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Kinsmen #1-2
The Kinsmen Universe
The World of Kinsmen
Family is everything. Talent is power. And revenge is sweet.
In a distant, future world Kinsmen—small powerful groups of genetically and technologically advanced families—control vast financial empires. They are their own country, their own rulers, and their only limits are other Kinsmen. The struggle for power is a bloody, full-contact sport: in business, on the battlefield...and sometimes in the bedroom.
Silent Blade:
Old hatreds die hard. Old love dies harder.
On the planet Rada, Meli Galdes’ family is of minor rank, and were relying on her marriage to Celino, the razor-smart, ruthless leader of the powerful Carvanna empire. When he abruptly breaks their engagement, he ruins her family and guarantees that Meli will never marry, as no suitor will oppose the rich and influential Carvannas.
But Meli has a rare, secret, lethal—and valuable—talent. As a melder of energy, she’s capable of severing anything in her path. So she ‘leaves’ her family and trains to become one of the best and most lethal of assassins, all the while covertly guarding her family’s interests. Now she’s ready to quit; but she has one more assignment.
To kill the man who ruined her life.
Silver Shark
Claire Shannon is a killer…and her weapon is her mind.
Born on a planet torn by war for over 300 years, Claire is a soldier: a psycher, with the ability to read, control, and destroy the minds of enemy psychers and to infiltrate the biological network where they battle to death.
When Claire’s faction loses the war, she barely escapes extermination from both sides, as her talent brands her as too dangerous to society. By so-deeply burying her ability that she avoids detection, Claire is instead deported to Rada as a refugee, where she must find work to remain. She finds a job as personal assistant to Venturo Escana, a premiere kinsman; one of Rada’s most wealthy entrepreneurs—and most powerful psychers.
She thought she had left war behind, but now she must hide her skills and her growing feelings from Venturo…and this battle might just cost her everything…
A Mere Formality
The leader of the fierce Reigh people expires during an intergalactic summit, putting 30 million colonists' lives and livelihoods in jeopardy. When the new heir to the Reigh throne, Lord Nagrad, demands restitution, the phrase "‘a life for a life" turns the intergalactic calamity into an arranged marriage contract between Lord Nagrad and sharply intelligent diplomatic analyst Deirdre Lebed... and the negotiation of terms becomes anything but formal!
Family is everything. Talent is power. And revenge is sweet.
In a distant, future world Kinsmen—small powerful groups of genetically and technologically advanced families—control vast financial empires. They are their own country, their own rulers, and their only limits are other Kinsmen. The struggle for power is a bloody, full-contact sport: in business, on the battlefield...and sometimes in the bedroom.
Silent Blade:
Old hatreds die hard. Old love dies harder.
On the planet Rada, Meli Galdes’ family is of minor rank, and were relying on her marriage to Celino, the razor-smart, ruthless leader of the powerful Carvanna empire. When he abruptly breaks their engagement, he ruins her family and guarantees that Meli will never marry, as no suitor will oppose the rich and influential Carvannas.
But Meli has a rare, secret, lethal—and valuable—talent. As a melder of energy, she’s capable of severing anything in her path. So she ‘leaves’ her family and trains to become one of the best and most lethal of assassins, all the while covertly guarding her family’s interests. Now she’s ready to quit; but she has one more assignment.
To kill the man who ruined her life.
Silver Shark
Claire Shannon is a killer…and her weapon is her mind.
Born on a planet torn by war for over 300 years, Claire is a soldier: a psycher, with the ability to read, control, and destroy the minds of enemy psychers and to infiltrate the biological network where they battle to death.
When Claire’s faction loses the war, she barely escapes extermination from both sides, as her talent brands her as too dangerous to society. By so-deeply burying her ability that she avoids detection, Claire is instead deported to Rada as a refugee, where she must find work to remain. She finds a job as personal assistant to Venturo Escana, a premiere kinsman; one of Rada’s most wealthy entrepreneurs—and most powerful psychers.
She thought she had left war behind, but now she must hide her skills and her growing feelings from Venturo…and this battle might just cost her everything…
A Mere Formality
The leader of the fierce Reigh people expires during an intergalactic summit, putting 30 million colonists' lives and livelihoods in jeopardy. When the new heir to the Reigh throne, Lord Nagrad, demands restitution, the phrase "‘a life for a life" turns the intergalactic calamity into an arranged marriage contract between Lord Nagrad and sharply intelligent diplomatic analyst Deirdre Lebed... and the negotiation of terms becomes anything but formal!
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2018
607 people are currently reading
2379 people want to read
About the author
Ilona Andrews
145 books33.3k followersIlona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 382 reviews
July 7, 2025
A set of good romantic sci-fi shorts from the Ilona Andrews team.
Of course, I think everything they write is great. I do wish there was more set in this universe, but you take what you can get and you don't complain when it comes to these guys.
