books

Ilona Andrews

Books: Fantasy | Romance

Kate Daniels: Magic Bites (2007), Magic Burns (2008), Magic Strikes (2009), "Magic Mourns" (2009) Magic Bleeds (2010), Magic Slays (2011), Magic Gifts (2011), "Magic Dreams" (2011), "Magic Gifts" (2011), Gunmetal Magic (2012), Magic Rises (2013), "Magic Steals" (2014), Magic Breaks (2014), Magic Shifts (2015), Magic Stars (2015)

The Edge: On Edge (2009), Bayou Moon (2010), Fate’s Edge (2011), Steel’s Edge (2012)

Hidden Legacy: Burn for Me (2014), White Hot (2017), Wildfire (2017), Diamond Fire (2018), Sapphire Flames (2019), Emerald Blaze (2020)

Anthologies

Must Love Hellhounds (2009), Under Her Skin (2009), Dark and Stormy Knights (2010), Angels of Darkness (2011), Hex Appeal (2012), An Apple for the Creature (2012), Night Shift (2014)

Short Stories

Silent Blade (2009), Of Swine and Roses (2011)

Kate Daniels

Magic Bites (2007)

Magic BitesKate Daniels works as a mercenary in a world that used to be ours, where technology is losing out to magic. Vampires are not romantic creatures (think the older vampires on Buffy) the vampire faction is held at bay by the shape shifters–neither group can take control, which is probably good for the humans. After discovering that her guardian has been killed, she volunteers to hunt for his killer–knowing that whatever managed to kill Greg–a trained knight-diviner–would almost certainly be more than a match for her.

Kate lives in an Atlanta devastated by magic–magic reappeared in the world and when magic is in ascension, technology fails, so skyscrapers tumbled to the ground, leaving a ruin of all big cities, and leaving technology unreliable.

Magic could not be measured and explained in scientific terms, for magic grew through destroying the very natural principles that made science as people knew it possible.

If enough people believed something to be true, sometimes the magic obliged and made it true.

The theory is that since so many people are ignorant of the basic mechanical principles involved in making the phone work, to them it might just as well be magic.

It was all there the first time, I just missed it.

And I loved being reintroduced to the characters I’ve come to love, especially Saiman.

“(J)ust the basics. I can’t afford the fancy stuff.”

“Cheap client?”

“I’m working pro bono.”

He grimaced. “Kate, that’s a horrible habit.”

I really love Saiman, and love it when Kate works with him (which makes some of the later books difficult, since Curran pretty much hates Saiman.)

But of course, the big introduction was Curran.

Diplomacy was never my strong suit and my patience had run dry. I crouched and called out, “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”

Ah, Kate.

I’d also like to point out how much I LOVE this cover. I really disliked the original cover–the lion bothered me, and Kate just didn’t look right. But this? This is marvelous.

I thoroughly enjoyed Magic Bites. Although Kate is quite powerful, it is made quite clear that much of her power has come through hard work and training, and that power doesn't necessarily keep her unscathed. She also makes mistakes--real mistakes with real consequences.

The writing was also good. I managed to devour the entire book in several hours, without every being thrown out of the story, even when I stopped to consider some of the differences between Kate's world and our own. The dialog was good, with plenty of sarcasm (my favorite), and the characters were distinctive

I was also fascinated by the world that Ilona Andrews created. Our present is the past in Kate's world, and the technology and science that we take for granted is slowly succumbing to magic--when magic flares up, technology ceases to work. I found it interesting to consider the idea that science and magic could not coexist in peace--that the suppression of one was required for the other to work. I also was fascinated by the idea that in Kate's world, much of modern architecture falls under the auspices of technology, and so the fall of magic would lead to the destruction of skyscrapers and other architecture that only came with the modern age.

Although lots of awful things happen, and the world Kate lives in is built upon the ashes and bones of our world, this book was not nearly as dark as one would expect. Although battling monsters and knowing that evil is real in the world, Kate still somehow manages to remain optimistic to a degree. Not that she's sunshine and flowers, but that despite the world around her, she has a basic attitude that the world and humanity will continue--despite everything.

Although the story arc--discovering who killed Greg and why--is completed, there are plenty of threads left uncompleted for the series to be continued. However, this was done very well, so there is a definite sense of closure to the ending. Which is something that I particularly like in a story. (And why I'm finding it harder and harder to read epic fantasy that goes on for thousands of pages.)

If you like supernatural fantasy, then you should enjoy Magic Bites. Strong herione, lots of danger and magic, and consequences for actions.

Published by Ace

Magic Burns (2008)

Magic BurnsThe sequel to Magic Bites, Magic Burns continues the story of Kate Daniels, magic user, fighter, and no longer mercenary, but instead member of the Order, a group that helps keep the peace in a dangerous and uncertain world.

A magic flare is coming, and everyone from the lowliest witch to gods is looking to take advantage of the increased magic.

Kate, as an associate of The Order, is being run ragged, but when she comes upon a lost girl in search of her mother, she takes the young teen with her, promising to keep her safe.

Thus we meet Julie.

“Why did you save me?”

He shrugged. “I picked up the phone and there was a hysterical child on the other end, crying that you were dying, and she was all alone, and the undead were coming. I thought it might be an interesting conclusion to a boring evening.”

Bullshit. He came because of Julie. Shapeshifters suffered from devastating child mortality, with half their children being born dead and another quarter being killed because they went loup at puberty. Like all shapeshifters, Curran cherished children and he also hated vampires. He probably figured he would kill two birds with one stone: save Julie and stick it to the People.

One of my favorite characters from this book is Bran.

“She always has a hound with her.” I frowned.

“A dog?”

“No. A man. A scoundrel. A thief and a brigand.”

I almost snapped my fingers. “Tall, dark, carries a bow, disappears into mist, can’t keep his hands to himself?”

The mother nodded to me with a smile. “Yes.”

“I’ve seen him.”

She smiled wider. “I gathered.”

But then I’m fond of tricksters, which is why I like Samain so much.

And we finally meet Aunt B, head of the Boudas and mother of Raphael. I also like both of them very much.

Not that I don’t appreciate Kate. After all, we have the same frame of ethics.

“For me, evil is striving to an end without regard for the means.”

In addition to this, Kate’s job at the order is as liaison to the Pack, and she continues to have run-ins with Curran, who Kate firmly believes hates her. This was, in my opinion, one of the weakest parts of the story. It is obvious to the reader that Curran’s feelings for Kate are far from hatred, and so Kate’s discovery of the truth was somewhat frustrating to me. I simply had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t obvious to Kate even if it was obvious to us.

Lucky for me, the focus of the story was upon the search for the man who kept stealing the Pack’s maps, and the source of the undead creatures who kept attacking Kate. And we continue to learn about post-Flare Atlanta and the world that has developed when neither tech nor magic are stable. I still find this a fascinating idea, and very much enjoy the development of the world after the fall of tech.

As with the previous book, the story arc is concluded in the book. Although many threads remain unresolved, they are not left in such a way that they detract from the story or sit as cliffhangers. They are simply ideas and twists that will take a long time to resolve.

We have lots of lots of snarky Kate.

“You’re not going to die?” she asked me very softly.

“Not right this minute.” And, of course, saying something like that usually resulted in immediate demise. I braced myself for a stray meteorite falling through the roof to crush my skull.

I also adored this description of Saiman:

“Is he a danger?” His tone had a slightly driven tint to it. His blood oath acting up again.

“I met him through the Guild, when I was a merc. On bodyguard detail. I saved his life and now he gives me a discount. Basically, he humors me and tries to get into my pants. He’s harmless.”

Yup. Harmless. (snicker)

I mentioned this is where we first meet Auntie B, right?

“Please tell me there is coffee.”

Aunt B grimaced. “They’re already crazy. If I let them have coffee, they’d be bouncing off the walls. We have herbal tea.”

Oh. Perhaps I’m a bouda. That might explain the reaction to caffeine. And perhaps some of the craziness. But not the other stuff.

And the random tidbit learned:

I almost whistled, except that my Russian father would have risen from his grave and smacked me for whistling indoors.

Makes me feel a little better about not being able to whistle.

All in all, this is an excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Although the romantic element between Kate and Curran was not my favorite part of the story, it wasn’t badly done and didn’t make me want to strange either character, so that was fine. But by and far the strongest part of the story is the development of the post flare world, and the mysteries that Kate must resolve.

Although you could read Magic Burns without having read Magic Bites the previous book is available, so you really should read it first.

Published by Ace

Magic Strikes (2009)

Magic StrikesNow that Kate is working for the Order (and getting a steady paycheck) she’s working her butt off. A magic flare has caused trouble (as usual) and Kate gets to help deal with the upheaval.

But when she goes to investigate the scene of the death of a shapeshifter, things get difficult and her relationship with the Pack Leader Curran becomes even more complex.

This book opens with one of my favorite scenes. An old woman is atop a telephone pole, and the Order is called to get her down.

I trotted into the dark entrance to the apartment, where five members of the McSweeney family crouched in the gloom. “Tell me again why you can’t come out and help me?”

Robert McSweeney, a middle-aged, dark-eyed man with thinning brown hair, shook his head. “Mom thinks we don’t know she’s a banshee.”

I love everything that is unsaid in that scene.

This is the story where we learn a lot about Saiman (who I have mentioned before is one of my favorite characters (I sometimes think that I prefer the secondary characters over the primary in this series)). We learn what Saiman is, which explains a great deal about why is is the way he is.

“Give me an opportunity to fail,” Saiman said. “I promise that my corpse won’t interrupt your ‘I told you so’ speech.”

We also spend a good deal of time with Jim; he’s another secondary character I particularly like.

His voice was melodious and smooth. He never sang, but you knew he could, and if he decided to do it, women would be hurling themselves into his path.

She surveyed Jim and turned to me. “Congratulations, love. You traded up. Does he treat you well?”

“He’s a teddy bear,” I said.

Teddy bear looked like he was suffering from murder withdrawal.

I also loved this peek into Jim’s psyche:

THE KITCHEN CABINETS CONTAINED WOODEN jars identified by handwritten adhesive labels. The jar labeled SUGAR had flour in it. The jar labeled FLOUR held an enormous amount of chili powder, which made me sneeze. The jar labeled CHILI PEPPER contained a Smith & Wesson M& P 45. … I opened the first jar and looked inside. Coffee. The label said BORAX. “What’s up with the labels?”

(Female shapeshifter) shrugged. “You’re in the house of a cat whose job is to spy. He thinks he’s clever.

We of course also learn more about Kate, which brings me to the bit that has always bothered me about this book. Kate always burns all traces of her blood, for fear that someone will figure out what she is.

At the end of the book, Kate finds herself in a cage, lying in a pool of her own blood–blood she is learning to control.

I’ve reread these pages multiple times, and it reads like Kate left a pool of her blood in the bottom of the cage when Curran rescues her, and as Hugh d’Ambray is fighting his way towards them.

Yes, the castle crashes, but it doesn’t seem like that would be enough to destroy her blood before Hugh came upon it.

I really really really like Kate. Despite the powers that were gifted her by her blood, she works hard to maintain her skills, and we learn precisely how hard she had to work to gain those skills. And the powers given by her blood are no easy gift either, and require work and suffering on her part.

But even more I am fascinated by the world in which Kate lives: a world where magic and technology take turns being dominant, and where the resurgence of magic completely destroyed the world as we know it. We are also starting to see more of the political structure of this new world, and it’s both frightening and fascinating. Even though this is the third book in the series, there is more to discover about Kate’s world with every book.

I highly recommend the Kate Daniels series. Could you read Magic Strikes without having read the previous books? For the story, yes. However, as Kate’s history and background are slowly being uncovered over the course of the series, I would recommend going back to the start of the series to learn about Kate’s powers and abilities as the series unfolds.

Published by Ace

"Magic Mourns" (2009)

magic-mournsOriginally published in Must Love Hellhounds

This story is set after Magic Strikes and is Andrea and Raphael’s story. Andrea is beastkin–the child of a bouda (female werehyena) and a hyenawere.

1. A hyenawere (or anything-were) is an animal that contracted the Lyc virus and shifted into a human. Such creatures are typically killed by human shape shifters, but not always (we met one in the first Kate book). 2. I keep parsing hyenawere as hyen-aware. Hyena awareness week?

Andrea is hiding her status both from the Pack, and from the Order for which she works. She hides from the Pack because she was abused by the pack into which she was born, and she hides from the Order, because they would throw her out if they discovered what she was.

Andrea is also sitting in for Kate, who is recovering from the events of Magic Strikes, and I found mention of those events, and the spin being put out about those events, quite interesting.

“Is it true she broke a red sword during the Midnight Games by impaling herself on it?”

An alarm blared in my head. “I don’t remember it quite that way,” I lied. “As I recall, a member of the opposing team meant to strike with the sword. Kate interrupted his strike, and when he tried to free the blade, he cut himself on it. The blood from his hand shattered the sword.”

I really don’t see Ghastek believing that, but I do see him accepting it and moving on, hoping to research the issue later.

Kate makes a couple of brief appearances, and there is mention of events that will occur in the following book. (See: apple pie) But focus of the story is how Andrea and Raphael finally get together, and the mystery of the giant house-sized dog.

Andrea is attempting to cover for Kate while she is recovering from events in Magic Strikes. Unfortunately, the people who call Kate don’t trust anyone else, and Ted won’t give Andrea any other cases.

“Would you say the shapeshifter was in distress?”

“Hell yeah, he was in distress. His tail was on fire.”

“He ran like his tail was on fire?”

“No, his tail was on fire. Like a big, furry candle on his ass.”

I like Andrea–I like how she survived a horrible past and I like her loyalty–even if the later is greatly misplaced at times.

Nobody, not human, not shapeshifter, not even my mother had ever told me that the beast form was beautiful. Inside me, the human me put her hands on her face and cried.

But it’s also amusing (of course).

I walked into the Order’s office. A group of knights standing in the hallway turned at my approach: Mauro, the huge Samoan knight; Tobias, as usual dapper; and Gene, the seasoned former Georgia Bureau of Investigations detective. They looked at me. The conversation died.

My clothes were torn and bloody. Soot stained my skin. My hair stuck out in clumps caked with dirt and blood. The reek of a dead cat emanated from me in a foul cloud.

I walked past them into the armory, opened the glass case, took Boom Baby out, grabbed a box of Silver Hawk cartridges, and walked out.

Nobody said a thing.

I quite enjoyed this story.

Published by Berkley

Magic Bleeds (2010)

Magic BleedsThings never go right for Kate Daniels. She makes dinner for Curran, and he never shows up, and when she calls looking for him, she’s blown off.

While she’s tending to her broken heart, she gets called to deal with what sounds like a bar fight that got out of hand.

Who the hell would attack the Steel Horse anyway? What was the thinking behind that? “Here is a bar full of psychotic killers who grow giant claws and people who pilot the undead for a living. I think I’ll go wreck the place.” Sound reasoning there.

Kate also manages to pickup a stray dog.

Unfortunately, Atlanta has bigger problems, what with a plague and a bunch of rogue mages.

“At six oh-eight a.m. two men wearing ragged trench coats approached the Casino. The shorter of the men burst into flames.”

I paused with the pen in my hand. “He burst into flames?”

“He became engulfed in fire.”

“Was his buddy made out of orange rocks and did he at any point yell, ‘It’s clobbering time’?”

We also get Andrea and Raphael pairing up, Kate and Curran working out their difference, and the appearance of Kate’s aunt. No good comes of that last bit.

“You want to stay away from religion. Once you bring prayers and worship into it, your troops start thinking you’re a god. Faith has power during magic. You begin getting urges that aren’t your own.”

And of course Saiman, who I adore and Kate hates.

I looked at Saiman. “How do you decide if someone is human?”

He braided his long, slender fingers on his bent knee. “I don’t. It’s not up to me to assess someone’s humanity. Being human in our world is synonymous with being included into the framework of society. Humanity entitles one to certain rights and privileges, but also implies voluntary acceptance of laws and rules of conduct. It transcends mere biology. It’s a choice and therefore belongs solely to the individual. In essence, if a person feels they are human, then they are.”

I really appreciate how Kate actually thinks and considers before taking action. She doesn’t always but manages when it’s important.

If Curran and I got into it, our fight wouldn’t be seen as a conflict between two individuals, but as the Beast Lord’s assault on an Order representative.

I still think Curran was a dick here, but, it could have been worse.

This is also the book where Kate gets her dog.

I took the dog to the medtechs to get cleared of the plague— he passed with flying colors. They drew some blood for further analysis and advised me that he had fleas and smelled bad, just in case I’d failed to notice.

I also love the process of attempting to name The Dog.

“Have you thought of what to name him?” Mauro asked.

“How about Erik? After the Phantom of the Opera.”

“No.”

“You should name him Fezzik,” Andrea said.

“Inconceivable,” I told her.

Too bad, because then she could have said, “Rip his arms off” and someone could have said “Oh, you mean this gate key!” and my day would have been made.

Weirdly, the dog one was of the things that I glossed over when I sped read through this the first time. The second thing was the argument between Andrea and Raphael. Silly of me, as both of those events were important.

And I did especially like the bit in the temple.

Mezuzot, verses from the Torah, written by a qualified scribe and protected by pewter cases, hung along the perimeter of the Temple wall. The wall itself supported so many angelic names, magic squares, and holy names, it looked as if a talismanic encyclopedia had thrown up on it.

The one thing I don’t like about this story is there is boinking. Bleh. It’s not badly done, and you knew it was coming, but it’s never my favorite parts of these types of stories.

Otherwise, I continue to like Kate, I like how she works, I like that she takes damage in her fights, and I like that she knows her limits, but doesn’t care and does what needs to be done anyway.

I was also very pleased with the ending. Yes, it was a bit heavy handed getting there–you knew events were coming, but to have them all happen at once seemed a bit much–but it was very much where the story needed to go.

Another thing of note, I was strongly reminded of Sabriel and Mogget when I read this passage.

The vampire gagged. The muscles of its neck constricted, widened, constricted again, and it disgorged a six-inch-long metal cylinder onto my desk. The bloodsucker grasped it, twisted the cylinder’s halves apart, and retrieved a roll of papers.

That is TOTALLY Mogget.

All in all, recommended if you’ve been reading the series so far. If you aren’t, I recommend going back and not beginning the series here. There are lots of revelations and discoveries, most of which will make more sense if you know at least part of the backstory and are comfortable with the world in which Kate lives.

ADDENDUM the First:

On further thought, I have some issues. Spoilers, but this book has already been out for four years, so, caveat emptor.

How does Roland NOT know about Kate? Erra recognized her almost immediately, and a not insignificant amount of time passed between her recognition of Kate and her death. She didn’t contact her brother during that time period and say, “Hey, met your daughter; Planning on killing her. You okay with that?”

Then there’s Hugh, who has a not insignificant amount of evidence that Kate is Roland’s daughter. I get that he doesn’t want to cry wold, but come on. She’s the right age, was pretty obviously trained by Vorlon, has power words, and is quite obviously of the right blood (see also my qualms from the last story) so why hasn’t he mentioned to Roland that he has a possible contender for that long lost daughter he wants to kill? If Kate looks very much like her aunt, then wouldn’t a simple picture suffice to confirm her identity?

And I really don’t get why Hugh would go out of his way to protect Kate from Roland’s sister. That seems like a MUCH bigger mistake than a false positive on identification. “Your sister is dead, and I was protecting her murderer. Sorry ’bout that.” That seems like a really big, really unforgivable ‘Oops’.

Don’t get me wrong, I still really like the story, but I have problems with some of the logic behind the actions people take.

Published by Ace

“A Questionable Client”

a-questionable-clientOriginally published in Dark and Stormy Knights (2010)

This is story of how Kate came to meet Saiman.

“What do you do for a living, Saiman?”

“I collect information and use it to further my interests.”

As I remain a fan of Saiman, I quite enjoyed this story.

“The value of the information increase with its exclusivity.”

If you remember that, then you know everything you need to, to deal with Saiman.

Well, that and the fact he’s a sexual deviant. But since he’s a trickster, that goes with the territory.

Rating: 8.5/10

Magic Slays (2011)

Magic SlaysI’m starting to get nervous. We’re reaching the part of the series where it feels as if we are beginning to build to the final confrontation.

Which often means cliff hanger endings.

And I hate cliff hanger endings.

But so far so good.

Kate and Curran are (sort of) luxuriating in wedded bliss, although there continue to be fights about Kate’s work and the danger she places herself in. Especially when the Red Guard hires for a case that has ugly and dangerous written all over.

Book five. Kate is no longer a member of the order, but is now running her own investigative agency. Not that she has any cases, but it’s her agency.

After having disappeared for two months, Andrea returns–a very different woman now that she has been kicked out of the order and lost everything that held her together.

“Shane can’t hold your property.”

