Tag Archives: Kate Daniels

Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews – a Review

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Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews – a Review

 

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Description:
A new town, new friends, new challenges…. And a new heart-stopping adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ilona Andrews. Kate, Curran, and Conlan may have left Atlanta for Wilmington, but the usual magic mayhem has also hitched a ride!

Kate and Curran have just settled into their new home and their ‘low prolife,’ when a local businessman approaches them with an offer they can’t refuse. A mysterious evil has spawned in the nearby forest and is holding a defenseless town hostage. The ‘due date’ is rapidly approaching.

It’s exactly the kind of fight the Lennarts can’t resist, not for the prize the town offers, but for the people who will surely die if they ignore it. If they succeed, they’ll be rescuing an entire community and can build a strong new base for their family and the Wilmington Pack. If they fail…well, fail is a four-letter word.

Nothing comes without a price. Now Kate must decide if she has what it takes to pay it.

 

 

Review:

Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews is the 2nd book (long novella) in her wonderful Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years series. I was once again thrilled and happy to learn that Magic Claims would continue to be about our favorite heroine, Kate Daniels, and look forward to more to come. Kate and Curran, and their son, Conlan are living in Wilmington, having left Atlanta to keep a low profile and privacy.  Conlan is now 8 years old, but he is big for his age, and becoming very strong, as he will be like his father. I have always loved Kate and Curran together, and in Magic Claims, they were fantastic.

Things have been quiet for Kate and Curran, living a peaceful life in Wilmington; then Conlan brings a local businessman to their home.  The businessman explains that he needs help in their town, with a dangerous evil holding their town as hostage.  Though Kate and Curran seem happy in their new environment, they also know that when danger comes, they need to be protectors to help those in need, which will bring them back into the violent and dangerous path they cannot resist.

Curran pulls together a new group to become part of his new pack, with Curran being the leader, and Kate ready to use her amazing powers.  They learn that the town has been forced to offer every year, a tribute, to be killed, and no one can escape from the town. Kate and Curran are determined to fight the evil in the forest, and protect the town.  I loved meeting all the new members of Curran & Kate’s team, as they were all so great.

What follows is a wild adventure, with many huge ice age animals that threaten all their lives; will the team be able to defeat the enemies? Kate is always up to the challenge, but she will need to pull out every possible bit of her powerful magic to fight this enemy; I loved seeing see how magnificent Kate was throughout. I will not tell too much more, as you need to read this from start to finish.

Magic Claims was a fantastic, exciting, intense story, with lots of action and magic.  I have continued to hope we would get more Kate and Curran, as well as see more of young Conlan; and my wishes have come true.  The new secondary characters on Curran’s team were great, which will hopefully lead to a new home base for the new Wilmington Pack . Magic Claims was so addicting, and I cannot wait for more.

Magic Claims was so very well written by Ilona Andrews.  I have read every single series by Andrews, and have absolutely loved them all. If you have not read this illustrious duo (Ilona and Gordon Andrews), you need to start reading them now.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews – a Review

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Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews – a Review

 

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Description:
Kate, Curran and their son, Conlan have left Atlanta, vowing to keep a low profile, and are settling into a new city and new house…but some things never change! Magical mayhem is about to erupt when Kate undertakes the rescue of a kidnapped youth, while Curran guards the homefront.

It should be a simple retrieval, but with monsters on land and sea, Kate’s got her work cut out for her. Still, she’s never let her blade dull or her purpose falter. And that low profile? It’s about to wash away with the raging tides!

 

 

Review:

Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews is the first book (long novella) in her Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years (World of Kate Daniels 12.5) series.  I was thrilled to find out about the return of our favorite heroine, Kate Daniels, and with more to come. 

Kate and Curran, and their son, Conlan are now living in Wilmington, having left Atlanta to keep a low profile and privacy.  Conlan is now 8 years old, but he is big for his age, and becoming very strong, as will be like his father. When his friend tells him about his brother being kidnapped, Conlan tells his mom; who will then with the boy’s father, plan to rescue the boy.  Though Kate and Curran have kept things quiet in this new town, but when Kate knows a child is being used for trafficking, nothing will keep her from saving them.

When Kate leaves with the father, Curran learns where she went from Conlan, and knows they now need to set up protection, around their land, and also bring the kidnapped boy’s family to their home, to be safe.  Especially, since once Kate stops the criminal activity, the bad guys will come for revenge attack.

Kate is always up to the challenge, as she manages to defeat the group kidnapping children.  It was so wonderful to see Kate at her magnificent self, defeating anyone who stands in her way.  Once she gets past the first stop, Kate will continue on to find out where the boy is, which will include meeting with the vampires, and then to the more difficult and intense final stop.  She must defeat a so-called sea god entity, who does terrible horrors to the children.  Kate has to use all her magic, in order to survive and save the children.

Magic Tides was a fantastic, exciting, intense story, with lots of action and magic.  I have continued to hope we would get more Kate and Curran, as well as see more of young Conlan; and my wishes have come true.  I can’t wait for more, and also get a glimpse at Hugh’s eventual return.  Magic Tides was so very well written by Ilona Andrews.  I have read every single series by Andrews, and have absolutely loved them all. If you have not read this illustrious duo (Ilona and Gordon Andrews), you need to start reading them now. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review.

 

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Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews – Review & Giveaway

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Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews – Review & Giveaway

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Magic Binds
Kate Daniels series – Book #9
by Ilona Andrews
Release Date: September 20, 2016

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Description:
Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

 

 

Review:

Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews is the 9th book in her fantastic Kate Daniels series.  The mark of a great series is when you read each book, you can’t put it down; but when you see the story moving too fast, you force yourself to slow down, so that you can savior it a little bit longer. Kate Daniels is one of these series.  Magic Binds is once again a fabulous story written so wonderfully by the Ilona Andrews duo ( Ilona & Gordon Andrews).  Magic Binds was fantastic; maybe even the best one yet.

In Magic Binds, Kate is preparing for her wedding to Curran, or shall we say, her friends are.  In the last few books, we have learned more about Roland, Kate’s ultra powerful father, who wants to rule the world.  As they try to talk civilly to each other and profess their love, we also know that this will end in death for one of them.  Things are escalated when the Oracle warns Kate that her vision shows that if she marries Curran, he will die, which will also include the vision of her son’s (she has no son, this is a future prognosis) death by Roland.  Time is of essence, as war is on the horizon, much sooner than expected.

Kate will use everything in her power to find a way to stop Roland, which is just about impossible.  She will face a god; she will go as far as bringing someone she killed to help her; prove that she is just as powerful as her father to gain the support of the pack, vampires and the guild.  Many of our favorites will play a big part in this story; Julie, Derek, Jim, Ghastek, Saiman, Jim, Roman, Dalia, Christopher, just to name a few. 

To tell too much more would be spoilers. This was a pulse pounding intense exciting story line that was non-stop action all the way.  Kate rises up to everything we knew she could do, and then some. The last half of the book was so great; you could not put the book down, even if I wanted it to last longer and keep savoring it.  Kate Daniels proves over and over that she is one of the best kick-ass heroines in the literary world.  I love her and Curran together, as a couple they too are one of the best.  Magic Binds was a sensational read, and Andrews has outdone themselves.  Bravo!  I do not how much longer this series will go, but I am praying we have many books left.  If you have not read this series, this is another gem you should not be missing.  

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

Giveaway

Ilona Andrews’ publisher is offering a Hardcover copy of MAGIC BINDS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please follow Ilona Andrews on Facebook.

4. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

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8. Giveaway open to USA only

9. Giveaway runs from September 19- 23, 2016

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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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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

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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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Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

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Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

magic rises
Links to Order Magic Rises:
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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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