I picked this up because A) I wanted to read something fun and B) it turned up on a list of urban fantasy novels when I Googled it and C) when I looked it up on Goodreads, Malin had given it a good review.
I’d read and enjoyed a few of the Kate Daniels series, so it was no surprise that this book was great fun, as well. There’s just something really great about throwing magic and werewolves and vampires and beings from other planets into our normal world. I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but our nice, normal world hasn’t seemed to nice and normal for about a year now I WONDER WHY. Thus my search for books that would remove me from reality.
This one is about as far removed from reality as you can get. Dina, our hero, is an Innkeeper, which of course isn’t as simple as it sounds. Her magic is tied to the inn she keeps, and she can modify and control the house as she wishes. Once she leaves the grounds, however, she’s still pretty badass, but she loses most of her magic.
Some otherworldly creature in her neighborhood has been killing area dogs (THIS SHALL NOT STAND), and Dina gets involved though it doesn’t directly affect the inn. Her neighbor, a werewolf named Sean, feels that it’s his responsibility and they bump heads, of course with SPARKS because there has to be a love interest. In the course of their investigation, a vampire is brought into the fold, and there’s a bit of a love triangle, but it’s not one of those love triangles that makes you want to stab yourself in the eyeball, mostly because it plays second fiddle to the threat that Dina’s trying to eliminate.
This series continues with at least two additional books, which I plan on picking up. I don’t know that this will be a universe that sticks with me forever but I’d totally spend more time there. Dina is a no nonsense badass, knows her stuff, and is still relatable. This is a short, quick read and I highly recommend it if you need to escape from reality for a bit AND REALLY WHO DOESN’T.
Have you read any of The Edge novels? Book 2 in this series involves some overlap between those two series – nice nod if you know them, but not necessary to understand what is going on.
Ooh, I haven’t read any of those – I’ll have to check them out!
Maybe this will finally be the year I read Ilona Andrews. Malin even gave me book one in the Edge series like, four years ago? Guilt. Shame.
Don’t be so hard on yourself! There are so many books in the world and so much time is wasted on work and sleep and all that BS.
It is BS. It really is.
Don’t feel bad if you haven’t read it (but it is really good!) I have so many books gifted to me through the CBR book exchange (or by friends). Books I’ve wanted to read for ages, and they are still mostly unread on my shelves. Once I own a book, the urgency to actually read it frequently fades, probably because of all those other books and work and sleep and all that BS. :D
Okay I feel better, but I’m still making a resolution to try and read all my CBR exchange books by the end of the year.