“I know that. I’m still pissed off. It’s your duty as my best friend to be outraged with me.”

“I’m outraged!” I snarled. “That bastard!”

“Thank you,” Andrea said.

On top of that, something is eating wards and causing navigators to lose control of their vampires.

I’d actually forgotten about the scene where Curran gets his revenge upon Saiman. I’m glad that Kate took steps, because I quite like Saiman, and I’d not like it if he disappeared.

I also like Ghastek, but I recognize that I’m in the minority there. Like Saiman, Ghastek is what he seems–a man who wants power and is going to use every ounce of his talent to achive that.

He’s also quite savvy.

“Do you think you would have been burned at the stake in the sixteenth century?”

“No.”

“Because you’re not a woman?”

“Being a woman made little difference. Most witches burned in Iceland and Finland were men, for example. No, I wouldn’t have been burned, because I’m not poor.”

Also: We meet Ascanio, Julie is infected with Lyc-V, and Evdokia the Russian witch tells Kate many things about her past.

Things I really liked: Andrea is back. Do I like what happened to her? No. Is what happened reasonable. Very much so. Is her reaction realistic? Even more so.

Kate and Curran’s relationship. They are still working out their relationship and how two powerful individuals are going to compromise. There are fights, and there are misunderstandings, but within the context of their histories and their personalities, these are reasonable and expected things, and I like the balance of reality with the HEA, and the fact that they recognize the need to talk about their problems like grown-ups. Kudos for having them act (mostly) like grown-ups.

Kate’s recognition that she desperately needs to be trained. She is strong, but there is no way she’ll be able to confront her father without a LOT more hard work. So I was glad to see that appear finally–and in a very interesting way, at that.

And there was a lot of Russian folklore, which I really do love.

Evdokia raised the teakettle and refilled my cup. “Sugar?”

“No, thank you.”

“You should have some. I’m about to speak ill of the dead. Sugar helps with the bitter.”

For me, that’s right up there with, “the morning is always wiser than the evening” which is something I try to keep in mind.

Was there anything I didn’t particularly like? Well, I had a really hard time groking the invention, and not just how it worked, but how it could permanently do what it did. I also am not sure how I feel about the resolution of the situation with Julie. But I need to think about it more to decide if I believe it or not.

But all in all, it was another very good entry into the series.

Can you start the series here? Possibly, but I don’t recommend it, not just because of the world building in previous volumes, but also because of the character building, and the relationships between those characters. That’s something that’s hard to get entering this far in the series.

Whereas going back and starting at the beginning would be quite the rewarding experience.

Published by Ace

"Magic Dreams" (2011)

magic-dreamsFirst published in Hexed

Huh. This is a reread, but I can’t find my original review.

Apparently, I didn’t read all the stories in the anthology this was originally in, and so I never wrote a review.

So, this first appeared in the anthology, Hexed, which I have but seemingly only read one story out of the four.

This is set between Magic Dreams and Magic Slays. Dali has been in love with Jim for awhile, but he is the Alpha of Clan Cat, and she’s small, mostly blind, weak, and a vegetarian (who’s heard of a vegetarian cat?), so she doesn’t see what he would possibly see in her. But she’s also brave (you’d have to be brave to be nearly blind and still race cars) and a rarity in a shape-shifter: a magic user.

But, she also has an Indonesian mother, which can be… frustrating.

My mother’s eyes sparked. Oh no.

She leaned over and patted Jim’s hand. “That is so nice. My daughter is so smart. Always respectful and well-behaved. Never and trouble and she does as she is told.”

“You don’t say,” Jim murmured.

“Doesn’t spend a lot of money. Two doctor degrees. Little problem with her eyes, but that’s her father’s side of the family.

Dali wrecks her car (again) and when she comes home she finds Jim. Expecting him to chew her out, she instead finds him asleep. He’s discovered a magical problem and wants her to help him discover what it is. Unfortunately, the problem has now extended to Jim.

Very bad.

There are also some lovely bits about magical theory.

Magic tended to stick to nationality and region. People generated magic, and their superstitions and beliefs channeled it. If enough people believed that a certain creature existed and, worse, took precautions against it, eventually the magic birthed it into being.

That’s fascinating and also makes me glad magic isn’t real. Because I’d hate for some of the things we’ve imagined to become real.

This was a lovely story, and I enjoy seeing Kate from the perspective of those around her.

Published by Ace

"Magic Gifts" (2011)

magic-giftsI actually finished this a couple weeks ago, but somehow forgot to write about it.

For Christmas, the husband and wife team of Ilona Andrews made a novella, Magic Gifts, available for download from the website for a limited time. I of course downloaded it and once I figured out how to move it to my Kindle, read it.

Magic Gifts is a Kate Daniels novella. Kate and Andrea are still trying to get their business, “Cutting Edge Investigations”, off the ground. Unfortunately for them, they are only getting the cases that no one else wants.

After a particularly rough (and disgusting) day, Curran offers to take Kate out to dinner. Unfortunately, things never go as planned.

Originally published on their website, as a gift to their fans. Also published in Gunmetal Magic (2011)

This is set after Magic Slays, and you see a peek of events that happen in Andrea’s story, Gunmetal Magic

Kate and Curran want to have a nice dinner date. Unfortunately, their dinner is interrupted by murder and vampires (lucky for the other patrons that Kate and Curran were there).

We also get to spend some time with the Norse Heritage Foundation.

“They don’t permit any technology past fourteenth century AD in their territory. You’ll have to ride a horse.”

But the Norse Heritage Foundation does have it’s positives:

Norse Heritage took everyone in. Viking wasn’t a nationality – it was the way of life. As long as you thought you were a Viking, you had a place at their table.

Since there are vampires, we get to spend time with Ghastek, who I find amusing, but nowhere near as fun as Saiman.

“Excellent.” He put emphasis in the x and the word came out slightly sibilant.

“You need a fluffy white cat. That way you can stroke it when you say things like that.”

It’s fun to see Ghastek get his comeuppance, but we also see an essential part of Kate’s nature–her willing to put her own life on the line to protect a child.

Gunmetal Magic (2012)

This book is set in Kate’s world, and Kate (of course) make appearances, but this is the story of Andrea and Raphael. Andrea has been outed as a shapeshifter and forced out the Order, which has been her entire life. As a shapeshifter she is required by Pack Laws to join the local Bouda Clan, but she has been in hiding for so long, and was treated so badly by her first clan, she has staunchly refused to publicly out herself.

This is Andrea’s story–a continuation of “Magic Mourns” and Magic Slays and occurs parallel to events in “Magic Gifts“. It’s really book 5 1/2 of the Kate Daniels’ series.

Andrea is working with Kate at Cutting Edge Investigations, and trying to avoid Raphael–the bouda who was her mate and who believes she rejected him and everything he believes in for the Order–an organization that kicked her out when it discovered she was a shape-shifter.

“Barabas, open the damn door,” Raphael snarled.

Barabas slid the shutter closed. “Do you want me to let him in?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Barabas slid the shutter open. “She’s thinking about it.”

“Andrea,” Raphael called. “Let me in.”

“The last time I saw you two together, you were so happy,” Barabas said. “Just out of curiosity, Raphael, how the hell did you manage to fuck that up?”

I’m actually delighted we get to spend more time with Barabas.

When four shape-shifters are discovered dead at one of Raphael’s worksites, Jim (head of Pack security) asks Andrea to look into it, since Kate is in the middle of something else.

“I can’t ask the Consort to look into it, because A) she and Curran are working on something else and B) when the Consort gets involved, half of the world blows up.”

I actually quite like their intern, who they are supposed to redeem so the Pack doesn’t kill him for insubordinatino and failure to follow the rules.

Ave, Andrea! Ianitori te salutant!”

Hail, Andrea, those who janitor salute you.

Kate was forcing Ascanio and Julie, her ward, to learn Latin, because a lot of historical magical texts were written in it and apparently it was an essential part of their education. Since the lessons were conducted in the office during our copious spare time, I was learning the language along with them.

I pointed at Ascanio. “Not another word. Latin is a dead language, but that doesn’t mean you get to molest its corpse. Finish sweeping, ianitor.”

He’s actually good for Andrea since he has a sense of humor and is someone for her to look after.

I also like the Andrea is an actual investigator, doing things like going through the trash, going to the library, and taking to the janitors.

I looked up and nodded at Ascanio. “Get your gear.”

He grabbed his knife. “Where are we going?”

“To the library.”

His enthusiasm visibly deflated and he emitted a tragic sigh. “But ‘library’ and ‘kick-ass’ are two concepts that don’t usually go together.”

“That’s the nature of the business. Five percent of the time you are killing monsters. The rest of the time, we’re digging through the dirt for a tiny piece of the perpetrator’s pubic hair.”

And, we get to spend more time with Roman, the priest of Chernobog, who we met in the previous book.

For being an evil priest of an evil dark god, Roman seemed surprisingly normal. Either he was hiding his evilness really well, or it really was just a job for him. Priest of darkness, nine to five. It’s just the family business.

I like Roman.

“You will not pass!” Roman thundered.

Great. Now he had decided he was Gandalf.

There are some rather odd bits here involving Egyptian Gods. That bit actually feels like the weakest part of this story. It’s not bad, it’s just not as strong as the other portions of the book.

Now, although you can read this book as a stand alone, things are going to make a lot more sense and flow better if you’ve read the Kate series as well as “Magic Mourns”. It’s also important if you want to fully understand what’s going on in the next book. I’d actually started the next book, realized I’d missed this one, then realized also that I needed the short story to clarify everything in

I also loved the cover. I have generally hated the covers in the Kate Daniels books, but I think this cover was perfect.

Published by Ace

Gunmetal Magic Audible edition (2012) narrated by Renée Raudman

Published by Audible

January 2015 | Unfinished: Not Rated

“Retribution Clause”

Originally published in Hex Appeal (2012)

This story is set in the world in which Kate lives, but the only regular character that makes any sort of appearance is Saiman, and that is only because he sent a book to his cousin. This story is outside the Kate timeline.

Adam Talford and Siroun work for POM as Insurance Adjustors in Philadelphia. Adam is a frost giant (hence his relationship to Saiman) but no one seems to know precisely what Siroun is, though she has skills that make her something more than human.

They’re given a case that has to be dealt with immediately.

“Mrs. Sobanto’s insurance policy had a retribution clause… In the event of her homicide, we’re required to terminate the guilty party.”

I enjoyed this story, but the mystery bothered me a bit–the retribution clause bit seemed too make less sense with the resolution of the mystery. But it was interesting and enjoyable.