This one revolves around genetically engineered caste systems and powerful families who fight to control planets with a bit of romance thrown in. Ish.
Now I wouldn't recommend this as a place to start if you're new to Ilona Andrews, if only because this isn't their bestest stuff.
I'd go with Kate Daniels series, Hidden Legacy series, and then branch out to The Innkeeper Chronicles.
When you're alllll done with those, hit up this one.
Recommended for fans of Ilona Andrews.
Of course, I think everything they write is great. I do wish there was more set in this universe, but you take what you can get and you don't complain when it comes to these guys.
This one revolves around genetically engineered caste systems and powerful families who fight to control planets with a bit of romance thrown in. Ish.
Now I wouldn't recommend this as a place to start if you're new to Ilona Andrews, if only because this isn't their bestest stuff.
I'd go with Kate Daniels series, Hidden Legacy series, and then branch out to The Innkeeper Chronicles.
When you're alllll done with those, hit up this one.
Recommended for fans of Ilona Andrews.
September 3, 2019
I listened to this one - it took me a bit to get used to the narrator, because it wasn't Renee Raudman, who I love and read the Edge series and Hidden legacy series. The narrator did a good job. This is 2 novellas and a short story in the Kinsman world. I really liked the first and second novellas, Silent Blade and Silver Shark and the bio-net was a really cool piece of high tech. The third is a short story titled "A Mere Formality" and the first part is all world building and political details and I almost turned it off because I couldn't care less, and then it took a really strange turn that is unusual for an Ilona Andrews book. My advice, listen the the first two and skip the last!
September 27, 2019
A Lie
The final story, A Mere Formality, is not new at all. It was a freebie from the author. The lie is why I could not give this collection a five star rating. Otherwise, this is an amazing collection I purchased previously as separate stories, except for the last story, I got for free years ago. For those who have not read them, I recommend.
The final story, A Mere Formality, is not new at all. It was a freebie from the author. The lie is why I could not give this collection a five star rating. Otherwise, this is an amazing collection I purchased previously as separate stories, except for the last story, I got for free years ago. For those who have not read them, I recommend.
June 29, 2024
Reread on June 29, 2024: I've realized why Ilona couldn't make SILVER SHARK, the best ship in the universe, into a full-length novel. The world simply couldn't handle it. I would literally never read another book again, languishing in its greatness. Instead, we have to consume perfection through a slightly imperfect lens, even though there is enough plot for a full-length novel and a lot of scenes are underdeveloped. This is the price we have to pay to preserve my sanity. 😭 Read via audio (narrated by Samantha Cook).
Reread on July 28, 2022: A MERE FORMALITY is such a weird, perverted short story, lol. Love it. Read via audio (narrated by Samantha Cook).
Reread on March 7, 2022: Making good progress on my 2022 goal to reread IA’s entire backlist!
Silent Blade: 4 stars
Silver Shark: 5 stars
A Mere Formality: 4 stars
Reread on July 28, 2022: A MERE FORMALITY is such a weird, perverted short story, lol. Love it. Read via audio (narrated by Samantha Cook).
Reread on March 7, 2022: Making good progress on my 2022 goal to reread IA’s entire backlist!
Silent Blade: 4 stars
Silver Shark: 5 stars
A Mere Formality: 4 stars
June 28, 2025
“He dropped it,” Deirdre confirmed, looking after the Reigh making their way through the banquet hall. “When was the last time you fought in hand to hand combat, Michel?”
The adjutant ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I don’t remember.”
“They do it every day. Trust me, if that man didn’t want to run into you, you wouldn’t have touched him in a million years. Go hide somewhere.”
A Mere Formality was so ridiculous but fun. IA have this uncanny talent of being able to turn even a short story that was written on a dare and involves flirting in intergalactic politics into a fun ride with memorable characters and a world with just enough detail that it simply makes sense.
Silent Blade was meh. Loved Silver Shark.
The adjutant ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I don’t remember.”
“They do it every day. Trust me, if that man didn’t want to run into you, you wouldn’t have touched him in a million years. Go hide somewhere.”
A Mere Formality was so ridiculous but fun. IA have this uncanny talent of being able to turn even a short story that was written on a dare and involves flirting in intergalactic politics into a fun ride with memorable characters and a world with just enough detail that it simply makes sense.
Silent Blade was meh. Loved Silver Shark.
December 30, 2024
2024 Reads #3, #45, #136, #585 & #720/250
Read for the Sights of Sweden Challenge 2024-2025
September 20, 2024 - January 10, 2025
Online Availability:
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Re-Read 5🌟⭐️💖💋
Original Read 4.5 - A great re-read. I can't wait to read the upcoming long-awaited book!
Read for the Sights of Sweden Challenge 2024-2025
September 20, 2024 - January 10, 2025
Online Availability:
📖 Kindle Unlimited Subscription/$
🎧 Audible $/Credit
📖🎧 Everand Subscription - Audiobook
Re-Read 5🌟⭐️💖💋
Original Read 4.5 - A great re-read. I can't wait to read the upcoming long-awaited book!
October 12, 2021
I'd already read and reviewed the three stories in this collection so I'll just copy my original reviews below but I want to talk about the gorgeous signed, limited edition hardback that I bought from Subterranean Press. It's a really beautiful book and it includes three full colour illustrations from artist Luisa Preissler (see photos below). This book includes the two main Kinsmen stories, Silent Blade and Silver Shark, as well as the short story A Mere Formality that is set in the same world but has no crossover of characters. All of the stories have Ilona Andrew's trademark humour and I really enjoyed rereading them here. The hardback also includes an interview with Ilona and Gordon (the husband and wife writing team behind the Ilona Andrews name) that has some interesting insights into their writing process.
Below you'll find my original reviews for each of the stories along with Luisa Preissler's beautiful illustrations;
Silent Blade:
Silent Blade - Meli and Celino
I've wanted to read Ilona Andrews' Kinsmen series for a looooooong time now but the second story, Silver Shark, has been unavailable for what seems like forever. Anyway, I was really excited when it was rereleased recently and immediately bought ebook copies of both novellas (and quite possibly preordered the limited edition hardback from Subterranean Press too, I mean I can't help being an IA addict!). Anyway, Silent Blade is a fairly short and fast read that takes us into the distant future and a world where some families are genetically enhanced and have all sorts of interesting abilities. The families with powers are like mafias and each control a certain part of the city, the rivalry between them is huge but they also make alliances, often via arranged marriages.
Meli's family planned to use her to form an alliance with a more powerful family and when she was 10 years old she found herself engaged to Celino but he had no intention of giving up his freedom and went out of his way to break things off. Nothing has gone quite to plan for her ever since then and she ended up distancing herself from the family so she could help them in other ways, like becoming a ruthless assassin who destroyed their enemies by any means possible. When she is offered the opportunity to get revenge on her ex-fiance she jumps at it but once again things don't turn out quite the way she intended them to.
It always amazes me how much Ilona and Gordon can pack into a fairly short story but they did a great job of creating this world and getting me to feel invested in the characters. I definitely think it helped that this feels like an early version of what would go on to become the Hidden Legacy series, it's different in a lot of ways but there are hints that this is where some of the HL world started to form and I enjoyed this starting point. I enjoyed this story a lot, yes things happen fast between Meli and Celino but based on the history between them it felt believable and it was fun to see how Meli had planned her revenge so carefully. If you're looking for a story you can devour in one sitting then I don't think you can go far wrong with this one and I'm looking forward to diving straight into Silver Shark next.
Silver Shark:
Silver Shark - Claire and Ven
Claire is a psycher, a soldier with a lethal mental ability who fought on the losing side of a war that consumed her planet for the last 300 years. Now her entire unit is dead and the enemy is killing off any soldier they can find, especially ones with abilities like hers, so her only chance of escape is to hide her power, pretend to be a civilian and get accepted as a refugee on another planet. She has three months to settle on Rada, find a job and start building a new life for herself but if anyone finds out who she really is or what she is capable of she'll end up being deported back to her home world where she'll certainly be executed.
She has build strong shields around her mind to prevent anyone from finding out what she really is so it's quite ironic when she is offered a position working for a powerful psycher, Venturo Escana, as his personal assistant. Ven is in control of his family's security firm and if he knew what Claire was capable of she could be a huge asset to him but only if he can get over the lies she has told and learn to trust her.
This story had everything, kickass main characters who have some fantastic powers, fun world building - I especially love the battles on the bionet which were a bit like something out of the Matrix - and a romance I was totally on board with. This is a novella (around 130 pages) but the Andrews manage to pack a lot into those pages and I loved every minute of it.
I waited a long time for Silver Shark to be rereleased so I was really excited to finally get my hands on a copy. Ilona and Gordon never disappoint and this story was just as much fun as I thought it would be. My only complaint is that it left me wanting more, more of these characters, more of this world, just more of everything really! You can see how some ideas from the Kinsmen world were expanded upon and to help create the Hidden Legacy series so I think it's unlikely that they'll choose to write more Kinsmen stories but if they ever do I'll be first in the queue to buy them.
A Mere Formality:
A Mere Formality - Deirdre
It's no secret that I'm a bit of a fangirl when it comes to Ilona and Gordon Andrews and I absolutely adore their Kate Daniels series. All of their stories are full of humour, fantastic world building and great characters and even though A Mere Formality is only a short story (with 26 pages) it's no exception.
This story is completely stand alone so you don't need to have read any of the author's previous books to enjoy it and it's available to download for free from their website here: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/book/a-mere-formality/
I'm deliberately keeping this review very vague because it would be too easy to give you spoilers but it's basically a story about three alien species who are negotiating a peace treaty. You can expect lots of innuendos, jokes and dirty talk so it's recommended for adults only but there isn't any actual sex.
For a quick read this is a lot of fun and I'd definitely recommend it whether you're already a fan of these authors or not.
Below you'll find my original reviews for each of the stories along with Luisa Preissler's beautiful illustrations;
Silent Blade:
Silent Blade - Meli and Celino
I've wanted to read Ilona Andrews' Kinsmen series for a looooooong time now but the second story, Silver Shark, has been unavailable for what seems like forever. Anyway, I was really excited when it was rereleased recently and immediately bought ebook copies of both novellas (and quite possibly preordered the limited edition hardback from Subterranean Press too, I mean I can't help being an IA addict!). Anyway, Silent Blade is a fairly short and fast read that takes us into the distant future and a world where some families are genetically enhanced and have all sorts of interesting abilities. The families with powers are like mafias and each control a certain part of the city, the rivalry between them is huge but they also make alliances, often via arranged marriages.
Meli's family planned to use her to form an alliance with a more powerful family and when she was 10 years old she found herself engaged to Celino but he had no intention of giving up his freedom and went out of his way to break things off. Nothing has gone quite to plan for her ever since then and she ended up distancing herself from the family so she could help them in other ways, like becoming a ruthless assassin who destroyed their enemies by any means possible. When she is offered the opportunity to get revenge on her ex-fiance she jumps at it but once again things don't turn out quite the way she intended them to.
It always amazes me how much Ilona and Gordon can pack into a fairly short story but they did a great job of creating this world and getting me to feel invested in the characters. I definitely think it helped that this feels like an early version of what would go on to become the Hidden Legacy series, it's different in a lot of ways but there are hints that this is where some of the HL world started to form and I enjoyed this starting point. I enjoyed this story a lot, yes things happen fast between Meli and Celino but based on the history between them it felt believable and it was fun to see how Meli had planned her revenge so carefully. If you're looking for a story you can devour in one sitting then I don't think you can go far wrong with this one and I'm looking forward to diving straight into Silver Shark next.
Silver Shark:
Silver Shark - Claire and Ven
Claire is a psycher, a soldier with a lethal mental ability who fought on the losing side of a war that consumed her planet for the last 300 years. Now her entire unit is dead and the enemy is killing off any soldier they can find, especially ones with abilities like hers, so her only chance of escape is to hide her power, pretend to be a civilian and get accepted as a refugee on another planet. She has three months to settle on Rada, find a job and start building a new life for herself but if anyone finds out who she really is or what she is capable of she'll end up being deported back to her home world where she'll certainly be executed.
She has build strong shields around her mind to prevent anyone from finding out what she really is so it's quite ironic when she is offered a position working for a powerful psycher, Venturo Escana, as his personal assistant. Ven is in control of his family's security firm and if he knew what Claire was capable of she could be a huge asset to him but only if he can get over the lies she has told and learn to trust her.
This story had everything, kickass main characters who have some fantastic powers, fun world building - I especially love the battles on the bionet which were a bit like something out of the Matrix - and a romance I was totally on board with. This is a novella (around 130 pages) but the Andrews manage to pack a lot into those pages and I loved every minute of it.
I waited a long time for Silver Shark to be rereleased so I was really excited to finally get my hands on a copy. Ilona and Gordon never disappoint and this story was just as much fun as I thought it would be. My only complaint is that it left me wanting more, more of these characters, more of this world, just more of everything really! You can see how some ideas from the Kinsmen world were expanded upon and to help create the Hidden Legacy series so I think it's unlikely that they'll choose to write more Kinsmen stories but if they ever do I'll be first in the queue to buy them.
A Mere Formality:
A Mere Formality - Deirdre
It's no secret that I'm a bit of a fangirl when it comes to Ilona and Gordon Andrews and I absolutely adore their Kate Daniels series. All of their stories are full of humour, fantastic world building and great characters and even though A Mere Formality is only a short story (with 26 pages) it's no exception.
This story is completely stand alone so you don't need to have read any of the author's previous books to enjoy it and it's available to download for free from their website here: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/book/a-mere-formality/
I'm deliberately keeping this review very vague because it would be too easy to give you spoilers but it's basically a story about three alien species who are negotiating a peace treaty. You can expect lots of innuendos, jokes and dirty talk so it's recommended for adults only but there isn't any actual sex.
For a quick read this is a lot of fun and I'd definitely recommend it whether you're already a fan of these authors or not.
November 16, 2021
This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was great! Of course, it’s Ilona Andrews so what do you expect?! I know that I have read at least one of these stories years ago but decided that I needed to give this book a listen before reading Fated Blades which is due to be published soon. It was a pretty quick listen and I ended up really enjoying it.
