Series: The Iron Covenant
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.
Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she’s trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.
Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”
Hugh and Elara may do both.
• Supporting character is either deaf or mute and communicates through ASL
• Murder
– Hero sleeps with an OW after marrying the heroine (even though it’s a relationship of convenience)
– Even though the Hero and Heroine were married, they weren’t in a relationship. Nor did they care for each other.
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
– The heroine walks in on the Hero sleeping with the OW
– The hero also considers sleeping with the heroine’s lady’s maid but dismisses the idea.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Format: Kindle
Rating: 4.25/5 stars
I love high fantasy books, especially the mix between Magic and medieval times. Iron and Magic is particularly interesting since the predominant main character is Hugh, who was an established character and villain in the Kate Daniels series. It’s important to note that I have not read the Kate Daniels series and that I don’t believe it’s required to read it for you to get into this book. Some scenes made me want to read the series, while others put me off it completely. It remains to be seen on whether I will or not.
What’s interesting about the main characters is that they almost serve as foils to each other. Both are willing to do anything to protect their people (like marrying each other). But, while Hugh is widely feared and recognized as dishonourable, Elara has a magical ability that few know about and is only hinted at in the book, which makes her an actual monster (although she has the complete loyalty of her people).
I really enjoyed how strong and smart Elara was, although it annoyed me how she let Hugh get under her skin so much (although I guess it’s only fair since she got under Hugh’s skin way more, it seemed). There was a lot of friction between the two main characters, which was exacerbated by Hugh’s cavalier attitude towards everything that didn’t concern his soldiers and the OW, who was one of Elara’s “people” (this, I thought, could have been done without). It always annoys me when the man has an OW and the heroine doesn’t get an OM. Although in this situation, Elara would’ve already had an OM (because Hugh moved into her castle), which means Elara would’ve never married Hugh (or she would’ve had to break up with the OM) because she doesn’t seem the type to disrespect her lover like that. I was also irked by how Elara got jealous when Hugh mentioned Kate (from the Kate Daniels series), and Hugh would notice Elara’s jealousy every time. Way to make an already arrogant and insufferable man 10x more arrogant and insufferable!
Although the romance between the main characters was obviously being built up throughout Iron and Magic, it doesn’t seem organic when they cross the line. In hindsight, it was quite random – as if it was a plot device to get them together, as it didn’t seem to be a genuine reflection of who Elara is. And, even after all the hardships they face together, the story ends with Hugh determined to find out what kind of monster Elara is. He views her as a threat and, therefore, wants to know how to kill her! Like, what?
Therefore, the ending was annoying because it felt like the main characters took a giant step forward and then a million backward in their relationship. There’s no trust, and with how it ended, I can understand why Elara is hesitant to be completely honest with Hugh. However, the awesomeness that is Elara’s character totally made the novel!
Buy Iron and Magic
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Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Ilona Andrews
Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy, #1)
Quick Take: A gripping-the-edge-of-your-seat action-driven urban fantasy that is narrated by kickass PI Nevada; however, the light romance was frustrating.
Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.
Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.
Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.
Tags: Cruel or Cold Heroes, Kickass Heroine, Magic, Mystery, Slow-burn Romance, Urban Fantasy
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