Rating: 8/10

“Magic Tests”

Originally published in An Apple for the Creature (2012)

This appears after the events of Magic Slays, but is otherwise outside the timeline. It features Julie, Kate’s ward.

Julie is very much a teenager here.

“Do you think I’m your punishment from God?”

“No. I’d like to think that God, if he exists, is kind, not vengeful.”

Me too.

This is Julie’s story, and how Kate tries to help her fit into school–something she never did particularly well at the boarding school she was sent to.

It’s a bit angsty, what with the teenagers and all, but with amusing bits thrown in. I admit it’s not one of my favorite stories, but it is nice to see Julie standing on her own, outside of Kate’s influence, but still influenced by the things Kate holds important.

Rating: 6/10

Magic Rises (2013)

Magic RisesEuropean shape-shifters have given The Beast Lord and his pack an offer they can’t resist: come guard a pregnant were and you’ll receive barrels of panacea–the potion that reduces the chance of loupism in young weres.

It’s a trap of some sort, but they can’t figure out what kind, until they get there and its entirely too late to turn back.

As usual, the story is good, and the dialog is fabulous:

“Tell Hibla we need maid service,” I said. “We could handle the trash in our room and an odd smell, but now we have a dead body. If this continues, we won’t be able to give your hotel a decent rating.”

It’s also like a greatest hits, with all the best characters together: Aunt B, Andrea, Derek, Doolittle. I think Aunt B gets the best lines.

“A young djigit stopped by my room,” I said. “…(F)or three thousand dollars he will walk me deep into the mountains and show me where the bad shapeshifters live.”

“How fortunate.” Aunt B’s eyes lit up. “Would you like company on this wonderful trap, I mean, adventure?”

Mind you, there’s lots of dark and unpleasant in this story: People are seriously–irrevocably–injured. People die.

But here’s the thing. They are in a very very bad spot, and they have to fight there way out. There was no way they’d waltz out unscathed, so as much as I hate seeing people die, I find it more frustrating when people do NOT die.

I know people may disagree with me on this–that people don’t like death in their fiction, but I prefer my fantasy to not to too far out there, and people getting injured and killed is one of the things that keep fantasy grounded in reality, in my opinion.

All in all, a very enjoyable read, and a great addition to the Kate series. It will be very interesting to see where things go from here.

One last thing: I’d like to point out how fabulous this cover is. Kate looks like she can kick your ass, and isn’t just showing off her butt and boobs. Additionally, she’s dressed to fight–not dressed in some damned chainmail bikini or other improbably outfit.

Kudos to this cover, and may more and more fantasy covers with women follow THIS trend, as opposed to showing T&A at the same time, regardless of how physically impossible that might be, and how.

Published by Ace

"Magic Steals" (2014)

First published in Night Shifts

This is the second Jim and Dali story.

Although they have been dating for awhile, Dali is terrified that Jim is going to suddenly realize just how weak she is and break-up with her. That sounds weak and whiney when you put it right that, but considering Dali’s weaknesses, it’s not unreasonable.

Doesn’t mean she won’t keep trying, but she’s worried.

I pulled up to the stop sign. The passenger door opened and Jim slid into the seat next to me. I clicked the locks closed. Ha-ha! He was trapped.

When Jim shows up for a date completely exhausted, Dali lets him fall asleep. Unfortunately, when her mother shows up, Dali panics.

Neutering was the last thing he had to worry about. If she found him, she’d be overjoyed and run out of the house so we could get busy making grandchildren.

Oh gods what should I call him . . . If I introduced him as my boyfriend, it would get back to my mother.

“We work together,” Jim said.

Nice save.

“And we’re dating.”

Damn it!

Komang raised her eyebrows. “Congratulations!”

Dali’s mom has show up because her friend’s grandmother has disappeared, and they believe evil magic was involved. Because Dali’s magic is partially divine, she must help.

I particularly love the little details, like this description of the missing grandmother.

Komang sighed. “She collects My Little Pony toys.”

Iluh nodded. “You should’ve gone to the bedroom. She has shelves of those. She thinks they are pretty. She sculpts them out of modeling clay and paints them.”

That’s something I would’ve never guessed.

That’s both adorable and sweet.

One of the other valid concerns Dali has that if she and Jim remain together, she’ll end up the alpha of Clan Cat. Since she is a mostly blind vegetarian, she is terrified she would be a weakness.

“Are you done?”

“Yes.”

“Dali, you are a tiger. You’re the largest cat on the planet and you weigh over seven hundred pounds in your beast form.”

I took a deep breath. If he were about to chew me out because I was a tiger and I couldn’t fight . . .

“Wait,” Jim said. “Let me finish.”

I cleared my throat. “Okay. Continue.”

“You have accelerated healing even by our standards.”

“That’s true.”

“You don’t have to be a good fighter for us to make a good team. If you just sit on our attacker for a second, that’s enough for me to kill them.”

I adore that Jim sees her her strengths where she sees weaknesses. And I also like that in resolving the mystery, we also see that Dali isn’t weak–she’s competent and even if she’s scared she still acts.

I don’t like this quite as well as their first short story, but it is still good, and I quite like Jim and Dali.

Published by Berkley

Magic Breaks (2014)

Book seven of the Kate Daniels series.

Yes, I did sit on this book for more than two years before getting around to reading it. Mostly because I wasn’t up to Rereading the entire series. I’ll tear through a series, one book after the other, but knowing that to really enjoy a book I need to Reread the seven prior (plus short stories) meant I kept putting it off.

Boy, a crap ton of stuff happens in this book. The Pack now has Panacea (which keeps young shape shifters from going loup and having to be killed), so families are coming from all over the country to join the pack–or at least live near the territory.

Raphael and Andrea are now alphas on Clan Bouda, Clan Wolf is unstable with Desandra vying with Jennifer for alpha status, there is a power vacuum in the people, with Ghastek co-leading the vampires and navigators, and Hugh has returned to Atlanta to come after Kate.

Plus, internal Pack politics.

“How long have you had the ability to sense vampires?” Robert asked.

Here we go. “Why the sudden interest?” I asked.

“We hear things,” Robert said. “Rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?” I asked.

“Disturbing rumors,” Robert said. “We are dissatisfied with the current level of disclosure. We are concerned.”

Things aren’t all bad though. Doolittle is still alive, and just as demanding as before.

“I just thought stairs would be inconvenient.”

“That’s why I have interns. They carried me up here. I thought of commissioning a palanquin. Something understated.”

“With silk and crimson velvet?”

“And golden tassels.” Doolittle rolled forward. “Then I could be transported in a manner appropriate to my vast experience and wisdom.”

Kate also spends time with Ghastek, who I now like even more than I did before. Yes, he’s a necromancer, but he’s not a bad person. Even if he is blind to so much going on around him.

Apparently I had hidden too well. For all of his intelligence, Ghastek still hadn’t put two and two together. He knew with absolute certainty that I couldn’t pilot vampires. He had seen me not pilot them on numerous occasions. In his mind, I couldn’t possibly do it, so I had to have hired someone else and that someone must’ve grabbed control of the vampires at the Conclave. Right.

But I still like him.

“Any undead?” Curran asked Ghastek.

The Master of the Dead looked at him. “Pick a direction, I’ll tell you how many.”

“Is there a direction in which there aren’t vampires?” Andrea asked.

“No.”

“It’s basic intelligence work,” Curran said. “You should’ve put it together. The pieces were there. You need to invest in information gathering. I get that you concentrate on research and development, but you can’t run the People without a solid intelligence network in place. If you can’t do it, get someone who can. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, because really, your ignorance is my bliss.”

There is a character list and brief biography at the start of the book, but I think that works more as a refresher than a catch-up if you haven’t been reading along.

Regardless, I liked this book better than I thought I would. In fact, I was quite pleased with the ending.

Published by Ace

March 2017 | Rating: 8.5/10

Magic Shifts (2015)

Book 8 of the Kate Daniels series finds Kate and Curran living in the suburbs, forbidden from the Keep grounds for 90 days after Curran stepped down as the Beast Lord.

Jim is now the Beast Lord, Dali his mate and co-alpha, and now shifting power and alliances are happening–but beyond Kate and Curran, who are not to meddle.

Dali waved at her. After we retired, Jim Shrapshire, Curran’s best friend, became the Beast Lord. That made Dali the Beast Lady. She now had my job with all the pain and trouble that came with it.

“Consort,” I said. “You honor us.”

“Fuck you,” Dali said. “Fuck your shit. I quit.”

During this time, various members of the pack have to decide if they are going to remain in the pack and leave to join Kate and Curran.

Into this steps George, Mahon’s daughter, searching for her fiance–Eduardo. Mahon doesn’t think Eduardo (a buffalo and NOT a bear) is good enough for Kate, so he’s not searching and George is desperate, so she goes to Kate.

For example, the first time Aunt B came to the Pack Council, (Mahon) took it upon himself to lecture her about how men should be men and women should be women, and Clan alphas should be men with women helping them, not the other way around.”

I laughed. “What did she do?”

“She petted his shoulder and said, ‘Bless your heart, you must be awful in bed.’”

Thus opens a whole can of worms.

Of course, we also have the settling down of power within the People, most of whom have no idea how to deal with Kate.

Especially Ghastek.

But I do like how Julie is turning out. She’s truly learning how to deal with all the weird crap in Kate’s life.

Rowena froze, completely still like a statue. Julie pulled a piece of chalk out of her pocket, drew a protective circle on the floor, and sat in it. At the other end of the room, Ghastek clenched his teeth, probably trying to mitigate the effect of Roland’s voice.

Saiman has walked away from Kate, looking to save his own skin, because he doesn’t believe Kate can hold the city. I don’t think Kate was particularly surprised–I wasn’t. But I am sad there won’t be more Saiman in the near future.

This totally cracked me up, for I was always falling up the stairs as a teenager.

Julie gathered her blanket and went up the staircase.

Something thudded.

“I’m okay!” she called out. “I fell up, but I’m okay.”

There is one more book, but it’s hardback priced, so I’m not buying it right now, so this looks to be the end of my Kate Daniels binge.

Published by Ace

March 2017 | Rating: 8/10

Magic Stars (2015)

If you’ve read the Kate Daniel’s series, this novella (which seems like it’ll be ongoing) features Derek and Julie.

If you haven’t read the Kate Daniel’s series, I’m not sure how good of a starting place this would be, simply because Derek and Julie have a past that is intertwined with Kate’s. I very much like that they are getting their own offshoot, because both of them seem to have their own stories that are quite separate from Kate’s story–they’d get short shrift if the future was detailed only as sidelines in the Kate books.

But I think that means this would not be a very good stand alone, because you would be missing so very much. (Consider the age difference between Julie and Derek–that’s a big difference at their ages, although nothing were they ten years older.)

There was nothing wrong with her legs. They were pale and muscular, and men who should know better noticed them. He was not going to notice them for a list of reasons a mile long, starting with the fact that she was sixteen, and he was twenty.

It’s funny, if you think about it. Two hundred years ago, girls were often married younger than that, but things have changed in our time, and even more interesting, the changes in the world where Julie and Derek live may be changing those age differences again.

Also, there is a LOT of backstory that can only be summed up. Such as:

“She loves you. You’re her child.”

She sighed. “I know she loves me. That’s why I’m worried. Derek, she still hasn’t told me that I can’t refuse her orders.”

Alarm dashed down his spine. He hadn’t realized she knew. “How long?”

“Roland told me months ago,” she said. “She hasn’t told you because it’s hard.”

“I know,” she said. “She tries not to order me around. She’ll start to say some Mom thing and then stop, and you know she’s rephrasing it in her head. It’s kind of funny. Instead of ‘Stop stealing Curran’s beer out of the fridge and wash the dishes’ it’s all ‘It would make me a lot happier if you stopped stealing Curran’s beer’ and ‘It would be great if you did the dishes.’ She probably thinks she’s subtle about it. She isn’t.”

First and foremost, I love seeing this from Julie’s POV. It seemed unlikely this was a secret Kate could not really keep from Julie, but it’s also something that Kate believes could interfere with their relationship. The fact that Julie discovered it on her own and knows that Kate is doing everything possible to keep from using that link is important. I’m glad to see Julie knows, and isn’t mad.

So, to sum up, if you’re reading the Kate Daniels series, you definitely want to read this. But if you’re not familiar with the series, I think you’re better served starting somewhere else.

Published by NYLA

April 2017 | Rating: 8/10

The Edge

On Edge (2009)

Untitled-1Let me get it out of the way first thing: This is a kissing book.

Yes, I know, I know. I usually hate kissing books.

And in my defense, I didn’t know it was a kissing book when I ordered it. I saw Ilona Andrews had a new series coming out, and ordered the book sight unseen. But as soon as I saw the cover of the book, I knew it was a kissing book.

How did I know this you ask? Because there’s a guy’s head floating on the cover. Floating man head = kissing book.

But I really like Ilona Andrews writing, so I put myself in the frame of mind for a kissing book and dove in.

And finished the book in a single evening.

Yes, it’s a kissing book, but its a very well done kissing book, and it was smooching with a plot thrown in, but instead was a very good fantasy story that happened to have smooching and a HEA and all that other romance stuff. (I just used the term romance. I hope I didn’t give my blog cooties.)

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, the area between the magical and mundane lands, that can only be crossed by a few, and with a cost.

Too much time in the Broken, and you’d lose your magic. Too much time in the Weird, and the magic would infect you and the Broken wouldn’t let you back in. The Edgers had some immunity— they could last in either world longer than other people, but even they eventually succumbed.

Declan Camarine has entered the Edge in search of…something. Rose thinks he’s a slumming blueblood looking for a broodmare that can flash white. But it seems like he’s searching for something more.

“Your new boyfriend is a psycho killer!”

“No, he isn’t. And he’s not my—”

“I’m telling you he’s a Navy SEAL or something. Or one of the commando ranger guys. You know the kind who survive in the woods by eating bugs and take down the whole camp of terrorists with a handgun and a small rock.”

As with their other series, one of the strongest things about this book is the secondary characters. Both the elders and the kids have personality and their own thoughts and feelings.

Grandma said he looked like a grown-up version of Jack, wrapped in pirate garb. When he first dragged this picture down to show her, she clicked her tongue and said, “Fiercely loyal and utterly unreliable.” She didn’t smile for a whole day after that, and he hid the picture in the attic with the rest of his stuff.

And there is also William, who I really like in this book, because he is so protective of the boys, mostly because he is so very, very damaged.

“I think you might be not right,” Jack said. “That’s okay. I get like that sometimes. When I’m real scared and I just want to hurt something. It’s okay. The important thing is don’t panic.”

He came over and took William’s hand. Rose was better at this than he was, because he never had to do it for anybody else, but he remembered what she did. “You’re safe,” he said. “You’re in a good place. Nobody can hurt you here. You don’t have to be afraid.” He hesitated. “There is some mushy love stuff that goes here, but it probably won’t work for you.”

I adore that last line, because it is so very what a small boy would say.

This is a lovely book–despite all the boinking, which isn’t my thing, but there are lots of other exciting bits to make up for that

Bayou Moon (2010)

Bayou-MoonYes, yes, I know. Two floating head books in a row. But not only was I on vacation, but this is an Ilona Andrews book, and I love those.

The first book in The Edge series had Rose attempting to survive on the Edge and raise her two younger brothers, and Declan barging in and–in the end–helping her save herself. Instead of continuing with Rose’s story, the main characters in Bayou Moon are William (who appeared in the first book) and Cerise, a resident of the Mire and soon to be the defacto head of the Mar clan, which comes with some nasty clan rivalries that are ready to boil into an open war.

I really like William in the first book. He’s odd, and he’s badly broken, but he is a good man who is fiercely protective of children. But he is definitely odd. And this book starts out with that weirdness.

William picked up the letter and looked at it. It was short. George’s writing was perfect, with letters neatly placed. Jack’s looked like a chicken had written it in the dirt. They said thank you for the action figures. George liked the Weird. He was given plenty of corpses to practice necromancy on, and he was taking rapier lessons. Jack complained that there were too many rules and that they weren’t letting him hunt enough.

“That’s a mistake,” William told the Green Arrow. “They need to let him vent. Half of their problems would be solved if they let him have a violent outlet. The kid is a changeling and a predator. He turns into a lynx, not a fluffy bunny.” He raised the letter. “Apparently he decided to prove to them that he was good enough. Jack killed himself a deer and left the bloody thing on the dining room table, because he’s a cat and he thinks they’re lousy hunters. According to him, it didn’t go over well. He’s trying to feed them, and they don’t get it.”

But here you can see the oddness already starting to be toned down. His voice is far more normal here than in the first book. Which is too bad because that oddness–as much as his brokeness–is what made William so compelling.

I felt this created a couple of flaws. First, William’s character sometimes felt inconsistent. His child-like side disappears quite quickly, and his inability to relate to Cerise and her family on a person-to-person basis seemed inconsistent with his training, especially the spying.

But really, what bothers me the most is the change in William’s voice–how the oddness was greatly toned down to the point where he mostly didn’t sound odd at all.

Cerise was a wonderful and strong lead and although you knew she was going to fall in love with William (this is a floating head book) you know she’s going to do it on her own terms.

Also, Cerise’s cousin reminds me very much of Silk from the Belgarion. The similar name doesn’t help.

Kaldar, slim, his hair dark like Richard’s, peeled himself from the wall. Where Richard radiated icy dignity, his brother lived to have fun. He had wild eyes the color of honey, a silver hoop in one ear, and a mouth that either said something funny or was about to break into a grin, sometimes just as he sank his blade into someone’s gut.

The judge’s massive eyebrows crept up. “Kaldar. Are you the one speaking for the plaintiff today?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Well, shit,” Dobe said. “I guess you’re familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant.”

A huge grin sparked on Kaldar’s face. “Thank you, Your Honor.”

During the evening William had watched him steal a hook from Catherine’s basket, a knife from Erian, some sort of metal tool from Ignata, and a handful of bullets from one of Cerise’s cousins. Kaldar did it casually, with smooth grace, handled the item for a couple of moments, and slipped it back where it came from.

Those passages could just as easily have been written about Silk. Which means I’m going to love Kaldar.

But, it was still a fun read and a perfect distraction.

Published by Ace

Fate’s Edge (2011)

Fates-EdgeI have to say I’m glad I didn’t notice the floating man head until after I finished the book, because that floating man head totally doesn’t look like how I pictured Keldar.

Keldar is a rogue. That floating head? Just… doesn’t look smart enough to pull off the part.

But aside from that….

First, although the main story is between Audrey and Kaldar (and Kaldar is a rogue, so of course I love him), they end up dealing with Gaston, and more interestingly Jack and George, and spending time with those two boys was lovely, since they are most definitely teen boys, and it was fascinating to see how they were dealing with living in the Weird.

And Kaldar.

“ATMs . . .”

“What are those?” Jack asked.

“Small automated banks that give out money.”

“Why doesn’t anyone steal the banks?” Jack asked.

“They are very, very heavy.”

Jack grinned. “You tried?”

“Yes, and I don’t recommend it. You need a sturdy truck with a wheelchair lift and a dolly. A rental truck with a ramp is good, too. And that’s if said ATM isn’t bolted to the ground.”

“How did you know the Hand would be coming?”

“I didn’t know,” Kaldar said. “I suspected.”

Oh, please. “I don’t believe you. You lie all the time.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You kind of do,” George murmured.

And from previous books, Jack and George are the brothers of Rose, and are having a hard time dealing with the fact that as Edgers they will never be accepted by the weird, regardless of the nobility of their brother-in-law and ward. And Gaston is another of Cerise’s cousins, now training with Kaldar to become a mirror agent.

But mostly I love how Jack and George did not get a fairy tale ending when the moved to the weird. Yes, things are materially better for them, but socially they’re little better off than they were in the Edge and the Broken.

She caught the faint hint of disapproval in his tone. “So that’s what Jack thinks. What do you think?”

George grimaced. “Jack is spoiled. Things are hard for him, but he isn’t the only one who doesn’t have it easy. He gets away with crazy things because he’s a changeling and he’s different. Jack could behave better, but he stopped trying. He decided that he’s worthless and that nothing he could do would make any difference.”

Yes, this book is a romance, but the romance was the least interesting part. I was fascinated by Audrey’s history.

“So the two of you did strike a bargain. He got forty thousand dollars. What did you get?”

“I got to never see my family again.”

Kaldar frowned. “Come again?”

“I got to be cut off. Left in peace. I want nothing to do with them or with their stupid schemes. I don’t have parents, and they don’t have a daughter. That was my condition.”

Kaldar reeled back a little. She could almost feel gears turning behind that pretty face. “I’ve met your brother. If anyone should be cast off, it should be him.”

“That’s not how it works in our family. He is the heir, the pride and joy, who carries on the family name. I’m his younger sister.”

Audrey Callahan was born and raised a grifter, but she’s managed to escape from her family and go straight.

For a romance (and this is a romance and boinking book) it’s unusual to make two main characters teenage boys who happened to be main characters in a previous book, but it worked very well for this book. In On the Edge we spent a lot of time with George and Jack, and it was good to spend time with them again, and see how they’ve grown and come to deal with their sister’s happily ever after.

As a series, these books are similar to Marjorie Liu‘s Dirk & Steele series, where you have a group of character’s whose stories are related yet can be read separate from one another. Which I like very much.

To be more specific, I really enjoyed Fate’s Edge. Audrey is a fabulous heroine, skilled and self-reliant and although she has a somewhat ugly history, it hasn’t broken her. And of course I have a soft spot for rogues, and Kaldar most definitely belongs to that class.

All in all I am thoroughly enjoying this series, and highly recommend it.

Despite the boinking.

Published by Ace

Steel’s Edge (2012)

According to Ilona Andrews, this is the last book in the Edge series. In the future they may write in this world (and about some of these characters) again, but as it is, they’re done with The Edge series.

Second point, this is a relatively long book. Although the story focuses on Charlotte and Richard, we spend a fair amount of time with some of the characters that have been introduced throughout the series. I’m good with this, but I’m not sure how someone who picked this book up without having read the previous books would feel about that.

So, the story.

Charlotte is the Healer. Her talent for healing manifested at a very young age, and so her parents gave her up so she could be trained to live up to her tremendous gift. Unfortunately for her, none of that training taught her how to deal with a failed marriage.

The outrage swelled in her, mixing with hurt. Last night he’d kissed her before they fell asleep next to each other. This was the man she woke up to every morning? “Elvei, you realize, you’re telling me that I have no value to you except as a broodmare?”

“Don’t make me the villain in this.” Elvei leaned back. “I’ve gone with you to all the tests and treatments. I listened patiently while you got excited over this specialist and that, I sat in the waiting rooms, and I gave it as much time as I could. There are no more treatments left. I just want to have a child, like any normal healthy adult.”

Every time she thought she had reached the limit of hurt, he twisted the knife a little more, digging deeper and deeper inside her, cutting at a raw wound. “So I’m abnormal?”

He spread his arms. “Can you conceive? No. You are defective, Charlotte.”

Defective. He actually called her defective. The pain inside her began to smolder with rage. “I’m curious, what’s the next word you’ll reach for? How cruel will you be, Elvei?”

“You cost me two and a half years.”

Charlotte is fascinating, and I love not just the magical restriction put upon healers, but her own issues of being barren. That’s not something you frequently come across in fiction. So I don’t quite get her fascination with Richard. I mean, he’s perfectly fine, but the romance feels convenient rather than natural–they’re thrown together so they fall in love. I just feel like Charlotte deserved better than that.

Richard Mar has devoted his time to destroying the slave trade, but unfortunately a fight gone bad sends him back to the Edge, destroying Charlotte’s carefully built life there.

This is definitely my least favorite book in this series. Richard was not nearly as interesting character as his brother, and although he has a worthy goal for a worthy reason, it’s just not enough.

Since moving to the Weird, Richard has made it his goal to take down the slaver network that destroyed much of his family. He too has a failed marriage in his past, but like Charlotte has dedicated himself to his work.

Together, THEY FIGHT CRIME!

Ok. Sorry. I suck at writing synopses.

I very much like Charlotte and Richard. Both have been damaged by their pasts, and throw themselves into helping others. Both get themselves into bad situations, but they do it because they are trying to help other people, not because they’re TSTL.

I also really enjoyed the amount of time we spent with George and Jack and Sophie. I believe it says something about Ilona Andrews’ writing that I was pleased to spend so much time with the secondary characters, because I cared about what had happened to them as well.

And although I wanted to learn more about Sophie (and the promise of her healing), and I like George and Jack, the latter two felt tacked onto this story, especially they way they join up with Richard and Charlotte. Their involvement with Kaldar made sense. Here? It felt like the story had to stretch a great deal to get them involved to the degree they were.

Mind you, I really like just how much George manages to do with his magic, but the meeting up and the circumstances just felt unrealistic.

“And how would you know that?” If someone had opened their mouth, he would be really put out.

Jack gave a one-shouldered shrug. “We overhead you and Declan talking.”

“Declan’s study is soundproof.”

“Not to reanimated mice,” Jack said. “George wants to be a spy. He listens in on everything, then he tells me.”

Fantastic. Declan and he had taken extra measures, like activating soundproof sigils and meeting during late hours, and two teenage boys could still undermine all of their careful security precautions. How comforting.

One plus was this scene between Sophie and Charlotte, as Sophie is slowly learning to trust Charlotte.

Charlotte nodded.

“I don’t like to be touched. One of them tried, and I told him I didn’t like it. He acted as if there was something wrong with me.”

Charlotte paused. There was so much she wanted to explain, but the little bond of trust they had between them was so fragile. She had to find the right words. “There is nothing wrong with you. Your body belongs to you alone. Touching it is a privilege, and it’s up to you to grant it. Some boys— and men— don’t handle rejection well, and they will try to shame you or pressure you into letting them do what they want because they feel entitled. They’re not worth your time. Also, there is nothing wrong with not enjoying sexual touching or kissing.”

I love that this was put in here, although this book isn’t aimed at teenagers, I still think it was a natural and lovely conversation. Although the latter part of the conversation didn’t feel true, I forgave it for that bit.

I wasn’t sure about Charlotte’s “big confrontation” at the end. I felt a bit confused by what happened, but that may have been due to the fact that I stayed up past my bedtime because I HAD to finish this book, so I probably wasn’t completely clear-headed when I read it.

If you haven’t read any other books in the edge series, you should be perfectly fine reading this book, although, as I said, you might not appreciate the time spent with the secondary characters.

Published by Ace

Hidden Legacy

Burn for Me (2014)

Burn-for-MeThis is the first book in the Hidden Legacies series. It ends, not with a cliff hanger, but not as cleanly as it could.

Nevada Baylor is owned by MII, the investigative agency of House Montgomery. And when MII is told to bring in Adam Pierce, a Prime fire mage–alive–the case is foisted off on Nevada, whose own agency looks good on paper, and is expendable.

“How are you involved with him?”

“I’ve been tasked by my parent company to convince Adam Pierce to surrender himself to his House.”

(Her) eyebrows rose.

“MII,” (he) said.

“What are your qualifications for this job?” she asked.

“I’m expendable,” I said.

Mad Rogan is also a Prime–one who was damaged by his time in the army, and whose powers seem to be unmatched–he can level a city if let loose unchecked. He is also looking for Adam Pierce, but not to bring him in but to save his cousin, who was involved in Adam’s latest escapades.

Years ago when aristocrats were expected to serve in the military, they began practicing with swords as soon as they could walk. Now Primes practiced drawing arcane symbols.

I think what I like best about this story is the world building. It’s our world, except with mages.

They spent a month setting up their spells and finally activated their complicated magic. The water left the area. Without it, the weight of the town proved to be too much, and Jersey Village, which sat atop an empty oil field, promptly sank into the ground. An hour later the water came back with a vengeance, aided by nearby bayous and underground streams. In twenty-four hours, Jersey Village turned into a swamp.

And magic and screw things up just as badly as technology.

This is an romantic fantasy set in a world parallel to our own, with the difference that magic works there, and is the force that runs the planet (rather than oil, as we have in our world/time).

I’m rather conflicted about this book.

As always, I enjoyed the writing. And I very much liked Nevada. And her entire family.

However, I was frustrated by the ending, and, well, this is a boinking book. Or rather, it would be a boinking book, if there was boinking. Instead there was a lot of discussion about physiques and such. As we know, that’s just not my thing, and as usual, I kept skimming those passages wanting to get back to the good parts.

Personally, I think the book would be better without having all the constant thoughts about boinking and how handsome Rogan is, but I know I’m in the minority here, so I’ll just let it go.

Another negative: Mad Rogan is a jerk. Yes, he has his good points, but he’s a still a jerk. I don’t WANT Nevada to fall in love with him. I want her to find someone who isn’t a big furry jerk. I don’t always dislike jerks, after all, I ended up falling in love with Ronan in the Raven Boys series, but Ronan is a teenager, so a lot of his behavior can be forgiven. Mad Rogan? Is not a teenager. I just want Nevada to run the other way and find someone who isn’t a jerk.

Another problem I had was Nevada’s powers. And her ignorance of them. From what we see her do, it seems like she’d have to be an idiot not to realize she’s a prime. And yet…

Don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy the story. But there were things that bothered me, and kept me from loving the story the way I normally do Ilona Andrews books.

Burn-for-Me-RejectedALSO, I HATE the cover the book ended up with. HATE HATE HATE. And I hate it EVEN MORE after I saw the cover that was rejected.

Ready?

THIS COVER.

THIS COVER IS AWESOME.

I would immediately pick this book up to read. It has a strong heroine who powerful and taking action. I LOVE covers like this, but instead we get some moody, shirt falling off for no good reason and in no normal manner… thing.

I just can’t even with the cover they got, and I can’t EVEN MORE when I see what they could have had.

Avon? YOU SUCK.

Published by Avon

White Hot (2017)

Guess what?

I DESPISE THIS COVER TOO.

It’s TERRIBLE. I tells you nothing about the story except that there is boinking.

BLETCH.

OK, enough. How about the story?

The story is good! Things are even more complex, and not just between Nevada and Rogan. The cabal that attempted to destroy Houston in the previous book have not been caught, and now Nevada is again caught up in their plots.

Cornelius Harrison has come to Nevada for help in finding who murdered his wife and three of her co-workers. The company for which they worked claims it wasn’t work related and a private issue between the four, but no one who saw the bodies would believe that.

Nevada doesn’t want to talk to job, but she owes Montgomery a favor (he helped her get in to interview a man who raped and murdered children, so the last child he abducted could be saved) and once she talks to Cornelius, she can’t turn him down.

“This is above our pay grade,” my mother said.

“I know,” I told her.

“Why would you take this?”

Because he’d sat in my office and cried, and I’d felt awful for him. “Because she’s dead and nobody cares. And he’s paying us very well.”

“When we talk about the deceased, we usually mention whom they left behind,” I explained. “We say, ‘She was a wife and a mother’ or ‘He leaves behind two children and three grandchildren.’ It’s almost as if the dead have no value unless we know that someone they are related to is still alive and mourning them. I feel terrible for Cornelius and Matilda. But I feel even worse for Nari.”

