Tag Archives: Ilona Andrews

Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews – a Review

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Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews – a Review

 

Magic Shifts
Kate Daniels series – Book #8
by Ilona Andrews
Release Date: August 4, 2015

Magic Shifts.Aug 2015jpgAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description
After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate—former Beast Lord Curran Lennart—are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Curran misses the constant challenges of leading the shapeshifters.

So when the Pack offers him its stake in the Mercenary Guild, Curran seizes the opportunity—too bad the Guild wants nothing to do with him and Kate. Luckily, as a veteran merc, Kate can take over any of the Guild’s unfinished jobs in order to bring in money and build their reputation. But what Kate and Curran don’t realize is that the odd jobs they’ve been working are all connected.

An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it—before it takes their city apart piece by piece…

 

Review:

Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews is the 8th book in their wonderful urban fantasy Kate Daniels series. I have been a fan of this series from the beginning, and in each book, our heroine Kate Daniels continues to evolve to be stronger, more powerful, and very much in love with our hero, Curran. When we last left off in Magic Breaks, Kate and Curran stepped down as BeastLord and Consort, and left the pack; a new era began, with Kate’s father, Roland now becoming more visual.

In Magic Shifts, Kate, Curran and Julie are living in house in suburbs, getting used to not having the responsibilities of the pack. But any peace Kate envisions, doesn’t last too long. They decide to get involved with the Mercenary Guild, which is falling apart. At this point, one of their pack friends has disappeared, and as a favor, they try to find him, without the help of the pack.

Nothing in this world is easy, as it is filled with magic and creatures, and no one does this better then Andrews. When the magic is up, Kate utilizes her power, which continues to get stronger. She is after all the daughter of the most powerful being in any world, in fact just about invincible. Kate has claimed Atlanta in the last book, as she does not want her father to control and destroy it. The crux of this series at this point is if Kate can find away to stop her father, and whatever plans he really has. She is not fooled by his happiness to have his daughter close by, as she knows he tried to kill her as a baby, and what’s to stop him now.

When trying to find her friend, they come across strange happenings, with creatures trying to kill some cats, then other beings. The protagonist is one of the most dangerous villains, who takes the form of other humans, creatures and a Giant; just about impossible to kill. Kate has to pull in some of her friends to discover what this villain is and try to stop it before he kills all her family and friends.

What I love about this series, besides the fantastic world building, exciting adventures, and great secondary characters, is Kate and Curran. It is so much fun to watch them fight together to destroy their enemies; listen to their fun banter; enjoy how deep their love for each other is, not to mention their hot chemistry. The last half of the book was nonstop pulse pounding action that had us on the edge of our seats to the very end. The duo that makes up the writing team of Ilona Andrews (Ilona & Gordon Andrews) continues to give us sensational stories and keeps us coming back for more, as they leave us with some temptations of the future. The Kate Daniels series is one of the best, and very well written. If you have not started this series, I suggest you do so, by starting with the first book, since you need to see how Kate continues to evolve, as well as her love for Curran.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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NIght Shift Anthology – a Review

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NIght Shift Anthology – Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Milla Vane, LIsa Shearin a Review

 

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Description:
Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance plunge readers into the dangerous, captivating world unearthed beyond the dark…

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight, as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals, when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn’t a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself.

It’s seer Makenna Frazier’s first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms.

 

 

Review:

Night Shift is an anthology with novellas by 4 authors…Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Milla Vane and Lisa Shearin. Each of these authors either write Paranormal or Urban Fantasy. It is always difficult to write a review on anthologies, as there is too much risk of giving out spoilers. I will attempt to give you my thougths of each story, without telling too much

Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh – Ohhhh, what can I say. This is a Psy/Changeling novella and Bastien is our leopard hero. I am a freak when it comes to Psy/Changeling, and needless to say I was in my glory reading this story. Nalini never fails to amaze me at how story after story, even in a novella she can give us such a great story, a fabulous couple, and allow us to spend time with some of our old favorites, like Lucas, Dorian & Mercy. Bastien was wonderful, as I fell in love with him from the start. He was loving, and patient with Kirby, our heroine.   What mother wouldn’t want a Bastien for their daughter. Kirby was a fantastic mate for Bastien, and the story introducing her and her history was wonderful. When Bastien meets Kirby, he scents a cat, but she is human. It is Bastien who will help Kirby discover the hidden truth about her true destiny. A super fantastic story.   When I finished this book in one sitting, I had a smile on my face the rest of the day.

Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews – I am a big fan of Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, so I was looking forward to reading this one too. Jim is our hero in this book, and he has been one of the mainstays in this series. Jim is a Jaguar shifter, and Curran’s security chief. It was great for him to have his story, and I loved him with Dali, who is Tiger shifter. We started off with Dali preparing dinner for Jim, hoping this would be the night that they would take the next step. Before anything can happen, Dali’s mother comes to ask her to help find a missing person. Jim goes with Dali, who has magic abilities to help solve crimes or end curses. The mystery was very good, with a group of people ina  certain section having attacks brought on by magic. Jim and Dali must find out why and how to stop it. But the best part of this story was the humor between Dali’s family; Jim watching Dali use her magic, and learning more how she works, and Dali seeing how much Jim truly feels about her, and how well they will work together as a team. It was a great story, with a  great couple, and just plain fun.

Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin – I have not read this author before, so I was not sure what to expect. This is part of her SPI Files series, which only has one book out. Since I did not read the first book, I am not sure if this novella will move forward or is it a prequel. SPI stands for Supernatural Protection & Investigations. There are all kinds of supernatural beings in this story, with seers, werewolves, vampires, dragons, goblins, leprechauns, elves, fae, as well as humans. Mac (Makenna Frazier) is a seer, and she is hired by SPI to help find missing supernatural beings. On her first day of the job, she is pulled into a dangerous mission, meets her hot partner, and team members, who are elves or werewolves. Though there were so many dangerous situations, there was a lot of humor in this story. This was a fun and exciting read, which has me interested to see what else is in store for this series.

The Beast of Blackmoor – Milla Vane (Meljean Brooke) – An angry young warrior asking a priestess for the goddess help to fight evil, is cursed by his disrespectful behavior. Years later, a female warrior arrives in Blackmoor to fulfill her quest from the goddess to tame the beast.

Mala is our heroine, and she is determined to complete the quest given to her by the goddess, so that she can go home and protect her family and townsfolk. Mala is a great warrior, who has faith that her goddess will protect her along the way. The beast is the warrior who has been been “forsaken” yet he battles the monsters to help the town. Kavik is our hero, and when Mala meets him, he is cold, but knows she is the one who will end his curse. When Mala tells him she is to tame the beast, which is him, he expects the taming to be cruel, and refuses to believe otherwise. Together, despite his mistrust, they must fight the evil creatures, and Kavik must learn to find a way to trust Mala and change the curse. Good story, however there some parts I did not care how it was handled.

Overall, this was a great anthology, and for me, I was thrilled to get more of Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews, as well as learning about two other authors to check out for the future.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews – a Review

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Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews – a Review

 

BURN-FOR-ME-Oct 2014jpgAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

Review:

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews is the 1st book in her Hidden Legacy series.   I wasn’t sure what to expect from this new series. I am a huge fan Andrew’s Kate Daniels series, as well as the Edge series. Burn for Me turned out to be a fantastic start to this enthralling series.

The world-building for this series is pivotal and huge, as it sets the stage of a world run by families and magic. Nevada, our heroine, is a private investigator, who works with her family to keep the agency afloat. She accepts cases from a House with major magic, as they hold the liens on the family business.   Nevada is forced to accept a case that has little hope of surviving, and even her family is against her taking it. But with the threat of losing the business, Nevada accepts. Her target is to the find Adam Pierce, who is a Prime (Ultimate magic power), and his ability is indestructible fire.

Connor (Mad) Rogan, our hero, is another powerful Prime, who runs the House Rogan. Mad, who got his nickname from his time during war, where he was able to destroy anything and everything, to help win the war, and his reputation followed him home. When Adam Pierce destroys a bank and the people in it, his accomplice was a distant cousin. Because he was asked to help find the cousin, Mad becomes involved in finding Adam. In order to do so, he must partner up with Nevada, who wants nothing to do with working with someone like Mad.

Though the chemistry between Nevada and Mad was hot, this is not a romance. At least not yet. Probably in future books, there promises to be more, as Mad will do anything he can to weaken Nevada’s frustrating attempts to steer clear of him. I for one look forward to seeing more of Nevada and Mad becoming a full relationship. I also loved Nevada’s strange family, who were wonderful secondary characters.

Back to the story…This was a fantastic look at magic, power, and what the forces of evil can do with it to destroy those around them. There is so much world-building in this amazing story, but the exciting action is non stop, as we feared for our heroes’ lives in so many unbelievable situations. Great new series by Ilona Andrews, and I will be there waiting impatiently for the next book.

Reviewed by Barb

 

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Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews – a Review

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Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews – a Review

 

Magic Breaks
Kate Daniels series – Book #7
by Ilona Andrews
Release Date: July 29, 2014

Magic Breaks Aug 2014

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear…

 

 

Review:

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews is the 7th book in her wonderful Kate Daniels series. This is one of my favorite series, and each book keeps getting better and better. There are so many fabulous characters in this series, but make no mistake, it is Kate and Curran, who make this so special.

