Review: Innkeeper Chronicles Volume 1 - Ilona Andrews

Dust jacket and interior illustrations by Doris Mantair.

Subterranean Press is pleased to present, from NYT #1 bestselling author Ilona Andrews, an omnibus of the first three novels in the Innkeeper series. Our edition will be huge (over 760 pages), with an original full-color wraparound dust jacket, as well as full-color and black-and-white interior illustrations by Doris Mantair.

About the Book:
Meet Dina Demille, a nice Texas gal who runs a seemingly ordinary, quaint B&B. But Dina’s inn is a magic, thinking entity; her fluffy Shih-tzu, Beast really is a beast; and her guests are the kind that no one on earth is supposed to know about: guests like a dethroned galactic tyrant with a massive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced—and superhot—alpha-strain werewolf.

So don’t expect a normal stay…and don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage….

In Clean Sweep, Dina—with the unwanted assistance of newcomer (and alpha werewolf) Sean Evans and Arland, a cosmic vampire soldier—takes on an extraterrestrial killing machine that could destroy her Inn, her neighbors, and everything she holds dear.

Sweep in Peace, finds Dina hosting an anything-but peace summit between three warring intergalactic species; Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char.

One Fell Sweep sends Dina to the galaxy’s worst penal colony to rescue her sister; and back home to fend off a clan of assassins in pursuit, all while saving a guest’s civilization from annihilation…and searching for her missing parents.

Innkeeper Chronicles:
Clean Sweep
Sweep in Peace
One Fell Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles Volume 1 (Signed, Limited Edition, Illustrated Hardback containing books 1-3)
Sweep of the Blade

The Edge Series:
(These two series are set in the same world and characters from The Edge make an appearance in the Innkeeper Chronicles)
On the Edge
Bayou Moon
Fate's Edge
Steel's Edge

Visit Ilona Andrews' website for more information

Review:
The Innkeeper Chronicles is a series that Ilona and Gordon Andrews initially posted on their blog as a free serial then, when each story is complete, it is fully edited, additional material may be added and it is released as a self published book. Subterranean Press has since released this beautiful, limited edition, signed hardback containing the first three books in the series: Clean Sweep, Sweep in Peace and One Fell Sweep. At around 760 pages this is a massive hardback full of gorgeous illustrations from Doris Mantair (in both colour as well as black and white) that make it a fantastic collectors item.

As a huge fan of this series I immediately preordered my copy of this hardback as soon as it went on sale and I love finally having a signed book by Ilona and Gordon in my collection! I love all of their books but I think the Innkeeper Chronicles is possibly their most creative series yet. The idea of the Innkeepers is just brilliant and I love Dina and the family she has created for herself. I expect most people looking at this hardback will already be fans of the series and I can confirm you won't regret making this purchase. If you're new to the series you can also buy each story individually but you really should snap this up while copies are still available, there are only 750 of them available and once they're gone they're gone forever.

The photos below show you the gorgeous illustrations you'll find inside the book, I think most of these have already been shared on Ilona and Gordon's blog and in the previously published versions of the books but it was great to see them again and I particularly loved the glossy colour images. It's great to see the characters brought to life.

Colour Illustrations

Black and White Illustrations

Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review but I've also purchased my own finished copy because I love it so much I need it on my shelves!

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Limited Edition Hardback:

Review: One Fell Sweep - Ilona Andrews

Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage.

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that!

Innkeeper Chronicles:
Clean Sweep
Sweep in Peace
One Fell Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles Volume 1 (Signed, Limited Edition, Illustrated Hardback containing books 1-3)
Sweep of the Blade

The Edge Series:
(These two series are set in the same world and characters from The Edge make an appearance in the Innkeeper Chronicles)
On the Edge
Bayou Moon
Fate's Edge
Steel's Edge

Visit Ilona Andrews' website for more information

Review:
This series just gets better and better, I love reading along with the weekly instalments as they're published on Ilona Andrews' website but what I love even more is getting my hands on the final version and seeing how much extra depth has been added to the story and the relationships between the characters.

Dina and Gertrude Hunt are building a reputation of being able to deal with difficult guests and, thanks to the meddling of a certain Arbitrator, they are now facing their most impossible challenge yet. The future of an entire race rest on Dina's shoulders as the Hiru come to her with a very important request and when she finds out how they have been persecuted she has to help them. It puts the inn at risk of exposure though because the Hiru's enemies will do anything to destroy them. I love that Dina is always willing to fight for the underdog and I'm really enjoying learning more about the Innkeeper's abilities. Just when you think you know everything she can do Ilona and Gordon throw in new twists to keep you on your toes. They really are the most creative authors out there!

While we're on the subject of Dina I want to talk about how much I love the relationship between her and Sean. It's been a lovely slow build relationship and I missed him a lot in the last book but they make real progress in One Fell Sweep. There are some important heart-to-heart discussions that melted my heart a bit and for anyone who was a little disappointed with the fade-to-black sex scene in the online version you'll be glad to know that it was much more in depth in the final published version now that no young eyes can stumble across it on their webpage.

I have always been team Sean when it comes to Dina but I also love Arland so I was very happy that he has a pretty large role in this book too. We finally get to meet some of Dina's family when they travel to a vampire planet to rescue Maud and her young daughter Helen and it looks like Arland has a new sister to crush on. Maud is an excellent character, she's very vampire in her thinking and her fighting skills have Arland completely enthralled. It was Helen that stole the show though, she is utterly adorable in a rather bloodthirsty way but what else would you expect from a half-vampire who was raised by two warrior parents?

Of course we still have all the much loved core cast of the series, Caldenia never fails to make me laugh with her acerbic comments, Orro makes me constantly hungry by talking about his delicious creations, Beast is just a little bundle of cuteness when she's not getting ready to eat Dina's enemies and Gertrude Hunt is definitely a character in it's own right even though it isn't able to communicate with anyone apart from Dina. We get a few hints about Dina and Maud's brother Klaus has been up to and a very big clue about where they can find more information about their parents too so I'm eagerly waiting for the Andrews to start on the next instalment.

Reading the weekly online version is a unique kind of torture as you have to impatiently wait for each new chapter but the interaction between fans and with the authors make it such a fun experience. Even if you read it online I would still highly recommend buying the finished version too, there are so many little extra details added and they really turn the story from amazing into phenomenal. I'm looking forward to many more adventures with Dina and her friends.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review but I've also purchased my own finished copy because I love it so much I need it on my shelves!

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Sweep in Peace - Ilona Andrews

Dina DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn...and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper . . .

Innkeeper Chronicles:
Clean Sweep
Sweep in Peace
One Fell Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles Volume 1 (Signed, Limited Edition, Illustrated Hardback containing books 1-3)
Sweep of the Blade

The Edge Series:
(These two series are set in the same world and characters from The Edge make an appearance in the Innkeeper Chronicles)
On the Edge
Bayou Moon
Fate's Edge
Steel's Edge

Visit Ilona Andrews' website for more information

Review:
It's no secret that I'm a total fangirl when it comes to Ilona and Gordon Andrews, in fact I've probably said that at the beginning of nearly all my reviews of their books, and I'm completely addicted to their Inkeeper Chronicles. I love the way these stories are initially posted in free instalments for fans to read online, we get to comment on the story as it's written and I think the feedback received possibly helps take the stories in slightly different directions to where they could have gone if they were written in the traditional way. As much as I love following that process it's a unique kind of torture having these amazing stories dolled out in tiny pieces over such a long time period so I was desperate to get my hands on a final, finished copy so I could read it from start to end in one sitting.