This is the kind of stuff I love about their stories. The people bits. That the secondary characters (like Cornelius and Bug) are just as–if not more–fascinating than the main characters.

Plus, I absolutely adore Nevada’s grandmother.

My grandma wore her “talk to the hand” face. She also carried a can of spray paint in her hand.

“What is it, Hanh?” Rogan asked.

“She marked all of the ATVs with her initials!” Hanh declared.

“Because they’re mine,” Grandma Frida growled.

“She doesn’t get all the ATVs.” Rogan’s face took on a very patient look.

“Yes, I do. I tagged them, they’re mine.”

“Just because you tagged them doesn’t mean they’re yours. I can walk into this motor pool and start tagging things left and right. That doesn’t make them mine.”

“Aha.” My grandma picked up a huge wrench and casually leaned it on her shoulder. “How are you going to tag things with broken arms?”

I absolutely and utterly adore that.

I also love Nevada’s siblings and cousins.

“Are we going to school today?” Leon asked.

“No,” my mother said.

“Great.” Leon smiled. “Then I’m going to go outside and see if I can get a gun. Since my own family won’t let me have one, I’ll have to beg strangers.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Catalina asked.

“Do you think guns are just lying around outside?” Arabella asked. “Or did someone plant a gun tree in our parking lot?”

There was one other thing I absolutely adored–Nevada has to go to a fancy ball after almost being killed by one of the bad guys. While there, this happens.

The man bent his head slightly toward me. His voice was deep and quiet. “Do you need help?”

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“Do you need help?” he repeated quietly. “One word, and I’ll take you out of here and none of them can stop me. I’ll make sure you have access to a doctor, a safe place to stay, and a therapist to talk to. Someone who understands what it’s like and will help. ”

The pieces clicked in my head. The bruise. Of course. “Thank you, but I’m okay.”

“You don’t know me. It’s difficult to trust me because I’m a man and a stranger. The woman speaking with Augustine is my aunt. The woman across the floor in the white-and-purple gown is my sister. Either of them will vouch for me. Let me help you.”

“Thank you,” I told him. “On behalf of every woman here. But I’m a private investigator. I’m not a victim of domestic abuse. This is a work-related injury and the man who put his hands on me is dead.”

The man studied me for a long moment and slid a card into my hand. “If you decide that the injury isn’t work related, call me.”

I really really love that they put that scene in there, and that even among the elite people would care about abused women.

But that cover? UGH.

Published by Avon  

July 2017 | Rating: 8/10

Wildfire (2017)

This is the third book in the Hidden Legacy series. This was supposed to be a trilogy, but there are enough loose ends for at least another book. I could have done without the final bit with Victoria Tremaine, which felt more like a cliffhanger than this book deserved.

As with all Ilona Andrew books, there were lots of marvelous bits.

I stepped closer to the bear. The massive beast leaned over to me and smelled my hair.

“Can I pet him?”

The soldier looked at Sergeant Teddy. The bear made a low short noise. “He says you can.”

I reached over and carefully petted the big shaggy neck. “What’s his story?”

“Someone thought it would be a good idea to make very smart magic bears and use them in combat,” the ex-soldier said. “Problem is, once you make someone smart, they become self-aware and call you on your bullshit. Sergeant Teddy is a pacifist. The leash is just for show so people don’t freak out.”

Lovely!

And Grandma Frida may still be my favorite character.

“I told you twenty-six years ago that if you married him, you would pay the price. I told you to let him go. You didn’t listen. You raised them to fight. They’re not going to cut and run now.”

“They will do what I say,” Mom ground out. “I’m their mother.”

Grandma Frida squinted at her. “Aha. And how did that work out for me?” Mom opened her mouth and clicked it shut.

I’d like new tires for the Vault. It’s worth two hundred and fifty grand and we’re going to take it home to my grandma.

I think what I liked best is that Rogan and Nevada didn’t have any stupid misunderstandings in this book, even though there well could have been some. They talked about things and although he was trying to make sure she could make her own choices without undue influence, she knew that was why he was behaving as he did.

I also liked that Leon finally got to discover and use his magic. And I also like that despite the families being awful, there were genuinely good people.

“When Augustine took me to Baranovsky’s gala, Latimer saw the bruises on my neck and mistook me for a domestic abuse victim. His aunt distracted Augustine, while he offered to walk me out of the gala and take me to a doctor and give me a safe place to stay.”

Rogan leaned to the side to look after Latimer. “Michael Latimer?”

“Mhm. He wasn’t lying.”

“Interesting,” Rogan said.

I explained that (kid) and (kid) were his children and that as a father, he was supposed to love them unconditionally. He was supposed to protect them and take care of them. That they couldn’t be discarded or traded in for a new model like last year’s car. If he couldn’t bring himself to be proud of them, because they didn’t (redacted), he still couldn’t abandon his responsibilities.

Those are two lovely bits there.

So, as usually I loved the world and the characters, could have done without the boinking bits, and generally enjoyed the book.

And regarding the cover, at least he has his damned shirt on. That’s about the only positive I’ll give it.

Published by Avon

July 2017 | Rating: 7.5/10

Diamond Fire (2018) 

This is a Hidden Legacy novella, and covers the wedding of Nevada and Rogan.

We also meet Rogan’s mother.

“If fortune smiles on us, this will be your only wedding. This will be a formal affair. Your bride will be wearing a breathtaking gown, you will be wearing a tuxedo, and I will watch you two exchange vows and kiss in front of our entire family and all of our friends, and I will glow with pride at this moment. You will not rob me of that joy. Later I will talk to your father about it and tell him how beautiful it was. Am I making myself clear?”

I liked her quite a bit.

Although the very first bit is from Nevada’s POV, the rest of the story is from the POV of Catalina, the middle Baylor sister. Catalina and Arabella have taken over helping to plan and organize Nevada’s wedding, and if Nevada wasn’t bad enough someone has stolen a tiara that Mrs Rogan wants Nevada to wear AND there are death threats AND Rogan’s family–some of them–are pretty awful.

It’s a fun little short story, where we get to see Catalina coming to terms with her powers (and we also get to see who will be her romantic interest when her book comes out).

There were a couple mysteries–who stole the tiara and who is trying to kill Nevada and Rogan.

I actually had guessed pretty early on the bit about the tiara. The murder plot was also not a huge surprise. But it was a fun story.

Publisher: Avon Impulse

November 2018 | Rating: 7/10

Sapphire Flames (2019)

Nevada’s arc ended with Wildfire. Catalina’s story started there, then moved on with the novella Diamond Fire, and this is her first novella.

It’s…. fine.

I liked spending time with Catalina and her family. I appreciated that Nevada was being kept out of the way and gave up control of the house for good reasons. I found the mystery interesting.

I just wasn’t that enamored of Alessandro and his hotness and although he was kind to Catalina, and although I understand that she wanted to make sure someone loved her for her and not because of her magic, I just really didn’t get her obsession with Alessandro that lead to her falling in love with him–he really did everything he could to hide precisely who he was and tried to give the world only superficial glimpses.

And I had some issues with the mystery as well.

Catalina has to be sworn to secrecy to learn secrets but Alessandro doesn’t have to do or swear anything special even though he’s just a paid body guard? That is just not right, and I have a hard time believing Catalina didn’t see that as an issue either.

And then there are the action scenes.

Arabella crouched by me. “You’re in charge and if you order me, I’ll take you. But you’re tapped out. You can’t even stand. My car sits four. I’ll take Runa, Leon, and Mom.”

She was right. I hated it but she was right. Every second counted, and they needed to pack as much firepower as they could into four seats. “Go,” I said. “I’ll come with the second wave.”

Catalina is exhausted. There isn’t really a logical reason for her to go along other than for the plot, so she could face the bad guy. It was illogical and foolish and it made me question the rest of the story more than I would have otherwise. I mean, the story could have ended multiple times before that, but instead the tension had to keep building and building to the point that it started to feel ridiculous.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the story, and I will read the next book, but I am getting tired to stories where the heroine can do all the things–and has to do all the things.

The older I get, the more unrealistic it feels.

And I also had some issues with Alessandro’s magic. Why would temporary weapons even work? Are they made solely of magic? Why would the damage remain after the weapon disappeared? What if he grabbed a technical nuke? Or a grenade? Do the pieces disappear? If he walked away from someone he shot would the bullets magically dissolve? If he stabbed someone and wanted them to leave, would he have to remain with them all the way to the hospital to the weapon from disappearing and the person bleeding out?

The whole thing just feels too easy and convenient, and since he’s already ridiculously handsome and rich and charming…. It’s just too much.

But, as I said, I will read the next book. It just feels very week compared to the other series.

Also, Avon cover. I hate it.

Publisher: Avon

September 2019 | Rating: 7/10

Emerald Blaze (2020)

Emerald BlazeI used to pre-order all Ilona Andrews books and then devour them as soon as I got them.

But to be honest I still haven’t finished the Kate Daniels series, and I have not found the Hidden Legacy series as enjoyable as their other series.

I started this book soon after it came out, but then remembered that the previous book had ended with Alessandro Sagredo walking away from her and leaving her broken-hearted, and I just wasn’t ready for that level of angst. So I’d read a few pages then read something else. Finally I decided to just bear down and finish it.

It’s fine.

I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it, and that meant I spent more time thinking about the things I didn’t love.

Catalina became a Deputy Warden as a way to try and protect her family and their fledgling House. But (for some reason) no one is supposed to know the identity of the Wardens (even though several times she tells people as part of her duty) so she doesn’t tell her family what she is doing or where the extra money is coming from.

Alessandro is an assassin and back in town working for a man whose son was murdered and Linus the Warden decides he is the best person to protect and assist Catalina. (Because romance.)

OK, I was curious as to Alessandro’s reasons for his actions and behaviors, and I did enjoy discovering those. And the banter between various family members was fun as always, but mostly the book just fell flat for me.

Part of it is because I’ve grown tired of each of the sisters having to save the entire world, all on their own except with their significant others.

I am just tired of “Hollywood endings”, and that’s what this series has had. Bad things happen, it turns out the bad things are really really bad and humanity and the world are at stake, and then the couple (mostly on their own) defeats the big bad and saves the day.

Don’t get me wrong–I love action and adventure, but what I want right now is more along the first three “Edge” books–small adventures and lives changed rather than doom and world-ending danger every single book.

Oh, although it isn’t as egregious as earlier books, I really dislike this cover. “Alessandro” just looks stoned and not the slightest bit like a world-class playboy. He’s just… ick. And her outfit? UGH. Not a single scene in this book matches this cover. But at least he’s wearing a shirt and she’s got a weapon?

