ARC Review--Wicked Hour by Chloe Neill

In the second pulse-pounding novel in the USA Today bestselling Heirs of Chicagoland series, vampire Elisa Sullivan gets drawn into the shifting sands of Pack politics.

Vampires were made, not born--until Elisa Sullivan came along. As the only vampire child in existence, she grew up with a heavy legacy, and tried to flee her past. Then circumstances drew her back to Chicago, and she stayed to keep it safe. With shifter Connor Keene, the only son of Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, at her side, she faced down a supernatural evil that threatened to destroy Chicago forever.

After the dust from the attack has settled, Elisa is surprised when Connor invites her to a usually private Pack event in the north woods of Minnesota, and by the warm welcome she receives from some of Connor's family, even though she's a vampire. But the peace doesn't last. The shifters tell tales of a monster in the woods, and when the celebration is marred by death, Elisa and Connor find themselves in the middle of a struggle for control that forces Elisa to face her true self--fangs and all. 

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Chloe Neill returns to Chicago once again with the latest in the Heirs of Chicagoland series, Wicked Hour. This continues Elisa and Connor’s story in what’s sure to be an all-around entertaining series! This series is very much the child of the Chicagoland Vampires series as it has that same kind of feel to the story, yet it’s entirely its own. There’s still the same lovable characters, chuckle worthy humor, heart-racing action, and of course pulse pounding romance!

The story begins with Connor inviting Elisa to join him at a Pack initiation ceremony and Elisa is more than happy to spend time with Connor and his (extended) family. Though they don’t necessarily receive the warmest of welcomes from the clan in Minnesota. The leader, Cash is the epitome of old school. The initiation ceremony is sort of like a baptism for werewolves and the party gets interrupted when a dead body is found and leads to all sorts of troubles for Connor and Elisa.

There is something very strange about the Minnesota clan and their relationship with the local sheriff. The sheriff doesn’t seem to be in a big hurry to solve the murder mystery that’s going on and there’s reasons for that that are explained as the story moves on. Connor and Elisa also learn that it’s not the first body to be found in the woods in recent time either. Not that long ago, a young woman, one of their own, was found murdered but nothing ever came of the investigation.

Connor and Elisa are on the case, thought the wolves are not too happy to be seeing Connor with a vampire, and naturally, among them is Miranda, the she-wolf who’s determined to have Connor as hers. And Elisa isn’t going to stand for that, though despite being a pesky nuisance, Miranda only made a few appearances. I suspect she’ll be making her grand plot to steal Connor from her once and for all in a future book, there’s definitely going to be some kind of reckoning of that to occur in the future!

The mystery to this one was pretty interesting. The outcome was kind of a shocker, but at the same time, once the clues were revealed, you kind of see it coming. Sometimes I wonder if these clues are laid out to throw us off from the obvious, but other times, it really is that simple. Though the whodunit is revealed in a way that just seems a little plain, it still made for an incredible story as motives are never really revealed until later on!

The pacing to this one was really just right. It wasn’t what you would call a fast-paced novel but it wasn’t at all slow either. It falls somewhere in between which is pretty much “just right!” It was a story I couldn’t get enough of really and I enjoy that Elisa and Connor spend more time together this time around! Though a few obstacles are thrown their way that might make a relationship more trouble than it’s worth, but the characters will surprise you.

I was also kind of delighted by some of the secondary characters’ exploits. Let’s just say that Lulu might have met her match in one of Connor’s friends! I positively loved the banter these two had from the few scenes they had together. I really hope to see more develop from that front in the next book as well!

All in all, Wicked Hour was yet another entertaining read from the one and only Chloe Neill! If you love vampires—and seriously, how can you not?—then this is a series you’re going to want to try out! You don’t have to have read the previous series, Chicagoland Vampires to follow along, but you will need to start at the beginning of this series with Wild Hunger. This series is a perfect example of why I adore Urban Fantasy so much! If you want to give the genre a try, read one of Chloe Neill’s books!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars



Wicked Hour releases December 3, 2019