Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels #5.5) by Ilona Andrews

 Gunmetal Magic (Ilona Andrews)

SUMMARY

 

After eviction from the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea is a wreck. She starts work for best pal PI Kate Daniels. Shapeshifters under Raphael Medrano — Clan Bouda male alpha, Andrea’s ex-lover — die suddenly at a dig site. With Raphael, she seeks killer in deep dark Atlanta. Her feelings for him may take a back seat to saving the world…

MY REVIEW

Major events happen in this book and they are life changing for Andrea :

1. Her position in the Shifters’ clan in general and in Bouda’s clan in particular is shorted out. She finally belongs somewhere (“We take care of our own”)
2. She successfully deals with Aunt B, Bouda clan’s Alpha who is also apparently her future mother in law.
3. It is about time to stop the games and decide if Raphael is the man (or maybe better the hyena) of her life and mate with him.
4. She accepts her past (her painful childhood, the rejection from the Order) and somehow she is making peace with it.
5. She will accept the fact she is Beastkin. She will wear her skin proudly.

During these personal matters, moreover she
• has to analyze and investigate the death of 4 shifters,
• meets some scary mythological creatures (a. huge wingless monster wasps, b. huge creatures with feline jaws and twin rows of tiny eyes and long segmented tails with a scorpion stinger, c. snake people with snake fangs in their heads etc.)
• is blackmailed by a true God (the God of the Dead)
• saves a child
• saves the world

I really like Andrea. She has her own personality. She is not an imitation of “Kate with lipstick”.

Andrea and Raphael are awesome together . They were behaving like the leading stars of a Latin America soap opera. Lots of drama, lots of tears. I also enjoyed the games Andrea and Raphael were playing before mating – especially Raphael’s pranks were excellent!

It was good for Raphael to have a bit of a competition. Volhv Roman has a great sense of humor, he is a wizard, he can do magic, he is a gentleman and he can make Raphael foam every time he looks and talks to Andrea.

Note: You MUST also read the book “Magic gifts”!
“Gunmetal Magic” (Andrea’s POV) and “Magic gifts” (Kate’s POV) complement each other and they present events that happen the same time period.

Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels #5.4) by Ilona Andrews

  Magic Gifts (Ilona Andrews)

SUMMARY

 Dinner date after a hard workday should be heavenly. Of course, dates between the Beast Lord and Kate Daniels don’t always go as planned. Undead run amok, heads are chopped off, lawyers are deployed with extreme prejudice, and drunk vikings call people out.

MY REVIEW

Curran and Kate have many difficulties every time they try to go out for a date. It seems that troubles are following them everywhere. In their last attempt of a date, a necklace will strangle a young woman (one of the necromancers) and her brother may be the next victim.

The little boy will be taken care of by the Pack. Kate will do anything in her powers to remove the necklace from around his throat. She will visit the People (the necromancers) at the Casino, the Neo-Vikings at the Norse Heritage, Immokalee (a Cherokee medicine woman), the Hakon who eats everyone who visits him and Ivar the dverg. Ghaster and his vampires will help.

At the same time important things happen that the fans of the series need to be aware of in order to understand the development of the story in the next books. Guild will need to have a new leader since Solomon died and Andrea is meeting Raphael again.

The members of the Guild seem happy and the new arrangement may work. Andrea on the other hand is not happy at all. In “Gunmetal Magic” the two were-hyenas need to sort out their relationship and their feelings for each other.

Once again I am so impressed with the number and the variety of mythical creatures that can fit in a single adventure.

This is a must-read book for the series’ fans. 

Magic Slays (Kate Daniels #5) by Ilona Andrews

 

Magic Slays (Ilona Andrews)

SUMMARY

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name. Plus, many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. But it turns out that this is not an isolated incident. Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—and fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price…

MY REVIEW

It is time for Kate to put on her grown-up pants and act like an adult. It is essential for her to deal with a number of things that need an adult attitude. So:

1. For the first time, she has a business to run with employees and bills to pay. For a variety of reasons she keeps adding employees to her business and all these people have needs, i.e. better weapons, food, food and more food, extra chairs etc.
She has to be cautious about her budget and her earnings, but I am not sure she is very successful with this matter.

2. She is mated now. She needs to learn how to trust Curran and this is hard. She has learned from a young age that all males will eventually try to manipulate her and take advantage of her. Is Curran going to do the same? She is so suspicious and scared of this possibility, but her heart is telling her otherwise.
Curran is just Curran. Just adorable. There is a scene in which he gets mad and he tears up her cookbook. 5 minutes later, he just goes back to buy her another.

3. As the female Alpha of the Pack: she has to
• obey rules and laws
• follow protocol
• have escorts and bodyguards
• attend formal dinners
• be the judge of conflicts between pack members and answer petitions
• make decisions about other peoples’ lives and
• think about the Pack first, naturally!

Kate feels her choices are being taken from her. She needs to be careful every time in order not to cause a diplomatic episode or not to test Curran’s patient. Additionally, she is not sure if his Furriness is truly worried about her or if he is just a manipulative bastard.

4. She will learn the bitter, ugly, painful truth about her mother Kalina and her stepfather (Hint: Kate’s can also be called Katenga). And she will have to deal with it!

5. She is the guardian of a teenager. Not an easy job. Little Julie does not behave and she does not do what she is told. Kate has to learn to be a parent and to provide parental advice.

6. She has to come to terms with the fact that she will lose someone close to her. This is unacceptable for Kate. And I agree.

7. It is about time to embrace and practice her magic!

A strange machine with unknown use and a secret anti-magic society are going to keep Kate and her friends on their toes and they will add complexity to the book.
Everyone who knows the secret just runs away and you have a constant feeling that the city is doomed.
There will be an excellent, epic battle with all the elite magic beings of Atlanta united against the common enemy. Pure awesomeness.

I truly love how the relationship between Curran and Kate develops, how their emotions deepen and explanations are given about how much they mean to each other.
Kate is gradually maturing and transforming from a warrior girl in the first book to a woman in love who defends what is hers. 

Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels #4.5) by Ilona Andrews

 

Magic Dreams (Ilona Andrews)

  SUMMARY

Alpha Pack leader Jim Shrapshire has always been the strong, silent type. But something has come over him--a magic force currently residing in one of the Pack's headquarters. Were-tigress Dali Harimau has always wished she could get Jim's attention--but now he needs her help.

Stricken with a magic-sickness, Jim needs Dali's flair for magic. And to save him, she must challenge a powerful, dark being to a battle of wits. 

MY REVIEW

Jim likes a girl. The problem is that Jim is too Alpha to make the first move. Moreover as the Pack Leader of the were-cats and head of Security for Curran the Beast Lord, he can be easily accused of taking advantage of his position.

Dali likes a boy. The problem is that were-tigress Dali is vegetarian, almost blind and too unattractive to make the first move. A brain with glasses she describes herself.

One day Jim is in trouble. Being at the wrong place the wrong time, he has been infected with something hideous that is eating Jim’s soul and magic. Jim keeps falling asleep and as a final result he will die.

Dali will not allow an evil spirit to steal Jim from her. Jim is hers, nobody else could have him!
The living, breathing golden snail (KEONG EMAS) is the only thing that can help Jim. Dali will not hesitate to risk her life to find it for him. She has to visit the Underground, the most dangerous place in Atlanta for shifters and buy it.

Then, Dali will have to fight JOROGUMO, the Biding Maiden, the whore spider and get Jim out from her spiderweb. It is a good thing that Dali is a clever girl and very good in riddles.

Jim’s and Dali’s future will look bright.

There is also the addition of another interesting character in Kate Daniels’ world: A SUANMI (i.e. the son of the dragon), from which Dali will save.

I loved the book! It features weird and wonderful creatures from Asian mythology - especially from Japanese mythology.

I have a good knowledge of Greek mythology and I have noticed that the references and the descriptions in the previous books concerning the creatures from Greek mythology are perfectly accurate.
Thus, I am absolutely positive that all the descriptions of the Asian mythological creatures in this book must be also exactly right. The author must have done a lot of homework for these books.

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4) by Ilona Andrews

 

 

Magic Bleeds (by Ilona Andrews)

SUMMARY

Kate Daniels works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, officially, as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.

When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar on the border between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.

This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Beast Lord, to handle. Because this time Kate will be taking on family… 

MY REVIEW

 

Allow me to tell you about Kate’s family:

HER FAMILY FROM THE PAST:
1. Her biological father, Roland. We finally learn the true story of Roland, the story of his first children and the first vampire he had created. Kate tells the story to a golem to emphasize the power of the blood that runs in her veins.
2. Her mother. We learn how she feels about her mother and her importance. Kate shows an old picture of her to Andrea. Unfortunately Kate has no memories and no recollection of her mother and her step father being together.
3. Her aunt and her seven undead servants. Kate and her bloodthirsty auntie have a “pleasant reunion”. They share memories and stories. They have a cup of tea. Her aunt talks about her old goldfishes, about the loved ones who come and go through the centuries. She talks about how badly she would like to destroy Atlanta and kill every available shapeshifter. They fight to death.

HER FAMILY FROM THE PRESENT:
1. Her best friend Andrea. The closet beastkin hyena is in trouble and Kate does not hesitate to offer a real valuable artifact to get her and her boyfriend, Raphael, off the hook. Kate will not hesitate to help Andrea at any cost and any time.
2. Her adopted niece, Julie. Kate agonizes for her safety. She is crazy of worry in case something happens to Julie. She is afraid that her psychopath aunt will try to hurt Julie in order to hurt Kate.
3. The Pack. They have become her closest friends. They run to her rescue, they patch her injuries, they make her feel safe. They are her true home. Kate will not let anyone think less of them and call them nonhuman.
4. The dog. Kate unexpectedly is the proud owner of a poodle who loves to vomit and bark to creatures that threaten Kate. Kate will have a hard time finding a name for him. Everything else will come easy.
5. Greg’s House. Maybe it is time for Kate to say her goodbyes and move on. The Keep is waiting for her.

HER FUTURE FAMILY:
Obviously.
Curran. Curran. Curran. Curran.
The disappointing dinner date will be a good start for Kate to acknowledge her feelings for Curran.
The silent treatment, after the disappointing dinner date, will be a good start for Curran to acknowledge the sacrifices he is willing to make for Kate.
The games they play and the hilarious pranks they pull on each other, after the explanations about the disappointing dinner date, will make the start of their mating easier.
The games and the pranks will be definitely a pure delight for readers as well.

Well this is one these books. These books you want to start reading again, the second you finish them.
The best book so far in the series. I absolutely loved it!
And I have reread my favorite parts for a few times already.

Magic Mourns (Kate Daniels #3.5) by Ilona Andrews

 
Magic Mourns ( Ilona Andrews)

SUMMARY

Andrea Nash of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid - with an assist from her friend, Kate Daniels - tries to figure out why the giant three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hades is sniffing around Atlanta.








 

MY REVIEW
A giant three headed dog as big as a house and burning spit is chasing Raphael. Andrea is running to rescue him. Apparently someone has stolen a precious dead body and Raphael is following the smell. That does not stop him to take the opportunity to pursuit Andrea at the same time.

It is cool to be a hyena!

That is what I really love in these books! Usually hyenas in shifters’ books are either mean, or stupid or the enemy. In Kate Daniel’s world are playful and lovable.  

Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3) by Ilona Andrews

 Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

SUMMARY

When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it’s a job for Kate Daniels…

Drafted to work for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems these days than she knows what to do with. 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…  


MY REVIEW 
She should have seen this coming!

Kate has a number of things which occupy her mind and her life:

1. The wellbeing of her new friends:
-Jim betrays the pack,
-Derek almost gets himself killed,
-Raphael is crazy about Andrea and
-Saiman has new scary enemies. They talk like human, smell like human, behave like human but what are they really?
I am just happy that Kate has true friends finally.

2. The dangers that her real family brings:
We learn who her biological father is and what the consequences of these revelations might be.
Okay, this will definitely make things more complex in the next books.

3. The dangerous, illegal Midnight Games:
Full action, wonderful body conduct scenes in a primitive like arena.
The description of many, strangely magnificent, out of nightmare creatures that are battling together to prove who is the strongest.
For sure, the games in which Kate’s team participate were my favorites – especially the ones that they finish them off in less than a minute.

4. Curran…
…more persistent than ever to have her:
Apparently, he has already decided that she is his mate. He just wants to have her first and answer her questions later. Certainly everybody else has realized his intentions except for Kate who does not understand the ways Alpha shifters play and the rules of courtship.
I really enjoy seeing them dancing around each other.

5. Who has eaten her apple pie…
…or has Kate eaten it and she does not remember it?
I cannot believe she was so careless and not paying attention to the details in this book.
Of course she should have seen it coming!

At least the girl knows where she stands:
"I can't let him kiss me again, because if he does, I'll sleep with him."
  

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews

 Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews

Summary 

Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare…

As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…

My review

Sexually frustrated Kate Daniels is being pursued by every interesting male creature in this book:

a) Saiman (With a magic store body, a Polymorph i.e. he changes human forms):
“Can you dance? Dance with me Kate!”,
“Stay with me. It will be fun.”

b) Ghastec (One of the People, a Master of the Dead i.e. he creates vampires)
“A pleasure to see you, as always”,
“You are in an excellent physical shape and you are well proportioned.”

c) Bran (A goddess' hound, a scoundrel, a thief, a brigand, a human previously who just wanted to be hero and to be remembered)
“Keep me warm tonight and maybe I’ll feel generous in the morning.”
“Why don’t you sleep with me? Kiss me and I promise I’ll talk.”

d) Raphael (a fun, patient hyena, a male Bouda)
“Two years? That’s entirely too long. If you want, we can take care of that. After two years, it’s pure therapy.”

And undoubtedly the absolute winner

e) Curran (The Furry Highness, the Lord of the Beasts, the Shapeshifters' Pack leader)
“Not only will you sleep with me, but you will say 'please.'
You will say 'please' before and 'thank you' after."

Of course she is not saving herself for marriage.
The reasons are more complicated and involve the exchange of magic and great power.

Oh and there was some fighting all around in the book, but I was not paying attention.

(Okay, I am only joking. The battles were magnificent!)

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bites (Ilona Andrews)  

            SUMMARY                                                                      Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic…

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way… 


MY REVIEW

Magic and technology. The world created in this book is so complex that it is hard to explain it or even just describe it.

There is one thing to remember: Magic beats Technology. It is always a winner.

I loved the book. It helped the fact that it is full of many hateful, but also many beloved monsters. And I know how to appreciate a good twisted monster LOL

Kate is a kickass heroine. She knows how to use her sword better than she knows how to walk in high heels. She is fierce, strong, reliable, faithful to her friends – although she doesn’t have many friends. Basically she doesn’t trust humans or monsters easily. They have to fight for her trust. But when they are in, they are in for good.

Curran is a beloved monster. He is a shapeshifter and a Beast Lord. Very controlling and very protective. He only wishes his pack wellbeing.

In “Magic Bites” Curran and Kate will be introduced, they will fight a powerful Upir (a corpe-eater creature) and they will start their joined adventures.

I guess the most famous quote from this book (maybe from the whole series) comes from Kate and must be:

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty."

The world of Kate Daniels & A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels 0.5) by Ilona Andrews

Every month I will present

1. a book series or

2. books from a specific author or

3. books with a specific theme

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 April 2017 is the month of Kate Daniels's world. Kate is a fierce heroine that Ilona Andrews has created. 

Curran is the Shapeshifters' Pack leader and soon Curran and Kate will fall in love. 
This is an Urban Fantasy series, but the Romance part of it is strong as well. 
The series is ongoing.

The FIRST PART of the series and the following books will be presented:

A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels, #0.5)

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2)

Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3)

Magic Mourns (Kate Daniels, #3.5)

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4)

Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)

Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5)

Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels, #5.4)

Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)

 
Currently the series is on book: Magic Binds (Kate Daniels, #9). 
The books Kate Daniels, #6 up to Kate Daniels, #9 wil be resent in a different month.

Official web page: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/kate-daniels/

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A Questionable Client (Ilona Andrews)

 SUMMARY

In a world beset by magic waves, Kate Daniels works as a mercenary. She is tired, hungry, and there is foul-smelling blood on her boots. All she wants to do is to go home, but when Mercenary Guild offers her a job she can't refuse, she finds herself protecting a man against Russian wizards.







MY REVIEW
Saiman meets Kate. And he is very impressed. She kills a few endars (green fur creatures driven crazy by blood) and a Badzula (a middle aged woman in a filthy blanket that incites people to vagrancy) and she saves him from the volhvs (who serve pagan Slavic gods).

Kate meets Saiman. And she is not particularly impressed. She thinks he is a terrible human being, self-absorbed and egoistic.

Saiman is so impress with Kate that he offers her a discount every time she asks for his services from now on. He also promises Kate that he will find a form she cannot resist and he will make her his.

Kate is so not impressed with Saiman that she vows she will try to never see him or work with him again.

None of them will get what they want in the next books.