Merit's world and that of Cadogan House is about to undergo
an immense change. Her lover and the Master of Cadogan
House, Ethan; is close to finishing the paperwork to sever
House ties with the Greenwich Presidium. Without the ties
binding them to the GP, their House will become Rogue
Vampires. There is also the matter of the murders of a pair
of rogue vampires reported to Merit and Ethan. Along with
the investigation into the murders, and their dealings with
the GP; Merit must deal with Lacey Sheridan, Ethan's former
lover who has decided she wants him back.
After a bit of a slow start, HOUSE RULES proved to be a
solid entry in the Chicagoland Vampires series. Merit is
going forward with her plans to join the Red Guard; and her
relationship with Ethan is moving along smoothly until Lacey
shows up to cause some serious rifts in their relationship.
The murders proved to be somewhat of a disappointment; after
the initial murders, that storyline is put on the
back-burner to deal with the pressing issues of the
separation with the GP. The situation with Mallory is
touched upon, but there is no final resolution there as of yet.
HOUSE RULES is a very enjoyable story, if a little on the
simplistic side. Merit is maturing, but is still being
written as a much younger character than she really is, as
is Ethan. The storyline is also slowly getting more adult,
but still too often falls back into 'young adult' writing
and plots. Still, this is a worthy series
keeping readers interested and entertained.
"At the tender age of twenty-seven, Merit became a
sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she's become the
protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the
ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she'll see
her mettle--and her metal--tested like never before. It
starts when two Rogues vanish without a trace. Someone is
targeting Chicago's vampires, and anyone could be next. With
their House in peril, Merit and her Master, centuries-old
Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as
they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils,
they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful,
than they could have ever imagined"--