Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Tempting Tuesdays: Chapters 1-4


Welcome to week one of the Some Girls Bite Read-Along! For those of you who don't know, the wonderful ladies behind Tina's Book Reviews, Books in the Spotlight, The Unread Reader and myself are hosting a read-along of book one of Chloe Neill's outstanding Chicagoland Vampires urban fantasy series. Each week we'll pose and answer five questions about the book and then hop around to the other blogs who have signed up to check out everyone's answers! For all the details about the event and our grand prize giveaway, be sure and check out the introductory post HERE.

I'm the lucky host this week, so if you're participating, please be sure to link up your discussion post for the first 4 chapters in the linky below and don't forget to check out Tina's blog for next week's questions for chapters 5-8.

January 3rd - Chapters 1-4 (Jenny at Supernatural Snark)
January 10th - Chapters 5-8 (Tina at Tina's Book Reviews)
January 17th - Chapters 9-12 (Rummanah at Books in the Spotlight)
January 24th - Chapters 13-15 + epilogue (Missie at The Unread Reader)
January 31st - Special guest post by Chloe Neill and our grand prize giveaway!


CHAPTERS 1-4


Let’s say tomorrow a “vampire manifesto” as Merit calls it runs in newspapers across the country announcing their existence. How do you think you would react? If you were hesitant to believe initially, what would it take to convince you they were real?

Based on my undying (ha! I amuse myself) love for all things vampire, I would probably be pretty quick to believe that vampires were real. Who wouldn't want to believe hotness like Ethan, Bones, and the entire Black Dagger Brotherhood were out there just waiting for us to discover them? And then pounce on them. And then make them fall in love with us so we can spend the rest of our days, er nights, with them. Okay, perhaps I just went off on a tangent that led into slightly obsessive territory, but seeing as we've all met Ethan now at this point, it's understandable right? ;-)

Since being turned into a vampire means complete removal from your former life and a new job serving your House in some capacity, what do you think you would miss most about the life you live now?

I'd really miss my dogs. Oh! And also my husband. Probably should have started with that one. Aside from my dogs and my husband though, I'd also really miss my job. I love being able to run a business from home, and like Merit, I'd have a hard time giving up on that dream and accepting that my life had to take a different direction when the circumstances surrounding that change were a result of an event I had no control of and no say in.

What are your first impressions of Merit and how she’s handling all the changes in her life?

I love Merit! She's got a fabulous sense of humor, a great deal of snark–which I certainly appreciate–and while she's understandably upset about being turned without permission, she works the anger out of her system pretty quickly and gears up for a whole new life with probably far more grace and maturity than I would be able to muster.

When you first read the description of Ethan, what actor/model/person you know pops into your head as the perfect embodiment of him? Feel free to include pictures ;-)

I gave away my pick for Ethan back in the introductory post, but since Mr. Gabriel Aubry is just so darn pretty to look at, I'll go ahead and post his picture again. Yum.


I just love that little smirk on his face in this picture, it seems very Ethan-esque. That kind of "I know I'm pretty. You know I'm pretty. I know you know I'm pretty, so let's just admit you want me out loud so we can move on to more than just looking at one another" type of smirk. So infuriatingly sexy.

Do you think Merit’s anger at Ethan himself, not the situation, is justified?

I don't think she's truly angry at him, I just think he's just something tangible and real for her to focus her feelings on as she transitions from mortal grad student to woman with an unknown immortal future. If I were in her shoes, he would most likely bear the brunt of my anger and hurt too, and I think he shoulders it well, allowing her to work out her aggression on him without simply shutting her down as he certainly could as her new Master.

Please link up your discussion posts below so we can all visit!

34 comments:

  1. Good point about Merit's anger towards Ethan. I didn't really think of it like that before. But, on the other hand, I don't really think he's 'allowing' her; she's put him in an uncomfortable position, and he's not really sure what to do. Maybe?

    And, thank you, Jenny! I'm so glad that I'm not alone in my thinking that if vampires were real, I'd pounce.

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  2. I didn't even consider people as something I would miss, because Merit still has relationships with people in her life. Not sure if my son would be okay with me being a vamp. lol

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  3. Aubry is now going to play Ethan for the rest of the book. After reading Ethan's description on Merit's doorways and having Aubry in my head, I couldn't picture anyone else to play Ethan.

    Good point about the anger issues. Ethan can does have the power to shut Merit down.

    Great post. I am still reading the book 11 more chapters to go ;)

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  4. Ohh, ohhhh, your pic for Ethan ***melts**. You and I match on a lot of answers, lady! Although I think you are kinder towards Merit regarding her treatment of Ethan than I am.

