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Innkeeper Chronicles [Dramatized Adaptation] #1
Clean Sweep [Dramatized Adaptation]
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. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.
Approximate Running Time: 6 Hours
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. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.
Approximate Running Time: 6 Hours
6 pages, Audiobook
Published January 7, 2022
5 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Ilona Andrews
146 books32.9k followersIlona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
February 7, 2025
My favourite comfort reads/listens and my favourite series by Ilona Andrews since the day I first came across them.
Originally I read Books 1-3 as kindle editions, then I purchased the audiobooks and when the full-cast dramatizations came out, I tried one for the fun of it and then bought them all, because I found they are very well done. Funny & entertaining and well-cast.
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Dear Traveler! Welcome to the lovely Gertrude Hunt Inn B&B, in the town of Red Deer, Texas.
A perfect place to rest and relax, where your every need will be catered to by your caring Innkeeper, Dina Demille. Walk around the lovely, shady orchard; sit on the porch; sip a glass of lemonade in company of the gentle, aristocratic lady, permanent resident of the Inn & most wanted, killer tyrant of the universe (addicted to FunYun and YelloMello).
Besides the Inn’s unique capability of self-defense, security level is heightened by the presence of an alpha-strain werewolf. Entertainment for ladies is provided by the occasional appearance of a heartthrob, chivalric vampire warrior who, when drunk on coffee, gets all his clothes off and runs around the garden in the nude. When sober, same vampire may offer physical exercise to gentlemen and flirts with ladies. (I mean, who could resist a vampire who reads the Twilight series as social research to win a lady's heart?)
Normally I don’t do gushing, but the authors Ilona Andrews just make me do it almost all the time.
From page one I fell hook, line and sinker for the story and the characters, especially the Inn, Gertrude Hunt, itself. She is every woman’s dream: self-defending, self-cleaning, self-decorating with an underground storage for unwanted rooms and with doors opening to the most renown intergalatical market and other planets. From now on she is my best-loved literary character to whom noone can compare.
The other MC, Dina, the Innkeeper, as a caregiver and homemaker kind of person, is very relatable to me. At the same time she is smart, resourceful and compassionate.
I also think I am developing a minor crush on Arland. I very much picture him as Lee Pace in the Hobbit series, but with fangs, black armour and no hideous hair decoration. :)
And Caldenia, killer-tyrant can be none other than Helen Mirren, yes?
The world-building is great: detailed, but not overwhelming. The romance is very appealing, but not heavy and it does not, at any point, hijack the narrative. The mix of political intrigue & action scenes is very well balanced and throughout there is the trademark wry humour with emotionally highly touching moments.
Originally I read Books 1-3 as kindle editions, then I purchased the audiobooks and when the full-cast dramatizations came out, I tried one for the fun of it and then bought them all, because I found they are very well done. Funny & entertaining and well-cast.
---------------
Dear Traveler! Welcome to the lovely Gertrude Hunt Inn B&B, in the town of Red Deer, Texas.
A perfect place to rest and relax, where your every need will be catered to by your caring Innkeeper, Dina Demille. Walk around the lovely, shady orchard; sit on the porch; sip a glass of lemonade in company of the gentle, aristocratic lady, permanent resident of the Inn & most wanted, killer tyrant of the universe (addicted to FunYun and YelloMello).
Besides the Inn’s unique capability of self-defense, security level is heightened by the presence of an alpha-strain werewolf. Entertainment for ladies is provided by the occasional appearance of a heartthrob, chivalric vampire warrior who, when drunk on coffee, gets all his clothes off and runs around the garden in the nude. When sober, same vampire may offer physical exercise to gentlemen and flirts with ladies. (I mean, who could resist a vampire who reads the Twilight series as social research to win a lady's heart?)
Normally I don’t do gushing, but the authors Ilona Andrews just make me do it almost all the time.
From page one I fell hook, line and sinker for the story and the characters, especially the Inn, Gertrude Hunt, itself. She is every woman’s dream: self-defending, self-cleaning, self-decorating with an underground storage for unwanted rooms and with doors opening to the most renown intergalatical market and other planets. From now on she is my best-loved literary character to whom noone can compare.
The other MC, Dina, the Innkeeper, as a caregiver and homemaker kind of person, is very relatable to me. At the same time she is smart, resourceful and compassionate.
I also think I am developing a minor crush on Arland. I very much picture him as Lee Pace in the Hobbit series, but with fangs, black armour and no hideous hair decoration. :)
And Caldenia, killer-tyrant can be none other than Helen Mirren, yes?
The world-building is great: detailed, but not overwhelming. The romance is very appealing, but not heavy and it does not, at any point, hijack the narrative. The mix of political intrigue & action scenes is very well balanced and throughout there is the trademark wry humour with emotionally highly touching moments.
October 9, 2024
Strange world!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌏
Character development: 🙂🥰😎🤩
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration ✨Full Cast – Dramatized Adaptation✨
The heroine: Dina - she is an innkeeper, which is a kind of supernatural. Many of your traditional supernaturals are in this book, like werewolves and vampires, but this one is different. Most of the supernaturals come from different planets and travel to Earth via portals or doorways. Dina is in charge of her bed & breakfast and the land and orchards she owns. Her supernatural boarders are under her protection and she takes that seriously. Her house is magic, and she has magic, including a magical broom which can turn into all sorts of weapons.
The Hero: Sean - he is a werewolf who moved to the small Texas town where Dina lives and made it his territory. He was in the military for a long time and now he wants to settle down for a more sedate life. Though he knows he is a werewolf, he doesn’t want others to know, and his parents never told him the history of werewolves. He doesn’t know that his people came from outer space and were at war with another race.
The Story: when supernatural beings called stalkers invade the town and start killing dogs in a horrible way, Dina tells Sean to protect his territory. However, Sean doesn’t know what Dina is and pretends he has no clue what she is talking about. Though he does smarten up and admit to her what she already knows. They team up to get rid of the stalkers and end up getting along well.
This was a strange story, and this world was not like most of the supernatural worlds we read about in romance. This was a clean romance, though Dina and Sean did have an attraction and there was some jealousy when a vampire comes to town. Dina was similar to a witch, but just called an innkeeper, and it meant something specific in this world. She could grant sanctuary on her land which was warded, so other supernaturals can’t get to the people there. It was a strange world, but I liked it.
This audiobook is narrated in dramatized adaptation form by a full cast of narrators. Performed by: Nora Achrati, Ryan H. Reid, Alex Hill-Knight, Karen Novack, James Lewis, Elias Khalil, Christopher Walker, Alejandro Ruiz, Peter Holdway, Holly Adams, Ken Jackson, John Kielty, Darius Johnson, Nicole Perez, Joe Mallon, Keval Shah, KenYatta Rogers, Duyen Washington, Kelly Baskin, Steve Wannall, Christopher Graybill, Nickolette Kong, K’Lai Rivera, Laura C. Harris, Martin Dickinson, Jessica Lauren Ball, and Bradley Foster Smith.
I liked the narration for the most part but a few things bothered me. The woman who did the voice of Dina, sounded older than I would have liked, and she had a good southern accent, I just would have liked her to sound quirkier to be more like the character. Also, I like full cast/dramatized narration, in that you get to hear background sounds of what the characters are doing, like walking, or doors opening and stuff like that, but I don’t like background music, which this had during some parts.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌏
Character development: 🙂🥰😎🤩
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration ✨Full Cast – Dramatized Adaptation✨
The heroine: Dina - she is an innkeeper, which is a kind of supernatural. Many of your traditional supernaturals are in this book, like werewolves and vampires, but this one is different. Most of the supernaturals come from different planets and travel to Earth via portals or doorways. Dina is in charge of her bed & breakfast and the land and orchards she owns. Her supernatural boarders are under her protection and she takes that seriously. Her house is magic, and she has magic, including a magical broom which can turn into all sorts of weapons.
The Hero: Sean - he is a werewolf who moved to the small Texas town where Dina lives and made it his territory. He was in the military for a long time and now he wants to settle down for a more sedate life. Though he knows he is a werewolf, he doesn’t want others to know, and his parents never told him the history of werewolves. He doesn’t know that his people came from outer space and were at war with another race.
The Story: when supernatural beings called stalkers invade the town and start killing dogs in a horrible way, Dina tells Sean to protect his territory. However, Sean doesn’t know what Dina is and pretends he has no clue what she is talking about. Though he does smarten up and admit to her what she already knows. They team up to get rid of the stalkers and end up getting along well.
This was a strange story, and this world was not like most of the supernatural worlds we read about in romance. This was a clean romance, though Dina and Sean did have an attraction and there was some jealousy when a vampire comes to town. Dina was similar to a witch, but just called an innkeeper, and it meant something specific in this world. She could grant sanctuary on her land which was warded, so other supernaturals can’t get to the people there. It was a strange world, but I liked it.
This audiobook is narrated in dramatized adaptation form by a full cast of narrators. Performed by: Nora Achrati, Ryan H. Reid, Alex Hill-Knight, Karen Novack, James Lewis, Elias Khalil, Christopher Walker, Alejandro Ruiz, Peter Holdway, Holly Adams, Ken Jackson, John Kielty, Darius Johnson, Nicole Perez, Joe Mallon, Keval Shah, KenYatta Rogers, Duyen Washington, Kelly Baskin, Steve Wannall, Christopher Graybill, Nickolette Kong, K’Lai Rivera, Laura C. Harris, Martin Dickinson, Jessica Lauren Ball, and Bradley Foster Smith.
I liked the narration for the most part but a few things bothered me. The woman who did the voice of Dina, sounded older than I would have liked, and she had a good southern accent, I just would have liked her to sound quirkier to be more like the character. Also, I like full cast/dramatized narration, in that you get to hear background sounds of what the characters are doing, like walking, or doors opening and stuff like that, but I don’t like background music, which this had during some parts.
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May 22, 2023
This is my first real foray into the audiobook world. I decided to choose a familiar comfort read so that I could get used to the medium and determine whether I could enjoy it. Now, I realize that this is a graphic audio version performed by a full cast which is different from having the book read by one narrator. I plan to try one of those eventually too.
One thing about listening to a book is that you learn the received pronunciation of character names! In my head Dina was ‘Dinah' rather than ‘Deena,' so I had to make that mental adjustment. To begin with, I was unsure about the voice of the actor chosen as Sean, but he grew on me as the book progressed. Arland's voice should have been deeper IMO and I was unsure why he and Caldenia received similar accents? Does everyone from off-planet speak in British accents? (No, I answer my own question, I don't think Lord Soren did?) This is one issue—I returned the book to the library shortly after finishing it and now I can't go back to check on these details. I'm not sure how to find specific scenes to check on my impressions. Obviously I have more work to do to become a proficient audiobook reviewer! I can already tell that I need to keep a pen and paper on hand to make notes as I go.
A drawback for me is that I can read the text much faster than the actors can perform it. But is that a drawback? I guess that depends on how pressed for time I am. Still, I enjoyed the experience and have already requested the second volume of the Innkeeper Chronicles from the library. They are very popular and the wait times can be quite significant, so I've got some digestion time before book two to plan my attack.
One thing about listening to a book is that you learn the received pronunciation of character names! In my head Dina was ‘Dinah' rather than ‘Deena,' so I had to make that mental adjustment. To begin with, I was unsure about the voice of the actor chosen as Sean, but he grew on me as the book progressed. Arland's voice should have been deeper IMO and I was unsure why he and Caldenia received similar accents? Does everyone from off-planet speak in British accents? (No, I answer my own question, I don't think Lord Soren did?) This is one issue—I returned the book to the library shortly after finishing it and now I can't go back to check on these details. I'm not sure how to find specific scenes to check on my impressions. Obviously I have more work to do to become a proficient audiobook reviewer! I can already tell that I need to keep a pen and paper on hand to make notes as I go.
A drawback for me is that I can read the text much faster than the actors can perform it. But is that a drawback? I guess that depends on how pressed for time I am. Still, I enjoyed the experience and have already requested the second volume of the Innkeeper Chronicles from the library. They are very popular and the wait times can be quite significant, so I've got some digestion time before book two to plan my attack.
April 12, 2022
This Is What I Had To Say After My First Listen:
The world is fascinating in that magic on Earth is contained in these magical inns scattered all over the Earth. Supernatural creatures come from space to visit Earth and stay at these inns. Cool right?!? I love magical homes, inns, and castles that become almost characters themselves. A keeper runs each inn and Dina, our protagonist, is an innkeeper. They protect the guest, keep humans from learning about them and remain neutral during times of dispute, war etc. Poor Dina does not have the luxury when her town is threatened. Oh boy!
The romantic prospects come from two suitors. One might infer a love triangle, but it is not developed enough to cast labels and Dina clearly lets us know whom she favors with a running thought commentary in her head that I found hilarious. We have Arland and Sean, an alpha werewolf, vying for her attentions and aiding with the threat to both inn and community. Andrews weaved in snark, made the male figures alluring and humorous for our benefit.
Now Let’s Talk About The Dramatized Adaption:
Graphic Audio gives us a full cast narration performed by Nora Achrati, Ryan H. Reid, Alex Hill-Knight, Karen Novack, James Lewis, Elias Khalil, Christopher Walker, Alejandro Ruiz, Peter Holdway, Holly Adams, Ken Jackson, John Kielty, Darius Johnson, Nicole Perez, Joe Mallon, Keval Shah, KenYatta Rogers, Duyen Washington, Kelly Baskin, Steve Wannall, Christopher Graybill, Nickolette Kong, K’Lai Rivera, Laura C. Harris, Martin Dickinson, Jessica Lauren Ball, and Bradley Foster Smith. Talk about a full cast!
The audio includes sound effects from musical interludes to Dina sipping her coffee. Turn on a TV show, then turn around and listen to the show without being able to see the screen. This is the effect you get. I worried it would overwhelm the senses and detract from the story, but it ended up being fun. I think perhaps if it was my first listen it might have felt distracting, but since I have both read and listened to Clean Sweep previously, I simply had fun with it.
The dramatization brought the inn and battles to life. The whole Costco scene with displays turning over and spells flying was brought to life, as were the inns’ expanding walls and accommodations.
I loved that the narration was done by a full cast. Each narrator brought their characters to life and enhanced the listen, making this the perfect edition to your audible library. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
The world is fascinating in that magic on Earth is contained in these magical inns scattered all over the Earth. Supernatural creatures come from space to visit Earth and stay at these inns. Cool right?!? I love magical homes, inns, and castles that become almost characters themselves. A keeper runs each inn and Dina, our protagonist, is an innkeeper. They protect the guest, keep humans from learning about them and remain neutral during times of dispute, war etc. Poor Dina does not have the luxury when her town is threatened. Oh boy!
The romantic prospects come from two suitors. One might infer a love triangle, but it is not developed enough to cast labels and Dina clearly lets us know whom she favors with a running thought commentary in her head that I found hilarious. We have Arland and Sean, an alpha werewolf, vying for her attentions and aiding with the threat to both inn and community. Andrews weaved in snark, made the male figures alluring and humorous for our benefit.
Now Let’s Talk About The Dramatized Adaption:
Graphic Audio gives us a full cast narration performed by Nora Achrati, Ryan H. Reid, Alex Hill-Knight, Karen Novack, James Lewis, Elias Khalil, Christopher Walker, Alejandro Ruiz, Peter Holdway, Holly Adams, Ken Jackson, John Kielty, Darius Johnson, Nicole Perez, Joe Mallon, Keval Shah, KenYatta Rogers, Duyen Washington, Kelly Baskin, Steve Wannall, Christopher Graybill, Nickolette Kong, K’Lai Rivera, Laura C. Harris, Martin Dickinson, Jessica Lauren Ball, and Bradley Foster Smith. Talk about a full cast!
The audio includes sound effects from musical interludes to Dina sipping her coffee. Turn on a TV show, then turn around and listen to the show without being able to see the screen. This is the effect you get. I worried it would overwhelm the senses and detract from the story, but it ended up being fun. I think perhaps if it was my first listen it might have felt distracting, but since I have both read and listened to Clean Sweep previously, I simply had fun with it.
The dramatization brought the inn and battles to life. The whole Costco scene with displays turning over and spells flying was brought to life, as were the inns’ expanding walls and accommodations.
I loved that the narration was done by a full cast. Each narrator brought their characters to life and enhanced the listen, making this the perfect edition to your audible library. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
July 13, 2025
I’m continuing my re-read for the 2025 read-along of the Innkeeper Chronicles via the Dramatized Adaptations by GraphicAudio.
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5 Sweeping Stars!
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
First off I love the cover and artwork displayed in the book. Second I love the authors written style. Each book has its own quirky sense of humor, hunky alpha males, monsters, adventure, action and interesting characters. The husband and wife writing team did it again! I was pulled into an amazing world with fun characters that I could not wait to learn more about.
Dina is an inn keeper thou the inn she runs appears to be a regular house we soon learn that it is Magic along with Dina, but there are limits to that Magic. Clean Sweep also introduces two male protagonists who both are interested in Dina. There is a tiny mystery, action and funny encounters. Sean is a hunky Alpha wolf who has moved into the area. Arland is a hunky Vampire from another planet.
Clean Sweep is a solid read in the Innkeeper series. The character and world building are well done. The author writes some of the best dialogue I've read and I liked the authors take on the origins of werewolves & vampires, so fresh new different.
Audio March 2018: I had a delightful time with the audiobook and I acutely think I discovered something new by listening that I missed when reading. I think we get our first glimpse of the children from The Edge series, but now they are all grown up. The narrator Renée Raudman did a wonderful job on the voices. I had fun!
