Review: The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews

 

The Inheritance (Breach Wars #1) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: August 10th 2025 by NYLA

Pages: 280

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Ten years ago, interdimensional gates opened up all over the world and monsters spilled out. The Earth paid a heavy price, but when those gates opened some humans started registering magical gifts called “Talents”.  Now these Talents go into the gates into the “Breach” to mine out special resources to help in the fight against these alien forces.

 

Ada Moore is a Talent working for the government as an Assessor, going down into the gates to look for valuable resources before they shut the gate down. As a single mother of two, she needs the health insurance and other benefits, so she braves the danger and so far, it’s paid off. However, her mission with combat team Cold Chaos, something goes horribly wrong, and she’s stuck with only the team’s German Shepherd, Bear. Ada’s determined to get out and back to her kids, though. Her time in the breach is filled with danger, discovery and change! I loved Bear, her sweet and fierce companion!

 

Right away I was rooting for Ada! She’s a relatable, normal mom, trying to get by and do the best for her two kids, but she’s also resourceful and smart! Her Talent is a special, complex one! I won’t say more.

 

Back up top, the leader of Cold Chaos, Elias McFeron, a powerful combat Talent, is trying to find out what happened after the news of the mission gets back to him. Going back down to retrieve the fallen is his priority.

 

I was so excited to pick up The Inheritance, but I waited until I had a chunk of uninterrupted time because I knew I’d want to read it straight through once starting! Ilona Andrews never fails to deliver an exciting, page-turning adventure with complex, relatable characters! While this storyline does wrap up, there’s so much more to come and I’m eager for the next book!

5 Stars

Book Description:

We are at war. The interdimensional invasion brought us unimaginable suffering, but it also awoke talents slumbering deep within us, a means to repel and destroy our enemy. Every day new gates open, leading to breaches filled with monsters and valuable resources. If you are a Talent, your country needs you. The world needs you. Be the hero you were born to be.

Adaline is a Talent. Ten years ago, she had a happy marriage and a job she loved. The invasion shattered both. Now she works for the government, searching the breaches for magic metals and medicine to help Earth repel an interdimensional enemy. Two kids, one cat, bills, benefits, mortgage and school tuition...Risking her life became routine.

She had gone into the dimensional gates hundreds of times. She was always well protected. This time everything goes wrong. Now Ada is trapped in the labyrinth of alien caves unlike any other. Her only companion is a scared German Shepherd named Bear. Together they must uncover the breach's secrets and escape, because Ada promised her children that she will come home.

The future of humanity depends on it.

Audiobook Review: Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

 

Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: November 13th 2015 by NYLA

Pages: 315

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 50min

Narrator: Renée Raudman

Source: Purchased

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

 

Re-read 6/13/25 for Books of My Heart read-long. So good!

I didn't write much of a review the first time I listened back in 2016. I appreciated the story more the second time around, especially since I recently finished reading The Edge series and so remembered George, Jack and Sophie a lot more, and I'd now recommend reading that series before this one.

Dina is a little bored and lonely since Sean left, but that quickly changes when Arbitrator George Camarine requests her in host peace talks, at Gertrude Hunt, between the Vampires, Merchants and The Otrokars, aka "The Hope-Crushing Horde", all engaged in a bloody war for Nexus.

A very risky proposition with lethal delegates, but Dina needs the money and it'll Gertrude Hunt's reputation if it goes off well. But that's a big "IF".

The Innkeeper Chronicles is a wonderfully imagined fantasy world with well-developed characters. Mystery, danger, betrayal and just a bit of romance all blended into this exciting installment!

5/9/2016:

I want the next one!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Dina DeMille doesn’t run your typical Bed and Breakfast. Her inn defies laws of physics, her fluffy dog is secretly a monster, and the only paying guest is a former Galactic tyrant with a price on her head. But the inn needs guests to thrive, and guests have been scarce, so when an Arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance.

Unfortunately, for Dina, keeping the peace between Space Vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the devious Merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. On top of keeping her guests from murdering each other, she must find a chef, remodel the inn... and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an Innkeeper...

