**Spoilers about Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill and the series in general**
I’ve been contemplating why I didn’t like the end of Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill (book 4 in her Chicagoland Vampire series). I talked about it a bit in my review, but didn’t want to go into it too much before release date. Now the book has been out a week and I need to rant again. There is a huge cliffhanger at the end and it has really bothered me. For the most part I do like cliffhangers in most urban fantasy books I read. Even though I lost years off my life, I loved the endings of The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. But, we knew from the start that was to be a five book series, so the end was always in sight. We knew Moning would not drag it out book, after book and even though it was not 100% guaranteed, we all pretty much knew in book five we would get that HEA.
That is the most extreme cliffhanger I can think of. Double Cross by Carolyn Crane gave me heartburn and made me email people in capital letters when I finished. But again, this is a three book series, so we know in December all will be resolved.
I think what bothers me most about Hard Bitten is that through four books Merit and Ethan have been built up. We have two full books of sexual tension, and then in book three we have the big sex scene, only for them to be apart by the end of book three and all of book four. After awhile, I’m done with the push and pull. Four books is a lot for us to read with no romantic resolution. Again, I realize this is UF, so the HEA is not guaranteed. But, in this series, there has been a huge emphasis on the sexual tension between Merit and Ethan. If there is going to be a tease of sexual tension, I need that pay off. For example – Kate and Curran from Ilona Andrews. Or Mercy and Adam from Patricia Briggs. Both series gave us three or so books of sexual tension, and both have now progressed to a relationship. And guess what? I still want to read them! There is still conflict, and drama, and romance – even though the couples are in a sustained relationship. Bones and Cat by Jeanienne Frost is another example of couples that work. I’m all for the teasing, and the unknown for the first few books, but after awhile I want a relationship.
I just feel like this cliffhanger is another excuse not to have Merit and Ethan together. On top of that, he is supposedly dead. That’s just not cool! I know Chloe Neill says to “trust me” which makes me think Ethan is coming back But my big question is HOW? Is he a ghost hiding somewhere? Is he just missing? Is Mallory going to bring him back with her dark magic? I should probably save my ranting until after Drink Deep comes out. If Ethan comes back, (as himself, not as someone else with the same green eyes) and they are together by the end of Drink Deep then maybe I can look back on Hard Bitten and laugh. But – for some reason I fear I won’t be satisfied.
For fans of this series, how did you feel about the end of Hard Bitten?
For Urban Fantasy in general, do you need that relationship to keep the series going or are you happy with just sexual tension, or different romantic interests for the protagonist?
Mandi, I completely agree with you about the series issue. If they’re using a romantic component, there should be resolution in a reasonable time-frame (this is also why I’ve given up on Evanovich – ENOUGH ALREADY).
Your examples are exactly the ones I’m thinking of. I actually decided against buying this one, because after book 3 and their lack of resolution, I couldn’t rationalize spending my hard-earned money on her books because I was so disappointed. I think that if there are plans to keep a series going indefinitely each books needs to have some kind of wrap-up, rather than these kind of “dropped jaw” endings.
I’ve heard from some that this series ends in 7 – not sure if that is a fact or not. Even then though, I think four books is plenty to tease us with the romance. Give us a cliffhanger about something else. But at least get these two together! :)
That’s it exactly!
I just feel a bit cheated, which is why I decided against borrowing rather than buying. If the series were to improve, I could always go back. But there are so many series that I enjoy that I’d rather put my money on books that end with me being happy.
It’s the same with Evanovich – I get it, two hot men. But it can’t keep going FOREVER. I’d be happy if she just settled, and then we could get on with the plot.
Really nice points. I think the MOST frustrating bottom line is that even in Drink Deep we won’t really get any kind of Merit and Ethan time because if he DOES come back it will take the whole book to bring him back and then we have to wait for them to be together in the book AFTERT that??? Or does she bring him back right in the very beginning of Drink Deep and they spend the rest of the book trying to get acquainted again to the fact that he is a Zombie? AAAAAHHHHHHHH. I agree with you, the push and pull only can last for so long. Him dying in one paragraph, and not even leaving a body behind, but dust, is just… lame. And no matter how I try to relax about it, the next book is just going to be misery because it will still have to address the fact that he is GONE and she is WITHOUT him. At least for a while. Bah.
Or will she give us a new love interest?
See, I don’t mind Jonah…. but that makes me very nervous bringing someone else in to the picture (not only because I really don’t love triangles) but also if Ethan DOES come back, that is going to suck even more that she’s tried to move on and he’s back! The third person, in my example: Jonah, gets SCREWED!
I think my problem would be that I’ve become so committed to Merit and Ethan, that I’m not sure I could accept another love interest, even if he’s hot, and I like him.
EXACTLY! I totally see her trying to move on with someone else, but that is going to be miserable to watch, too because we all are like EEEETHAAAAAAAN for FOUR books!
Watch – she’ll try a Merit/Jonah deal, Ethan will come back, and THEN Jonah will get his own series.
HAHAHAHAHA oh man you KNOW that trick could happen! :P Spin-off, suckers!
When I was saying that, it made me think a bit of Rachel Vincent’s series, which I’ve heard might get a spin-off series for the unlucky love interest (I won’t reveal). It could totally happen!
Rant away, my dear. After all, it’s your blog and you can do as you choose. I agree that authors can use the cliff-hanger schtick to prevent the HEA that a reader is looking for and I don’t think your wrong at all in this case. Leaving a reader hanging can be all well and good if the next book isn’t two years in coming up. That’s my biggest beef. Authors of series need to be prepared to keep heaping coal on the creative writing rather than these insane long periods of time between books. That being said, I know creating fiction is hard work. I just think publishers and authors need to have some books in reserve before the first in the series is even released. Then the cliffhanging isn’t quite so painful. I guess I ranted a bit as well.
Absolutely – long waits can be brutal; there are definitely more than a few series out there that have been on a long hiatus, and it’s disappointing and also bad for the author, because that’s how you lose readers while you’re putting out every book BUT the one they’re waiting for.
YEAH! What she said!
Hi Mandi, I agree 100%. I decided to cancel my pre-order after someone told me about the end. I may buy it in the future (a week before Drink Deep), but I have zero tolerance with cliffhangers (I saved all the Fever books to read after the last one was released). It’s even harder for me because I’m not a big fan of UF, I’m all about the romance, so if things don’t progress in the romance department, I’ll stop reading, I did it with Sookie after book 6 or 7… What can I say, If I want to know about “bad romance” storys all I need to do is call a bunch of single girlfriends, books are about the satisfaction, I don’t need a book that will leave me with a bad taste on my mouth after the last page. Sorry for any english mistakes, it’s not my first language, but I just could not help myself…
I stopped reading Sookie because of that too. Personally, I need eventual romance. Steady romance. Not just a sex scene thrown in every once in a while. I don’t mind waiting a little, but with Sookie – I just missed that romance connection.
I have more of a tolerance for cliffhangers – if they fit within the series. Maybe if this had happened earlier on – not after I have been invested in Ethan/Merit through 4 books.
I have a feeling Jonah is going to be a love interest because I saw Neill either tweet or leave a comment along the lines of – Jonah is sexy *cough cough*
This is not going to work for me! I had a hard enough time with Donovan Caine leaving Gin in Estep’s series and I think that was one or one and a half books he was in. I don’t want this love triangle if that is what she is setting up.
Dr J – At least Drink Deep comes out later this year. I agree that years between is just too long. I can barely wait 6 months to get the next Neill book!
It will be misery. The end better be awesome!! That’s all I’m sayin.
AGREED.
I agree with you on all points. My own frustration is, I just now was convinced that Ethan was Merit’s love match and bam! He’s gone. Seriously, the ending of Hard Bitten dropped the bottom out of my stomach not mention the tears (I don’t cry easily about what I read in books either). She’s going to have to be really creative if she’s going to bring Ethan back and make it believable but I need some head way to be seen in Drink Deep to keep me going on this series. I’m going to give Neill the benefit of the doubt for now. *fingers crossed*
Do you know if there is set number of books in this series?
