Clean Sweep
On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is... different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.
And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night... Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans — an alpha-strain werewolf — and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.
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Ilona Andrews
Ilona Andrews, the dynamic husband-and-wife writing team behind some of the most beloved urban fantasy novels, has captivated readers with their fast-paced, action-packed stories that blend the fantastical with the everyday. With a knack for building intricate worlds, complex characters, and gripping plots, the duo—Ilona and Gordon Andrews—have carved a niche for themselves in the fantasy genre, with a distinct voice that keeps readers coming back for more.
Born with a love for storytelling, Ilona began her journey in the world of writing as a way to escape the mundane. Her background in science and her vivid imagination created the perfect foundation for the worlds she would later bring to life in her books. Drawing inspiration from her Russian roots and a wide range of literary genres, Ilona seamlessly mixes mythology, magic, and real-world issues to craft stories that feel fresh and compelling.
The Innkeeper Chronicles
The Innkeeper Chronicles is a series that author Ilona Andrews publishes on her website free. The first book, Clean Sweep, is available as an e-book and the second is titled Sweep in Peace.
"The Innkeeper Chronicles, like most of our work, is a little hard to classify, but it borrows elements from science fiction and urban fantasy and mashes them together into a hopefully coherent whole. "
The Innkeeper Chronicles consists of five primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Reviews and Comments
Reviewing The Innkeeper Chronicles 1&2. I heard about the Innkeeper Chronicles when Ilona Andrews was publishing the chapters one by one as a serial on her website. I'm not very good at following serials, so I did not start reading then but rather waited until they were done and published the serial, and later the sequel. It was very much worth the wait. I don't think I've ever read a book from Ilona Andrews that I did not like at all. There's been some that I didn't really fall for like the new hot&heavy sorcerer romance Burn For Me. Clean Sweep and Sweep in Peace were both excellent and I couldn't make them better if I tried. Clean Sweep introduces us to a new world but in a series that will at some point (fine, fine... in Sweep in Peace) tie into Andrews' series The Edge. The characters are fresh, interesting and alien... literally. I love that the different alien races in the series are also described as looking very different from normal humans. And they are clearly from cultures that do not share much with humans - and those clashes and fun and scary. Sweep in Peace takes what Clean Sweep created and emphasizes the strong points of the heroine Dina DeMille; her integrity, pride and extreme down-to-earth practical mindset are impressive and help take the story forward. The sequel surprised me with the emotional baggage the feelings that I got from it. Without the lighter parts and humor in it, it would have been much heavier read, and even as it is it left me in deep thoughts and misty eyes - unexpected, but not unwelcome. Without giving away more, I would urge any fans of Andrews, magical inns, clever heroines and an action fantasy that doesn't focus on romance to get their hands on these!