    Could you IMAGINE a real life Ethan, Bones, Vlad, and Z??? OmNOmNom!

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  5. LOL- I forgot to list my animals as things Id miss...oops...and that pic of Ethan does for sure say Im pretty...:)

    I loved your answer for five, I think it explains Merit to a tee and Ethan's (thus far) mature way of handling it.

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  6. As for the vamp question, I guess it would depend on what type. So I'm thinking I may get excited.

    As for Merit's anger at Ethan, I'm still mixed about it just like how I feel about Ethan. Would she have died? Probably but who gave him the power to make that decision for her? I still think he was selfish in doing so.

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  7. Missie - True, he's probably never had someone challenge him within minutes of meeting him before, so he may have been humoring her because he was flustered:) And we would definitlely pounce on the vamps together!

    Christy - She does, but I guess my answer cheats a little bit since I've read all the books and know those relationships get a bit strained the more ingratiated in vampire life Merit becomes:)

    Prangon - Right? I can't picture anyone else playing him either, he's just the Ethan for me:)

    Linds - Isn't he yummy? I saw that picture and about fell out of my chair:) And I would die if Bones, Ethan, Vlad, and Z were real. Die. And also, would probably spend the rest of my life searching for them!

    Tina - Maybe Ethan would let animals move into the house? Then we wouldn't have to miss them:) Ethan can definitely be mature sometimes, and I like the way he dealt with Merit in these first few chapters:)

    Rummanah - That's a good point. I'm thinking of vampires as more the romance novel type and not so much the rawr-I'm-going-to-eat-you type:) You make a good point about Ethan, he definitely had no right to choose for her, but I just know if it were me, I would have asked him to change me over dying even though my "life" would never be the same, so my anger towards him is less:)

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  8. I would definitely pounce on a vampire...especially one like Ethan, Bones, Vlad, or Z! Not to mention a few Dark-Hunters and a God too! But that's a whole other series LOL.

    I love the picture. He looks a lot like the Ethan I had pictured in my head...so yummy!

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  9. If you told me the Midnight Breeds were real---I would not only not question it, I would start looking for a breed mark :) Nope I wouldn't have a problem believing at all LOL

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  10. Ha. I'm still in the "paranormal creatures are fiction and I'd need proof" camp. How that proof is given though...

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  11. Stacey - Me too! I should definitely add Acheron to the above list, because I would be all over him as well:)

    Felicia - As would I! And I'd be so disappointed when I didn't find one:( I would be a believer, even if the whole thing ended up being a scam or something.

    Amanda - I want to believe so bad it probably wouldn't take much for me to do so. Sucker, party of one:)

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  12. I've been wanting to read this series for a while now .. I definitely have to buy the first book soon because it sounds awesome :) !! This Ethan boy looks gorgeous :)
    Thanks Jenny ! !

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  13. That is an excellent Ethan.
    I still haven't read the last two books, I think I'll save them for spring break. But this post has me excited about the series all over again.

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  14. I love that you mentioned your dogs before your husband! Though, if you really think about it, you could probably night-cycle your dogs and have them awake with you. Poor hubby would still be tied to the daylight work week...

    Also, I totally agree with you when you say Ethan handles the Merit-anger-situation well. He could have pulled the 'Liege' card and he doesn't. As much as I think he wants Merit to join and feel comfortable...he understands where she's coming from. I suppose 300+ years of life will give you patience.

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  15. Wow - Gabriel looks just like I think Ethan looks like. Great photo. I would be reluctant to believe in vampires but quite excited. Although if it was the Twilight vampires that existed, I'd be pretty freaked out. They're a lot more dangerous than the Chicagoland vampires.

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  16. Elodie - You definitely should, you need to meet and enjoy Ethan!

    Jennifer - Thank you, I'm quite fond of him:) Can't wait to see what you think of the last two books!

    LibrarianReads - It just slipped out ;-) You're absolutely right about the night cycle, my dogs could so learn to adapt:) I really liked the way he deals with her, he can be a class A douchebag sometimes, but I liked that he didn't belittle her or shut her down like he so easily could have.

    Alison - Right? Love him:) The Twilight vampires are quite a bit more dangerous than the Chicagoland Vampires, mostly because the Chicagoland vamps are trying to fit in with society and give the appearance of humanity for the most part:)

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  17. Funny, if it turns out that Bones was real(see question #1), then I'd probably end up missing my husband too (see question #2) b/c I don't think I can count on him supporting my jumping Bones' bones ;)

    Oh, how much do I love your choice for Ethan?
    <--------O--------> this much!

    ♥Isalys

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  18. Great answers Jenny! I definitely agree about how Merit handles her new life and about her anger towards Ethan. And that's my picture for Ethan. I borrowed from you. So that's his name...(looking on internet for more pictures of him :) Thanks for that picture!!!!

    Heather

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  19. Really like your answers; I think we're on the same wavelength for a lot of things. The whole idea of a vampire Master really bothered me in the beginning, and it still kind of does, but I can see how Ethan does a pretty good job considering the alternative of how he could behave. And Merit has definitely seemed pretty cool from the beginning of the series. She's strong and not afraid to go after what she wants.

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  20. Ha! I love that your dogs come before your husband. :P And ohh my, the guy you picked for Ethan is gorgeous! *heads to google images*

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  21. Isalys - Hahahaha! My husband probably wouldn't support my jumping Bones's bones either, but it would need to be done regardless. I couldn't stop myself from pouncing:)

    Heather - You can borrow my Ethan anytime:) He's all I see now when I read, but everyone else has some pretty fantastic pictures of him as well!

    Ashley - We definitely were. The Master thing is a bit much, but I like that Chloe Neill pokes fun at it too, and has Merit and Mallory laughing at the whole "Liege" thing so it's a much easier pill to swallow since she takes so many liberties with it:)

    Lauren - Right? I could google image that man all day. That sounded dirty ;-)

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  22. EEK I must get this book soon. It must be good if you're having a read along for it. =D

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  23. Ack! My copy STILL hasn't arrived! As soon as it does I'm going to start it right away and I'll answer the questions as soon as I'm able. I didn't want spoilers, so I didn't read your answers (or questions even) but I'll be back!

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  24. I agree all around with your responses.
    ? #1 There's so much out there as in (paranormal wise) that science and us don't understand. Yet things and events happen everyday with no explanation of how it could of happened or why. So I would believe pretty quickly that they could exist.
    ? #2 I would miss my dogs and bad-ass cat. They bring peace into my life. Well, mostly they do if they aren't being bad-as-ever that is.
    ? #3 I think Merit is doing the best she can under the circumstances. I admire her strength in trying to remain the (human Merit in personality) she was before. And now she's starting to see and embrace a stronger, faster version of her old self. Without losing all sense of who she is.
    ? #4 I'd say you nailed it with the right pic of Ethan.
    ? #5 I agree. I think she is more piss-off with the situation, and Ethan is the target taking the brunt of her aggression and anger. Poor Ethan is more of a punching bag for her at the moment.
    Thank you for having the read-along! This is a lot of fun. :) DeAnna Schultz

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  25. Jenny I am sorry I was so late today with my post! I will have my act together next week! I had fun comparing my answers to yours and I am in complete agreement about missing my family and my pets. Thanks for the fun opportunity to participate in your read along! See you next week!

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  26. I need to read this series! Seriously, I am buying this soon!

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  27. I think you picked a lovely male specimen to represent Ethan--yum. And I think, if I read that vamps and others were "real" I don't think I'd be surprised...our world is super-weird.

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  28. I am not yet swooning over Ethan, though his description is quite delicious. I'm waiting for him to grab me...heh. I am quite curious of his treatment of Merit, allowing her to behave as she has without serious consequence. Maybe if he really punishes her later, I'll change my mind about him... *wink* LOL

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  29. Lol, if vampires ever became real, I think you and Missie would be in heaven :P

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  30. Finally got mine up. Sorry I am late. But in my defense, Nalini Singh's amazing writing is what distracted me LOL! Loved what you said about her anger. It is more of her trying to get a handle on things than anything else.

    Good point about him shouldering it too. I think he understands which is why he lets her get away with a lot instead of immediately correcting her. I am so with you, if vampires were real and they were anything like Bones or any of the BDB, I would be Heaven. If they were like Twilight vampires, I would laugh my ass and tell them to go back into hiding. Sorry, but your glitter doesn't scare me LOL!

    Thanks so much for the discussion, I will be more organized next week :)

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  31. oh that is such a yummy Ethan. Mmmmmhmmm.

    That kind of "I know I'm pretty. You know I'm pretty. I know you know I'm pretty, so let's just admit you want me out loud so we can move on to more than just looking at one another" type of smirk.

    That is just fantastic and so perfectly him.

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  32. Ha, I love how you think of your dogs first :)

    I need to work on getting this book!!

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  33. I love the book so far! This will be a fun month!

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