Goldilox and the Three Weres: Release Day Review: Phantom Kiss by Chloe Neill

Phantom Kiss
(Chicagoland Vampires #12.5)
Chloe Neill
Release: January 17, 2017
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In this all-new novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight Marked, Merit, Ethan, and the rest of Cadogan House crew discover that not all undead creatures are kindred spirits…

Vampires generally aren’t afraid of things that go bump in the night, but Merit and Ethan are extra jumpy after a recent attack by a dark sorcerer. So when they learn that someone is messing with graves in Chicago’s cemeteries, stealing skulls and snatching souls, they fear that their powerful foe might be back for even more magical vengeance.

But after a specter begins haunting Cadogan House—and targeting vampires—they realize that their being taunted by an altogether different sort of monster. A ghoulish villain straight out of the Windy City’s urban legends is on the prowl—and he won’t stop until he’s killed again...

Review:
Chronologically, Phantom Kiss is the novella that bridges the gap between Midnight Marked and Blade Bound, the last book in the series. How is this series so close to being done? Guys, I'm not ready for it to be over! I love Ethan and Merit and the gang so much!

Ethan and Merit are preparing for their wedding when Annabelle, their friendly neighborhood necromancer, calls them to investigate a weird grave robbery. Soon they find Cadogan House has become a haunted house and they have to figure out how to get rid of a ghost who doesn't want to be gotten rid of.

I enjoyed the hell out of this story! It was the perfect length to give us a Chicagoland fix while waiting for the last book. This novella is a nice addition to the series but isn't essential to the overall arc of the series (To my knowledge anyway! I haven't read the last book.) And it was fun while expanding the world a bit past the vampires and shifters we've become accustomed to in the series.

I loved the ghost story angle and that we got to see more of Annabelle! She's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in the series and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that she'll get a novella or a book of her own. It was fun reading about Merit and Ethan having to learn how to fight a ghost and I loved seeing another side of the supernatural in this world. The plot progression is well done with surprising little twists along the way with a conclusion that was great while keeping the humor and snark we've come to expect in the series.

Overall, I loved it and I'd recommend reading it if you're a fan of the series. It'll help a bit with the wait for Blade Bound.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley