By: Ilona Andrews
Published By : Ace Books
Released : Available Now
Details: Paperback from Library, 310 Pages
RATING: 4.5 OH YEAH I'M FEELING THIS SERIES!
Blurb: Goodreads
When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it’s a job for Kate Daniels…
Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot.
But when Kate's werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games—an invitation only, no holds barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament—she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta's shapeshifting community…
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:
“Just reflecting on the fact that when the Universe punches you in the teeth, it never lets you fall down. It kicks you in the ribs a couple times and dumps mud on your head.”
The husband and wife writing team of Ilona Andrews have got it going on in this installment.
Yehaaa!
We start with a Banshee up a pole which has no real impact on the story line other than Kate is back , doing what she does best, helping those in need.
I got to say, Kate has come a long way in my eyes. I love her. She kicks butt, and takes me on an exciting escapism. I dream of being Kate. Like dude, this chick does not have a down day where she sits about reading mags and doing her nails. The only down days she has is when she is out cold.
Literally.
Curran, how I love thee, but there is still too much teasing and scooting around the edges. I know these two are going to be getting it on, eventually.
MATING.
There is that stolen kiss that is becoming quite pent up with frustration on both their parts. Kate walked right into the naked dinner challenge. I'm face planting watching them only getting to first base.
Come. On.
I do get why we are left waiting.
Frustrated. Much.
I can totally see what this duo of writers is doing. Kate now has become such a worthy would-be mate for Curran. She just doesn’t realize it yet.
She is such an Alpha female character. She is loyal, she puts Curran in his box, she fights for essentially her would-be pack even though they aren’t hers. She fights like they are a part of her. She fights for the other were’s . She has friends whether she wants to admit it or not. She cares.
“Friends are a dangerous thing,” I told him. “You feel responsibility for them. You want to keep them safe. You want to help and they throw you off balance, and the next thing you know you’re sitting there crying, because you didn’t make it in time. They make you feel helpless. That’s why my father wanted to make me into a sociopath. A sociopath has no empathy. She just focuses on her purpose.”
“Didn’t quite work out that way,” Jim said quietly.
She really is a cool chickie babe.
She does it Kate’s way and often behind Curran’s back.
Could he do it better?
Who knows?
As I walked back to civilization, I realized that for the first time in the six months I had known Curran, we had managed to have a conversation and part ways without wanting to kill each other. I found that fact deeply troubling.
He is always there with a RawrrrRRRrrRRrr to scoop her half dead body up and bring her back to the good Doc Doolittle to be patched up.
I want to see more of Curran in the books.
Kate is hiding herself. Still wanting to protect those around her. I had already figured out what her secret was. I personally can't imagine Curran in all the times her blood had been spilt and she was unconscious, not having her checked out. Or is that me being too much of a suspicious person. He knows she runs scared. He knows not much about her family. Her heritage. Jim's seen her burn her blood. That would raise flags for me.
Yeah. I was one to talk. When it came to hiding one’s identity, I was an expert. I burned my bloody bandages, so nobody could identify me by the magic in my blood. I hid my power. I tried very hard not to make friends and mostly succeeded. Because when my secret came to life, I wouldn’t end up on top of a telephone pole. I would be dead and all my friends would be dead with me.
We got Derek and Jim and Raphael, who is rather dynamite in this instalment.
Raphael sizzles. He is very captivating.
Raphael looked ... There were no words. I had explained my plan on the phone and he arrived wearing leather: black, shiny boots up to his knees, black leather pants that showed off his legs, and a black leather cuirass that molded to him like a second skin. A shotgun hung over his shoulder. An oversized sword, three feet long and nearly six inches wide, rested at his waist in a short sheath, completing his ensemble. The sword was too heavy for any normal human and covered with black runes etched into the upper portion of the blade. Coupled with the rich waterfall of Raphael’s black hair and his smoky blue eyes, the effect was devastating.
Raphael wore black boots, fitted black leather pants that molded to him with heart-shattering results, and nothing else.
As he passed me, he leaned to Curran and handed him a paper ffan folded from some sort of flyer.
Curran looked at the fan. “What?”
