The Romanceaholic

Expected Release Date: November 29, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Ace
Author’s Website: www.ilona-andrews.com
My Source for This Book: Gift from the Publisher
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 3, The Edge
Series Best Read In Order: Works okay as a standalone, but I’d suggest reading the previous books to be safe.
Steam Level: Steamy

Official Blurb:

Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge, and she’s determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But when her brother gets into hot water, the former thief takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades… 

Kaldar Mar-a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy-expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he’s going to need Audrey’s help…

Audrey Callahan comes from a family of grifters.  Having been taken for granted by her family for so long, she’s thrilled to have finally broken away from a life of crime and destitution in the Edge by getting a legitimate job as a private investigator.  When her father approaches her about “one last job”, Audrey reluctantly agrees, knowing that if she does this, she will finally be free of her family.

But when the item stolen not only puts Audrey square into the sights of the most ruthless assassins in the Weird, but could also throw the world into a massive war, Audrey knows she cannot sit idly by and ignore the repercussions of the theft she pulled off.  Reluctantly teaming up with Kaldar Mar, the incredibly sexy con man working to get the stolen item back, Audrey finds herself pulled back into a world she never hoped to see again, and finds that her life is not the only thing at stake — her heart may be in the most danger of all.

What Worked For Me:

• I’ve love Kaldar since he was first introduced in the last Edge novel, Bayou Moon. Wickedly handsome, cunning, loyal, and a bit of a bad boy, he’s just plain delicious.
• I loved that Kaldar’s “talent” is so different from the standard PNR/UF fare — his power is luck. If he makes a bet, he’ll win it, so long as it’s something that’s physically possible.  It’s something so different and creative, but more than that, it’s something that just fits his character so beautifully; Kaldar just fits as a gambler, and adding to that his mild kleptomania, I can’t see how anyone could not adore him.
• One thing I love about Ilona Andrews is that all of their books feature strong female leads who are able to remain strong. Audrey had a rough go as a child, with no stability, but she’s not typically whiny about it, and when she is, she recognizes and acknowledges her own pity party then moves on.  I also enjoyed her talent for lockpicking, and was very pleased to find that she didn’t need to “flash white” to be a strong, capable lead.
• Oh the sexual tension between Kaldar and Audrey was divine.  Though he was a bit of a playboy, he very quickly recognized that Audrey had the potential for so much more than just a bedmate, and the romance between them was believable despite the rapid pacing and short timeframe of their “courtship”.
• While there wasn’t a lot of explicit lovemaking, there was definitely one scene in particular that should have romance fans fanning themselves, while still catering to Urban Fantasy fans by keeping the main focus of the story on the action and adventure.
• I also really enjoyed all of the action in this story.  Between running from terrifying assassins to trying to steal a powerful magical object out from under the nose of an even more powerful corrupt preacher, there was very little down-time in the book, which I loved.
• As a fan of the series, I was thrilled to see that George and Jack (originally introduced in the first book, On The Edge) played such a large part in the story.   Both boys have fascinated me from the moment they were introduced, and it was wonderful to see both of them start to come into their own. I am strongly hoping that this series lasts long enough for both boys to reach an age where they could each potentially have their own books.
• I loved the ending.  Pulse-pounding, horrifying, and heartbreaking all in one fell swoop, the final scenes kept me on the edge of my seat, and the hint at books to come have me begging for more.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

• Honestly, I loved this book with such a fierceness that I’m grasping at straws here to get something that didn’t work for me. If I had to pick something, it would be either the fact that I don’t think this book stands well on its own, and instead needs the other two books in the series as a background to keep readers from being completely lost.
• Some readers may also have a hard time believing in the speed of the relationship, as there is not a lot of time between Audrey and Kaldar’s first meeting and his bald statement that he plans on making her his wife.  I personally felt that it was surprisingly believable simply because Kaldar knew it was about time for him to start seriously considering settling down, and because it was so blatantly obvious from the very beginning that Kaldar and Audrey are truly perfect for each other.

This was most definitely my favorite book in the series thus far.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved On The Edge and Bayou Moon, but Kaldar and Audrey have stolen my heart completely.  Add to that the large part that both George and Jack have played, the expansion of an already wonderful fictional universe, and I quite literally couldn’t put it down.

While Kaldar is definitely the star of this book, Audrey certainly held her own, and the strong presence of both George and Jack was a wonderful bonus.

Newcomers to the series may have a bit of trouble following with the intricate histories of the characters, but I do think that the Edge, Weird, and Broken were explained in a way that should be fairly easy to comprehend, as were the intricacies of the various factions fighting throughout the series.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. With tons of action, excitement, family drama, and romance, I highly recommend it to any urban fantasy fan.

A delightfully solid 5/5 Stars

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