Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews (Edge #3)
Paranormal Romance
November 29, 2011
Ace

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: At the door, Audrey called, “Are you coming?”

“No, just breathing hard, love.” He glanced at her and was rewarded by an outraged glare, followed by, “Oh my God!”

Ilona Andrews is in the very top of my favorite authors list. They are amazing storytellers and come up with the most unique, and fascinating paranormal worlds. Fate’s Edge is no exception.

Before I set up the book, I’ll briefly explain this world. There is the Broken, which is the world we all live in. No magic, and most people don’t even know magic exists. Then there is the Weird, where magic exists, some have more magic than others. There are Dukedoms and territories and different rules than in the Broken. And there is the small strip of land between the Broken and the Weird called the Edge. A very poor place, with no boundaries or police, it is the home for many people who don’t fit in either of the other worlds. And this is where Audrey, our heroine is from.

Audrey Callahan is ready to break ties with her family. Living a life of stealing and running cons with her father, she now has a job in the broken and wants to live a straight life. But her brother is a drug addict, and her father repeatedly gives into him. Wanting to send him to an expensive drug rehab center, Audrey very reluctantly agrees to help her father pull a heist – for the very last time. Audrey is able to pick any lock with her magical talent, which makes her necessary in her fathers cons. But what they end up stealing is going to get them into a whole lot of trouble.

Kalder Mar also grew up in The Edge, more specifically the Mire, which is a huge swamp. He has lived his life conning, stealing and sweet talking his way into money, which he supported his large extended family with. He can so easily change his identity or personality to fit into any situation, it makes him very unassuming. But don’t be fooled. There is a big war happening with two opposing territories and they each have their own version of a secret service or CIA type organization. The Hand, who if you had to choose, are the more evil of the two groups has decimated the Mar family and all Kalder wants out of his life is revenge. Which is why he now works for the opposing group, the Mirror. When Audrey’s father goes to sell the piece he has stolen, things go sour and the Mirror and the Hand become involved. Which means Kalder needs to retrieve this item. And that leads him to Audrey.

I could go on and on setting up this book. I find this Edge series to have somewhat complex situations. There are always political struggles, family feuds, and they always pair up the hero and heroine who must struggle so much to find love. But it is all so worth it and it makes for books that are so rich and full of adventure. In Fate’s Edge we also get a big dose of fun sexual chemistry too. Kalder is smooth. He is a charmer, not used to women saying no to him. So when Audrey ends up having to help him in his quest to retrieve the very item she help steal, Kalder is a little taken aback when she refuses his lusty advances. But it actually makes the chase more fun for him. He gives her such a hard time too! He never lets up with the flirting and outrageous remarks. But she handles it quite well

He leaned closer. “I like the way you say my name, love. Say it again.”

She plucked a paper map off the dashboard. “No.”

“Auudreey?” He toyed with the lock of her hair. His voice dropped into the quiet intimate murmur that usually got him laid. “Say my name.”

She leaned toward him, her eyelids half-lowered, her long eyelashes fanning her cheeks. She titled her face to his, close, closer. Her lips parted.

Here it comes.

“Dumb-ass.”

Audrey comes from a family that uses her, and never gives her anything in return. And she feels that is exactly what Kalder will do if she goes to bed with him. It’s a long struggle for her to accept that he wants more from her than just a romp in the sack, but I really think it stays true to her character that she holds out for so long.

And I love the moment Kalder realizes he is in love with her. Throughout the book she gains his respect by her work ethic and just her personality. But when he realizes that he wouldn’t mind becoming more like her (something that would happen if he spent the rest of his life with her) it is a very sweet moment. And for all of Audrey’s nonchalance about their flirting, she has fallen for him hard. And she is willing to open herself up to let him in. It ends up being a really sweet romance. 

It’s funny though because Kalder and Audrey don’t even meet until about 100 pages into this story, but I didn’t even notice. Ilona Andrews writes such fascinating worlds and characters, I didn’t miss that there isn’t a heavy romance. Okay – maybe I would have liked a tiny bit more romance, but it is just a passing thought.

For fans of this series, 14 year old George and 12 year old Jack have a lot of page time in this one and I think they make this series. And that says a lot because I don’t necessarily love kids in my books. But these two are just fascinating and I can’t wait to continue their story and see where they go. There are big developments for them in this one.

The villains are super evil and creepy, the dialogue is quick and witty and the world is very well done. This can be read as a stand alone, but you will miss some background with the supporting characters. The first two in this series are really good as well, and I definitely recommend them.

Rating: B+

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