Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels World 1) by Ilona Andrews

 Hi!
    lastly i wanted to offer you my review of Gunmetal Magic, i book you have read a bit about if you did read my review of Magic Gifts ( here). So last creatures on today's menu are shifters, sorcerers and a special kind of vampires ( not sexy at all)

Ilona Andrews is on of my favorite author ( authors in fact since they are husband and wife writing under that name) and i absolutely love the  Kate Daniels'series so when i learned there was going to have a spin off i was happy and in the same time a bit hesitant...after all we can't be sure of a book without having read it and new series also means less kate Daniels books.

What i thought about it? You will have to read it ^^

Publisher: Ace

Publication: 2012

ISBN:  0425256138

Genre: urban fantasy, romance

Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: mild
Public: 18+

Source: bought

Short description from goodreads :

 The New York Times bestselling Kate Daniels novels have been hailed as “top-notch urban fantasy” (Monsters and Critics). Now, Ilona Andrews delves deeper into Kate’s world, and reveals its untold stories…

After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. She tries to put herself back together by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend. When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda, and Andrea’s former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. Now she must work with Raphael as her search for the killer leads into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta. And dealing with her feelings for him might have to take a back seat to saving the world…

My opinion:

          Lovely! I was a bit afraid at first because I usually don’t like spin off but this one is really well done. First,  you need to know that you could read it as an stand alone without difficulties because the world is well described since the beginning however reading with the Kate Daniels’ books make it even better because the chronological events are so well respected. Gunmetal Magic takes place after Kate Daniels 5 “Magic Slays” and you get a new look on some of the events taking place in the others books  thanks to Andrea’s point of view.

This book is the story of Andrea, Kate’s friend, after she was excluded from the Order for being a shapeshifter, in fact she is a special kind of one a “beastkin” meaning that one of her parent was an animal that got infected and started to take a human form while a shapeshifter is a human taking an animal form.  That difference means that she had to keep her identity secret from the Pack, because in earlier times all beastkin were killed on sight, until a problem happened and Kate had to take her to the Pack to save her life.

Here we discover her past before Kate, before the order….we learn of her difficult childhood and her suffering. That gives us a better understanding of her psychology. It wasn’t really clear before why she was so opposed to join the Pack when it was offered to her; she kept rejecting her nature like it was something alien now we can easily why it was something difficult for her.

I love her relationship with Raphael, it’s spicy and funny ^^ both being really stubborn and dominant it’s a explosive mix. Raphael must learn to understand her too and to accept her completely not just an idea of her. He idolized her at one time and was hurt, for the first time things did not go like he wanted and that was disturbing for him. All a misunderstanding made things really difficult between them but as he is fierce in battle so he is in love and he won’t give up so easily one battle lost perhaps not the war ( and for him all is fair in love like in war too^^)

I really enjoyed this book but I still regret to have see so few of Kate, she seemed too subdued for my tastes , yes she is hurt and in love but I don’t see her letting so room to her friend when she knows she is hurting . Yes I got to see her, yes she did fight and yes she also played but it wasn’t really her. Andrea is the main character of this book yes but some amelioration could have been done to Kate, or perhaps we will get those thanks to a future Curran point of view and that would be awesome.

Really a wonderful book and great addition to all Ilona Andrews’ fans. If you like urban fantasy, romance, action with a big dose of Humour and mythology that’s the book for you

Score:  4/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge

Magic Gifts ( Kate Daniels 5.4) by Ilona Andrews

Hello,
              i didn't take into consideration all the works and reading i've done earlier this month so for you it will mean a treat: 2 reviews per day,several times before the end of this month. Great no?
The first one today was in French but normally i will post all the other ones in English ( except if i manage to read more and review before the deadline^^)

Now it will be a smaller review because i've chosen a novella  from one of my favorite author: Ilona Andrews with a title more than appropriated " Magic Gifts"

Enjoy your treat ^^

Publisher: Ace

Publication: 2011

ISBN:  0373277210

Genre: urban fantasy
Violence: mild
Language: normal
sex: none
Public: 18+

Source: limited free ebook and bonus in Gunmetal Magic

Short description from goodreads :

 Available as FREE download from Ilona Andrews Website for 2 weeks from Christmas Day (2011), this novella takes place at the same time as Andrea’s book, right after MAGIC SLAYS, and the two stories intersect. MAGIC GIFTS will appear as a bonus in the back of GUNMETAL.

 A dinner date after a hard day at work sounds heavenly. Of course, when that date is between the Beast Lord and Kate Daniels, things don’t go as planned. Before you know it, undead are running amok, heads are being chopped off, lawyers are deployed and used with extereme prejudice, and drunk vikings are calling people out.

Read at your own risk.

My opinion:

          Wonderful!  I never have enough of Kate Daniels, I love this series and this novella fit perfectly in it.

At first this novella was offered for free during a small time for Christmas 2011, a wonderful gift for the fan and now in case you missed it it’s a bonus in Gunmetal Magic, spin off book so you can read it before gunmetal or after it doesn’t matter because both stories are happening at the same time and it’s true they intersect a lot.

I loved to find again Kate and her new mate Curran, their bickering is so fun and the action is never missing either. I appreciated it also because it explains a bit better the absence of Kate in Gunmetal (not why she is so subdued but at least where she was). Kate is adapting to her Consort role, she doesn’t like it but to be with Curran she will do it but when she must take position against and for the mercs she is not so fond of the idea and try to avoid the problem…poor Kate Jim is still as stubborn as ever and consort or not he want it’s peace.

But as often, what motive Kate is simpler: a child in danger and for that she even accepts to confront legend and death.

Ilona Andrews really manage to make us  follow this adventure like if we were there it was really a great gift to the fans to make us wait until the next Kate Daniels’ book.

You love romance, humour and action: this novella is perfect for you. Better if you read the series first but you can enjoy it as a stand alone too

Score:  4,5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

Challenges:

This book enter in the Romance and Me Challenge