Graphic Audio Aug. 2022: I LOVE this series and so when I heard it was going to come out as a Graphic Audio - A Movie In Your Mind I just had to give it a try. I've never listened to a Graphic Audio before... WOW!! It was a movie for the mind. Loved all the added sound effects and full cast. So so good.
=====
5 Sweeping Stars!
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
First off I love the cover and artwork displayed in the book. Second I love the authors written style. Each book has its own quirky sense of humor, hunky alpha males, monsters, adventure, action and interesting characters. The husband and wife writing team did it again! I was pulled into an amazing world with fun characters that I could not wait to learn more about.
Dina is an inn keeper thou the inn she runs appears to be a regular house we soon learn that it is Magic along with Dina, but there are limits to that Magic. Clean Sweep also introduces two male protagonists who both are interested in Dina. There is a tiny mystery, action and funny encounters. Sean is a hunky Alpha wolf who has moved into the area. Arland is a hunky Vampire from another planet.
Clean Sweep is a solid read in the Innkeeper series. The character and world building are well done. The author writes some of the best dialogue I've read and I liked the authors take on the origins of werewolves & vampires, so fresh new different.
Audio March 2018: I had a delightful time with the audiobook and I acutely think I discovered something new by listening that I missed when reading. I think we get our first glimpse of the children from The Edge series, but now they are all grown up. The narrator Renée Raudman did a wonderful job on the voices. I had fun!
Graphic Audio Aug. 2022: I LOVE this series and so when I heard it was going to come out as a Graphic Audio - A Movie In Your Mind I just had to give it a try. I've never listened to a Graphic Audio before... WOW!! It was a movie for the mind. Loved all the added sound effects and full cast. So so good.
September 29, 2024
4.5 stars. I'll never get tired of this performance of the story 🥰 *Every* narrator shines here! I love them all 🤩
March 5, 2025
6:03 h, 4.5 stars rounded up because how can I rate a better book without leaving 0.5 Stars for my favorites?
This is my third GraphicAudio production and I enjoyed it very much. At the beginning I had some trouble with the world building, because I didn't understand the concept but in the second chapter they explained the whole world and I loved it. The other point was that I couldn't figure out which of the plot lines will be followed in the book but thats actually a good thing. It kept me on my toes the whole audiobook. I really enjoy audiobooks, because normally I listen to the audiobook but also do something else, like playing or crafting. Also I get an idea how the words are pronounced and that helped me a lot. The GraphicAudio version is like listening to a Movie while occupying my hands with other thing. The narration is awesome all narrators I heard were good choices.
This is my third GraphicAudio production and I enjoyed it very much. At the beginning I had some trouble with the world building, because I didn't understand the concept but in the second chapter they explained the whole world and I loved it. The other point was that I couldn't figure out which of the plot lines will be followed in the book but thats actually a good thing. It kept me on my toes the whole audiobook. I really enjoy audiobooks, because normally I listen to the audiobook but also do something else, like playing or crafting. Also I get an idea how the words are pronounced and that helped me a lot. The GraphicAudio version is like listening to a Movie while occupying my hands with other thing. The narration is awesome all narrators I heard were good choices.
May 20, 2022
My biggest issues with Ilona Andrews is the unending detail. They don't have the characters tell you the story, the description tells you the story and to be blunt... that's really boring at times and you simply skim it in print or tune it out in audio. The stories would be excellent except that they have to write in detail all their research and editing of that research in their place/time and characters. This becomes very obvious in audio. Especially, this graphic audio where each and every character and the narrator has a separate voice.
Is it well done.... Except for the "just because" background music in places - not the actual noises of the world the book is set in - yes.
This audio book was available for loan on Hoopla.
Is it well done.... Except for the "just because" background music in places - not the actual noises of the world the book is set in - yes.
This audio book was available for loan on Hoopla.
May 27, 2023
I decided to treat myself to the graphic audios for this series since I love it so much
February 20, 2024
The GraphicAudio production of Clean Sweep is so much fun. I wish there were more full cast audiobook productions like this. I can't wait to continue this series.
March 30, 2022
♣︎ 2022 REVIEW (Dramatized Version) ♣︎
4.5 ★ Audiobook⎮Let me preface this review by saying that if you do not like sound effects and background music in your audiobooks, this particular dramatization is not for you. These things are prevalent in the Graphic Audio dramatization of Clean Sweep and, in my opinion, provide an immersive experience. However, some listeners may find them distracting. I've never been particularly put off by these things in audiobooks, so I greatly enjoyed this listening experience.
Graphic Audio's slogan is 'A Movie in Your Mind' and, I have to say, that is completely accurate. It's like I could see the story come alive in my mind. Soon after I began listening, I decided that this audiobook deserved my full focus, so I began listening after I went to bed each night, which really allowed for maximum immersion in the story.
My experience with the dramatized version of Clean Sweep greatly differed from my listening experience of the original audiobook when I heard it back in 2016. I attribute a great deal of that to the dramatization of the story. I found that it was much easier to focus on the story and that my mind wandered a lot less while listening to the dramatized version. Plus, I always enjoy full cast narrations. On the rare occasions when my mind would wander a bit, the frequent sound effects would pull it back to the story (and scare the sh*t out of my cat 😂), which was an added perk of listening to this version.
I also credit my changed opinion of Clean Sweep to the fact that I'm in a different place in my life now than when I listened before and things can 'hit differently' after a few years, you know? For example, in my original review (linked here), I compared Clean Sweep to the show Supernatural and said that I had never really been able to get into that show either. In 2016, that was true. I had tried several times and failed to get into that show. Fast forward to 2022 and, not only have I completed the entire 16 seasons of Supernatural, but I've also just returned from a Supernatural fan convention (where I met both Jared and Jensen!). See what a difference a few years can make?!
It gave me a good chuckle to see that I had written in my original review: "Unless one day I suddenly become majorly interested in all things alien/paranormal, I don’t think I would particularly gain anything from listening to the rest of the series." Well guess what, 2016 Jess?! You are way into the Paranormal genre now. 👽
All of this makes me want to go back and give things I had previously written off another try. But first, I'm going to be listening to Graphic Audio's dramatized version of Sweep In Peace, the next book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series.
==============================================
♣︎ 2016 REVIEW (narrated by Renée Raudman) ♣︎
3.5 ★ Audiobook⎮ This is going to be an extremely subjective review and my intention is not to deter anyone from giving this audiobook a chance. I do feel that it is a quality piece of work with some wonderful attributes. If intense paranormal fiction with all the trimmings is your kind of thing, then Clean Sweep will be perfect for you! It's got witches, werewolves, vampires, and lots of alien critters. It's basically the literary version of the television show Supernatural. If I had known that going in, odds are that I never would have started this. I have tried (and failed) to get into Supernatural on numerous occasions, but it's just not for me. I think I must prefer my paranormal fiction to stick to two (or less) types of supernatural species instead of throwing in the whole lot of the paranormal universe in a package deal. If this story had stuck with just specializing in witches (like I was expecting it to), I'm sure I would have enjoyed it much more. But no, Andrews had to throw in werewolves, and then vampires, and then a whole host of obscure alien creatures (which is where I lost interest). I'm not ready to rule out alien fiction altogether, but I haven't had much luck with it so far. I will say that I preferred this story so much more than other comparable paranormal fiction. Namely, the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Unlike Obsidian, I was actually able to finish this audiobook. Clean Sweep was a much less juvenile story and this one installment far surpassed anything I have ever experienced from Armentrout. If you are a fan of hers, I seriously encourage you to give this series a shot. The writing is so much better, the protagonist is very likable, and the plot isn't centered around a romance. And this story never gave me the impression that it was written for someone younger than me.
Aside from the basic plot premise not being "my cup of tea", I was a bit disturbed by a couple of points. Firstly, the story opens with the protagonist investigating a string of gruesome dog murders in her neighborhood. For some people, that may not bother them at all. However, animal abuse is extremely difficult for me to tolerate in literature (and life). My motto is "kill the character, save the dog". No apologies. So obviously, this bit of the story struck me the wrong way. The second thing was that I found the writing in some scenes to be a little graphic in contrast to the overall feel of the story. The writing was very descriptive, which was generally a positive thing, but it sometimes came off a teensy bit scifi horror-ish. Maybe I've gone soft from reading so much YA, but I wasn't prepared for that type of gore in this particular story. Coincidentally, that is also one of the primary problems I had when watching Supernatural. But it's not anything that would deter me from continuing on with the series. However, my general lack of interest in the story is. Unless one day I suddenly become majorly interested in all things alien/paranormal, I don't think I would particularly gain anything from listening to the rest of the series. I don't feel bad about having listened to this installment, especially because it was only 7 hours long, but I don't exactly feel like it was time well spent for me either. But I must emphasize that I do think a great number of you would feel very differently, especially if you already know you are attracted to this type of genre. I would recommend this to someone in a heartbeat if I felt that it was their "thing" because it is extremely well-written, witty, the characters are refreshing, and it has a great plot. I'm just not into aliens. It's that simple.
Narration review: If I didn't know better, I would swear this audiobook was narrated by Dolly Parton herself. Raudman's voice has a warm, velvety tone that I absolutely loved. Her "Texan" accent definitely added to the story's atmosphere, but did sound a little overdone. However, it didn't bother me as much as I initially thought it would and I actually came to enjoy it as the story went on. I have listened to a sample of another narration she did without the accent and preferred it much more. Her voice really is pleasing to the ear. It's a shame that her considerable repertoire doesn't include more titles that immediately appeal to me, because I would definitely love to hear more of her. ♣︎
4.5 ★ Audiobook⎮Let me preface this review by saying that if you do not like sound effects and background music in your audiobooks, this particular dramatization is not for you. These things are prevalent in the Graphic Audio dramatization of Clean Sweep and, in my opinion, provide an immersive experience. However, some listeners may find them distracting. I've never been particularly put off by these things in audiobooks, so I greatly enjoyed this listening experience.
Graphic Audio's slogan is 'A Movie in Your Mind' and, I have to say, that is completely accurate. It's like I could see the story come alive in my mind. Soon after I began listening, I decided that this audiobook deserved my full focus, so I began listening after I went to bed each night, which really allowed for maximum immersion in the story.
My experience with the dramatized version of Clean Sweep greatly differed from my listening experience of the original audiobook when I heard it back in 2016. I attribute a great deal of that to the dramatization of the story. I found that it was much easier to focus on the story and that my mind wandered a lot less while listening to the dramatized version. Plus, I always enjoy full cast narrations. On the rare occasions when my mind would wander a bit, the frequent sound effects would pull it back to the story (and scare the sh*t out of my cat 😂), which was an added perk of listening to this version.
I also credit my changed opinion of Clean Sweep to the fact that I'm in a different place in my life now than when I listened before and things can 'hit differently' after a few years, you know? For example, in my original review (linked here), I compared Clean Sweep to the show Supernatural and said that I had never really been able to get into that show either. In 2016, that was true. I had tried several times and failed to get into that show. Fast forward to 2022 and, not only have I completed the entire 16 seasons of Supernatural, but I've also just returned from a Supernatural fan convention (where I met both Jared and Jensen!). See what a difference a few years can make?!
It gave me a good chuckle to see that I had written in my original review: "Unless one day I suddenly become majorly interested in all things alien/paranormal, I don’t think I would particularly gain anything from listening to the rest of the series." Well guess what, 2016 Jess?! You are way into the Paranormal genre now. 👽
All of this makes me want to go back and give things I had previously written off another try. But first, I'm going to be listening to Graphic Audio's dramatized version of Sweep In Peace, the next book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series.
==============================================
♣︎ 2016 REVIEW (narrated by Renée Raudman) ♣︎
3.5 ★ Audiobook⎮ This is going to be an extremely subjective review and my intention is not to deter anyone from giving this audiobook a chance. I do feel that it is a quality piece of work with some wonderful attributes. If intense paranormal fiction with all the trimmings is your kind of thing, then Clean Sweep will be perfect for you! It's got witches, werewolves, vampires, and lots of alien critters. It's basically the literary version of the television show Supernatural. If I had known that going in, odds are that I never would have started this. I have tried (and failed) to get into Supernatural on numerous occasions, but it's just not for me. I think I must prefer my paranormal fiction to stick to two (or less) types of supernatural species instead of throwing in the whole lot of the paranormal universe in a package deal. If this story had stuck with just specializing in witches (like I was expecting it to), I'm sure I would have enjoyed it much more. But no, Andrews had to throw in werewolves, and then vampires, and then a whole host of obscure alien creatures (which is where I lost interest). I'm not ready to rule out alien fiction altogether, but I haven't had much luck with it so far. I will say that I preferred this story so much more than other comparable paranormal fiction. Namely, the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Unlike Obsidian, I was actually able to finish this audiobook. Clean Sweep was a much less juvenile story and this one installment far surpassed anything I have ever experienced from Armentrout. If you are a fan of hers, I seriously encourage you to give this series a shot. The writing is so much better, the protagonist is very likable, and the plot isn't centered around a romance. And this story never gave me the impression that it was written for someone younger than me.
Aside from the basic plot premise not being "my cup of tea", I was a bit disturbed by a couple of points. Firstly, the story opens with the protagonist investigating a string of gruesome dog murders in her neighborhood. For some people, that may not bother them at all. However, animal abuse is extremely difficult for me to tolerate in literature (and life). My motto is "kill the character, save the dog". No apologies. So obviously, this bit of the story struck me the wrong way. The second thing was that I found the writing in some scenes to be a little graphic in contrast to the overall feel of the story. The writing was very descriptive, which was generally a positive thing, but it sometimes came off a teensy bit scifi horror-ish. Maybe I've gone soft from reading so much YA, but I wasn't prepared for that type of gore in this particular story. Coincidentally, that is also one of the primary problems I had when watching Supernatural. But it's not anything that would deter me from continuing on with the series. However, my general lack of interest in the story is. Unless one day I suddenly become majorly interested in all things alien/paranormal, I don't think I would particularly gain anything from listening to the rest of the series. I don't feel bad about having listened to this installment, especially because it was only 7 hours long, but I don't exactly feel like it was time well spent for me either. But I must emphasize that I do think a great number of you would feel very differently, especially if you already know you are attracted to this type of genre. I would recommend this to someone in a heartbeat if I felt that it was their "thing" because it is extremely well-written, witty, the characters are refreshing, and it has a great plot. I'm just not into aliens. It's that simple.
Narration review: If I didn't know better, I would swear this audiobook was narrated by Dolly Parton herself. Raudman's voice has a warm, velvety tone that I absolutely loved. Her "Texan" accent definitely added to the story's atmosphere, but did sound a little overdone. However, it didn't bother me as much as I initially thought it would and I actually came to enjoy it as the story went on. I have listened to a sample of another narration she did without the accent and preferred it much more. Her voice really is pleasing to the ear. It's a shame that her considerable repertoire doesn't include more titles that immediately appeal to me, because I would definitely love to hear more of her. ♣︎
May 23, 2025
Reread started 5/11/2025; Finished 5/14/2025.
======
Earlier this year, Ilona Andrews announced the release of the first Innkeeper Chronicles story, Clean Sweep, as a graphic audiobook, which is a full-cast production of the book, complete with sound effects and background music. Since I love the series so much, I decided to give it a go.
I’ve read the ebook (5/2014) and listened to the original audiobook (4/2016) and enjoy the story immensely (reviews found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). This review will focus solely on the graphic audiobook aspect of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the full cast production of Clean Sweep. The production features Nora Achrati as the solitary narrator, Dina Demille. The story is shared via her first person POV, so the majority of the audiobook is performed by Ms. Achrati, who has a solid southern accent and adds a lot of emotion into her performance.
Each character’s dialogue is performed by a different cast member - just like a play or TV production. Other standouts are Ryan Reid as the werewolf Sean Evans and Karen Novack as Lady Caldania. Both do wonderful jobs breathing life into the characters, creating personas that match the written descriptions. Overall, the characters are well cast and performances full of energy and emotion.
On the other hand, the music was not a big hit for me. At the start of the book, and for a while, the music really annoyed me. It was too loud in some cases and didn’t fit the tempo/mood of the story in others. Overtime, I started to be less annoyed, but when Sean kisses Dina and the cheesy 70s-sounding music and grunting kissing sounds started, I thought it was going to be a porno.
The sound effects had more value that the music. Some, like inanimate objects moving (door creaking), dogs barking, and the magic chimes of the Inn are successful and add to the performance They are well-timed and don’t overpower the narration. Other noises, like those that center on human and alien struggles and fighting, were much less successful. The grunting and strains sounded fake and made me cringe, taking me out of the narrative.
By the end of the production, most of the sound effects and music had grown on me, and I ended up enjoying the graphic audiobook, enough that I’d like to try the next book in the series.
My Audiobook Rating: B+ (performance only)
======
Earlier this year, Ilona Andrews announced the release of the first Innkeeper Chronicles story, Clean Sweep, as a graphic audiobook, which is a full-cast production of the book, complete with sound effects and background music. Since I love the series so much, I decided to give it a go.
I’ve read the ebook (5/2014) and listened to the original audiobook (4/2016) and enjoy the story immensely (reviews found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). This review will focus solely on the graphic audiobook aspect of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the full cast production of Clean Sweep. The production features Nora Achrati as the solitary narrator, Dina Demille. The story is shared via her first person POV, so the majority of the audiobook is performed by Ms. Achrati, who has a solid southern accent and adds a lot of emotion into her performance.
Each character’s dialogue is performed by a different cast member - just like a play or TV production. Other standouts are Ryan Reid as the werewolf Sean Evans and Karen Novack as Lady Caldania. Both do wonderful jobs breathing life into the characters, creating personas that match the written descriptions. Overall, the characters are well cast and performances full of energy and emotion.
On the other hand, the music was not a big hit for me. At the start of the book, and for a while, the music really annoyed me. It was too loud in some cases and didn’t fit the tempo/mood of the story in others. Overtime, I started to be less annoyed, but when Sean kisses Dina and the cheesy 70s-sounding music and grunting kissing sounds started, I thought it was going to be a porno.
The sound effects had more value that the music. Some, like inanimate objects moving (door creaking), dogs barking, and the magic chimes of the Inn are successful and add to the performance They are well-timed and don’t overpower the narration. Other noises, like those that center on human and alien struggles and fighting, were much less successful. The grunting and strains sounded fake and made me cringe, taking me out of the narrative.
By the end of the production, most of the sound effects and music had grown on me, and I ended up enjoying the graphic audiobook, enough that I’d like to try the next book in the series.
My Audiobook Rating: B+ (performance only)
April 16, 2025
Clean Sweep is the first book in a series so it had the job of introduction and providing a compelling story. I like how they steadily revealed the characters and the Innkeeper world. It's an interesting blend of sci-fi and urban fantasy.
The story grabbed my attention from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters, the fun elements of the world particularly the whimsical and possibly sentient inn itself. The conflict was formidable and posed trouble, but I confess that I was more interested in Dina and her world, Sean, the galaxy of interesting people out there, and of course the vampires.
There was mild lag, but I expected it since Clean Sweep had the job of introducing matter. I do hope the broader mystery of what happened to Dina's parents and her ongoing efforts to gain higher rating for her inn will continue to be addressed in the series. The opening relationships and hint of attraction and resistance between the three main parties was a good hook. I found Dina's permanent inn guest a hoot and hope the duchess is around for more.
Side point- After finally finishing the earlier written Edge series, I spotted a cameo of George and Jack as adults walking through the inter-dimensional market place.
I chose graphic audio format for this one and was tickled to experience a cast of audio artists, background music and sound effects for the first time. It took me a bit not to be distracted by it all. I enjoyed the separate voice actors for each character most of all.
All in all, it was a great start and promises to only get better. Fans of the author pair, of sci-fi, and of urban fantasy should definitely give this book/series a try.
The story grabbed my attention from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters, the fun elements of the world particularly the whimsical and possibly sentient inn itself. The conflict was formidable and posed trouble, but I confess that I was more interested in Dina and her world, Sean, the galaxy of interesting people out there, and of course the vampires.
There was mild lag, but I expected it since Clean Sweep had the job of introducing matter. I do hope the broader mystery of what happened to Dina's parents and her ongoing efforts to gain higher rating for her inn will continue to be addressed in the series. The opening relationships and hint of attraction and resistance between the three main parties was a good hook. I found Dina's permanent inn guest a hoot and hope the duchess is around for more.
Side point- After finally finishing the earlier written Edge series, I spotted a cameo of George and Jack as adults walking through the inter-dimensional market place.
I chose graphic audio format for this one and was tickled to experience a cast of audio artists, background music and sound effects for the first time. It took me a bit not to be distracted by it all. I enjoyed the separate voice actors for each character most of all.
All in all, it was a great start and promises to only get better. Fans of the author pair, of sci-fi, and of urban fantasy should definitely give this book/series a try.
February 12, 2022
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.
I paid money for this (Graphic Audio adaptation) despite not wishing to (a) use any more book services (b) download more apps (c) take any more chances on audiobooks (since I so rarely like them)...
BUT...
It. Was. AWESOME. Cannot highly recommend enough.
I paid money for this (Graphic Audio adaptation) despite not wishing to (a) use any more book services (b) download more apps (c) take any more chances on audiobooks (since I so rarely like them)...
BUT...
It. Was. AWESOME. Cannot highly recommend enough.
January 17, 2022
I didn't think it was possible for this world to get better, but the graphic audio made everything 23492030 times better.
Arland, my idiot beloved.
"Mhm," Arland said. "I have spent my spare time studying literature popular with young women of this planet. One should always study the battlefield."
Sean glanced at him. "And?"
"I suggest you give up now. According to my research, in a vampire-werewolf love triangle, the vampire always gets the girl."
Arland, my idiot beloved.
"Mhm," Arland said. "I have spent my spare time studying literature popular with young women of this planet. One should always study the battlefield."
Sean glanced at him. "And?"
"I suggest you give up now. According to my research, in a vampire-werewolf love triangle, the vampire always gets the girl."
May 25, 2023
This was my first Graphic Audio and I loved it! It was a lot of fun, I'm not sure if it's something I would normally read because there wasn't much in the way of romance going on but I still greatly enjoyed this story.
September 17, 2024
Reviewed for AudioGals.
July 8, 2022
I listened to the audio of this book as a re-read and loved it all over again!
December 26, 2023
Second read. The graphic audio is awesome
Original review of the omnibus is here.
Original review of the omnibus is here.
June 18, 2025
I first heard about Graphic Audiobooks when someone posted it in the Ilona Andrews group on Facebook and I was wondering what a "graphic" audiobook was. I researched it and found out it is basically just like a radio play with sounds and music and different narrators. Curiously, I listened to the sample and was immediately hooked. When I saw on Audible that it's available, I bought it and started listening.
Someone posted a review saying that it's incomplete but I couldn't find any fault. I love the Innkeeper Chronicles and felt like my childhood self when I listend to Benjamin Blümchen on my cassette player. The normal audiobook is very good but this one is even better. It's like cinema for ears and liked the narrators and the sounds and music made the book even better. Arland sounds very british to me and made me giggle on more than one occasion but Sean's grumpyness came perfectly across the earphones.
They made the second book available yesterday and I bought it already. Can't wait to start the audiobook! It's not a new idea but a very clever one and I hope they will also publish other authors. The ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas is already announced and will probably be my next purchase. If you enjoy audiobooks, you will enjoy those graphic ones even more!
Someone posted a review saying that it's incomplete but I couldn't find any fault. I love the Innkeeper Chronicles and felt like my childhood self when I listend to Benjamin Blümchen on my cassette player. The normal audiobook is very good but this one is even better. It's like cinema for ears and liked the narrators and the sounds and music made the book even better. Arland sounds very british to me and made me giggle on more than one occasion but Sean's grumpyness came perfectly across the earphones.
They made the second book available yesterday and I bought it already. Can't wait to start the audiobook! It's not a new idea but a very clever one and I hope they will also publish other authors. The ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas is already announced and will probably be my next purchase. If you enjoy audiobooks, you will enjoy those graphic ones even more!
May 29, 2024
May 2024
Audible audiobook
4h 2m (1.5x speed)
Not sure how this one ended up in my library but the audiobooks are winding down and this was a new one waiting, compared to re-reads in a different format which I know will gut me. Pack Darling for one. It was shorter than I expected, felt like a there was a prequel missing and vampires and werewolves are aliens. Okay then.
I liked the narrator's voice, some of the speech was quiet but I know that was meant to sound far away. The story had a bit of everything, budding love triangle, action, comedy, and a cool sentient house. I liked that whilst Dina needs help, she's not ignorant. It's a family legacy, and although the parents were missing, they had enough time to teach her. Looking forward to the next one. Still trying to get my head around the whole alien thing.
Audible audiobook
4h 2m (1.5x speed)
Not sure how this one ended up in my library but the audiobooks are winding down and this was a new one waiting, compared to re-reads in a different format which I know will gut me. Pack Darling for one. It was shorter than I expected, felt like a there was a prequel missing and vampires and werewolves are aliens. Okay then.
I liked the narrator's voice, some of the speech was quiet but I know that was meant to sound far away. The story had a bit of everything, budding love triangle, action, comedy, and a cool sentient house. I liked that whilst Dina needs help, she's not ignorant. It's a family legacy, and although the parents were missing, they had enough time to teach her. Looking forward to the next one. Still trying to get my head around the whole alien thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2023
Reread 01/18/23
Gah…I ADORE this series! I’m currently rereading so I’m caught back up for book 5 that just released. This is my first time listening to the Graphic Audiobook and man, it’s really good. I love the sound effects and the full cast.
A magic innkeeper who is neutral ground for any alien species to stay such as werewolves and vampires…I can’t recommend this series more. It’s an absolute favorite.
Gah…I ADORE this series! I’m currently rereading so I’m caught back up for book 5 that just released. This is my first time listening to the Graphic Audiobook and man, it’s really good. I love the sound effects and the full cast.
A magic innkeeper who is neutral ground for any alien species to stay such as werewolves and vampires…I can’t recommend this series more. It’s an absolute favorite.