Publisher: Avon

November 2020 | Rating: 6/10

Short Stories

Silent Blade (2009)

Meli is an assassin who has inherited gifts from her family that make her an excellent assassin. However, after years of killing for her family, she has decided to retire. And she enjoys her retirement until her family asks her for one last death–the death of the very man who ruined her life.

A fun story and a nice distraction.

Published by Samhain Publishing Ltd

July 2011 | Rating: 7/10

Of Swine and Roses (2011)

Alena’s family is forcing her to go on a date with Chad Thurman, a thug, but a member of a family in a position to do Alena’s family a favor. Things go worse than anyone could have expected.

This is a short story by Ilona Andrews–I have to say I love their short stories. If you follow her blog, you’re likely to read more.

Published by Ilona Andrews, Inc

May 2012 | Rating: 8/10

Anthologies

Must Love Hellhounds (2009) Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook

I picked up this anthology solely because I saw Ilona Andrews had a story in it. Charlaine Harris also usually writes decent short stories, but not always. But I figured, I like everything I’ve read by Ilona Andrews, and there should be at least one other decent story in there, so it’s worth it.

The book opens with Charlaine Harris story, “The Britlingens Go to Hell.” First off, this is not a Sookie story, which I liked, because I think authors need to branch out if they’ve been writing a lot of a single characters. Unfortunately, the story felt a bit uneven to me. The world building was not as good as I expect for a story set in a work that is very much not our own. There were plenty of nice touches, but overall it felt like it needed a bit more polishing before being released into the wild.

Two mercenaries are hired to act as bodyguard for a man who needs to go to Hell. I particularly liked the mercenaries/bodyguards. They were rough and strong and no nonsense. And Hell had the potential to be an interesting place–once I made sense of it. I also liked the surprise characters who appeared halfway through the story. I thought that was a nice touch.

What can I say about the second story, “Angels’ Judgment”? By the second page of the first chapter (I found the prologue interesting) I felt like cheezy porno music should be playing in the background. The story was little but “OMG HE IS SO HAWT!” “OMG SHE IS SO HAWT!” “MUST BOINK!” and random bits of plot thrown in here and there as a break from the boinking. It was obvious from the second page that the characters would have sex. I just didn’t realize that the story would be like listening to the brain of a 16 year old male, with sex coming up every thirty seconds. What made it all the more frustrating was that there was almost no explanation of the relationship between vampires and angels, which made the story even less believable. OK, angels make vampires. Because why? Who knows! Probably so they can have sex if the rest of the story was anything to go by.

Third was Ilona Andrews’s story “Magic Mourns” set in the same world as her Kate Daniels books, but featuring Kate’s fellow knight Andrea, and the were Raphael. Kate is still recovering from her misadventures in the last book, so in the meantime Andrea is taking her calls, and ends up heading out when someone calls in to report a dog as big as a house chasing a were. There were a lot of things I really liked about this story. First, I liked that we got to learn more about two important but secondary characters in the series. Second, Ilona Andrews did a very good job with the world building–I think she did a better job in this novella actually than she did in the first Kate Daniels book. There’s not much detail about why things are the way they are, but there are succinct explanations of how things are.

The final story, “Blind Spot” by Miljean Brook, I liked, though not as well as “Magic Mourns.” Maggie has been sent by her boss to “rescue” Geoff Blake, who had been attempting to rescue his sister, but had instead been caught by the demon who had kidnapped his sister. The world building was good in this story, which is good because the characters and their abilities are complex. Although I have to admit that Sir Pup is my favorite of the lot of them. The story is interesting, as is the discovery of the different characters and their pasts. I looked up some of her other books, and their listed as paranormal romances, so although I enjoyed “Blind Spot” very much, I’m not sure about reading a romance series–with boinking. We’ll see.

Publisher: Berkley

Rating: 7/10

Under Her Skin (2009) Ilona Andrews, Jeaniene Frost, Meljean Brook

So, this was the first full book I read on the Nook. I love Ilona Andrews and also really like Jeaniene Frost, so I figured I couldn’t go too wrong for three bucks. These are three short paranormal romances, focusing on shape shifters, but also with strong female leads.

The first story is “Pack” by Jeaniene Frost. Marlee is hiking in Yellowstone when she is attacked by a pack of wolves–werewolves of course, as these are paranormal stories. She is rescued and given medical treatment, but they pack refuses to let her go, aware that she may have become infected during the attack. She also finds herself falling for the man she sees as one of her captors–the pack enforcer named Daniel who claims she would be a threat to her friends and family if she returned home infected and undiagnosed, but also a threat to the pack if she returned and told people there was a pack of werewolves hiding in all but plain sight.

I like Jeaniene Frost’s writing, and so thoroughly enjoyed the story.

The second story is “In Sheep’s Clothing” by Meljean Brook. Emma is attacked driving through a storm on the way to her aunt’s house. When her friend and rescuer–the local sheriff arrives–she seems unharmed but understandably shaken up by the attack. This story and the first focus on the time right after a mere mortal is bitten by a were and the changes that manifest almost immediately. What I particularly liked was that Emma was NOT too stupid to live, but instead did everything she could to save herself. I like heroines like that. There were other things like liked about the story (hard to talk too much about a short story without giving everything away) but over all, it was for me the weakest story in the collection. This was also the only story that had boinking. Are those two facts related? Probably.

The final story–and the reason I bought the collection–was Ilona Andrews’ story “Grace of Small Magics.” None of the characters are were-wolves, so this story has quite a different feel from the previous too, as there are no familiar elements upon which to hang these characters and this world.

Grace discovers her family is indebted to another family, and that she is required to help this family perform a magical service of some sort, though she knows nothing about the family or what service she could possible provide. This story was the action/adventure/quest tale, and once I realized there wasn’t going to be a werewolf and once I paid more attention to the world building, I very much enjoyed the story. Again, strong female lead who does her part in rescuing herself. Always a favorite.

Yes, these are three relatively short stories, but the stories by Jeaniene Frost and Ilona Andrews were definitely worth the price of admission.

Only drawback about these stories is you can only get them in ebook format.

Rating: 8/10

Dark and Stormy Knights (2010) edited by P.N Elrod

I can’t help myself–I love anthologies. And fantasy anthologies with writers who write their fantasy with a healthy does of mystery? Sign me up! All anthologies have high and low points, but overall this was a fairly strong group of stories.

The book starts off with a current favorite author, Ilona Andrews. This is a Kate Daniels story, only set in the past, when Kate was still working for the Mercenary Guild. And we get to see how she met Saiman, which is a story well worth reading. Plus, this glimpse into Kate’s past was quite interesting. I have to admit that as much as I have been enjoying the series, I really really like independent Kate.

Yes, there were other stories, but they weren’t particular favorites. but the stories mentioned above are well worth the price of the book, especially if you’ve not read stories by these authors before.

Published by St Martin’s Griffin

Rating: 8/10

Hex Appeal (2012) edited by P.N Elrod

As I was expecting, this collection was a mixed bag. Luckily, the good stories were very good, and worth the price of the anthology.

I bought the anthology first and foremost because it had an Ilona Andrews story, “Retribution Clause”.

I love Ilona Andrews.

This story is set in the same damaged world as her Kate Daniels series, however, it’s set in Philadelphia, so there were no appearances by familiar characters (although Saiman was name checked).

Adam Talford and his partner Siroun work for POM Insurance. Neither is human, but we’re never told what Siroun is. They’re given an emergency case, and told that the company can’t afford there to be too many casualties. And that’s about it.

This was a very interesting story. If it weren’t for the fact that I track very closely what they have coming out, I’d think this was going to be the start of a new series, but, it isn’t, so enjoy it for what it is. A fun story.

But all in all, it was well worth the price of admission for the stories I did like.

Published by St. Martin’s Griffin

Rating: 8/10

An Apple for the Creature (2012) edited by Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner

First, I hate this title. It grates on my nerves like nails down a chalkboard.

Luckily, the title is not reflective of most of the stories inside.

Ilona Andrews’ story “Golden Delicious” is set in the world of Kate Daniels, but Kate barely makes an appearance. Kate’s ward, Julie (at Kate’s insistence) needs to remain in school. As part of her introduction to the latest school, she is asked to see if she can discover why a student disappeared. As usual, Ilona Andrews’ stories do not disappoint me.

All in all, it was a decent selection of short stories that made up for terrible title.

Published by Ace

Rating: 7/10

Night Shift (2014) Nalini Singh; Ilona Andrews; Lisa Shearin; Milla Vane

Night-ShiftLet me be clear from the start: I read only two of these stories. In fact, I was going to read only one story, Ilona Andrews’ story “Magic Steals” until I realized the next story was a Lisa Shearin SPI files story. I very much adored the first SPI Files book, so was delighted to read a novella set in that world.

I already knew I don’t care for Nalini Singh’s stories (they simply aren’t my thing), and the last story didn’t pique my interest. I might read it at a later time, but possibly not. So I’ll review the two stories I did read.

Magic Steals is Jim and Dali story, and one that I (and many others) have been waiting for since their last story, “Magic Dreams”.

Jim and Dali are dating, except that Dali is so certain that handsome, confident alpha Jim is going to come to his senses at any moment and dump her, that she refuses to admit they are dating.

This sounds dumb, but you’ll have to trust me that it isn’t. Dali is a tiny, vegetarian, half-blind woman who turns into a massive white tiger–who is afraid to fight, doesn’t like the taste of blood even in her tiger form, and is befuddled following her change to her tiger form.

Yes, she is a very rare shifter who is also magic user, but her calligraphy magic doesn’t always work as she expects. So, her lack of self-confidence is understandable. But what this story makes clear is that Dali has value, to Jim and to her community.

I really enjoyed this story, despite all the boinking.

I also enjoyed Dali’s relationship with her mother.

Not to mention that she would be so overjoyed that I was having sex in the first place, she would probably call all of our relatives and tell them about it. They’d throw a party to celebrate.

Lisa Sherain’s story, “Lucky Charms” is a light-hearted story (like the first book in the series) and although there is snogging, it’s not a boinking story.

But much of the story does take place in… an unusual location.

“There’re behaviors that aren’t suspicious in a strip club?”

It’s about Mac’s first case with the SPI, so it’s set prior to the first book.

I quite enjoyed the story, but I can see that people who were expecting boinking and romance and all that might be… disappointed in it.

Published by Berkley

Rating: 8/10