I’ll def read Drink Deep to see how it plays out….
Another reader told me this is a 7 bk series – but I have no idea if that is fact or rumor
Rant away
I totally agree with how you feel. Cheated with the ending, but I do think that this next book will be more with Mallory and her boyfriend. Yeah I know she says happy ending but all the push & pull with Ethan and now with Jonah in the mix.
Hoping that she can pull a rabbit out of the hat but yeah I was sad that he gone like that too.
Yeah, I think so too. There’s a lot of stuff that we are missing about her magic lessons; through several books now I’ve gotten the sense that Mal is hiding a lot from Merit regarding her skills and what she’s learning.
I do love Catcher..wouldn’t mind more scenes with him….
maybe we find out why he isn’t in the order anymore :)
I bet we do eventually. He intrigues me
Well, on her website it says she’s under contract for seven, but that she’s not sure how many will actually be published in the series, which means…if it goes well enough, the series could keep going on…
lalala..I can’t hear you…
No..I wouldn’t mind a longer series if Merit and Ethan get together before the last book
I wanted to shake Carolyn for the cliffhanger she put in Double Cross. But then again, it has me panting for the 3rd book like a dog needing water in the summer.
I take it you’ll read the next book after Hard Bitten? See cliffhangers are great because they reader will most likely need to read the next book.
I love cliffhangers, they get your emotions all stirred up, and as long as I know the answer to it is in the next book I can handle them. *But* I don’t want to wait a long time for the next book either.
I’ll read the next – and then decide if I am continuing with the series
I sobbed like a baby when I read what happened at the end of the book. Then I was numb for a week. Then I laughed at myself and felt like a fool for reacting the way I did. I love books so much and sometimes I have to realize that they are just characters and not real people. But for a tired, worn out mother such as myself, books are so much more. They are my escape so that I don’t completely lose my mind! But apparently I lost it when I read what happened to Ethan. So I agree with you. I’m tired of the are they going to be together, are they not going to be together. I feel Chloe’s writing was perfect for the scene because it felt real for me, but now I’m like, what happens next?! I want them together! I want them to have more touching moments. So she had better bring it in Drink Deep. Our man had better be back!
I like sexual tension in UF, but eventually I want something to happen. I know that authors need to keep it fresh to make readers come back for more, but don’t torture us poor souls.
Wow…I wrote a lot huh?
JUST CHARACTERS?? Not real people? WHAT?
LOL – I know. I get you. But still. I want Ethan back. *sob*
I maybe had someonetellmetheending *coughs*. Since it wasn’t a total shock I was ‘ok’ with the cliffhanger. Had I not known I would have said a few f-words.
I agree by book 4 there should be some sort of conclusion with Merit and Ethan – and not the I killed him off scenario. I was kind of bummed that Merit and Ethan had barely any page time and then whamo he’s dead. Not cool.
Yep..I agree. Even if they had gotten back together and then something happened to him at the end I would have liked more. I’m tired of them not together.
Mandi – totally agree with your rant, and honestly I wanted resolution so Merit and Ethan could be the star couple that they were meant to be, just like Cat & Bones, Kate & Curran, etc. The tension was fine till a certain point – and she didn’t have to kill him off just so we could miss him! I’m waiting on Drink Deep and will finish the series regardless – I just hope Merit gets that HEA she deserves (whether its Ethan, Jonah, or someone else). I think in the book Merit says she deserves someone who has wanted her from the start, maybe that’s where Chloe is going…I’m remaining hopeful regardless. I got a sense of hope in the ending when she was dreaming of Ethan, but when she said she didn’t particularly miss him – joking or not – it made me think maybe he really is gone. Would be interested to hear other theories…
My theory is that eventually Merit and Ethan will have their HEA. Maybe Jonah will come in or some other dude as a love interest, but when all is said and done – I can’t imagine the series ending without Merit and Ethan together.