So, I've read Sweep in Peace twice now and I absolutely devoured it this time around. The series is just getting better and better and I adore Dina and the other characters. I'm going to assume that anyone reading this review will already have read Clean Sweep so I'm not going to give you background information on Gertrude Hunt or Innkeepers in general - I'd rather focus on this story and what's so fantastic about it. I'm loving learning more about Dina's family (I still have high hopes that we'll meet her siblings one day and I desperately want to see her solve the mystery surrounding her missing parents!) and also about Innkeeper abilities. Dina is basically master of the universe when she's inside Gertrude Hunt, what she says goes and I love seeing her lay down the law when she needs to. Most of the time Dina bends over backwards to make sure her guests have everything they could possibly need but anyone who pushes her too far should be very, very careful because payback will be a bitch!

Long term inn resident Caldenia is fantastic, she's like a sweet old lady one minute but then she'll be creepy as hell the next and I love how unpredictable she is. Beast is her usual cute and charming self but she's also very quick to defend Dina and her territory when needed. Then we have a new (hopefully permenant) cast member Orro, a fabulous but disgraced chef who looks set to keep Dina on her toes but I'm sure his wonderful food will make it worth the effort. I'm going to admit I was disappointed that we didn't see more of Sean in this instalment, I have such high hopes for him and Dina so I was hoping for a little more romance BUT I actually think the development of his character was spot on and although he wasn't around as much as I'd have liked I'm very hopeful that's going to change in the next book.

Now let's talk about Dina's latest guests. Anyone who has already read the Edge series are going to be thrilled to spot some familiar faces and I have to admit to some very excited happy dancing when George first makes an appearance! I loved the younger generation of characters in the Edge books and it was so much fun to see the fully grown up and now out in the world living their own lives. I really hope that we'll see more of them in the future, either as guests in the Innkeeper Chronicles or perhaps in a spin off series of their own - I think George's new job gives plenty of scope for at least a couple of books but I'm not sure Dina will be so keen on having him as a guest again any time in the near future!

Dina finds herself facing the challenge of a lifetime when George approaches her asking if she'll host a peace summit at Gertrude Hunt. George is working as an Arbitrator and it is up to him to bring peace to a war torn planet. Unfortunately that means meeting the demands of all three interested parties, each of whom has their own unique customs and requirements. War has been waging on Nexus for twenty years with much bloodshed and loss on all sides but most people are more keen on avenging their dead than they are on bringing about an end to the fighting. It's George's job to find a solution but it'll be up to Dina to keep all three groups separate and prevent anyone killing each other during the talks.

As great as it was to see George (and a few other character's who I'm not going to name drop because it'll be more fun for readers to get a surprise) I have to admit I was surprised at how ruthless and calculating he has become. He was always intelligent but he proves here that he's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals even if it does mean he ends up making himself a few enemies along the way. I actually kind of admired him for doing what had to be done but there were more than a few times I wanted to punch him in the face, particularly for the way he used Dina and put her at risk by withholding information from her. He's definitely turned into a very complex character and I have to believe we've not seen the last of him or his allies.

Sweep In Peace is wonderful, it has everything you could hope for from a book by Team Andrews - great humour, quirky but realistic characters and a well thought out world full of unique and unusual creatures, customs and history. Now Ilona and Gordon please, please bring on the torturous release of book three, in tiny bite sized portions that will have me desperately begging for more and stalking your website on a daily basis! I can't wait :o)

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review but I've also purchased my own finished copy because I love it so much I need it on my shelves!

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Clean Sweep - Ilona Andrews

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.

Innkeeper Chronicles:
Clean Sweep
Sweep in Peace
One Fell Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles Volume 1 (Signed, Limited Edition, Illustrated Hardback containing books 1-3)
Sweep of the Blade

The Edge Series:
(These two series are set in the same world and characters from The Edge make an appearance in the Innkeeper Chronicles)
On the Edge
Bayou Moon
Fate's Edge
Steel's Edge

Visit Ilona Andrews' website for more information

Review:
Clean Sweep was originally published as a free serialised novel on the Ilona Andrews website, I hated the idea of having to wait between instalments so I decided to hold off until the story was complete before reading it. When the authors were looking for beta readers to help edit the story before it was published I jumped at the chance of helping and I feel it's only fair to point that out even though I've tried very hard not to let that effect the way my review has been written. If you look closely you'll spot my name in the acknowledgements but even though I received a free ebook from the author I loved it so much that I also purchased a print copy to sit on my bookshelves.