Silent Blade was a novella that kicked of this audiobook. I had read this novella years ago but really enjoyed experiencing the story all over again. I liked the characters and understood where they were both coming from. I liked the chemistry between them and had a great time with the story. The second story was Silver Shark and I think that this was my first time with this one. I really felt for Claire and loved how strong she proved to be. I kept waiting for things to blow up and was satisfied by how everything worked out. The short story, A Mere Formality, wrapped up the book. This was a little different than what I expected from this writing pair but it was fun.
Samantha Cook narrated the audiobook. This was my first experience listening to her work and I have to admit that it did take some time to get used to her narration. Of course, that is pretty normal for me anytime I listen to a new to me narrator. I did think that she did a good job with the story and I found her voice to be very pleasant.
I would recommend this book to others. Seriously, the writing pair of Ilona Andrews can do no wrong and I found this collection to be incredibly entertaining.
This was great! Of course, it’s Ilona Andrews so what do you expect?! I know that I have read at least one of these stories years ago but decided that I needed to give this book a listen before reading Fated Blades which is due to be published soon. It was a pretty quick listen and I ended up really enjoying it.
Silent Blade was a novella that kicked of this audiobook. I had read this novella years ago but really enjoyed experiencing the story all over again. I liked the characters and understood where they were both coming from. I liked the chemistry between them and had a great time with the story. The second story was Silver Shark and I think that this was my first time with this one. I really felt for Claire and loved how strong she proved to be. I kept waiting for things to blow up and was satisfied by how everything worked out. The short story, A Mere Formality, wrapped up the book. This was a little different than what I expected from this writing pair but it was fun.
Samantha Cook narrated the audiobook. This was my first experience listening to her work and I have to admit that it did take some time to get used to her narration. Of course, that is pretty normal for me anytime I listen to a new to me narrator. I did think that she did a good job with the story and I found her voice to be very pleasant.
I would recommend this book to others. Seriously, the writing pair of Ilona Andrews can do no wrong and I found this collection to be incredibly entertaining.
March 18, 2020
.
Wonderful audiobook!
Stories are short but richly complex.
Heroines who kick ass and the men who underestimated them.
I left reviews individually...
Wonderful audiobook!
Stories are short but richly complex.
Heroines who kick ass and the men who underestimated them.
I left reviews individually...
August 22, 2020
I’m a HUGE fan of the Andrews team and I’ve been doing a re-read of their works. I’ve actually never read or listened to the Kinsmen series until now.
We are treated to 2 novellas, Silent Blade & Silver Shark and a short story, A Mere Formality in this bundle. Each title is previously published individually and you can buy them singularly or in the bundle.
I do want to point out that The Kinsmen Universe has some similarities to the Hidden Legacy series. In a distant future humans went into space and colonized many areas, but they needed enhancements. Some of those enhancements where to be stronger, faster, & heartier. In doing these changes some ended up being tech-based and others were biological. Like in the Hidden Legacy series they learned that exclusivity to these enhancements is key, so the families ended up arranging marriages for their children based on bloodlines and to make business alliances that would benefit the family legacy.
SILENT BLADE
Silent Blade is a quick, fun and sexy read. We get haters to lovers romance with plenty of twists. We also get a small amount of world-building and history.
The story that unfolds is snarky and fun. Meli plots the demise of Celino the man who jilted her and took her freedom and choices away all so he could have his freedom. Things wrap up nicely and it was enjoyable.
Rated: 3 Stars
SILVER SHARK
Silver Shark is the second novella in the Kinsmen series. It starts us off on a mining planet at war where we meet Claire who is a talented psycher ripped from her mother at a young age to train and battle in the bionet.
We get a little suspense when Claire agrees to help a young boy from her home planet. Their was intense moments and a nice build up with the chemistry and secrets.
I liked this one more than the first. I think it had to do with the Bionet and the psycher power. I found these aspects to be fascinating. The story wrapped up nicely and I enjoyed.
Rated: 4 Stars
A MERE FORMALITY
A Mere Formality is a short story written on a dare and given away for free. It’s a silly and quirky story. It’s got no sex, but lots of dirty talk of smutty things in a very vanilla way. Those parts made me laugh. The plot is weak and the romance doesn’t really come through. There are some nice details and I liked smutty talk moments, but I’d have liked more for this story.
You can read it for free here or read it in the bundle.
Rated: 3 Stars
This bundle was agreeable. It was nice to read the Andrews earlier work. The downside to this Sci-Fi series is that I wish the stories had been longer, so things could be flushed out more. I wanted more world-building and a deeper dive into the world, characters, the clan rivalry, and the genetical and tech talents. The Kinsmen Universe doesn’t have that in-depth development that the later works have for the Andrews team.
Audio: Samantha Cook narrates The Kinsmen Universe. It took me a bit to get into the narration, but when I did, I liked. The author changes up her voices well for each character and story.
All in all I enjoyed The Kinsmen Universe.
We are treated to 2 novellas, Silent Blade & Silver Shark and a short story, A Mere Formality in this bundle. Each title is previously published individually and you can buy them singularly or in the bundle.
