Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels 5.5) by Ilona Andrews

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… (Goodreads)

After Andrea Nash was kicked out from the Order and breaking up with her boyfriend, she’s trying to find new direction in her life. Then several shapeshifters die and it’s her job to find who is responsible. To make matters more difficult she must work with her former lover whose workmen were killed.

I’ve liked Andrea before so I was happy that she got her own book. I like her relationship with Raphael and we get to know Raphael bit more in this book. It was nice to see there’s more to him than being Aunt B’s pretty boy whom women drools after. And we learn more about Andrea’s past and we get to see someone from her past. And I’m starting to think Ascanio is adorable. Too many hot men here…

The book was action-packed as all Andrews’ s books are but not as action-packed as Kate books. At least it felt to me like that. Can’t wait for her next book.

4/5
Published: Ace (2012)
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 434
Source: my own

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels 4) by Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels keeps the peace in Atlanta for the Order, humans caught between the vampire controlling People led by her biological father and best kept secret, Roland, and the shape-shifter Pack, led by her mate-to-be Curran, the Lord of the Beasts. But her look-alike aunt Erra, Babylon’s god of chaos and terror, has come to town controlling seven naked warriors: Deluge (flood water), Tremor (earth quake), Gale (hurricane wind), Torch (fire inferno), Venom (disease poison), Beast (animal monster), and Darkness (overpowering dread). (Goodreads)

The book starts where the last one ended. Kate is preparing a dinner for Curran as a payment for a lost bet, but then he never shows up. She’s furious but decides to act like nothing happened. Then villain comes around who plans on getting rid of the shapeshifters.

Let me start this by saying that now I’m officially Curran fangirl. And maybe just a bit Jim, and teeny tiny bit Derek…. Okay moving on…

We finally see some progressing on Kate’s and Curran’s relationship even though I’m sad we don’t see the dinner she promised to make. That would have been entertaining. Kate seems to grow as a person in every book and Curran is trying to learn to share and both are trying very hard making it work.

We learn more about Kate’s family and that’s always interesting stuff. Can’t wait for Kate to meet her dad one day.

I’m starting to run out of ways to describe the awesomeness of this series but I really loved this. There was more of Curran but less of Derek and I’m starting to hope more of Jim in future books. Oh the problem of too many hot men!

4,5/5
Published: Ace (2010)
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 349
Source: my own

Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels 3) by Ilona Andrews

When her werewolf friend Derek is discovered half dead, Kate Daniels knows that she cannot rest until she neutralizes his attackers. Her hunt for the culprits ultimately leads her to the Midnight Games, an invitation-only, no-holds-barred paranormal fighting tournament. Magically appealing. (Goodreads)

Kate gets a call from the shapechanger Saiman that he’s got Kate’s werewolf sidekick Derek after he tried to break into his home. In exchange to Derek’s freedom Kate agrees to go to Midnight Games, highly illegal tournament to death, as Saiman’s date. Derek won’t tell why he tried to steal Saiman’s tickets but makes her promise to deliver a message to a girl in the Games without reading it first. Kate does as she promised but it comes with a price as she comes too late to Derek’s rescue and finds him nearly beaten to death, unable to shapeshift nor heal himself.

At first I have to say that this was the book that made me love this serie for sure! I’ve liked the previous books but this is by far the best so far.

There’s lot of action and ass kicking and I loved it. Kate seems to have matured a bit and started to care for others more. I loved how she went to Julie’s rescue to the school. Relationship between Kate and Curran takes to another level and the bath scene *drools* I like that the relationship is building in stages and she’s not just jumping into his bed at first chance.

I laughed aloud many times and the book is great mix of humour and action.

I found myself to become more curious of Jim too. It’s not easy when there’s too many hot men there! And poor, poor Derek!

I admit that everyone was right, these books just gets better.

4,5/5
Published: Gollancz (2010)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 310
Source: my own