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349 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 25, 2010
“We had a fight,screamed at each other for a while,I kicked him in the head,and then he stayed the night.”
“Nothing good could possibly come from a plan that involved turning a man into a syphilis incubator.”
“The rabbis paled. I’d managed to terrify holy men. Maybe I could beat up a nun for an encore.”
“He was mine.He cared for me,he made me lose all sense,he didn't give a damn about my father.He was what I wanted,because he made me happy.I wanted him like I'd never wanted anyone in my life.”
“You don't pick the family you're born into. You pick the one you make. I already chose my mate and glued her ass to the chair to make sure she knew it.”
"Why call them half-breeds?"
"It's a convenient term. It drips with contempt. Your're a soldier who faces a monstrosity. It's stronger and faster than you, it looks like a nightmare, and when it takes a wound that would kill a normal man, its fellows push you back and fifteen minutes later the creature you wounded is back on its feet. Where will your courage come from?"
I leaned toward her. "But if you think the creature is an abomination, a half-breed, who is less than you, you might reach deep inside and find a pair..."
"Exactly."
I could do this. I just had to stay cool. Zen. No punching in the face. Punching would not be Zen.Well, to be honest, the first part of the book wasn’t that fantastic but the second half simply blew me away. Why? Action, mystery, the usual Kate badassery, lots of emotion, some downright heart-breaking moments and humour, lots of it.
A lion roar burst through the phone. I held it away from my ear until he was done. “Very scary. I feel it’s my duty to remind you that threatening a member of law enforcement is punishable by law. If you would like to file a petition regarding your break-in, the Order will gladly look into the matter for you.” The phone fell silent. Oh God, I gave him an aneurysm.In this instalment we get more details about Kate’s blood and lineage (lovely family!) and learn about the Pack rules & regulations in detail (such complexity, I love that!). Kate becoming Curran’s mate is wreaking havoc in the Pack politics, with most of its members suffering from a collective panic attack. This new situation is unsettling for most of the weres and gives a new edge to the series, with some unexpected twists & developments.
Kate Daniels, deadly swordmaster. Fear my twitching pinkie.Kate. Do I really have to go into this? Okay. Hall Hail the Queen of Snarky Badasses. I rest my case.
The rabbis paled. I’d managed to terrify holy men. Maybe I could beat up a nun for an encore.The Kate/Curran love story does take precedence over the action in this instalment, which apparently disappointed some readers. I actually liked that the romance part of the series was only a subplot until now and was afraid this would turn into some boring paranormal romance thing. Well, fear not for Ilona Andrews handles things very well. I was annoyed at first because Kate & Curran were both acting stubborn and very childish but it didn’t last long. Besides, things never get corny-mushy between them. With these two? Oh no. They’d rather rip each other apart first! This is no bunnies & rainbows romance. We get some very serious conversations between Kate & His Fuzziness but mostly we get hilarious scenes. The mating game is just hilarious. It doesn’t get much better than that!
“What’s this?”Yes. I'm in love with this series. Yes. I want to be Kate Daniels when I grow up. Yes I need to get my hands on the next instalment NOW.
“A needle.”
“What should I do with it?” He’d walked right into it. Too easy.
“Please use it to pop your head. It’s obscuring my view of the room.”
“I can't give you the white picket fence, and if I did, you'd set it on fire.”
“Don’t die on me, you stupid sonovabitch. You goddamn fucking idiot. I told you to stay out of the damn fight! Why the hell don’t you ever listen? I fucking hate you. I hate you, you hear me? Don’t you dare die on me, because I need to kill you with my bare hands.”
“The stairs ended. I wished I knew the jackass who’d made the staircase so short. I’d throw him down the damn steps so he could count them with his head.”
“You might want to decide fast. We live in a dangerous world. If you see a chance to be happy, you have to fight for it, so later you have no regrets.”
Mad gold eyes stared into mine. "Do you miss me, Kate?"
I closed my eyes trying to shut him out. I could lie then we would be back to square one. Nothing would be resolved. I'd still be alone, hating him and wanting him.
He grabbed my shoulders and shook me once. "Do you miss me?"
I took the plunge. "Yes.”
“I gave him my hard stare. “You're a control freak and I fight all authority. And you want us to mate?”
A wicked spark lit his eyes. “Many, many times.”