I do want to point out that The Kinsmen Universe has some similarities to the Hidden Legacy series. In a distant future humans went into space and colonized many areas, but they needed enhancements. Some of those enhancements where to be stronger, faster, & heartier. In doing these changes some ended up being tech-based and others were biological. Like in the Hidden Legacy series they learned that exclusivity to these enhancements is key, so the families ended up arranging marriages for their children based on bloodlines and to make business alliances that would benefit the family legacy.
SILENT BLADE
Silent Blade is a quick, fun and sexy read. We get haters to lovers romance with plenty of twists. We also get a small amount of world-building and history.
The story that unfolds is snarky and fun. Meli plots the demise of Celino the man who jilted her and took her freedom and choices away all so he could have his freedom. Things wrap up nicely and it was enjoyable.
Rated: 3 Stars
SILVER SHARK
Silver Shark is the second novella in the Kinsmen series. It starts us off on a mining planet at war where we meet Claire who is a talented psycher ripped from her mother at a young age to train and battle in the bionet.
We get a little suspense when Claire agrees to help a young boy from her home planet. Their was intense moments and a nice build up with the chemistry and secrets.
I liked this one more than the first. I think it had to do with the Bionet and the psycher power. I found these aspects to be fascinating. The story wrapped up nicely and I enjoyed.
Rated: 4 Stars
A MERE FORMALITY
A Mere Formality is a short story written on a dare and given away for free. It’s a silly and quirky story. It’s got no sex, but lots of dirty talk of smutty things in a very vanilla way. Those parts made me laugh. The plot is weak and the romance doesn’t really come through. There are some nice details and I liked smutty talk moments, but I’d have liked more for this story.
You can read it for free here or read it in the bundle.
Rated: 3 Stars
This bundle was agreeable. It was nice to read the Andrews earlier work. The downside to this Sci-Fi series is that I wish the stories had been longer, so things could be flushed out more. I wanted more world-building and a deeper dive into the world, characters, the clan rivalry, and the genetical and tech talents. The Kinsmen Universe doesn’t have that in-depth development that the later works have for the Andrews team.
Audio: Samantha Cook narrates The Kinsmen Universe. It took me a bit to get into the narration, but when I did, I liked. The author changes up her voices well for each character and story.
All in all I enjoyed The Kinsmen Universe.
November 29, 2021
Ilk hikaye eh isteydi birden hop bitti,2.hikaye cok iyiydi ama finali birden yaptı ve 3.hikaye çöptü...keske 2.hikayeyi tek bir uzun kitap yapsaydi resmen kurguyu karakterleri harcamış...
November 30, 2021
3 ayrı hikaye vardı kitaptı sadece 2.hikaye olan Clare ve Ven hikayesi çok güzeldi tek kitap olsa severek okurdum tadı damağımda kaldı diyebilirim 😊
March 20, 2019
I averaged out these three stories at 3.5, but I liked one much more than the others. They were very much science fiction stories and because of their shorter format, it took a while to get into the world the authors created. Perhaps that was why I didn't enjoy the first one so much.
Silent Blade
Not sure about either of the MCs here. Meli was an assassin for her family, even as she leaves its protection. An outcast, as it were. She has a chance to avenge herself (a broken engagement lies in her past) and of course the two end up falling for each other. I am not a fan of assassins. In the same way that I won't read Mafia "romance" or MC Outlaw stuff, assassins are murderers and therefore I am unable to feel any empathy for them. Annoying when ethics and morality gets in the way of a good story, but there you are. Nevertheless, the prose was actually lovely and the descriptions of sights and scents and the colours and textures of this world were gorgeous. 2.5 stars.
Silver Shark
A longer story and much more interesting for me. The problem of what happens to those on the losing side of a long, brutal war (and who have literally known nothing else but a state of perpetual war) has been with us forever and we still struggle to deal with it, so great theme for this story. The characters were complex and the concept of the virtual world- the biological network- where our psycher heroine, a former soldier, battles it out- is intriguing and very believable. The hero was wonderful and what I term a good guy. Totally yummy for me. Claire was battered and broken but a survivor, and they were great together. A good tussle before their HEA. 4 stars.
A Mere Formality
This was a bit weird for me- The book of all possible sexual positions and which ones the Lord (and hero) would require of the heroine, Deirdre, had me laughing in disbelief. He was an arse about it and she brought it. Go girl. I was worried that he actually was an arse but he was another one of the good guys. The politics and the different races and factions had me a bit confused at times but I just went with it. A clever and ultimately satisfying story, even if it was a tad on the short side.
3.5 stars.
I have been on an Ilona Andrews binge for the last month and am fascinated by the variety and range of their writing. I am yet to embark on The Kate Daniels series- not sure of it will grab me, given that I found out who Kate's dad was in the first of the Iron Covenant series. We'll see.