Part of the Clean Sweep Acknowledgements

Anyway, to get back to my review I have to tell you that I'm a huge fan of Ilona Andrews and their Kate Daniels series, they have become an auto buy author for me and Clean Sweep just helped to confirm the reason for that. They really do create such fantastic and unique worlds and I adore all of their characters, the fact that they treat us to strong heroines and alpha heroes who respect women and never step over the line into a-hole territory just seals the deal.

This story may have vampires and werewolves but it's far from your normal paranormal affair and you will also be treated to alien worlds and unusual races - the scope for future adventures in this world is just astounding! Dina is an Innkeeper, part of a magical race who offers safe haven to intergalactic travellers who are visiting foreign realms. She has an almost symbiotic relationship with the Inn she runs, the house protects her and she is able to draw from it's strength but without her keeping the Inn would wither away and die. Innkeepers have a duty of care to their guests and will do anything in their power to keep them safe but they are supposed to remain neutral when it comes to anything outside of their territory. Dina finds herself unable to sit back and do nothing when something starts attacking people in her neighbourhood though and she soon finds herself in a whole heap of trouble.

I don't want to say too much about Dina's relationship with the Inn so I'm just going to say I loved it, the Inn is almost like an additional character in the story and I really enjoyed getting to see how they were able to work together against their enemies. Dina has certain abilities on her own but she is stronger by far when she is in her own territory and has the Inn's power to back her up. She really is a great main character, someone who is honourable and determined to do the right thing even if it puts her life at risk, in fact Dina is the kind of person you'd want at your back if you were in trouble. There has been tragedy in her past but that has just made her all the more determined to make a success of her Inn and to build a legacy that she can be proud of.

The romance takes a back seat in this story which is a good thing because the authors spend more time focusing on their world building and introducing the characters but we are treated to a couple of alpha hotties who I'm looking forward to getting to know better. Normally even a hint of a love triangle would have me running in the opposite direction but I'm glad to say that isn't the case here and I'm actually really intrigued by both of the potential love interests. First you have Sean, an alpha werewolf who knows very little about the supernatural world and where he came from, he has his eyes opened in a big way but although it comes as quite a shock he takes most things in his stride. The scenes between him and Dina had me laughing out loud on several occasions and I loved seeing her put him in his place rather than going stupid around him just because he's a sexy man. They have great chemistry and I want to see them spending more time together as the series continues.

Alpha werewolf Sean

The other guy Arland is a vampire from a powerful family, he is noble and proud but very respectful when it comes to Dina. He understands her abilities so knows just what she is capable of but he still wants to help keep her safe. Both guys are protective and they can be quite growly towards each other but Dina won't accept any of their crap and she is more than capable of standing up to them. We don't get to know Arland quite as well but there are some great scenes with him and I found myself really liking him too. I'm not going to say who I think Dina will end up with because although I have picked a team I don't think it would take a lot to make me switch sides!

Vampire Arland

I could go on and on about the things I loved about this book but I really think you should just read it for yourself rather than have me spoil it for you. The special edition print version contains beautiful images of the main characters (these could only be improved if they were in colour) and I believe these illustrations are included in the ebook too. I'm excited that this is the first book in a new series and any new books will automatically go to the top of my to buy list the second they are released! If you're looking for a new urban fantasy series that is unique and memorable then Clean Sweep is a must read, as is anything else Ilona Andrews has ever written!

Source: I received an ebook of this from the author in exchange for an honest review but I have also purchased my own print copy

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: