Review & Giveaway: Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant #1) by Ilona Andrews
Publication date: June 26th 2018
Publisher: NYLA
My rating:  5 Stars
Pages: 406
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No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?

As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Hugh and Elara may do both. 

My Thoughts:

As the description points out, Hugh was Roland’s warrior, but has been cast out, cut off from Roland’s magic and when we first meet Hugh here, he’s in bad shape.  Hurting as he was Hugh didn’t fully grasp his Iron Dogs were loyal to him, not Roland.  Now that they’re being hunted down, and murdered Hugh must get himself together, get his Iron Dogs back in fighting shape to meet the threat. 

Elara and Hugh have things each other need to survive, Elara has a castle, food, and supplies Hugh’s Iron Dogs’ desperately need, and Elara needs protection for the people in her keep.  To make their alliance believable they decide to marry. They hate each other on sight, Elara has already heard the rumors of Hugh and expects him to be a terrible man, and Hugh views Elara a cold harpy.  This is a marriage of convenience, but of course I was hoping for it to turn into more! Love-to-hate relationships are so much fun and loved every verbal sparring match between these two!  Really made things heat up! 

Hugh was quite a despicable character in the previous books, so when I first heard there would be a book centering on him I wondered if I could ever view him as the “hero” or like him.  Shouldn’t have worried because Ilona Andrews pulled it off splendidly!  You don’t have to do this because there’s enough information to get the picture, but I did go back and skim through some of the events in Magic Rises (book 6) and Magic Breaks (book 7) to remember exactly what happened with Hugh, Kate, The Pack, and Roland.  Some of his actions seemed unforgivable, but we were only looking at them through Kate’s eyes.  Here we get Hugh’s motivations, and some important insight about Roland’s influence on Hugh here in Iron and Magic.  It made ALL the difference in my opinion of Hugh and I ended up rooting for the guy!

Elara is likeable right off the bat, she’s completely loyal and protective of her people, strong and intelligent in her actions.  Elara is also a person (?) of powerful magic, but she’s a mystery and I look forward to finding out more about her in the coming books.

The fight/battle scenes were exciting, full of danger, and action, and easy to follow.  I was surprised and thrilled by what’s revealed about Hugh, his skills and powers. Elara is a bit of an enigma, not sure what she is yet, but I have some ideas.  When she steps into a fight you take notice, and I was stunned by a certain villain’s reaction to her in the end!

Iron and Magic was fast paced and riveting!  We get Ilona Andrews at their best, and what they’re known for as writers: exciting action, multi-faceted, compelling characters, interesting mythology, and of course my favorite: romance!  I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

 

Connect with Ilona Andrews:

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I'm giving away a Hardcover Copy of Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) by Ilona Andrews which features Hugh quite prominently.  The giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  

Review: The Woman Left Behind by Linda Howard

The Woman Left Behind (GO-Team #2) by Linda Howard
Publication date: March 6th 2018
Publisher:William Morrow
My rating: 5 Stars
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 Jina Modell works in Communications for a paramilitary organization, and she really likes it. She likes the money, she likes the coolness factor—and it was very cool, even for Washington, DC. She liked being able to kick terrorist butts without ever leaving the climate-controlled comfort of the control room.

But when Jina displays a really high aptitude for spatial awareness and action, she’s reassigned to work as an on-site drone operator in the field with one of the GO-teams, an elite paramilitary unit. The only problem is she isn’t particularly athletic, to put it mildly, and in order to be fit for the field, she has to learn how to run and swim for miles, jump out of a plane, shoot a gun...or else be out of a job.

Team leader Levi, call sign Ace, doesn’t have much confidence in Jina--who he dubbed Babe as soon as he heard her raspy, sexy voice--making it through the rigors of training. The last thing he needs is some tech geek holding them back from completing a dangerous, covert operation. In the following months, however, no one is more surprised than he when Babe, who hates to sweat, begins to thrive in her new environment, displaying a grit and courage that wins her the admiration of her hardened, battle-worn teammates. What’s even more surprising is that the usually very disciplined GO-team leader can’t stop thinking about kissing her smart, stubborn mouth…or the building chemistry and tension between them.

Meanwhile, a powerful Congresswoman is working behind the scenes to destroy the GO-teams, and a trap is set to ambush Levi’s squad in Syria. While the rest of the operatives set off on their mission, Jina remains at the base to control the surveillance drone, when the base is suddenly attacked with explosives. Thought dead by her comrades, Jina escapes to the desert where, brutally tested beyond measure, she has to figure out how to stay undetected by the enemy and make it to her crew in time before they’re exfiltrated out of the country.

But Levi never leaves a soldier behind, especially the brave woman he’s fallen for. He’s bringing back the woman they left behind, dead or alive.

My Thoughts:

Jina Modell goes from working in the office of a paramilitary group to being drafted for in the field operations as a drone operator.  She’s assigned to a “Go-TEAM” and must go through and pass rigorous physical training to keep her job or she must quit.  Jina’s fiercely determined even though she’d like to die by the end of each training day.  Another motivation is showing Levi, her team leader, that she’s capable and no quitter when he’s made it clear he doesn’t want Jina on his team.  
Levi’s not convinced Jina will be an asset, and not a liability to his team. She meets his attitude with a bunch of her own, and they knock heads more than a few times.  Simmering beneath all the tension is a powerful attraction neither wants but can’t deny.  With each week that passes Jina proves her mettle and value.  A good thing considering the dangerous situations Jina’s in for when she finally goes out in the field.  Her training, determination and mental fortitude are what makes all the difference in one assignment that goes horribly wrong.

I loved this story!  Much of it focuses on Jina’s training with her team, getting in battle ready shape, and overcoming challenges.  She had her work cut out for her.  I’m constantly on a fitness mission so I was really interested in her struggles and rooting for her the entire time.  I adored Jina!  I loved seeing her get stronger, gradually fit in with the team, and navigating her relationship/attraction to Levi!  You could see them grow close and care even when they snipped and snapped at each other.  The sexual tension between them was electric!  Levi was one hard, focused male; protective and a little possessive, but a really good man underneath all the gruff. 

Linda Howard combined her signature elements of playfulness, danger, action and a hot romance in The Woman Left Behind and I ate it up!  I’m sure I’ll be doing a re-read in the future.

Review: Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs

Burn Bright (Alpha & Omega #5) by Patricia Briggs
Publication date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Ace
My rating: 5 Stars
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Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham face a threat like no other--one that lurks too close to home...

They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok's pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf--but can't stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills--his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker--to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn...

My Thoughts:

Charles and Anna are holding down the fort in Aspen Creek, while Bran, the Marrok is off on vacation. The story takes off quickly when one of the “wildling’s” (old wolves that are no longer safe to associate around Pack on a regular basis) mate calls for help. Anna and Charles go to investigate and find a lot more than they bargained for.  There’s a lethal threat, assisted by a traitor in the Pack, and Anna and Charles must figure out if the traitor is one of the “wildlings”, or a closer Pack member.  Either way, they must warn all the “wildlings” of the danger, and so begins the thrill ride!

Got some surprising insight on Bran (never suspected that!), and his abilities, which clarified something he was able to pull off in Silence Fallen (the previous book in the Mercy Thompson series).  Anna’s abilities as an Omega wolf get more awesome as the series progresses. Especially as she investigates and understands her power more. 

As usual, Charles and Anna face the conflicts and danger as a united front, lending power or support to each other whenever needed. Theirs is a mature romance, without unnecessary drama, or petty jealousies. There’s plenty of love and passion between the two of them, when they’re not battling for their lives, that is!

A big betrayal, Pack dynamics, Asil and Sage, and a slightly different view of Leah all factor in, as well, in this exciting installment of the Alpha & Omega series. There’s never all dull moment, even when the action is a bit on hold, because trying to discover the culprit behind the attacks kept me guessing!  Alpha & Omega continues to be one of my all-time favorite urban fantasy series’, so of course I gobbled Burn Bright up!  Even though the mystery wraps up here, I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book!

Connect with Patricia Briggs:

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