The authors get very violent and grisly at times, and I can only say that for me, they really hit their straps with the Hidden Legacy series, where characterisation and plot took precedence over explosions, heads being hacked off and villains planning mass murder. Although there was plenty of that too! I will certainly be reading everything they publish from now on- these guys aregood!
Silent Blade
Not sure about either of the MCs here. Meli was an assassin for her family, even as she leaves its protection. An outcast, as it were. She has a chance to avenge herself (a broken engagement lies in her past) and of course the two end up falling for each other. I am not a fan of assassins. In the same way that I won't read Mafia "romance" or MC Outlaw stuff, assassins are murderers and therefore I am unable to feel any empathy for them. Annoying when ethics and morality gets in the way of a good story, but there you are. Nevertheless, the prose was actually lovely and the descriptions of sights and scents and the colours and textures of this world were gorgeous. 2.5 stars.
Silver Shark
A longer story and much more interesting for me. The problem of what happens to those on the losing side of a long, brutal war (and who have literally known nothing else but a state of perpetual war) has been with us forever and we still struggle to deal with it, so great theme for this story. The characters were complex and the concept of the virtual world- the biological network- where our psycher heroine, a former soldier, battles it out- is intriguing and very believable. The hero was wonderful and what I term a good guy. Totally yummy for me. Claire was battered and broken but a survivor, and they were great together. A good tussle before their HEA. 4 stars.
A Mere Formality
This was a bit weird for me- The book of all possible sexual positions and which ones the Lord (and hero) would require of the heroine, Deirdre, had me laughing in disbelief. He was an arse about it and she brought it. Go girl. I was worried that he actually was an arse but he was another one of the good guys. The politics and the different races and factions had me a bit confused at times but I just went with it. A clever and ultimately satisfying story, even if it was a tad on the short side.
3.5 stars.
I have been on an Ilona Andrews binge for the last month and am fascinated by the variety and range of their writing. I am yet to embark on The Kate Daniels series- not sure of it will grab me, given that I found out who Kate's dad was in the first of the Iron Covenant series. We'll see.
The authors get very violent and grisly at times, and I can only say that for me, they really hit their straps with the Hidden Legacy series, where characterisation and plot took precedence over explosions, heads being hacked off and villains planning mass murder. Although there was plenty of that too! I will certainly be reading everything they publish from now on- these guys aregood!
March 12, 2019
3 novellas bundled up into one book. The middle story; Silver Shark was my favorite.
3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.
3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.
November 23, 2021
I was feeling all slumpy and Ilona Andrews helped me through the weekend (again). Each installment was couples in the same universe, sometimes with a little crossover. Sci-fi with a good dollop of romance.
This book is three elements wrapped up in one:
Silent Blade:
This novella would have got a 4 star rating on it's own for me. A quick transportation to a new world, easy to fathom with a couple crafted from Andrews gold. I was sad to leave these two behind and wanted to see them in the next story.
Silver Shark:
I didn't get my wish this was a different couple and a different perspective to these planets, but after 5 minutes of reading and hoping for the previous couple, I was wrapped up in the new guys. This story focused on psychic powers and a scary place called the bionet, less scary that real life on two warring planets though.
A Mere Formality: I was more meh aboout this one, a very short story in the universe but it didn't capture the magic of the previous two.
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
This book is three elements wrapped up in one:
Silent Blade:
This novella would have got a 4 star rating on it's own for me. A quick transportation to a new world, easy to fathom with a couple crafted from Andrews gold. I was sad to leave these two behind and wanted to see them in the next story.
Silver Shark:
I didn't get my wish this was a different couple and a different perspective to these planets, but after 5 minutes of reading and hoping for the previous couple, I was wrapped up in the new guys. This story focused on psychic powers and a scary place called the bionet, less scary that real life on two warring planets though.
A Mere Formality: I was more meh aboout this one, a very short story in the universe but it didn't capture the magic of the previous two.
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
December 5, 2021
3.5*
Anthology of two novellas and one short story. Andrews always creates fascinating worlds and this one is another great one. The stories did feel less expertly crafted but I believe these were written a while ago. The first one, Silent Blade, is the weakest here but sets the scenes. The second and longest novella, Silver Shark, was my favourite, plot and characters fitting better. The short story ‘A Mere Formality’ was very funny in this unconventional diplomatic ‘arm-wrestling’.
A friend commented that this felt like the ground work for Andrews’s excellent Hidden Legacy series, and I agree. You can see the beginnings of the world and cast. It also reminded me of Mihalik’s Consortium Rebellion trilogy.
Anthology of two novellas and one short story. Andrews always creates fascinating worlds and this one is another great one. The stories did feel less expertly crafted but I believe these were written a while ago. The first one, Silent Blade, is the weakest here but sets the scenes. The second and longest novella, Silver Shark, was my favourite, plot and characters fitting better. The short story ‘A Mere Formality’ was very funny in this unconventional diplomatic ‘arm-wrestling’.
