IAAA - Ilona Andrews Addicts Anonymous: Innkeeper Chronicles #4.5+ & Kinsmen Universe #1-3 (October 2024)

[Ann-Marie]

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "I finished Fate's Edge earlier and liked it a lot. The same as the prior 2 books I liked the characters and I loved how much [spoilers removed] were in the book. These have been f..."

Agree, I had some heavy reads earlier this month and have been on a more fun reads kick which has been pretty terrific for me.

[Nirkatze]

Dittoing Diana, I liked everything @Emily said about book #1--especially the broodmare point, and how it would be nice to see a little less import put on the "no spark" bit--sparks can grow, dammit! In fact, people who are demiromantic have no sparks until they get to know people really well...

Also agreeing with what y'all are saying about the comfort read level of these books--even when they're annoying, they're still fun popcorn reads. And I love me some popcorn.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I had to pull up Lists/Listopia section of Goodreads, to get some ideas of slow burn romances I read, back in the day...

Like I said, somewhere, I think slow burn is more common in contemporary romance, because there aren't apocalyptic stakes in play that cause the story to take place over days/weeks, instead of months/years...

Looking at some lists, the 3 authors I read the most that fit are:

Mariana Zapata -- fair amount of sports romances, that are closer to enemies to lover, or the gruff focused dude type that nobody understands (kinda reminds me of Shelly Laurenston / GA Aiken, and her shifter romances in that regard, since there are alot of shifter hockey players later on in that series)

Amy Harmon -- Christian Romance author, for the most part... has done some fantasy/historical, in recent years...

Penny Reid -- indie author, and I think it's the Winston Brothers spinoff series, more than the original Knitting in the City series, noted for the slow burn romances...

[Diana Stormblessed]

Nirkatze wrote: "Dittoing Diana, I liked everything @Emily said about book #1--especially the broodmare point, and how it would be nice to see a little less import put on the "no spark" bit--sparks can grow, dammit..."

I'm stuck on how anyone can not want William. Esp since he's described as being gorgeous (like all IA MCs). How do you look at him and his cute love of action figures and manga and his gentleness with kids and be like, nah? Is it the dark hair? Does Rose have a thing for golden knights? William has everything I would want in a guy, including my huge love of dogs/wolves. If I could jump into a book and be with anyone it'd probably be him.

[Nirkatze]

@Diana--totally agree!

re: Slow romances--It's nice to read stories where folks are friends, and slowly realize they also have feelings for each other (and not necessarily where one has been crushing on the other forever)... What exactly qualifies as "slow burn"? Timelines can be short but romances still feel slow, and vice versa, depending on writing...

[Nirkatze]

Read #3 Fate's Edge the other day and really enjoyed it, though I agree about the romance being rather quick... It'd be nice to see a book where the MCs end with "I really like you, can we go steady?" instead of "I've known you for a week let's get married!" (view spoiler)[It took a while for all the pieces to fall into place, but I was immediately invested in the FMC's plight from the moment her father stepped on the scene and so devalued her... Fists up and rarin' to fight!

The MMC didn't come off quite as alphahole as others at the start, but still in the category... At least getting to see things from his POV from the very beginning helped. And the kids were cute, even if having them tossed in seemed a little incongruous... like "let's make an excuse for this to be connected to the rest of the books by throwing the kids in there."

I would have liked more closure on Audrey's family plotline--something like Carden (I hope that was his name) actually confronting Audrey's father or brother and tearing them a new one for their treatment of her... Still, fun action, good comeuppance, cute kiddo antics. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Kids are the glue of the series… MMC was Kalder/Calder… my romance reading is almost a decade behind me at this point, so my ability to talk nuance/definition has shrunk… altho it’s easy to agree Fantasy romances happen super fast in general… I think slower ones need to be slice of life like Legends and Lattes or investigation stalls for a month (or multi-book like Kate Daniels / October Daye… but then you tens to miss alot of in-between developments)

[Marie]

I just started the second book and only now learned it's different characters each book type of series. I guess it makes sense given how the book 1 ended but I was caught off guard.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Kate Daniels is UF...
Edge is solidly Paranormal Romance

Hidden Legacy is a hybrid... it's definitely romantic, published through Avon, but it sticks with the same couple for a trilogy, before moving on to the next sister... there's 3 Nevada Baylor books, 3 middle sister books, and it looks like maybe the youngest sister is finally getting her trilogy (among other reasons, the series was put on pause at the end of the 2nd trilogy, because the MMC of the 3rd trilogy was looking to be a Russian Bear-shifter of some sort, and the Ukraine War was just heating up at the time)...

Innkeeper Chronicles is UF with romance in the style of Kate Daniels, with some sci-fi elements...

Kinsman Universe is Sci-fi romance novellas with different characters in each story...

And that covers the main stuff... Kate Daniels spinoffs are in the vein of Kate Daniels, generally...

[Nirkatze]

Oh, that's nice... I prefer series that stick with the same MCs instead of switching to a new couple each book... with some exceptions...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Catalina Baylor is the middle sister and Arabella is the youngest... finally just hit me... I never bothered looking it up, to remember :D

[Marie]

I am getting bad at commenting while I read and then also tend to procrastinate on going through all the comments and putting at least some final thoughts...

Just finished book 2 and jumped straight to book 3. I quite liked Kaldar in book 2 and I am curious about his power.

I must say I sometimes felt like it's too much like Kate Daniels (the only series I have read by IA before this if I don't count the Kinsmen novellas.) The narrator being the same wasn't helping much but over time it seems like I am starting to see this series as its own thing more and more. One thing I immediately noticed was the multiple POVs. I think that really helps fleshing out characters without the need for any side novellas.

On the Edge
It started a bit rough with the "I want him but shouldn't want him" kind of romance...
(view spoiler)[ I think it started to be more interesting and with emotional depth once we got the part with Georgie learning about death. (hide spoiler)] The world is interesting and there is definitely a lot to explore. In the end, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Bayou Moon
The romance here was better. William was an interesting character. (view spoiler)[I think it was quite well done how he is pretending to be a normal human yet hiding these instincts and having difficulties with some social skills. Idk if it was always consistent, though. Sometimes he felt very normal for whole chapters. Would have to re-read to weigh on that properly. I even liked the misunderstanding at the end because it just made sense for them.

Spider talking like male Aunt B was a bit disrupting lol.

I really found the invention/experiment properly horrifying and a cool twist. (hide spoiler)] Enjoyed this one more and I am starting to vibe more with the whole series. I liked the connections to the first book.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I started feeling the Samey Syndrome with Ilona Andres Writing + Renee Raudman narration after awhile as well, sometime after reading/re-reading Kate Daniels, Edge, Hidden Legacy, and some Innkeeper Chronicles... when IA goes more indie publishing, the narrators start changing, but they also don't manage much consistency from book to book, which is annoying... I like my series from same POV to keep the same narrator, barring life issues, like the Powder Mage guy getting throat cancer...

Re:connections: I don't think there are any more canonical connections across series other than Edge/Innkeeper Chronicles, but I definitely saw alot of Hidden Legacy worldbuilding/plot in Edge / Steel's Edge on re-read... looping powers, Weird power dynamics, etc...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Marie wrote: "I am getting bad at commenting while I read and then also tend to procrastinate on going through all the comments and putting at least some final thoughts......"

Nice overview/comments... also nice to see someone onboard with the series :D

[Diana Stormblessed]

I just finished book 4. Went to review it and saw my review from a few years ago and laughed so hard that I’m just going to let it stand. On reread I enjoyed it more than the first time. I just took it for a light, mindless fluff read this time around. But I still agree with my original review, so posting it here under spoilers. (view spoiler)[

Where do I even begin? I have so much ranting to do. Let's number my complaints for easy reading purposes.

1) Why is everyone so perfect? In book 2 Richard was second to Cerise in fighting skill. Now he's unstoppable. He has a blue flash. That used to mean it wasn't as strong as a white flash. But when he coats his sword in his flash he still slices through anything like butter. Sophie is a master swords woman, gorgeous, and fits perfectly into high society even though they keep telling us she's broken and 2 books ago she was killing small animals and hanging their carcasses from trees. George is a master nobleman, a master swords man, a master spy, handsome, a master necromancer, etc. Jack is a killer who's not supposed to understand nuances in emotion, but still does. He's loved by nobility even though the nobility is supposed to dislike his kind. Charlotte is the best healer and the best killer with her healing. Etc, etc. It gets old. These guys supposedly grew up on the Edge with no formal education but you throw them into high society and of course they belong. I'm sorry, Sophie got a lesson on colors. How could I forget. Of course that's all it takes. Charlotte notices things like how someone holds their fingers but the Edge kids can pass with barely any lessons and the other nobles don't notice anything wrong?

2) How is George spying on all of Declan's meetings with his undead pets? Doesn't it take concentration to constantly listen in? Does he seriously not have a life? When is he studying books and swordsmanship and going on mirror missions if he's spying on Declan all the time?

3) To turn into someone you need more than just their face. You need their voice, their mannerisms. It would take years of study and being close to the person. This was all planning in what? Weeks? Richard didn't spend any time with Casside that I know of. These are not things you can just read about. These are things you need to live if you want to fool the person's friends and family.

4) The ending was highly predictable. It was a pretty little wrap up ending with a pretty little bow. It was so predictable that I could have written it half way through the book. Gag.

5) I felt no chemistry between Charlotte and Richard. The other books had build up. This one was just "I've known you for 2 days. I'm in love with you now." Richard and Charlotte are the least charismatic characters in the series. I literally couldn't care less about what happened to either of them.

6) How come only the good guys have flashes? None of the bandits they fight use flashes, except that one woman. You'd think proportionately more of the bag guys would be able to flash.

7) Richard goes up against gangs of killers and beats them all regularly, but Brennan, who probably never fought a real fight in his life, is tough competition?

8) Declan's mom is high nobility in a country that sends changelings to basically child prisons. I find it hard to believe she'd be so accepting of Jack. This point I could overlook if it wasn't for all the other points. Compounded they makes me grate with each unbelievable item in this book. I'm going to include Charlotte's adopted mom on the whole unrealistically accepting thing.

9) The mirror had a video of a random conversation that Charlotte had with her ex husband on their balcony. So they're videoing every citizen 24 hours a day now? Who's paying for all that? It makes so little sense my head wants to explode.

10) Why would Spider confess his plan to Sophie as he's walking away (about being there to stop the wedding). It doesn't situationally make sense. Even if the plan is aborted you would never disclose it. He's a spy! Spys don't blab.

11) At the beginning of the book she's popping pimples and feeling faint. By the end she's super killing the toughest rechargable monsters dozens at a time. The magical proportion doesn't make sense. And fine, if you want to take out the recycling their life energy part, what about on the ship? She killed 20 sailors. That's got to be harder than fixing HALF of a person's acne face.

12) Richard hires bandits to attack Brennan to make Brennan think he's being set up. Then Richard proceeds to kill them. He hired people to die. And he fees no shame for this? I'm sorry but he doesn't know their history. These guys could have been petty thieves who never truly hurt anyone. And he just kills them, knowing he put them there, and then feels no remorse. How is he supposed to be the mortal one in this book?

There's more. There's so much more. But it's 11pm and I want to go to bed. Basically this book was just phoning it in. Yes, all 4 books in the series are basically the same layout and are pretty predictable, but with the other 3 they had lovable characters and some believablity so I was willing to forgive their faults, but this one has no redeeming qualities. I need to go finish the Kate Daniels series so I can get the bad taste of Steel's Edge out of my mind. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I just finished book 4. Went to review it and saw my review from a few years ago and laughed so hard that I’m just going to let it stand. On reread I enjoyed it more than the first time. I just too..."

I definitely agree with at least one of your points... (view spoiler)[the impersonation plotline was some Mission Impossible Shit:

(hide spoiler)]

[Diana Stormblessed]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I just finished book 4. Went to review it and saw my review from a few years ago and laughed so hard that I’m just going to let it stand. On reread I enjoyed it more than..."

More like Face Off 😂

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Same difference... change the face, and the body magically happens, because they just do an actor swap...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I just finished book 4. Went to review it and saw my review from a few years ago and laughed so hard that I’m just going to let it stand. On reread ..."

Speaking of, you know a sequel is in development, right?... Travolta & Nicolas Cage are signed on... the script has been delayed by the Writer's Strike... no news on when it'll enter filming...

[Diana Stormblessed]

Nooooo….. I don’t know how I feel about that. On the one hand I think every movie doesn’t need to be brought back 20 years later. It’s going to be so cheesy. But on the other hand, the original was already so cheesy so it couldn’t get any worse. 😂 Bottom line is I’d probably watch it.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I still need to watch The Unfathomable Weight of Immense Talent... I kinda love how Nicolas Cage leans into his persona these days... he has this whole philosophy about acting that's kinda bonkers but fun...

And he still manages to squeeze in some solid performances, in between the weird ones... and it probably makes his lower budget movies more watchable... I don't see too many of them, since I don't make much time for movies in general, but I definitely see blurbs and reviews...

like that one where he's seeking revenge for a stolen hog...



97% on Rotten Tomatoes

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Have you ever read about Nicolas Cage's "Nouveau Shamanic" acting style?... every time I read about it, I don't even know what to say about it... some call it extreme method acting... it definitely works for Cage, regardless (sometimes more than others, with some of the heavily memed movie images to attest)...

[Nirkatze]

Read #4 Steel's Edge a few days ago and was laughing at your rant list @Diana! In retrospect I can see all of those points, but thankfully while reading I was blissfully ignorant... I actually enjoyed Charlotte as a character, but I have a soft spot for healers... (view spoiler)[I do feel like the book was about twice as long as it needed to be... I really liked the slaver plotline with George & Jack's father thrown in, but by the time they burnt down the Market, it seemed like the rest of the book just dragged on... that should have been the climax with taking down the nobles behind it a nice cleanup denouement, but it was another half the book... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

it was definitely a book intended to wrap all the lingering plot points up, because they knew this was the end of the line, I think...

[Diana Stormblessed]

Nirkatze wrote: "Read #4 Steel's Edge a few days ago and was laughing at your rant list @Diana! In retrospect I can see all of those points, but thankfully while reading I was blissfully ignorant... I actually enjo..."

I agree that this time around while i was reading I didn't think too much of the plotlines and just enjoyed the ride. I was actually going to give it 4 stars until I read my prior rant and decided to just leave it lol. All the points are true. It just depends on what kind of mood you are in when you read it. I think the first time I read it I just finished Kate Daniels for the first time and was expecting another masterpiece. I wasn't prepared for a fluff read lol

[Nirkatze]

That makes sense... I think my inner book barometer writes off anything with rotating couples each book as fluff automatically...

[Ann-Marie]

I enjoyed these, I didn't mind the POV swaps since the prior characters appeared in series as it progressed.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "I enjoyed these, I didn't mind the POV swaps since the prior characters appeared in series as it progressed."

I'll make the Hidden Legacy thread now... those should give you some Tarot Sequence vibes, Ann-Marie... I re-read them last year when we were BRing the Tarot Sequence series so Nirkatze & Emily could read them for the first time...

[Marie]

Some more late final thoughts:
I enjoyed the series. It was definitely more of a "enjoy and don't think too much about it" kind of read. I noted some issues and some things that didn't make sense but they didn't really impair my enjoyment.

I did like that although the main characters changed, there were still connections throughout the whole series.

Just one thing about Steel's Edge. (view spoiler)[Is it just me that finds changing your face forever completely horrifying? Wouldn't you get big identity issues from that? Also, you are stuck wearing the face of a villain forever? Because yeah it's sweet and all that she will like him with any face but there would be consequences... I felt like it was brushed over too fast. Like, the main issue was with the procedure being dangerous... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

As I suggested a month or so ago, I'm re-using the Edge thread for Innkeeper Chronicles, since George & Jack & Gaston & Lark carry over in book 2+, on occasion...

I re-read Clean Sweep on Saturday, as my work book, and it was a quick read as usual...

I called Hidden Legacy #1-3 the best crafted Ilona Andrews series/trilogy, coming off the experience from Kate Daniels & The Edge/etc, with a new IP... and I stand by that...

BUT... Innkeeper Chronicles is my favorite world/magic system... I'm a sucker for magical inns & Bed and Breakfasts... and this is a nice SF/UF/etc mashup as well, which I'm also totally here for... not to mention all the imaginative characters coming in this book and future books and re-imagined mythos/explanations...

Also, for those that care, and since I kinda note this now... the MMC never once utters "I'm gonna make you sleep with me"... so there's that :D

I think some of the lost polish comes from this being published as a web serial, released chapter by chapter and with less editing when going from finished serial to ebook/audio...

The only book in the series I know anyone had any real problems with was the most recent one, I think... whichever one is The Bachelor book... it had an element of voting and epigraph testimonials, that especially people who just waited for the official release weren't a fan of, in the book structure... but that's an October Problem ;)

[Ann-Marie]

Should I finish the last 2 Kate Daniels books before starting these...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

You can read at same time, I'd say... altho the first couple are still narrated by Renee Raudman, so might cause some confusion?... as the authors go more indie, the consistency of narrators fades away, sadly, and they start paying for their own narrators, for better or worse... where possible they get the same narrator multiple times, but availability is a factor... one of the upsides of Big Publishers and long release processes...

[Diana Stormblessed]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Should I finish the last 2 Kate Daniels books before starting these..."

They're unrelated so you can read these without finishing Kate Daniels.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Renee Raudman does all of Kate Daniels, the Edge, the first Hidden Legacy trilogy, and the first 3 Innkeeper Chronicle books...

Several different male narrators do the male KD stories (Magic Stars with Derek, Iron & Magic, and Roman Chronicles/Sanctuary)...

Aurelia Ryder is Suzanne Elise Freeman... Wilmington Years is Hillary Huber and Michael Glenn (alternates POVs with Curran)...

Renee Raudman passes the reins to Emily Rankin in the novella that bridges the Hidden Legacy trilogies, as the POV shifts from Nevada to Catalina...

Natalie Naudus does Innkeeper Chronicles 4-5, and Nora Solyan does Innkeeper Chronicles 6...

When Natalie Naudus happened, I hoped it was just for book 4, since book 4 is technically a side book with a different POV, like Gunmetal Magic in the Kate Daniels series...

[Diana Stormblessed]

I just started Clean Sweep today. This was my least favorite IA series when I originally read it cuz I found Dina annoying. So far I'm enjoying it more than my first time so fingers crossed.

[Diana Stormblessed]

Ok I’m halfway through and I think what I didn’t like was the way the narrator voiced Dina. I’m listening to the graphic audio, and while I normally really don’t like graphic audio (I find the background sounds distracting, but it’s the only audio my library has for this book) I’m liking the character voices a lot more than I did with the regular audio.

[Ann-Marie]

I finished Clean Sweep and I liked it, especially Beast and Caldenia <3 You have to love when a female character is underestimated then ends up kicking ass lol I liked the concept of the inn and how it was basically a character int he story as well. Quick, easy listen as well.

[Diana Stormblessed]

Finished. I liked it a lot this time around. I listened to it now on graphic audio and didn't have any annoying feelings. I really liked the characters actually. It didn't have the over saturated machoness from other IA books. I'm actually a big fan now.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

WOO

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Just started book 2... how have I never noticed the name of the Arbitrator that recruits George before?... I have to have read this book like 5x... (view spoiler)[and it's Klaus DeMille, Dina & Maud's brother... I never noticed his occupation mentioned before, until later in the story when George tells Dina (hide spoiler)]

/facepalm...

[Diana Stormblessed]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Just started book 2... how have I never noticed the name of the Arbitrator that recruits George before?... I have to have read this book like 5x... [spoilers removed]

/facepalm..."

I thought it was very explicitly stated. I do remember knowing that the first time I read the book.

[Charlie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Just started book 2... how have I never noticed the name of the Arbitrator that recruits George before?... I have to have read this book like 5x... [spoilers removed]

/facepalm..."

I love picking up new details :D

[Ann-Marie]

I finished Sweep in Peace and One Fell Sweep, I liked them quite a lot (Fell Sweep a little better than Peace despite the guests that were in that one). I am enjoying the series for the most part, I love when she kicks some ass with her broom lol

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Zoomin'... I'll wait a bit longer before reading #3...

#4 is a good one... Sweep of the Blade...

I think you met Maud in book 3... (view spoiler)[and book 4 is her book (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Zoomin'... I'll wait a bit longer before reading #3...

#4 is a good one... Sweep of the Blade...

I think you met Maud in book 3... [spoilers removed]"

I hadn't read the precis for the next looking forward to that and I hope the (view spoiler)[daughter (hide spoiler)] is in it a lot <3

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Trust in House Andrews :D

[Diana Stormblessed]

Reading Sweep in Peace. Why is every single man Dina meets “ridiculously handsome”? I wasn’t sure it was possible but I might be tired of handsome men in this book.

[Nirkatze]

I read #1 Clean Sweep last week, and it was really interesting revisiting this--this being my very first Andrews and now after having read most of their other universe. Sam definitely falls on the milder side of the alphaholes--as @Iain said, he never says to her "you will sleep with me and like it" though he does insist on acting like he is god's gift to straight females and of course knows better than anyone. It's really satisfying (view spoiler)[when Dina reveals she knows more about him that he knows about himself, and then he finally starts treating her like a person worth respect instead of a pair of boobs in need of saving.

Agree with @Ann-Marie that I love Beast and Caldenia, and agree with @Iain about Innkeeper stories... I like how a lot of this is sort of cozy Innkeeper taking-care-of-business, like hiding bodies and taking care of magical pests. The Costco scene remains a favorite. (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Finished Sweep of the Blade which catches me up on this mega buddy read finally! I liked this one but man that ending!Loved the action in this one and Helen was adorable <3

[Marie]

I finished the first book some time ago and really enjoyed it. Reading so much IA in a row makes me notice a lot of sameness in characters and interactions but they always come up with a cool idea for a setting/magic. And this time it's merge of fantasy and sci-fi which I always find intriguing. I am now reading the second book and idk if I already felt it in the first one but this series feels bit more fresh. Not as much sameness. I think The Edge had issue with having to do convincing romance in one book each time and the Hidden Legacy so far was a bit pushy with the romance so I am quite happy with book 2 taking a break so far and going slow. (view spoiler)[Also I loled when Arland pointed out that vampires usually win over werewolfs in paranormal romances. (hide spoiler)] I am quite enjoying the story and the Edge characters making a comeback.