Review: Wild Hunger by Chloe Neill

This will be a spoiler free review of the Chicagoland Vampires series spin-off starring Elisa Sullivan, the daughter of Merit and Ethan.

New series from Chloe Neill

Short summary

As the only vampire child ever born, some believed Elisa Sullivan had all the luck. But the magic that helped bring her into the world left her with a dark secret. Shifter Connor Keene, the only son of North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene, is the only one she trusts with it. But she's a vampire and the daughter of a Master and a Sentinel, and he's prince of the Pack and its future king. 

When the assassination of a diplomat brings old feuds to the fore again, Elisa and Connor must choose between love and family, between honor and obligation, before Chicago disappears forever. (Goodreads)

The overview

We are taken into the future of Chicago. We see the world Ethan and Merit created in the USA and how their daughter is trying to do the same in Europe.

Elisa

Elisa is strong, capable, and a bit complicated. She has her share of secrets that sometimes inhibit her, but we see her learning to deal with them and learning how to overcome them. She does have someone who knows her deepest and darkest secret, so it does make it a bit easier to carry around: Connor Keene.

Connor is a shifter, son of NAC Apex, Gabriel Keene. He is very dominant, strong, attractive, and fun. He grew up with Elisa, and the two consider themselves friends, of sorts. Connor is the only person who knows what Elisa is hiding, and he's trying to help her deal with it. He's also helping her in the investigation.

When Elisa returns to Chicago and gets more and more involved in investigating the assassination, her relationship with Connor slowly starts to change.

They are both trying to save the world Elisa's parents fostered. They need to find the real killer and save a person who is dear to both of them from being wrongfully accused.

The story itself isn't very complicated. It's something we are used to from Chloe Neill, a supernatural murder mystery with enough breadcrumbs left for a sequel. Elisa's character is exactly what I expected her to be: approachable, strong, decent, loyal, and determined. Very much like her mother. She has a good head on her shoulders, but is a bit idealistic in her efforts to reach peace. Her struggle with her secret, the way she feels about it and what she thinks of it, makes her very relatable. She is a good leading lady.

Connor's character is new for this series. Shifters are more prominent here than in the Chicagoland Vampires series. He does remind me of Gabriel, but we get to know him, and shifters in general, a bit better. He is at a turning point in his life that requires him to make some difficult choices. I was glad to see that this wasn't solved in just one book. There is more to read about in the future.

We meet Mallory and Catcher's daughter as well, Lulu Bell. She is Elisa's best friend. An artist that doesn't do magic.

Theo Martin, assistant Ombudsman, is a likeable character who Elisa befriends very quickly.

And, lastly, we do get a love story (not Elisa and Connor you silly, but I won't say who). I really thought it was sweet and cute the way it played out. I'm glad Chloe Neill wrote it into the storyline itself.

My overall opinion of the book is: a good first book in the series, likable characters, interesting storyline, fun banter, and an intriguing overall mystery. However, since I've read all the previous books by Chloe Neill, I wasn't really surprised by the way the story unraveled. The atmosphere of the book is incredibly similar to CLV. Basically, it's CLV with new characters and an occasional appearance from the previous cast.

This wench rates Wild Hunger: