Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews Series: The Innkeeper Chronicles #1
Published by Self Pub on December 2, 2013
Genres: PNR, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 175
Format: eBook
Source: Advance Reader Copy, Courtesy review copy
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
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.
Quick background: For a while there, all my book buddies were talking about this series called the Kate Daniels series. I wasn’t too into Urban Fantasy so I just sort of ignored them. But last year I flipped through to see what all the fuss was about. I fell in love. So I read everything that they have ever written. Right now there is an Ilona Andrews shaped hole in my life, and when I saw that they have a new book out, I was stoked! And guess what? It’s illustrated!
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Clean Sweep for review.
Many of you already are huge Ilona Andrews fans, so you know of a free serial called The Innkeeper they were posting on their website. Clean Sweep is The Innkeeper but better. This is an illustrated and fantastic UF that left me both completely satisfied and wanting more. How is that possible, you ask? I’ll tell you!
I was in desperate need of something to love. I’ve had a good run of “meh” books. This satisfied my desire for something as amazing as Kate Daniels, but left me wanting more because it isn’t over (no cliffie, just you can tell there’s more of this story to tell).
Dina is an Innkeeper, and I don’t just mean like she manages a Motel 6. She has an Inn with a capitol I-basically a Victorian mansion that is a B&B. . .but it has a life of its own. Lately, there have been some neighborhood dogs that have been mauled. Her first thought is that there’s a werewolf doing this to start something with Sean, her local neighborhood werewolf. When she tells him to take care of the rogue wolf doing the killings, he plays dumb. Humans aren’t supposed to know about werewolves, but what he doesn’t know is that Dina is no ordinary human. She’s an Innkeeper who comes from Innkeeper parents. But she later catches him marking his territory on the trees around her Inn.
Innkeepers are neutral territory in the universe. Yes, universe, because there are so many other worlds and peoples out there. Their small Texas town is about to become a hot spot for paranormal activity.
Because she’s supposed to be neutral, she should just leave Sean to it, and his peeing on trees. But she knows that this is only going to escalate. She does what she thinks is right, and in doing so compromises her neutrality. . .or does she?
She and Sean team up to end the killings, but it isn’t just about them. Pretty soon vampires are involved, and Dina is suddenly looking at hosting paranormals in her Inn. Her magic and that of the Inn are connected and depend on having guests. By the end of this, it looks like her Inn will specialize in hosting paranormals, which can only make for some interesting stories. I, for one, can’t wait for another Innkeeper book!
If you are looking for an amazing story, something new and fresh in the world of Urban Fantasy, you should read Clean Sweep ASAP. You won’t regret it.
