Short review, because I read this over a month ago. It actually took me forever to read it! I had this book out in ebook form from the library three times before I read it. They kept taking it away from me before I could work up the energy or desire. I finally caved and just bought a Kindle copy, and of course that’s the one that ended up sticking, since I owned it forevermore, I went ahead and read it the next day. Sigh.
The quality of the book though didn’t really match how long it took me to read. I pretty much just straight enjoyed it. This is book two in the Edge series, by husband and wife writing team known as “Ilona Andrews”. I am the last person on the Ilona Andrews train, which everyone else boarded years ago. Our hero is William, who was in the first book as well, the wolf shifter who was passed over romantically by Rose for Declan. William is a spy for one of the Kingdoms in the Weird, and his work leads him to a section of the Edge (a place in between our world and the magical world) called the Mire, that’s even dodgier than the rest of it: a giant swamp inhabited by feuding families. Our heroine is Cerise, a member of the large Mar clan, who are land rich and cash poor. Cerise’s parents are kidnapped by a family they’re feuding with, and Cerise is made de facto head of the family. Some stuff they’re mixed up in leads William and Cerise to meet, and while they are attracted to each other instantly*, their road to romance is not smooth.
*Except for the portion of their journey where Cerise is disguised as a smelly, dirty hobo.
This book is actually more fantasy than it is romance, just like the last one. There is a lot of focus on the plot, on the feud, and how the magical kingdoms in the Weird are involved in it all. This is probably also why it was so long. It was almost 500 pages, and it just felt like a lot. I also got a teensy bit eye-rolly at the end when William just sanctimoniously decided Cerise was better off without him.
Overall, I liked it. I liked the characters, the atmosphere, the magic. Even though feuding families are supremely uninteresting to me most of the time, the authors make it work. Looking forward to books three and four, which I already own, so no waffling this time.
Book 3 is probably my favourite of the entire series. The hero and heroine are both consummate con artists who keep trying to outsmart one another, and there’s a heist narrative – both of these things are like my catnip.
I’m SUPER excited now.
I just hope I’m not raising your expectations too high. I know other people who don’t love it as much, but it just works for ME on every level. Please take my excitement with a pinch of salt.
You have rarely steered me wrong.