When she hears Ethan in her dream – I think that is really him…stuck somewhere. That is my theory
That dream is why I left the book feeling hopeful.
I think – I KNOW – I’m in the minority in that I’m not mad/disappointed/upset at the author – maybe I’m naive but I’m trusting her. She says Merit will get her HEA and I believe her. Not that it’s really a comparison, but I was devastated when Kim Harrison killed off Kisten – I cried. Now, Rachel hasn’t had a real love interest since then, not really…but I still like the series.
Back to Ethan and Merit – simply stated: I’m putting my trust in Ms. Neill, I think she’s going to surprise us (in a good way).
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to the land of unicorns and rainbows, where I obviously live :)
Yep, I kinda had to fight the urge to throw my book out the front door and then set it on fire! After I calmed down a bit and was once again capable of rational thought I kept trying to figure out how she was going to fix this. We find out at the end that Tate is not entirely human, so did he pull some kind of magical slight of hand to make everyone think Celina killed Ethan? Does this tie in with the whole dark magic Mallory issue?! I’m not ready to give up yet….patiently waiting for Drink Deep :)
I like this theory Ashley – It makes more sense for Ethan to come back if he is not actually dead – just temporarily missing. There was a lot of magic going on in that final scene.
I have two things that leave me hopeful. 1. Chloe Neill recently posted this on her blog: “To those of you who’ve asked (and I’ve said this for a long time), of COURSE my goal is to give Merit a happily ever after. She’s been through a lot; she deserves one.”
2. If Ethan was gone for good, I think at some point Ms. Neill would confirm that. From what I’ve noticed, author’s don’t seem to have any hesitation in telling fans when a character is dead and won’t come back. Maybe she wouldn’t say anything within the first week the book was released, but I’m guessing if he is gone for good she would tell us before Drink Deep comes out.
I totally have faith that Merit will her her HEA – my complaint is that I want it sooner rather then later. But that is just the way I like my UF. Make me work for a few books and then give me the romance/relationship.
I also don’t want to see Jonah or someone else coming in as a romantic interest for her. That is just my personal feeling.
I really need Drink Deep!!! :)
I totally agree with you. I hope it won’t be like the fever series, which I loved, but one thing that really bothered me was when they finally got together it was only at the very end. I feel like when I invest so much time into a series, I deserve a little bit more reward than that.
I keep going back and forth about whether I want to dive into Hard Bitten now or just wait until Drink Deep comes out and then read them back to back then. I mean, I know the cliffhanger already but I’m not sure if I want to wait between installments, even though I already bought the book. Decisions decisions!
LOL..good luck with that decision ;)
So well said! The series that you listed with the couples together are some of my favorite. I will read every book about them. I want a HEA between the two main character and I would like it before the end of the series. Some of the best parts are getting to actually see them together.
I am still not happy with Neill. I feel a bit jerked around.
Yes – I love seeing them together. I wish we had seen Mac and Barrons together more in the fever series. It is still fun and entertaining to read even if a relationship has been established.
I don’t know. I guess I’m not having as extreme a reaction to this one as a lot of people. I re-read the last three books right before I read Hard Bitten, and, looking back, Ethan’s death had been forshadowed a good bit. But I don’t think Ethan is “really most sincerely dead”–I think the idea that he’s coming back has been forshadowed just as much.
Plus…one of the big conflicts of the Merit/Ethan relationship has always been that Merit believes Ethan puts the house/political alliances/himself ahead of her–and indeed, he routinely has. But throwing himself in front of the stake for Merit is the most selfless act he could have committed. Yes, it’s a complication for their HEA…but it also shows how much he’s evolved in the series, even since the last book.
Don’t get me wrong: I was emotionally wrecked by the ending. It’s one of the few times I’ve really cried at an UF novel. But I’m not stressing over it. I enjoyed the book, and I’m willing to wait and see where Neill takes it.
