2 Bloggers 1 Series - Gunmetal Magic

So Stormi and I continued on with the Kate Daniels series this month with a title that is actually 5.5 in the series.  Carole from Carole's Random Life in Books mentioned to me that it was probably better to read this one where it fell so we decided to work it in.  To see if it was a good or bad idea, read on!  And then go check out Stormi's review at  Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!

TITLE: Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels 5.5)
AUTHOR: Ilona Andrews
PUBLISHER: Ace
PUBLISHING DATE: July 31, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: Some people have everything figured out—Andrea Nash is not one of those people. 

After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. All she can do is to try to put herself back together, something made easier by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend Kate Daniels. 

When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda and Andrea’s former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate…and must work with Raphael. As Andrea’s search for the killer leads her into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta, she knows that dealing with her feelings for Raphael might have to take a back seat to saving the world… 

MY THOUGHTS: So when we start, Andrea's life is a mess.  She's been kicked out of the Order, she and Raphael are still on the outs and she has so much baggage she sleeps in the closet of her heavily warded apartment.  The only positive thing is her job working with Kate at her detective agency, and even that may create more problems than she can handle when a group of Raphael's workers are brutally murdered and she is tasked with finding the culprits.

I have to get this out of the way.  I liked "Gunmetal Magic" but that being said, I kind of struggled with it and it's my least favorite installment so far.  I was super excited to learn more about Andrea and that still stands, but there were a few reasons this book didn't work for me.  The relationship between Andrea and Raphael grated my last nerve.  So I get that they both messed up, and I get that they both still have feelings for each other.  I even understand there is going to be a huge amount of angst given that they have to work together.  I liked angst and hate-to-love relationships.  But these two were already mated basically and they were both being stupid and it all became a little to much.   I also found myself missing Kate and Curran, even though they do make appearances.  And let's not forget - giant snake-people.

As for the positives.  The mystery was interesting enough and we get so see some of our favorite side characters.  Also, I still like Andrea and feel that she had a lot of character growth during the novel, even if she is still kind of dysfunctional.  There was also plenty of action.  I just felt myself struggling to pick it up which isn't something I encountered with this series before.  But am I glad I read it?  Most definitely.

One last note.  There simply was not enough Grendel, the giant attack poodle.  Since Andrea cared for him so much in the past, I assumed he would be around more.  There is an adorable bulldog in the beginning of the book named Chief but he didn't stick around long and basically just worried me.  I WANT MORE GRENDEL!

RATING: 3 Paws


COYER CHALLENGE UPDATE: Read a book written but two individuals (most are aware that Ilona Andrews is a husband/wife team).