August 14, 2023
A mix of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi elements that I never thought possible all work together.
It is an entertaining story in which you get involved immediately and without a doubt that the Graphic Audio version is a unique experience.
To continue with the series!!
It is an entertaining story in which you get involved immediately and without a doubt that the Graphic Audio version is a unique experience.
To continue with the series!!
January 10, 2025
Milá oddychovka 🙂
April 24, 2022
This Graphic Audio version is fantastic. I love it.
May 16, 2025
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
May 2025
I was so happy to read this again I chose to read the graphic audio, which I own, for the first time. It's different to read when you have read the whole series already and when you have read the foundation series just before.
I remembered some things very well and others were completely forgotten. I knew I was rooting for Arland and not Sean. Of course, they are both ridiculous alpha males, and decent people. So many characters who make a big impact in the whole series are here. I'm pretty sure we got a glimpse of George and Jack but Dina doesn't know who they are. We also meet Officer Marais, the werewolf Wilmot, the Costco lady, and Nuan Cee,
COYER Buddy Read with Berls() and Brandee ()
My first review of the ebook February 2014 on Yummy Men and Kickass Chicks
Let me begin by admitting I am completely biased towards Ilona Andrews. I have loved everything I’ve ever read by them. Nearly everything is in my favorites; they are my favorite of my favorites. I blame Julie. This was one of the first authors I read from reading this blog, a few years back. I tend to get everything at the library, read it and then if it is a favorite I buy it. I debated months on whether to buy these books in print or on Kindle. In the end, I bought them for my Kindle because seriously, I need them with me all the time, everywhere. Plus she is a knitter who favors blue yarn, what’s not to love?
Clean Sweep was first offered as a free serial on Ilona Andrews’ blog. It is a bit shorter than a normal book. Then graphics were added and it was published. I bought the published version. I saved this book for a bit, keeping it as a reward for myself, a treat. My expectations were high and this did not disappoint me.
Why do I love everything by this author? The words are so well-crafted; it’s a pleasure to read. Honestly, I practically whimper and bounce with joy when I start reading. The world building is amazing with lots of details without being boring. The characters have spirit and passion whether they are the “good” guys or the “bad” guys or something in-between. Which is another great thing, it’s a gray scale, not just black and white. I can’t help but care about them. There is always an interesting mystery / action / adventure. Typically, there is a touch of romance. And, my favorite, is the humor.
This book is a new world with the paranormals having some different features. Dina is an innkeeper. It’s a fun concept I enjoyed learning about it. There are vampires and werewolves which are a bit different. Other creatures are also introduced. As an innkeeper, hosting a variety of creatures as guests, Dina gets to learn about many things all the time.
Dina is smart and funny. I loved her. She cares about her human neighbors and strives to protect them, even though it causes her a variety of problems. She is beautiful, inside and out.
Sean Evans is her newish neighbor and a werewolf. He is a cocky alpha male and just cracks me up. Arland is a vampire who ends up as a guest at the inn. They are both HOT with a capital H. Both seem interested in Dina. This is not a romance; this is the first book in the series. Each “man” has his own issues and priorities, but they eventually come around to working with Dina.
I really recommend this book and this author highly. I love the graphics in this edition. I’m getting pickier about reading since I have found so many excellent books lately, but this would be a top priority for me to read in urban fantasy. Go read it now!
5 stars
Giggle worthy quotes –
“‘Sean! Go. Away.’
He locked his jaw. ‘I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I’m not leaving until I get it sorted out.’
Of all the rude, arrogant morons. ‘Is that so?’
‘Yes. You will show that thing to me and from now on, I will deal with them.’
I opened my eyes really wide and fluttered my eyelashes at him. ‘I’m sorry, I must’ve missed your coronation ceremony. ‘Silly me.’
‘Dina!’
Ha! He remembered my name. I waved my fingers in the direction of the door. ‘Shoo. Leave, and don’t slam the door on your way out.’
He planted himself, arms crossed, muscles bulging. ‘Make me.’
He didn’t deserve a warning, but I gave him one anyway. ‘I’ve had about enough. I’m serious, Sean. Leave or there will be consequences.’
‘Give me your best shot.’
Fine. ‘Your welcome is withdrawn.’
Magic smashed into Sean. He went airborne. The side door swung open just in time and he flew through it and into the orchard. The orchard was a safer bet. The bulk of the house shielded it from the passersby and traffic, I heard a solid thud, then got up, and looked out through the open door. Beast joined me.
Sean lay unmoving on the grass. Ouches.”
COYER Buddy Read with Berls(4.5) and Brandee (5)
May 2025
I was so happy to read this again I chose to read the graphic audio, which I own, for the first time. It's different to read when you have read the whole series already and when you have read the foundation series just before.
I remembered some things very well and others were completely forgotten. I knew I was rooting for Arland and not Sean. Of course, they are both ridiculous alpha males, and decent people. So many characters who make a big impact in the whole series are here. I'm pretty sure we got a glimpse of George and Jack but Dina doesn't know who they are. We also meet Officer Marais, the werewolf Wilmot, the Costco lady, and Nuan Cee,
COYER Buddy Read with Berls() and Brandee ()
My first review of the ebook February 2014 on Yummy Men and Kickass Chicks
Let me begin by admitting I am completely biased towards Ilona Andrews. I have loved everything I’ve ever read by them. Nearly everything is in my favorites; they are my favorite of my favorites. I blame Julie. This was one of the first authors I read from reading this blog, a few years back. I tend to get everything at the library, read it and then if it is a favorite I buy it. I debated months on whether to buy these books in print or on Kindle. In the end, I bought them for my Kindle because seriously, I need them with me all the time, everywhere. Plus she is a knitter who favors blue yarn, what’s not to love?
Clean Sweep was first offered as a free serial on Ilona Andrews’ blog. It is a bit shorter than a normal book. Then graphics were added and it was published. I bought the published version. I saved this book for a bit, keeping it as a reward for myself, a treat. My expectations were high and this did not disappoint me.
Why do I love everything by this author? The words are so well-crafted; it’s a pleasure to read. Honestly, I practically whimper and bounce with joy when I start reading. The world building is amazing with lots of details without being boring. The characters have spirit and passion whether they are the “good” guys or the “bad” guys or something in-between. Which is another great thing, it’s a gray scale, not just black and white. I can’t help but care about them. There is always an interesting mystery / action / adventure. Typically, there is a touch of romance. And, my favorite, is the humor.
This book is a new world with the paranormals having some different features. Dina is an innkeeper. It’s a fun concept I enjoyed learning about it. There are vampires and werewolves which are a bit different. Other creatures are also introduced. As an innkeeper, hosting a variety of creatures as guests, Dina gets to learn about many things all the time.
Dina is smart and funny. I loved her. She cares about her human neighbors and strives to protect them, even though it causes her a variety of problems. She is beautiful, inside and out.
Sean Evans is her newish neighbor and a werewolf. He is a cocky alpha male and just cracks me up. Arland is a vampire who ends up as a guest at the inn. They are both HOT with a capital H. Both seem interested in Dina. This is not a romance; this is the first book in the series. Each “man” has his own issues and priorities, but they eventually come around to working with Dina.
I really recommend this book and this author highly. I love the graphics in this edition. I’m getting pickier about reading since I have found so many excellent books lately, but this would be a top priority for me to read in urban fantasy. Go read it now!
5 stars
Giggle worthy quotes –
“‘Sean! Go. Away.’
He locked his jaw. ‘I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but I’m not leaving until I get it sorted out.’
Of all the rude, arrogant morons. ‘Is that so?’
‘Yes. You will show that thing to me and from now on, I will deal with them.’
I opened my eyes really wide and fluttered my eyelashes at him. ‘I’m sorry, I must’ve missed your coronation ceremony. ‘Silly me.’
‘Dina!’
Ha! He remembered my name. I waved my fingers in the direction of the door. ‘Shoo. Leave, and don’t slam the door on your way out.’
He planted himself, arms crossed, muscles bulging. ‘Make me.’
He didn’t deserve a warning, but I gave him one anyway. ‘I’ve had about enough. I’m serious, Sean. Leave or there will be consequences.’
‘Give me your best shot.’
Fine. ‘Your welcome is withdrawn.’
Magic smashed into Sean. He went airborne. The side door swung open just in time and he flew through it and into the orchard. The orchard was a safer bet. The bulk of the house shielded it from the passersby and traffic, I heard a solid thud, then got up, and looked out through the open door. Beast joined me.
Sean lay unmoving on the grass. Ouches.”