Okay. I trust Chloe Neill’s “trust me.” You know with Mallory being so upset about BLACK MAGIC that this has something to do with Ethan’s purported demise. Granted the ashes in the urn is bothersome. And, yes, I cried/heart constricted painfully, a lot and for a good while. But I love these books – even without all the gratuitous sex, I scrutinize every interaction between Ethan and Mallory because I love the “snark,” the tension, the complexity of each character, especially Ethan, and the way he is physical with Merit, sometimes subtle, sometimes neaderthal. I cannot help but think of Ethan, and only Ethan (not you, Malik) when I see, hear or read a “be still.” Be still my heart. There are many series, as those have outlined above, where the HEA is elusive until late in a series, so no crying foul over that. I admit surprise, however, that no one (at least in my quick review of these comments) has said out loud that we hope Ethan doesn’t pull a JANE and come back all GHOSTY. Now, THAT, could cause me to rethink my position on these books.
Oh I LOVE the snark in this series – and I’ve enjoyed the intense moments, subtle glances between Merit and Ethan. I don’t even need to read sex scenes between them (well, maybe just another ;) ) I just want them to take all those moments and make it into a relationship. I just think for this particular series, I’m ready for that step.
And dear book gods – don’t let him become a male Jane. For the love of us readers!! LOL. I had not even thought of that. *whimper*
@ Beth – True – this selfless act shows how much he has evolved. And I’m glad about that.
Maybe I need to go back and reread first three…
See, I had a very very VERY long phone conversation with my sister about this. After reading your original review of it, I kept on making different guesses about what that big crazy event at the end would be. And when I got there, I was pretty much outraged. I am a huge Ethan fan, like, positively, and I just couldn’t think of why Chloe Neill would ever kill him off. I kept on trying to figure out who would be part of the romance if Ethan was dead. Part of me was thinking that maybe she’d skip ahead in time to when baby Connor Keene is old, because Gabriel had been hinting about how Merit was going to play an important role in his son’s life. But then I realized no, that wouldn’t happen because there’s too much going on in the current time at this point in the story. Though I have a feeling Connor will be rather important later, if not romantically then with a political alliance between the vampires and shifters. (Is it bad that I kind of want something romantic to happen between Conner and Merit when he’s older? I don’t know, but I’m kind of losing faith in Ethan, and for some reason I feel like that would provide some preeeeeettty interesting conflict between the races…)
So anyway, outraged and near on the verge of tears, I called my sister. She was just as upset and astonished, and was finally like “There is absolutely no way that could happen. Absolutely.” And I said that it did, that he was ashes in front of her! And we both wait a second and it hit me. No romance writer would ever kill off the love interest in the middle of the series. No one would do that. Maybe at the end of one, but not in the middle, and I think that’s what Chloe meant when she told us to “trust” her. My immediate idea was that, as per the hints, Mallory is going to delve into the dark magic to bring back Ethan, whether or not he’s allowed to permanently stay on the physical plane or not.
Honestly, the book itself, to me, wasn’t as truly extraordinary as the ones before it. There was a lack-luster quality to it, probably from the lack of true Ethan-Merit action, that forced me to have an only moderate appreciation. The writing, as usual, was astounding, but I honestly don’t know where Chloe Neill is planning on going with this. Does the lack of love for this book make me not want to read the next one? Absolutely not! I’m a Merit fan to the end, and there are far too many lingering questions to stop my obsession now!
I totally had a moment where I went – OMG ETHAN IS DEAD. But then I got myself under control and read her “trust me” and realized he is definitely coming back. The HOW makes me a little nervous. With that vision Gabriel had – will it be the same Ethan? EEK.
Very interesting thoughts with Connor. I would love to explore more with the shifters. That is one thing I love about this series is not just the snark and Ethan and Merit but the politics involved – not only within the houses, but with the humans and other supernaturals as well.
