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A review by kzimm2024
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
5.0
Original read April 2018, no review and 4 stars.
Re-read Sept 2020, same
Re-read Jan 2024 and giving it 5 stars and a review due to 32 highlights :)
It was what we were all waiting for, Kate and Curran to finally become a couple. But we were denied!
Does he show for naked dinner??
“You’ve reached the Pack. What do you want?” a female voice said into the phone. Friendly people, the shapeshifters.
“This is Agent Daniels. Can I speak to Curran, please?”
“He isn’t taking calls right now. Do you want to leave a message?”
“Is he in the Keep?”
“Yes, he is.” A heavy rock materialized in my chest and made it hard to breathe.
“Message?” the female shapeshifter prompted.
“Just tell him I called, please. As soon as possible.”
“Is this urgent?”
Fuck it. “Yes. Yes, it is.”
“Hold on.” Silence reigned. Moments dripped by, slowly, stretching thinner and thinner . . . “He says he’s too busy to talk to you right now. In the future, please go through proper channels and direct all your concerns to Jim, our security chief. His number is—” I heard my voice, oddly flat. “I have the number. Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
THIS made me very mad and I didn't feel like there was a clear apology (found one later).
-----------
He stood me up. He stood me up. I cooked a huge meal. I sat by the phone for the last four hours. I put on makeup, my second time in the past year.
I bought a box of condoms. Just in case.
I love you, Kate. I’ll always come for you, Kate.
You sonovabitch. Didn’t even have the balls to speak to me.
------------
Three weeks had passed since Curran had stood me up. For the first week, I was so angry I couldn’t see straight. The anger had subsided now, but the dense heavy stone remained in my chest, weighing me down. Strangely, doughnuts helped.
------------
“You should name him Fezzik,” Andrea said.
“Inconceivable,” I told her and took the canine traitor back to my office.
BOOO BOOO, like the Princess Bride BOOO - and the story starts to get interesting as a series of events force them back together!
LOVE the addition of Grendel. One of my favorite quotes from the story:
I opened the door and saw a huge slimy pile of dog puke cooling in the middle of my hallway carpet. The attack poodle sat nearby, an expression of perfect innocence on his narrow mug.
I pointed at the puke. “That was a dick move.” The attack poodle wagged his tail.
and:
He studied the amber liquid. “Do men often tell you you’re enchanting?”
“No. Men often tell me I hit very hard.” Hint, hint.
Andrea hits hard at Raphael, this was brilliant:
“I don’t care what he thinks,” Andrea snarled. “I’m there because I dedicated my life to it. It gives me a purpose. Something to believe in.
Unlike you, I actually did something with my life instead of wasting my time rutting with anything I could hold still for thirty seconds.”
and we get Curran and Kate attempting:
“I deserved that,” he said. “We’re even now. Peace?” He watched me carefully. It was important to him. What I said would matter.
Curran was used to unquestioned obedience and I rejected all authority. He’d never shared his power before and I never had any. Both of us had to give and neither wanted to.
“Peace,” I said. “This is going to be really difficult for us.”
“Yes. But we’ll work it out, with enough time.”
and what do you know? They do. After Curran feels betrayed by the Pack for issuing challenge after challenge to Kate while he was in a coma, it is clear that Kate is his safe harbor not them. Beautifully done!
and this :)
My voice came out flat. “Rub it in, why don’t you.”
He grinned. “No time for that now. Maybe later.”
Re-read Sept 2020, same
Re-read Jan 2024 and giving it 5 stars and a review due to 32 highlights :)
It was what we were all waiting for, Kate and Curran to finally become a couple. But we were denied!
Does he show for naked dinner??
“You’ve reached the Pack. What do you want?” a female voice said into the phone. Friendly people, the shapeshifters.
“This is Agent Daniels. Can I speak to Curran, please?”
“He isn’t taking calls right now. Do you want to leave a message?”
“Is he in the Keep?”
“Yes, he is.” A heavy rock materialized in my chest and made it hard to breathe.
“Message?” the female shapeshifter prompted.
“Just tell him I called, please. As soon as possible.”
“Is this urgent?”
Fuck it. “Yes. Yes, it is.”
“Hold on.” Silence reigned. Moments dripped by, slowly, stretching thinner and thinner . . . “He says he’s too busy to talk to you right now. In the future, please go through proper channels and direct all your concerns to Jim, our security chief. His number is—” I heard my voice, oddly flat. “I have the number. Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
THIS made me very mad and I didn't feel like there was a clear apology (found one later).
-----------
He stood me up. He stood me up. I cooked a huge meal. I sat by the phone for the last four hours. I put on makeup, my second time in the past year.
I bought a box of condoms. Just in case.
I love you, Kate. I’ll always come for you, Kate.
You sonovabitch. Didn’t even have the balls to speak to me.
------------
Three weeks had passed since Curran had stood me up. For the first week, I was so angry I couldn’t see straight. The anger had subsided now, but the dense heavy stone remained in my chest, weighing me down. Strangely, doughnuts helped.
------------
“You should name him Fezzik,” Andrea said.
“Inconceivable,” I told her and took the canine traitor back to my office.
BOOO BOOO, like the Princess Bride BOOO - and the story starts to get interesting as a series of events force them back together!
LOVE the addition of Grendel. One of my favorite quotes from the story:
I opened the door and saw a huge slimy pile of dog puke cooling in the middle of my hallway carpet. The attack poodle sat nearby, an expression of perfect innocence on his narrow mug.
I pointed at the puke. “That was a dick move.” The attack poodle wagged his tail.
and:
He studied the amber liquid. “Do men often tell you you’re enchanting?”
“No. Men often tell me I hit very hard.” Hint, hint.
Andrea hits hard at Raphael, this was brilliant:
“I don’t care what he thinks,” Andrea snarled. “I’m there because I dedicated my life to it. It gives me a purpose. Something to believe in.
Unlike you, I actually did something with my life instead of wasting my time rutting with anything I could hold still for thirty seconds.”
and we get Curran and Kate attempting:
“I deserved that,” he said. “We’re even now. Peace?” He watched me carefully. It was important to him. What I said would matter.
Curran was used to unquestioned obedience and I rejected all authority. He’d never shared his power before and I never had any. Both of us had to give and neither wanted to.
“Peace,” I said. “This is going to be really difficult for us.”
“Yes. But we’ll work it out, with enough time.”
and what do you know? They do. After Curran feels betrayed by the Pack for issuing challenge after challenge to Kate while he was in a coma, it is clear that Kate is his safe harbor not them. Beautifully done!
and this :)
My voice came out flat. “Rub it in, why don’t you.”
He grinned. “No time for that now. Maybe later.”