COYER Buddy Read with Berls(4.5) and Brandee (5)
March 16, 2023
One of my low-key goals this year is to listen to more audiobooks but the problem with that is that I can’t be bothered devoting 12hrs to a book listening to it when I could probably read it in 3-4. So I like shorter audiobooks and these fit the bill for what I was looking for. They’re only about 6hrs long and this is the first audiobook I’ve listened to that has a full cast. I’ve listened to dual narrators before, where the woman narrator does all the female voices and the male narrator does all the male voices and I’ve listened to an audiobook that was dual POV and had a male narrator for each POV. But I’ve never listened to one that cast all the roles individually and included audio sound effects too, which this has. And I really, really enjoyed the experience. Especially because this is a…rural fantasy……novel where there is magic so the audio gave you a really clear indication of when magic was being used, etc.
Dina is an Innkeeper – in this world, Earth is a ‘neutral’ ground for beings from other realms and inns provide respite and if they ask for it, sanctuary to anyone from pretty much anywhere, so long as they abide by the rules. Dina’s inn, Gertrude Hunt, is quite low rated as it was dormant long before she arrived to take possession of it. The more guests she has, the more she provides that solace and protection, the better her rating will get. Dina is powerful but sort of limited away from the grounds of the inn. She lives in a small town in Texas that was relatively peaceful but now something is killing the local dogs in an incredibly violent and vicious way and Dina is worried that if it isn’t stopped, it will start attacking humans. She turns to new guy in town Sean Evans, whom Dina knows is a werewolf and suggests that he take care of it as a territorial being – or she’ll have to. Sean, on the down-low about being a werewolf and thinking that Dina is just a regular human, pretends not to know what she’s talking about, which leads to Dina stepping up.
My favourite thing about this was Dina and her power. Sean underestimates her multiple times – and part of it isn’t really his fault. He was raised oblivious to there being other species’ out there and doesn’t know how or why he’s a werewolf, not really. He doesn’t know what an Innkeeper is and so every time Dina keeps telling him “I’m an Innkeeper” he’s like “So?” and so he doesn’t know that Dina has powerful magic at her disposal – she’s powerful enough to keep him out if she wants to and the scene where he tries to break in and the inn keeps throwing him out is hilarious, as is the scene where Sean realises Dina’s cute little Shih Tzu that he insulted, is far from just being a regular toy pup. Dina is a strong as heck character who doesn’t take shit from anyone, not even Sean. I loved her and the inn itself, which is a living, breathing character capable of a lot of things. Dina has some serious power invested in her property and she has limited power away from its boundaries. She’s also well plugged into the magical realm and other worlds. Dina’s parents were also Innkeepers of a high rated inn and one day, when Dina was off exploring as a young adult, they just vanished. No one knows where or how. Her brother has been searching for them ever since and Dina keeps their photo displayed prominently in her inn, hoping that one day she’ll have a guest who can give her information. I found that aspect of the story really interesting and I hope the series gives her (and us) the answers she needs one day.
I also loved the experience of this being a fully immersive audiobook. As I mentioned earlier, the sound effects when Dina uses magic (or the inn does) really added to it and I liked the different actors for each role, which I just find more enjoyable than listening to one person do half a dozen different voices. I also adore that for the most part, Dina’s magic…conductor…? looks like a broom. It’s just one more way in which Sean underestimated her. In fact, to be honest, Sean was really the only thing I didn’t like too much in this. He just came across as way too much “US Army Alpha Dude” who thinks he knows better on everything than everyone. And I just don’t know if I can get behind a love interest who in his second scene, is peeing on the heroine’s apple trees. In his human form. I kind of liked the other guy that showed interest in Dina but having glanced at the blurbs for the next couple of books, it appears that I need to get on board with Sean. Sigh.
I do want to continue the series though. I love Dina and her inn and I want her to find her parents, or at least what happened to them. There are so many other worlds/dimensions etc that it’s entirely possible they’re still alive and don’t realise they’ve been gone for years now. Or there are any other number of reasons why they could’ve disappeared. It’s an interesting mystery and that and Dina and her inn mean that I’ll definitely be (probably listening) getting the next one. I feel like all audiobooks should be like this!
Dina is an Innkeeper – in this world, Earth is a ‘neutral’ ground for beings from other realms and inns provide respite and if they ask for it, sanctuary to anyone from pretty much anywhere, so long as they abide by the rules. Dina’s inn, Gertrude Hunt, is quite low rated as it was dormant long before she arrived to take possession of it. The more guests she has, the more she provides that solace and protection, the better her rating will get. Dina is powerful but sort of limited away from the grounds of the inn. She lives in a small town in Texas that was relatively peaceful but now something is killing the local dogs in an incredibly violent and vicious way and Dina is worried that if it isn’t stopped, it will start attacking humans. She turns to new guy in town Sean Evans, whom Dina knows is a werewolf and suggests that he take care of it as a territorial being – or she’ll have to. Sean, on the down-low about being a werewolf and thinking that Dina is just a regular human, pretends not to know what she’s talking about, which leads to Dina stepping up.
My favourite thing about this was Dina and her power. Sean underestimates her multiple times – and part of it isn’t really his fault. He was raised oblivious to there being other species’ out there and doesn’t know how or why he’s a werewolf, not really. He doesn’t know what an Innkeeper is and so every time Dina keeps telling him “I’m an Innkeeper” he’s like “So?” and so he doesn’t know that Dina has powerful magic at her disposal – she’s powerful enough to keep him out if she wants to and the scene where he tries to break in and the inn keeps throwing him out is hilarious, as is the scene where Sean realises Dina’s cute little Shih Tzu that he insulted, is far from just being a regular toy pup. Dina is a strong as heck character who doesn’t take shit from anyone, not even Sean. I loved her and the inn itself, which is a living, breathing character capable of a lot of things. Dina has some serious power invested in her property and she has limited power away from its boundaries. She’s also well plugged into the magical realm and other worlds. Dina’s parents were also Innkeepers of a high rated inn and one day, when Dina was off exploring as a young adult, they just vanished. No one knows where or how. Her brother has been searching for them ever since and Dina keeps their photo displayed prominently in her inn, hoping that one day she’ll have a guest who can give her information. I found that aspect of the story really interesting and I hope the series gives her (and us) the answers she needs one day.
I also loved the experience of this being a fully immersive audiobook. As I mentioned earlier, the sound effects when Dina uses magic (or the inn does) really added to it and I liked the different actors for each role, which I just find more enjoyable than listening to one person do half a dozen different voices. I also adore that for the most part, Dina’s magic…conductor…? looks like a broom. It’s just one more way in which Sean underestimated her. In fact, to be honest, Sean was really the only thing I didn’t like too much in this. He just came across as way too much “US Army Alpha Dude” who thinks he knows better on everything than everyone. And I just don’t know if I can get behind a love interest who in his second scene, is peeing on the heroine’s apple trees. In his human form. I kind of liked the other guy that showed interest in Dina but having glanced at the blurbs for the next couple of books, it appears that I need to get on board with Sean. Sigh.
I do want to continue the series though. I love Dina and her inn and I want her to find her parents, or at least what happened to them. There are so many other worlds/dimensions etc that it’s entirely possible they’re still alive and don’t realise they’ve been gone for years now. Or there are any other number of reasons why they could’ve disappeared. It’s an interesting mystery and that and Dina and her inn mean that I’ll definitely be (probably listening) getting the next one. I feel like all audiobooks should be like this!
March 29, 2022
It's my last book of the year, and I'm feeling a bit worn out after a LOT of blogging, so I'm taking the liberty of letting the authors themselves summarise the book (it's self published), because Ilona writes way better than I:
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 problems 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 is 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.
Clean Sweep began as a side project for Ilona Andrews. A free serial where they would post a new instalment every week or so, until their workload forced them to slow down, they describe the creation of the book "like writing in front of an audience". The readers would comment with editing suggestions, proof reading and/or comments about what worked/didn't work for them. Once a chapter was up on the website, they couldn't go back and edit too heavily or rewrite, and to their audience interested, they needed to hook readers quickly, and keep them reading, usually by ending chapters on cliffhangers or teasing excitement yet to come. The serial became immensely popular, and they were persuaded to self publish the work. Once the main story was completed, they took the serial offline and promised that the final part of the last chapter, and the epilogue, would be included in the e-book version for sale. Finally released in a variety of e-book formats and as print on demand in early December, the authors have sold more of their initially free book than they had ever hoped for.
I'm very glad that this has proved a success, because I thought it was a wonderful thing for them to do in the first place, and a lovely bonus project for their many and loyal fans. Long-time readers of my blog know that I'm a huge fan of both the Kate Daniels series (among my favourite paranormal fantasy series currently running) and their now completed Edge series (loosely interconnected fantasy novels with a more romantic focus). Hence I was never not going to buy this book, and I already knew that I liked it. Andrews writes great characters, with distinctive personalities. They have tense and exciting action set pieces and very witty dialogue. I'm amazed at how quickly they play with paranormal/urban fantasy expectations, establishing a new world with a fairly contemporary American setting, but with "bigger on the inside" buildings with portals to other worlds, and common urban/paranormal tropes like vampires and werewolves, but suddenly announcing that these are actually aliens from other worlds, and that the myths our world has about these creatures have very natural expectations.