In something very unusual, Andrews begins with a short summary, explaining the series; the past and the present. It was very nicely done. But please be forewarned, if you have not read this series, please do not start with this book, as it is truly not a standalone. You need to start with the first book, and learn all you can about Kate and Curran (Beast Lord), or you will miss an awesome series.

The story begins awhile after the last book, with Curran and some of his top pack members going out of town on a fun hunt. Kate, as the pack consort, will once again be the one in charge. Of course, with Curran gone, all hell is about break loose, but then again, we are used to Kate being thrown into the fire.

She must attend a conference (Conclave) of leaders from the supernaturals in Atlanta. With her Pack Council, they face off against the People (vampires), when one of the Peoples was brutally murdered by a shapeshifter. Kate comes face to face with an old enemy, and she knows that this was a setup. Being given an ultimatum that could cause the death of her pack and others in Atlanta, she sets out to find the killer and prevent a war.

One of the main elements in this series, is that we know the truth about Kate, and her relationship with Roland, the ultra powerful being who is almost like god. No one can beat Roland, and up until this book, we have not truly met him. Kate has her own magic, which she hides, but over time she has learned a lot more about controlling those powers.

What follows is an exciting action packed story, where Kate and some of her team enter dangerous territory to discover information that will lead them to the real killer before a war comes that will destroy them all. I really enjoyed some of the newer characters like Desandra and Ascanio, to go with our regulars like Andrea, Jim, Derek. At one point Kate finds herself in a situation she cannot get out of, and begins to fear Curran won’t find her in time, as death creeps closer to her. There are a few side stories of betrayal, justice and revenge, with the need to deal with it, and this book does not disappoint. There is a lot of violence, and at some point Kate will have some semblance of vengeance.

But most of all, this was a wild and thrilling race to the finish. We finally meet Roland, as Kate must prove herself, and the world will know who she truly is. Andrews did a masterful job throughout this series of leading up to Kate meeting Roland. Will Kate survive her meeting with Roland? Can Kate and Curran stop a war, and save Atlanta from Roland’s claiming?

Kudos to Ilona Andrews for a fabulous and thrilling story, which constantly blew our minds. It was non-stop action from start to finish, and impossible to put down.   The ending was somewhat of a shocker, and I for one cannot wait for the next book. Once again, Bravo to Ilona Andrews for Magic Breaks, the best one yet in this fantastic series.

Reviewed by Barb

Kate Daniels Reading order:

MAGIC BITES – Book 1
MAGIC BURNS – Book 2
MAGIC STRIKES – Book 3
MAGIC MOURNS (Raphael and Andrea novella)
MAGIC BLEEDS – Book 4
MAGIC DREAMS (Jim and Dali novella)
MAGIC SLAYS – Book 5
GUNMETAL MAGIC (and Magic Gifts) – Andrea’s book – Kate Daniels World #1
MAGIC RISES – Book 6
MAGIC BREAKS – Book 7
Magic Steals (Second Jim and Dali novella) – November 25, 2014
Kate 8 – untitled, under contract
Magic 9 – untitled, under contract

 

 

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Cover Reveal-Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews

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Cover Reveal-Burn For Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews

BURN-FOR-ME-Oct 2014jpg

PRE ORDER: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 28, 2014

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire…

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

_______________

From the author

It is such a gorgeous, distinctive cover, melding together unique paranormal aspect of the world and the sizzle of the relationship between Mad Rogan and Nevada. It’s rare when the cover captures a scene from the book exactly the way the author had imagined it. You learn to resign yourself to it. Covers aren’t meant to be a literal representation of the narrative, but BURN FOR ME is. It actually shows a pivotal scene, especially when combined with the aerial view splashback. If you read the book, you’ll know exactly what I mean. When I got the cover file, I sent it to a friend. She emailed back in minutes. The email said, “Who did you sacrifice to Cover Gods to get this?”

-Ilona Andrews on her reaction to the cover for BURN FOR ME

From the editor

BURN FOR ME is a slight departure from Ilona Andrews’ other bestselling urban fantasy series. There’s still the trademark snappy dialogue/narrative and action-packed scenes, but there’s a stronger romance thread here that we wanted to get across right away with this cover. Our hero Rogan is not just hot and sexy, but he’s powerful. Like kill-you-with-a-stare powerful. And Nevada is just as strong, only she doesn’t realize her full potential yet. So I wanted to show off our couple, have that intimacy between them and not lose any kickass-ness (I know, not a real word, sorry). The background with the exploding buildings around them…the idea was Ilona’s and the execution is just exquisite.

-Erika Tsang, Ilona’s Editor extraordinaire

BURN FOR ME by Ilona Andrews
On-sale 10/28/2014 | ISBN: 9780062289230

About the Author Black and Orange

Ilona AndrewsIlona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. author2sm“Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.

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Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

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Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

magic rises
Links to Order Magic Rises:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

 

Review:

Magic Rises is the 6th book in Ilona Andrews’s Kate Daniels series.  This is one of my favorite series, with a super heroine, awesome hero in a fantastic urban fantasy world.

Kate and Curran are one of the top couples in the current literary scene; she who has magic and he who is a lion shifter.  An unlikely pair, but an awesome couple.

Andrews has a super secondary recurring group of characters that make each book even better.  Kate though magical, is human, and she has overcome many odds to become part of the pack, even if she technically doesn’t belong, as she is not a shifter.  But Kate is very strong, stubborn and powerful, and she is rightfully the second in command behind Curran, the Beast Lord, as she is his Consort.

Magic Rises begins with some of the pack children getting the dreaded ‘Loup’, which causes insanity and forces them to change into monsters.  Those that turn loup have to be killed.  When a close young friend of Julie, comes down with the loup, Curran accepts an offer to go to Europe to help protect a pregnant shifter between two warring packs claiming ownership of the unborn babies.  The payment for Curran and gang to go on this dangerous trip is a large supply of panacea, which will save the babies and cure the loup.  That alone is worth the danger they will face.

Because they know they are heading into a trap, Derek, Aunt B, Andrea, Raphael, Mahon and many others all go along to help their master.  What follows is an exciting story, with much danger, death and betrayals, as the truth of why they were asked to help becomes more then they bargained for.  The action was non stop, and at times very stressful.  I loved when Kate, who was looked down upon by the European shifters, managed to surprise them with her strength, toughness, and savvy.  They didn’t know what they are messing with in Kate Daniels.

Though there is one person, who is more or equally as powerful as Kate, who does know who she is.  Kate learns more about her father, and also about the man who brought her up and trained her to be the best.  She and Curran not only must survive the other packs, but Kate’s nemesis makes it that much harder. The last half of the book is totally mesmerizing, as I couldn’t put the book down until I read the last page.  The battle that ensued, was amazing, with some unexpected twists, and surprises.

The relatioinship between Kate and Curran is always the best part of this series, but in Magic Rises, there were so many times we felt Kate’s emotions, as she tried to rise above some difficult moments.   Kate, who has some of her powerful father’s blood and magic, comes on her own a bit more, as we learn that  her power is still untouched as to what it can be.  There is so much to go (we hope) in this fantastic series.  If you have not read Kate Daniels, I suggest you start from the beginning and read your way through when Kate and Curran become a couple. You won’t be sorry.  Magic Rises was the best one so far, in this great series by Ilona Andrews.

Reviewed by Barb

 

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Cover Reveals-February 1, 2013

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Cover Reveals-February 1, 2013

Against the Wind

 

TITLE: Against The Wind

AUTHOR: Regan Walker

SERIES: Agents of the Crown

RELEASE DATE: March 2013

 

 

 

Magic Rises

 

TITLE: Magic Rises

AUTHOR:  Ilona Andrews

SERIES:  Kate Daniels

RELEASE DATE: July 2013

 

 

 

His Submissive

 

TITLE: His Submissive

AUTHOR: Lisa Renee Jones

SERIES: Rebecca’s Journals

RELEASE DATE: April 2013

 

 

 

My Master

 

TITLE:  My Master

AUTHOR:  Lisa Renee Jones

SERIES:  Rebecca’s Lost Journals

RELEASE DATE: May 2013

 

 

 

Forest of the Forsaken

 

TITLE: Forest of the Forsaken

AUTHOR: Joanne Brothwell

SERIES: Y/A

RELEASE DATE: 2013

 

 

 

The Space Between Apr 2013jpg

 

TITLE: The Space Between

AUTHOR: Victoria H. Smith

SERIES: N/A

RELEASE DATE: April 2013

 

 

 

crossing the Line april 13

 

TITLE: Crossing The Line

AUTHOR:  Katie McGarry

SERIES: Pushing the Limits (1.5)

RELEASE DATE:  Apri 2013

 

 

 

Midnight's Kiss

 

 

TITLE:  Midnight’s Kiss

AUTHOR:  Donna Grant

SERIES:  Dark Warrior

RELEASE DATE: June 2013 

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Steel’s Edge by Ilona Andrews – a Review

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Steel’s Edge by Ilona Andrews – a Review

Steel’s Edge by Ilona Andrews is the 4th book in their Edge series. For those of you who may not know, Ilona Andrews is the husband & wife team of Ilona and Gordon Andrews.  I am a big fan of Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, and when they started the Edge series, I continued with them.  I have not been disappointed, and this is a wonderful series.  I know that this book supposedly ends the series, which does disappoint me, but more on that at the end. 

Steel’s Edge continues with the premise of the world of the Edge, Weird, and Broken.  Richard Mar is our hero in this book, as we know him from earlier books, being the brother of Kaldar & Cerise’s cousin.  Richard is on a quest to put a stop to slavery, and find out who are the masterminds behind it, and when we meet Richard, he is being hunted by the slavers and is gravely injured. 

Charlotte de Ney is our heroine, and we meet her at the start.  She is a top healer, who is married to Elvei, and though she can heal almost anything, Charlotte cannot heal herself.  She confirms her worst suspicion, that she is barren and cannot have any children.  To her dismay, her husband annuls their marriage, as he proves he did not love her, only wanted children by someone with her title.  Charlotte accidentally loses her cool, and harms Elvei briefly when she discovers the truth of his betrayal.  Charlotte knows she can never lose control of her healing powers, as the dark side of healing is seductive and difficult to control. As her adopted mother would say, losing control will make her an Abomination, with the power to push diseases, such as leprosy, plague on unsuspecting people, a dangerous and destructive power.  She then runs away, in fear of allowing the dark side of healing to come forth, and goes to the Edge, where her powers are weakened.

Charlotte finds herself not accepted in the Edge, until she meets Eleonore Drayton, the grandmother of Rose, George and Jack, whom started it all in the first book, On the Edge. Three years later, Charlotte is now an important part of the Edge, and Eleonore has become her closest friend & ally.  It is here that Charlotte meets Richard, who as we noted earlier is gravely injured.  Charlotte manages to start his healing process, but then when Charlotte goes for supplies, the slavers come upon the Drayton house and they want Richard, who is called The Hunter.  When Charlotte returns, Eleonore is dead, as well as a young girl who was visiting, and Richard was taken by the slavers.  Charlotte finds out about these slavers, and how they terrorize young children, sell them to slavery in the Weird, or just torture and kill them.  Something in Charlotte snaps, and she leaves the Edge to try and find the slavers, and enact revenge on losing her dear friend.

As she enters the Weird, Charlotte feels all of her powers return fully. She finds the camp, sees Richard in a cage locked up. As the slavers look at her, and rejoice on their good luck at seeing a pretty woman come to them, Charlotte pulls her dark side of healing into her and slowly sends out a disease (one of many she stores) to the unsuspecting slavers. One by one they start coughing, bleeding, and start dying.  Richard watches from the cage, amazed at what he sees.  When it is over, and all the slavers lie dead, Richard convinces Charlotte to let him out of the cage and to trust him.  He tries to convince her to go back to the Edge, but Charlotte refuses to listen to him, and is determined to help destroy all the slavers, and the masterminds behind it.  Together they go on a journey that will reveal so many horrors that will emotionally affect Charlotte, as well as the reader.  But it also brings Richard and Charlotte together. 

This is a very nice romance that develops, especially during their difficult travels and adventure.  Charlotte becomes a strong woman, who will stand up to evil, but it is Richard who will become her savior. Richard, who thought he would never find a woman that would understand him, and in Charlotte’s case, not look down at him as an original Edger, as she is more royalty.

One of the best things about the book, besides Richard and Charlotte, was seeing George and Jack again.  I have loved them from the first book, and though they are still teenagers, they are both awesome.  Sophie (formerly Lark in earlier book) has also turned into a wonderful strong character.  The three of them work with Richard and Charlotte to reveal the mastermind, and bring him down. 

It was a an exciting story from start to finish, with a nice romance, lots of adventure, evil villains, favorites appearing from earlier books, but it is also a very emotional ride with all the horrors they will face along the way.  The ending was an emotional turmoil, as Richard must rise up to find a way to save his love, who risked everything to save those she loved.

Ilona Andrews has done a wonderful job in creating this fabulous series, and Steel’s Edge was a great read.  Especially after reading this book, I am not a happy camper that the series ends.  There is so much more they can do to continue the series, especially with great characters still to come like, George, Jack and Sophie; as well as major characters from the earlier books to help.  I have read though that even with the end of the Edge series, Andrews is considering another possible arc with the three names I mentioned.  Let’s hope.

Reviewed by Barb

 

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