Synopsis: On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is…different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, “normal” is a bit of a stretch for Dina.
And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night….Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.
Review: I’ve only ever read the Kate Daniels series when it comes to the Ilona Andrews crew, and since that’s one of my favorite series I was looking forward to giving this one a try. They posted this story chapter by chapter as a serial series on their blog but I wanted to hold out until they had a finished product. It’s not a very long read but it’s full of magic and imagination on par with what we’ve come to expect when it comes to them. At the same time it’s totally distinct from Kate Daniels which is good. The only part that I didn’t really care for was the relationship with Sean, the alpha werewolf. I think the story was a little too short to work in developing a truly compelling romance angle there, and it’s hard to determine where it can go. He’s not Dina’s only admirer either as Arland’s intentions make me curious as well, so while I wouldn’t call it a triangle per se, it’s a little more complicated than I think it necessary for a 175 page read. The main characters themselves are plenty interesting though.
All in all I think this was a successful exercise for them and I’d like to see what they can do writing the sequels how they normally do. It’s an easy recommend if you enjoy the writing of Ilona Andrews and the artwork is totally gorgeous. I would love to see new ones in the sequel.