear...

Give them a read yourself and let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

~~~If you don't see a silver lining...make one~~~