Like their other heroines before her, Dina is a very capable and pragmatic protagonist. The makings of a love triangle are introduced, but while Dina doesn't mind looking at pretty menfolk, she also learned that if you want something done, you might be better off doing it yourself, and that intergalactic space travellers, even of the hunky and charming variety, may not want to settle down running a B&B in small town Texas.
Due to the great success of their first volume, Ilona and Gordon have promised that there will be more Innkeeper Chronicles to come, and have posted teasing snippets that suggest that maybe all those fans complaining that they finished off the Edge books may see further appearances of supporting characters from those books making appearances in future stories. I'm very glad I chose this as my final book and concluding Cannonball review of 2013. Triple Cannonball completed!
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 problems 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 is 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.
Clean Sweep began as a side project for Ilona Andrews. A free serial where they would post a new instalment every week or so, until their workload forced them to slow down, they describe the creation of the book "like writing in front of an audience". The readers would comment with editing suggestions, proof reading and/or comments about what worked/didn't work for them. Once a chapter was up on the website, they couldn't go back and edit too heavily or rewrite, and to their audience interested, they needed to hook readers quickly, and keep them reading, usually by ending chapters on cliffhangers or teasing excitement yet to come. The serial became immensely popular, and they were persuaded to self publish the work. Once the main story was completed, they took the serial offline and promised that the final part of the last chapter, and the epilogue, would be included in the e-book version for sale. Finally released in a variety of e-book formats and as print on demand in early December, the authors have sold more of their initially free book than they had ever hoped for.
I'm very glad that this has proved a success, because I thought it was a wonderful thing for them to do in the first place, and a lovely bonus project for their many and loyal fans. Long-time readers of my blog know that I'm a huge fan of both the Kate Daniels series (among my favourite paranormal fantasy series currently running) and their now completed Edge series (loosely interconnected fantasy novels with a more romantic focus). Hence I was never not going to buy this book, and I already knew that I liked it. Andrews writes great characters, with distinctive personalities. They have tense and exciting action set pieces and very witty dialogue. I'm amazed at how quickly they play with paranormal/urban fantasy expectations, establishing a new world with a fairly contemporary American setting, but with "bigger on the inside" buildings with portals to other worlds, and common urban/paranormal tropes like vampires and werewolves, but suddenly announcing that these are actually aliens from other worlds, and that the myths our world has about these creatures have very natural expectations.
Like their other heroines before her, Dina is a very capable and pragmatic protagonist. The makings of a love triangle are introduced, but while Dina doesn't mind looking at pretty menfolk, she also learned that if you want something done, you might be better off doing it yourself, and that intergalactic space travellers, even of the hunky and charming variety, may not want to settle down running a B&B in small town Texas.
Due to the great success of their first volume, Ilona and Gordon have promised that there will be more Innkeeper Chronicles to come, and have posted teasing snippets that suggest that maybe all those fans complaining that they finished off the Edge books may see further appearances of supporting characters from those books making appearances in future stories. I'm very glad I chose this as my final book and concluding Cannonball review of 2013. Triple Cannonball completed!
May 6, 2025
Listening for Innkeeper Readalong hosted by Books of My Heart. My second time listening to this book, but my first time for the Graphic Audio version. Review to come.
March 16, 2022
format: graphic audiobook
rating: 2,6
I prefer normal audiobooks over graphic audio, so I didn't enjoy this as much as I did when I listened to it the first time, but this version was streaming on storytel, and I needed something to sleep to and decided to give it a go.
The Innkeeper Chronicles is one of the more interesting series from husband and wife writing team Ilona Andrews—at least from a lore perspective.
All their series have good worldbuilding, but I find the quaint and quirky universe in these books fascinating. Because of us humans being relatively powerless, we finagled a treaty so the scary aliens would mostly stay away and not conquer us and stuff.
Earth as a hub for galactic travellers. Unknown to the rest of the population, we're like the Motor Lodge Inn.
Is there a word for that when space ships or transporters are involved?
"Quantum Engine Inn"?
"Einstein–Rosen bridge Inn"?
I don't know.
First you think it's an Urban fantasy, then it hits you right in the face with the sci-fi elements, and you suddenly get whole new explanations for werewolves and vampires. I think most of this series strikes a nice balance between quirkiness and action. They started as free serials on the Andrews' website however, and I feel like it took them a while to get into their grove.
This first book is good and I like it. But it feels a bit dull compared to the later entries.
It's a decent introduction to the world, but I kind of wish it was just a bit tighter and that some more stuff happened.
I also like Dina well enough, I cant stand Sean—the werewolf neighbor with a chip on his shoulder.
In an Andrews book there is about a 99,9% chance that any male love interest is an alpha douchebag, and though Sean is not as egregious as some.
*cough* Rogan from Hidden Legacy *cough*
He also isn't as interesting as some of those others either.
*cough* Rogan *Cough*
(Yes they DID make me like an alpha douche in their Hidden legacy series and that's a damned accomplishment)
I'd say the innkeeper chronicles is their series with the least romance, though all their series really have enough action to justify themselves as great sci-fi or fantast adventures regardless. You really can't escape a strong romance element present in everything they write. In this it is more subtle, but subtle doesn't help when I want to throw Sean out on the ocean and see if werewolves sink or swim. (I'm hoping they sink)
Sean is a wet dishrag of a character. On top of being domineering towards Dina, and pissing to mark his territory (he does that both LITTERALLY and metaphorically) He is just spoiling for a fight and doesn't treat Dina with any respect.
He starts out threatening her and only behaves because she makes him.
Because romance is such a small element in this book compared to in their other series, I would have actually LOVED IT if Sean was just a neighbor Dina became friends with instead. A strong friendship would have worked just as well, though we would have missed out on one of the best pop-culture reference lines in the book.
When the Vampire says to the werewolf
I have spent my spare time studying literature popular with young women of this planet. One should always study the battlefield." Sean glanced at him. "And?" "I suggest you give up now. According to my research, in a vampire-werewolf love triangle, the vampire always gets the girl.
rating: 2,6
I prefer normal audiobooks over graphic audio, so I didn't enjoy this as much as I did when I listened to it the first time, but this version was streaming on storytel, and I needed something to sleep to and decided to give it a go.
The Innkeeper Chronicles is one of the more interesting series from husband and wife writing team Ilona Andrews—at least from a lore perspective.
All their series have good worldbuilding, but I find the quaint and quirky universe in these books fascinating. Because of us humans being relatively powerless, we finagled a treaty so the scary aliens would mostly stay away and not conquer us and stuff.
Earth as a hub for galactic travellers. Unknown to the rest of the population, we're like the Motor Lodge Inn.
Is there a word for that when space ships or transporters are involved?
"Quantum Engine Inn"?
"Einstein–Rosen bridge Inn"?
I don't know.
First you think it's an Urban fantasy, then it hits you right in the face with the sci-fi elements, and you suddenly get whole new explanations for werewolves and vampires. I think most of this series strikes a nice balance between quirkiness and action. They started as free serials on the Andrews' website however, and I feel like it took them a while to get into their grove.
This first book is good and I like it. But it feels a bit dull compared to the later entries.
It's a decent introduction to the world, but I kind of wish it was just a bit tighter and that some more stuff happened.
I also like Dina well enough, I cant stand Sean—the werewolf neighbor with a chip on his shoulder.
In an Andrews book there is about a 99,9% chance that any male love interest is an alpha douchebag, and though Sean is not as egregious as some.
*cough* Rogan from Hidden Legacy *cough*
He also isn't as interesting as some of those others either.
*cough* Rogan *Cough*
(Yes they DID make me like an alpha douche in their Hidden legacy series and that's a damned accomplishment)
I'd say the innkeeper chronicles is their series with the least romance, though all their series really have enough action to justify themselves as great sci-fi or fantast adventures regardless. You really can't escape a strong romance element present in everything they write. In this it is more subtle, but subtle doesn't help when I want to throw Sean out on the ocean and see if werewolves sink or swim. (I'm hoping they sink)
Sean is a wet dishrag of a character. On top of being domineering towards Dina, and pissing to mark his territory (he does that both LITTERALLY and metaphorically) He is just spoiling for a fight and doesn't treat Dina with any respect.
He starts out threatening her and only behaves because she makes him.
Because romance is such a small element in this book compared to in their other series, I would have actually LOVED IT if Sean was just a neighbor Dina became friends with instead. A strong friendship would have worked just as well, though we would have missed out on one of the best pop-culture reference lines in the book.
When the Vampire says to the werewolf
I have spent my spare time studying literature popular with young women of this planet. One should always study the battlefield." Sean glanced at him. "And?" "I suggest you give up now. According to my research, in a vampire-werewolf love triangle, the vampire always gets the girl.
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