“An emergency precaution, Your Majesty. In case the lady faints.”
Curran stared at him.
Raphael strode toward the Pit, turned , flexed a bit, and winked at me.
“Give me that,” I told Curran. “I need to fan myself.”
I do like Jim and he does things his way too, sometimes. He is head of security and he is very good at his job and uber protective. A very loyal guy. A total hottie.
Jim’s black, fur-trimmed cloak flared behind him as he walked, revealing a black leather vest, black pants, and black steel-toed boots. His body was toned to the point of absurd: he looked like a prizefighter in his prime, his thick muscle crisply defined, his stride loose, his bearing broadcasting bad-ass. An ugly scowl sat on his face. He looked as if he wanted to punch somebody.
“You need a pair shades,” I told him. “Someone might mistake you for a yuppie.”
“Never happen.”
Curran became The Beast Lord at the tender age of fifteen. He is a worthy Beast Lord, but I love how Kate talks to him however she wants. It does make me giggle.
I’ve taken your food, under duress, but I did take it. You rescued me once or twice, and you’ve seen me near naked. I realize that you’re judging this situation by shapeshifter standards, and you expect me to fall on my back with my legs spread.”
“Not necessarily.” His voice matched mine in calmness. “You can fall on your hands and knees if you prefer. Or against the wall. Or on the kitchen counter. I suppose I might let you be on top, if you make it worth my while.”
Raphael and Andrea are doing that whole Curran and Kate scooting about each other, too, thing. Raphael isn’t used to having to work for a nookie. Andrea is much like Kate. She won’t just lay down and roll over.
Kate and Raphael swap advice on wooing. Ha!
“These guys, they’re all bad and aggressive as shit, and everybody wets themselves when they walk by, and then they meet some girl and suddenly they’re not uber-alphas; they are just misunderstood little boys who want to talk about their feelings.”
“Is there a point to this dissertation?”
He faced me. Ï can’t be that. If that’s what she wants, then I shouldn’t even bother.”
I sighed. “Do you have a costume kink? French maid, nurse...”
“Catholic school girl.”
Bingo. “You wouldn’t mind Andrea wearing a Catholic school uniform, would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” His eyes glazed over and he slipped off to some faraway place.
I snapped my fingers. “Raphael! Focus.”
He blinked at me.
“I’m guessing -- and this is just a wild stab in the dark -- that Andrea might not mind if once in a while you dressed up as a pirate. But I wouldn’t advise holding her relatives for ransom nookie. She might shoot you in the head. Several times. With silver bullets.”
An understanding crept into Raphael’s eyes. “I see.”
Curran and the peaches, hehe!
Wooing!
“He’s a Beast Lord , but in the end , he’s only a man.”
Poor Derek, he has a new look and Julie comes in rather handy. I love that mothering side to Kate.
Kate really showed me her colors in this book. She has such a monstrously huge heart. She has such an Alpha female personality. She is earning her stripes with Curran’s pack. She is respected even though she does things her way and runs her mouth. She is very much a part of the Pack, she just doesn’t realize it yet. She is also tough. She will fall on a sword before she lets anybody she cares for get hurt. She is impressive.
“They aren’t children,” Curran said to me. “They know what they’re doing.”
It made no difference to me. I would rather walk a hundred times into the Pit than see one of them die in there.
Saiman gets a bigger role and he is always a surprise with what he comes out with and how he is used in the series. He's the wild card character.
Saiman sighed. “At the risk of sounding crude, wooing you is like playing basketball with a porcupine. No compliment goes unpunished.”
From this installment and using my fingers and toes I have deduced that the year is 2040. Also page 40 told me that Kate was nine in 2024 and she is twenty five in this series, so that would be where the math came in.
This book made me realize a lot of things about Kate. For me, these books get better and better. I know Raphael and Andrea get a spinoff series, but dang, I do like Jim too and Derek.
I am interested to see where Derek's character goes now after this rather traumatic experience he went through. Is love on the cards for Kate's sidekick?
Looking forward to cracking open , Magic Bleeds # 4. With that title, things will certainly be interesting.
Michelle
