Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Iron and Magic

Hugh and Elara's contentious and generally toxic relationship is founded on resources and spite. At most they trust each other to be themselves, but there Elara has an advantage on Hugh because she knows his reputation and he's in the dark on her background. Their rapport slowly changes from genuine distaste to a rough but mutually desired intimacy.

This is not technically a sequel, but it does star one of the recurring antagonists from the Kate Daniels series, and takes place between books nine and ten of that series. That means it leans on a lot of worldbuilding from those books. As far as I can tell, the relevant worldbuilding and backstory are conveyed throughout IRON AND MAGIC, but I'm so immersed in that other series that it's difficult for me to say for sure. The main attraction of this book would be to know what Hugh is up to after certain events in the Kate Daniels books, so while someone could read this without having read those, they would be lacking a depth of knowledge which makes seeing this side of Hugh more meaningful.

The story begins when Hugh, cut off from the all-consuming and reassuring nature of Roland and his magic, has been exploring his restored mortality by trying to drink himself to death or until the void inside his soul disappears, whichever comes first. After his remaining Iron Dogs inform him that they're being hunted down, he pulls himself together and strikes a deal with Elena for them to marry and present a united front, he having troops with no base and her having a castle with few defenders. A lot of the plot focuses on their power plays as Elena and Hugh have different priorities and not necessarily the same goals while modifying their base. Gradually, as the threats they were abstractly fortifying against come calling, Hugh and Elena have to work together in more than name to protect as many as they can.

I enjoyed this immensely, especially as an exploration of someone who has until now been presented as a villain. This story explains who Hugh can become outside of Roland's dominion, and it turns out that person is a complex and interesting character who has all the competence and violence I've come to expect from him, but now has reasons to direct that violence towards protection rather than desolation. The way Elena and Hugh are just pretending to be a couple and the gap between the public narrative and the private reality is explored in some depth, and I like what Elena brings to the table.

Content Warnings

cluckieduck's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Move over Kate & Curran, there's a new power couple in town

I don't know how they managed to do it, but I now absolutely care about Mr. Hugh D'Ambray. Our love-to-hate-him, resident psychopath actually has a heart! Whether it's his tension-filled relationship with Elara, his brotherhood with the remaining Iron Dogs, or even his hilarious affinity to all animals, I want all his relationships to work out because he damn-well deserves it after all the crap Roland has put him through.

This book is an urban fantasy dreamboat - filled with action, tension, intrigue, great characters, and some steam (Ch. 14, anyone?!?) - I absolutely loved it.

Content Warnings

wordsareworlds's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Whether people buy the redemption of Hugh will definitely depend on the reader, but I liked the framing and felt Andrews did an excellent job making him feel redeemable without excusing what he did. He's still an a**hole, but he's one I can and do root for.

Whether or not you care for Hugh, the story is worth it for Elara. Mysterious, just as dangerous and in some ways just as monstrous, she has a great heart and sharp wit that make her instantly loveable. The book focuses much more on the first part of Hugh's evolution into a hero, by necessity, but has enough clues into Elara's backstory to leave me eager to read the next book.

While I'm not sure these two will ever completely leave behind the enemies part of enemies-to-lovers, they do reach an equilibrium of sorts by the end of the book and we have a HFN that feels like it could lead to a HEA in further books. Honestly, their back and forth battles are my favorite parts of the book, especially as they both realize how much they enjoy verbally sparring with each other and there are unspoken lines they don't cross.

The plot moves very quickly, and things come to a head in a very intense battle sequence. There is gore and death without pulling punches, but it doesn't veer into glorifying torture either.

Andrews pulls in aspects of many mythologies into the Daniels world, and this book is no exception. While not completely stripped of context, it still feels awkward to experience them second-hand only through the white, western characters. That aside, none of this feels like they were added for "exotic" flavor, which I appreciate.

The authors have put this particular series on hold for the moment, but I hope they're able to come back to it sooner rather than later.

Content Warnings

relin's review

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

More...