Audiobook Review: Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews

 

Sanctuary (Roman's Chronicles #1) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: July 30th 2024 by NYLA

Pages: 152

Audio Book Length: 4hrs 27min

Narrator: Chris Brinkley

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Roman is grumpy, back from a task assigned by his Slavic god, Chernobog, still not complete, but he has the Koliada, the Winter Festival off. All he wants is to rest, sip eggnog and eat cookies, but things change when a teenage boy and his puppy (cue heart eyes!) shows up on his property and asks for sanctuary.

 

You’d think Roman, a Dark Volhv serving an evil god wouldn’t be a big-hearted softy, but “evil” in this story isn’t defined in the traditional sense. Soon after taking the boy in, a band of mercenaries show up determined to take the boy and the dog, but they have another thing coming if they think Roman’s just going to give him up. It was fun to see them underestimate Roman and his rag-tag bunch of strange and lethal creatures, adorable in their own odd way!

 

I’m a big fan of Ilona Andrews! It was fun to have Roman fleshed out, as I’ve liked him in the Kate Daniels series. Sanctuary was a fun, fast read, action-packed and infused with Andrews’ signature humor! Things wrapped up, but there were paths left open and I’m eager for more stories! A possible romance a-brewing? I’m all in!

 

I listened to the audio version with Chris Brinkley, a narrator I’ve enjoyed in the past, performing. His pronunciation of what seemed to be to me, difficult words (gods, mythology, etc.) was smooth and well done! I thoroughly enjoyed his performance! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes a novella featuring Roman, our favorite Volhv wizard in the always intriguing, colorful, volatile Kate Daniels world.

It’s not easy serving Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.

Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it's a fight to the death, but for him, it's just another day in the neighborhood.

Audiobook Review: Magic Tides & Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews

 

Magic Tides & Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years 1 & 2) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: July 10th 2023 by NYLA

Pages: 158 (Magic Tides) 240 (Magic Claims)

Audio Book Length: 12 hrs 21 mins

Narrators: Hillary Huber & Michael Glenn

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I was thrilled to find out we were getting more stories in the Kate Daniels world! Magic Tides and Magic Claims are the newest installments. Kate Daniels is one of my all-time favorite UF series! Ilona Andrews is such a talented writing team, so I was all smiles diving back in!

With Magic Tides Kate and Curran have moved to Wilmington to get away from the Pack and have a more normal kind of life for their family.  They wanted a place where no one knew them, their powers, their history. Of course, when someone is in trouble Kate can’t deny help. Especially when it’s their son Conlan requesting the aid for one of his friends. The friend’s cousin has been kidnapped by The Red Horn, a nasty criminal gang. When Kate finds out the details she decides to go and get him back. The father, Tom, is more than a little skeptical of Kate’s abilities, but has run out of options. However, his opinion changes as he sees Kate in action. And, oh boy, was it fun to see Kate in action again! Even when she’s embarking on a mission on the fly, she’s still several steps ahead of any opponent.

Magic Claims makes it evident that Kate, Curran, and Conlan won’t be able to stay under the radar, or avoid the responsibilities that come with the power they have. They all feel such a duty to those in need and both were born to lead. With Magic Claims, there’s an evil power demanding tribute from the town of Penderton in the form of human sacrifices. The deadline is coming for another payment, so the leaders reach out to Kate and Curran to help. Another exciting story and the end hints at more stories to come. I’m so excited!

f you haven’t read the Kate Daniels series, you need to drop everything and start it! You’ll love Kate, a smart badass heroine and her Beast Lord hero! The plots are riveting, with action, mystery, danger and romance! I’m so happy to get anything more in this world!

There’s been one narrator for the series up until these two novellas. She was the voice of Kate to me, so of course I was worried to find out there would be a new narrator. When Hillary Huber was picked (I was part of the group voting) I was ecstatic because I knew Ms. Huber would make a fantastic Kate! Love her rich voice, gravelly voice, and her comedic timing is perfection! She’s taken on the role splendidly! Michael Glenn, a new-to-me-narrator, slipped right into the role of Curran and made him come alive in all his alpha glory! I highly recommend the audio! I listened at my usual 1.5xs normal speed. 

5 Stars

Book Description:

In Book #1, MAGIC TIDES, Kate, Curran and their son, Conlan have left Atlanta, vowing to keep a low profile, and are settling into a new city and new house…but some things never change! Magical mayhem is about to erupt when Kate undertakes the rescue of a kidnapped youth, while Curran guards the home front.

It should be a simple retrieval, but with monsters on land and sea, Kate’s got her work cut out for her. Still, she's never let her blade dull or her purpose falter. And that low profile? It’s about to wash away with the raging tides!

In Book #2, MAGIC CLAIMS, Kate and Curran have just settled into their new home and their “low profile,” when a local businessman approaches them with an offer they can’t refuse. A mysterious evil has spawned in the nearby forest and is holding a defenseless town hostage. The “ransom date” is rapidly approaching.

It’s exactly the kind of fight the Lennarts can’t resist, not for the prize the town offers, but for the people who will surely die if they ignore it. If they succeed, they’ll be rescuing an entire community and can build a strong new base for their family and the Wilmington Pack. If they fail...well, fail is a four-letter word.

Nothing comes without a price. Now Kate must decide if she has what it takes to pay it.

Audiobook Review: Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews

 

Sweep of the Heart (Innkeeper Chronicles #5) by Ilona Andrews

Publication Date: January 13th 2023 by NYLA

Pages: 454

Audio Book Length: 16 hrs 25 mins

Narrators: Nora Sofyan

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Wilmos, Sean’s werewolf friend and advisor is kidnapped and the only way to reach the place he was taken is through a portal controlled by the Dominion. They’ll agree to give access if Dina and Sean host their spousal selection at Gertrude Hunt. This is a huge undertaking with representatives from twelve different alien species. Several very tricky and dangerous. It is a risky event, one refused by the other Inn’s and Dina wouldn’t take it on except for the situation with Wilmos. Sean and Dina definitely have their work cut out for them.

Caldenia is a big part of the story. Officer Marais and even the Costco lady has a role. First Scholar Thek of the koo-ko, aka: space chickens!!! We met them in the novella, Sweep With Me, and First Scholar Thek is with us again sharing his enlightened intellect. So, so funny!

 

I’m always amazed by Ilona Andrews’ writing talent, they’re just so good, and I’m immediately sucked in every time I pick up one of their books. Here I was in wonder over their imagination, creating all the different species and worlds, and the ways Dina accommodated them at the Inn. At every turn there was a problem to overcome, but Dina and Sean tackled them together as a united team. As usual, humor is woven through the story that at times had me laughing at loud.

Sweep of the Heart is part of the Innkeeper series, book five, and these books are best read in order. Such a phenomenal series, so if you haven’t started you are in for a treat and you can binge read!

The audio version was fantastic! Nora Sofyan performed all the voices beautifully. I loved her portrayal of Dina, which for me was the most important as the lead, and she gave each character (there were many) a distinct voice. I listened at my usual 1.5-1.75x normal speed. Definite recommend!

5 Stars

Book Description:

From the New York Times #1 bestselling author, Ilona Andrews, comes a fun and action-packed new adventure in the Innkeeper Chronicles! We invite you to relax, enjoy yourself, and above all, remember the one rule all visitors must obey: the humans must never know.

Life is busier than ever for Innkeeper, Dina DeMille and Sean Evans. But it’s about to get even more chaotic when Sean's werewolf mentor is kidnapped. To find him, they must host an intergalactic spouse-search for one of the most powerful rulers in the Galaxy. Dina is never one to back down from a challenge. That is, if she can manage her temperamental Red Cleaver chef; the consequences of her favorite Galactic ex-tyrant's dark history; the tangled politics of an interstellar nation, and oh, yes, keep the wedding candidates from a dozen alien species from killing each other. Not to mention the Costco lady.

They say love is a battlefield; but Dina and Sean are determined to limit the casualties!