This series is fab – I agree this book, before the ending is probably just middle ground for me compared to the first three. I truly hope I read Drink Deep and realize I wasted six months obsessing over nothing. But I’m nervous! LOL
See, it took me until realizing that there’s absolutely no way she could really kill him off to get a grip on myself. I was actually going around the house yelling because it upset me. I DO NOT LIKE WHEN ROMANCES DON’T WORK. IT MAKES ME LOSE HOPE IN LIFE. T____T
I absolutely LOVE the snark between the two, and I think that actually might be what the book was really lacking. There was just, I don’t know, not enough sass for me. Not enough at all. Though that moment when he bartered for the one kiss… **melts** Moments like those are what make me read romance novels in the first place…
And yeah, Drink Deep better be pretty damn amazing, otherwise I may have to go shoot something.
Also, question: I’m at a lack for good books right now because I’ve read basically every book that has received an A and a good many that have received Bs. What would you suggest now (maybe something like the Chicagoland Vamps?) since I’ve got six months till Drink Deep and exams to not study for?!
Have you read the Jane Jameson series by Molly Harper – Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs is book one. Same kind of snark – made me LOL.
Carolyn Crane’s Mind Games
Jennifer Estep’s Spider’s Bite?
On the Edge and Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews?
I also love The Southern Arcana Series by Moira Rogers – PNR – but the world continues nicely in each book
Oh god, Molly Harper. I absolutely LOVE her books! They’re so just… adorable. And sassy. It’s great xD
Thanks so much! Spider’s Bite has been sitting on my kindle for, like, months but I sort of forgot about it… ^__^’
Also, have you ever read the Maria V. Snyder “Study” series? It’s absolutely positively amazing, if you haven’t!
Put me in the wait and see category. I’ve been lukewarm on the series. I thought Ethan was a jerk, so I wasn’t a total fan girl of the series. I hard about the spoiler on Amazon and decided not to read the book, because one of my biggest pet peeves lack of romantic resolution or growth. Janet Evanovitch is a great example. I mean seriously how long do you think 2 Alpha men are going to put up with that crap. And how long should Merit put up for not being put first? So maybe Ethan giving his life for hers is a good thing.
I’m def ready for a relationship..If Ethan comes back and progresses to a good point with merit, then I’m fine with that. I just worry it won’t get to that point in the next book.
I read the first book in her study series awhile ago and I just couldn’t get through it – but I’ve heard such great things about the series..I think I need to try again :)
Definitely! In my opinion, it does get dull at moments, but if you get to the end… it’s just true mastery, really. So positively good xD
i grumbled to no end after i finished read this. I really really felt cheated to reach this conclusion after 4 books of drama. I’m guessing Ethan had to go so that vision/dream (?) that Merit saw with Gabriel could come true (the one where some other dude had green eyes)
I’ve lost my excitement in this series though. If she brings him back in some crappy way, it’ll totally kill any future Chloe Neill has to be on my TBR shelf ever again. She better delivery some amazing stuff on the next book. I hope there’s no BDB’esqe ghostly Jane stuff or something where Merit and Mallory go on a reincarnation trip
Yes, I assume the vision must come into play – you are the second person to mention the ghost thing from BDB..LOLOL. I think it is safe to assume Ethan is coming back, but HOW is the big question….
When I finished Hard Bitten, I was not happy. After I chilled out, I went back and reread the earlier books to see if there was something I missed. It seems that there was a scene with Merit and Gabriel in book three in which he makes a comment about them being family or like family. (I’d quote the page, but I loaned books three and four to a friend.) I wonder if this is some foreshadowing? Maybe she ends up with a Keene or a pack member and solidifies the bond between the vamps and weres? That doesn’t resolve my Ethan angst, but it may be a possibility for Drink Deep and beyond. I’m keeping my hopes up for Drink Deep.
I need to go back to reread that part in book 3 too. That is definitely some kind of foreshadowing….I wonder if we will learn in Drink Deep..
Throw me in the ranting club too!
I don’t mind if there aren’t a lot of sex scenes, but what I want is coherence, intensity and credibility. They’re attracted to each other but both have their issues and have to come to terms with their feelings: ok. But once that’s solved and they come together then they have to evolve from that point, not going back and forth endlessly.
As many of you, I also read the Fever series, and even if i was emotionally broken at the end of every book, I had the certainty that things’ll be solved someway. And that way was based on all the elements introduced in the previous books
What I don’t like in Hard Bitten it’s not the unexpected event or the cliffhanger, but how they’re presented.
If you analize the scene in which Ethan dies, you see there are several ways it doesn’t work.
Both Merit and Ethan are very skilled and Celina announces her moves before striking her attack, so there’s no way they couldn’t avoid it!
If you want to kill your hero, do it in the right way.
Then, what’s the meaning of Ethan’s death? He already showed Merit that he was changing, so what’s the gain in killing himself?
Add to that that they were just having a misunderstanding… So there wasn’t even a closure on their relationship. That wasn’t proof of undying unconditional love, that was the author’s lame and useless attempt to pump the angst.
But her description of Merit’s mourning and the argument with her father lacks intensity, everything seems reduced to something of little importance.
It seems Merit mourned the loss of a thing rather than that of her most precious person.
And set aside the little note on dark magic in this book, there’s nothing in this series’ worldbuilding that can support an eventual reincarnation or resurrection. And I’d not like neither, even if it had a solid basis.
I didn’t like Jonah’s interest here ’cause it was too sudden and out of place, and even if I’m a Morgan fan I wouldn’t see well a reunion between him and Merit.
Merit’s path was linked to Ethan’s, anyone else doesn’t make sense for me.
So I really don’t know what to think about this series’ future…
Very well said. I agree with every point that you make. The events leading up to the cliffhanger were not great, so the cliffhanger on top of that makes it all that more frustrating. Like I’ve said, the HOW of Ethan coming back is the big thing. How will the rules of this world support this…I too don’t want to see Merit with another romantic interest..interested to see how this plays out.
A lot rides on Drink Deep.
I agree that this ending of HB was worse than those of Fever and Carolyn Crane. I mean we knew there were only 5 books for Fever and 3 for Carolyn’s series. In my heart of hearts I knew Barrons wasn’t dead and I know that Justine will get her HEA with Packard. I’m not feeling this level of comfort with the Chicagoland Vampire series after Hard Bitten. Neill has made her readers very uncomfortable.
I wish I was more sure that the ending was a cliffhanger of sorts.
On one hand, I just can’t believe that Chloe would kill off the romantic lead, the guy who has been just as much a main character in this series as Merit has. I can’t believe she would have given us 4 books of watching Ethan growing and maturing just to get rid of him so that Merit can move on. If his death is meant to be a catalyst for a more mature Merit then that is just lame.. That could have been achieved in some other way that didn’t alienate a legion of readers who have been reading the books for the development of the relationship between Merit and Ethan.
She said in an early interview when asked how she would peg the series that book by book it was UF, but overall it was a Paranormal Romance series. You don’t kill off the main man in a PR series!
But on the other hand, this series could potentially go on and on, so she may have revised her original plan. If it does go beyond 7 books then couldn’t the author be taking the view that she has plenty of time to build up something else? Something she’s confident we’ll like even better.
I just don’t feel with enough certainty that the thing I became invested in, the thing I firmly believed was the author’s intention from the outset, an HEA for Merit and Ethan, will actually happen now. I’m no longer excited about this series, because regardless of whether or not she brings Ethan back I’ll feel like I’ve been played. But I’ll feel even more played if she doesn’t bring him back after all that deliberate build up.
That ending was just not cool with me.
For me – if he comes back next book – this series will still be worth it. But if he doesn’t or if he comes back and they still don’t get together…I don’t know. I will have to reassess.
So if she says this is a paranormal romance series, then killing off Ethan makes no sense – and by book 4 they should be together. In my opinion :)
Yep, she definitely said that. And since we know that a PR series follows the trials and tribulations of one main couple then why kill off the male half of the couple unless you had decided to change the focus/direction of the series. I mean, right up until those last 2 chapters of HB, it was blatantly obvious what the main focus of the series was. Hopefully, this is still the direction CN is taking otherwise I will feel completely swindled.
Like you, I’ve really soured towards series that prolong the HEA. Series like Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson and Cat and Bones have shown that having a couple together is far more satisfying than one where there is a constant backwards and forwards. I now have a preference for authors who continue a series having a couple working hard to stay together and succeeding despite the odds being against them.. It’s much more plausible, not boring in the slightest, and, really, there is no such thing as a HEA anyway when it comes down to it.
When she heard Ethan calling her in the dream, I felt it as a desperate scream, like he was trying to call her back from somewhere: I thought/hoped everything that happened was Merit dreaming ’cause she was the one (not mortally) hit by the stake, and gone unconscious… >.<
I think Ethan is trapped somewhere – maybe he can see her or hear her – or only communicate with her in dreams. That way Merit will know he has to come back somehow?
I hope he isn’t dead – and talking to her in dreams…I hope it is more like Ashley said – a slight of hand thing.
Oh, thank you for the rant! It’s been a week since I’ve read it and I’m STILL devasted that she killed off Ethan. Every time I think about it, my heart breaks a little more. I agree with everything you said. I honestly don’t think that the presence of an actual relationship takes away from the novel one bit. I LOVE the fact that Cat & Bones have been together for almost all of the books, and there isn’t a triangle or any such nonsense. At some point I want the characters to settle with eachother and then take on the world together. It’s so much sweeter that way.
You’re right, a lot rides on Drink Deep. I don’t want another love interest, but I can’t see how Ethan can come back. If Drink Deep isn’t the best damned novel I’ve ever read, I don’t think I’ll be able to continue reading, even though I love Merit.
I know…I REALLY hope things get resolved next book!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loathe cliffhangers! And after reading the comments – YIKES! *hugs*
I just started the second book in the series, and I was really enjoying it……. and then I saw your feed!!! YIKES!! … I kept telling myself; don’t read it! …..don’t do it!!!!
But curiosity killed the cat….. and me, so now we’re both laying on kitchen floor….LOL. Now what? I just have one question knowing what you know now; would you still read the books? (actually listen, audiobook junkie here)
After the cliffhanger on Shadowfever I swore not to get that crazy about a book and waste my life waiting for the next one…. I was so mad about that one, I was gonna to go Annie Wilkes ( Kathy Bates on Misery) on Mrs. Moning’s arse.LOL…Thank God!! my husband talked me out of it… LOL., what brings me to my point, I’m afraid to get invested again, the only consolation I have is that so far Ethan is no Jericho Barrons. *w*, btw I still want to go Annie Wilkes after having Barrons barbecuing at the end of book!! (sorry for getting off track ).
LOL..Oh Barrons…what an awesome dude ;)
I LOVE this series – so I DO recommend it – just know what happens in book 4. After Drink Deep…I will reassess my rec! :) LOL. But there are great characters, great sexual tension, great snark in this series. This is why I’m so upset over this book.
I finished Hard Bitten yesterday and the end just pissed me off. Seriously? it was like the mother of all the preconceived dramatic twists. Why, oh why did she have to kill him? after the succes of the Fever series, we all knew there will be a lot more of cliffhangers out there, but as you said this was really extreme. I don’t know if I’ll still be able to love this series when we get Ethan back via some lame resurection plot. What’s he gonna be? a ghost? some kind of zombie? I’m pretty sure it’ll be something lame but I really hope I’m wrong on this one :(
As you know, I was never an Ethan fan, but I do agree with you–four books of build-up concerning Ethan and Merit’s relationship, and then this??? It’s just hard to wrap my head around it.
Your reaction reminds me of something Hitchcock once said about a movie of his, Sabotage. In the movie, a kid is carrying a bomb in his book bag. He doesn’t know it, but the audience does. The bomb winds up going off and blowing the kid, a dog, and an entire bus of people up. Hitchcock said that was a horrible mistake–you can’t do that to an audience, build up all this tension and then not have a release for it, or they get angry with you.
Nice point – we don’t have our release. I need a release Heidenkind! :)