A friend commented that this felt like the ground work for Andrews’s excellent Hidden Legacy series, and I agree. You can see the beginnings of the world and cast. It also reminded me of Mihalik’s Consortium Rebellion trilogy.
March 16, 2019
It's my second time reading these stories, I read it previously on the authors' blog (bless them for letting us fans read snippets of some of their stories before they're released). It's hard for me to pick just one favourite because I enjoyed all three of them. Immensely.
Although I would have loved for the third story (A Mere Formality) to be a tad bit longer. Am I being too greedy?
Although I would have loved for the third story (A Mere Formality) to be a tad bit longer. Am I being too greedy?
November 8, 2022
Quick, but long-ish review for a progressive read, and also quite late. I finished this three-book trilogy in the month of October and I'm just getting around to reviewing it in November. This wasn't too long of a read for me though - I flew through it when I picked it up. It's my first full read from Ilona Andrews in quite some time. Originally I had picked this up realizing that it was part of the hard to find in print "Kinsmen Universe" series. I had been accepted for reading a galley copy of "Fated Blades," which is the third book in the main Kinsmen series. Little did I realize that there had been a reprint bind-up of these short books/novellas containing the first three stories in this series, so I bought them for the beautiful cover you see above.
This book contains the works (in order): "Silent Blade", "Silver Shark" and "A Mere Formality." I wondered how I would represent my reading of these on Goodreads and other social media, whether to review the individual books themselves, or place them all under this collection in one review. Decided that the latter would be the best way to go to avoid confusion.
Talking about the first book in the collection - "Silent Blade" shows the story of a young woman named Meli who we meet after she's left her family and struck out on her own to do jobs as an ruthless assassin. She works to help protect them where she can, but decides that she doesn't want to do it anymore. Her brother Angel approaches her with one last assignment, a personal request from her father - kill Celino Carvanna.
The Carvanna family is one of very vast influence and power, but for Meli, the job is personal. Celino broke off a vital, arranged engagement to her when she was still young, leaving her and her family spiraling in terms of their influence and status. You get to see this in a flashback where he has interactions with her while they're both young, but he brushes her off quite rudely. When they do end up meeting as adults, he doesn't even recognize her and is in awe. He didn't think twice about her when they were younger, but Celino definitely notices now. XD How the story transpires from there ventures into spoiler territory for how it concludes, but I definitely liked the dynamic and chemistry of these two characters. It did leave me wanting a little more from it because it was such a short story, ended more prematurely than I was expecting it to. I gave "Silent Blade" 3.5/5 stars.
Next story in the collection is "Silver Shark" - easily my favorite book in the collection. We have a much deeper story in the universe to start with where we follow Claire Shannon, a soldier with a dangerous ability to use her mind as a weapon. While fighting a long war, her team is tragically ambushed and ultimately she ends up on the losing side of the war. She's reassigned to Rada as a refugee, forced to keep her abilities hidden and start over. She ends up working for Venturo Escana, a powerful Psycher (an enemy of hers, no less) and entrepreneur. Their chemistry is piping hot, like he can't keep his eyes off her even before she dyes her hair. (I love the descriptions of the environment and the characters in this collection - it's very vivid. This collection also includes illustrations of the main characters from each story, which is a nice touch.)
There are some intense scenes in which Claire and Ven go head to head without Ven knowing that Claire is on the other side of the conflict. I was expecting it to be much more messy once the reveal was made, but it was actually quite nice (and sensual, might I add). I liked this so much, and it was great that we had a cameo appearance of the couple from the previous story, establishing the connection of worlds. I gave this 4.5/5 stars.
The last story in the collection is "A Mere Formality". Really short story and a bit abrupt with some references that left me scratching my head. In sum, Deidre Lebed is swept into an arranged marriage situation with a new Lord after an unfortunate state of events during a banquet, which weren't what they seemed. But Deidre is not expecting the new Lord trying to have conversations about sexual positions with her. Yeah...negotiation session unexpected. I had mixed feelings about this because I didn't really get to know the characters that well and it felt like a shift compared to the first two stories, with a few pleasant moments of interaction. It was okay. I gave this 3/5 stars.
Averaging out the collection, I'm okay with giving this as a whole 4 stars. It was a solid collection of stories, and it makes me eager to read "Fated Blades" soon.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.
This book contains the works (in order): "Silent Blade", "Silver Shark" and "A Mere Formality." I wondered how I would represent my reading of these on Goodreads and other social media, whether to review the individual books themselves, or place them all under this collection in one review. Decided that the latter would be the best way to go to avoid confusion.
Talking about the first book in the collection - "Silent Blade" shows the story of a young woman named Meli who we meet after she's left her family and struck out on her own to do jobs as an ruthless assassin. She works to help protect them where she can, but decides that she doesn't want to do it anymore. Her brother Angel approaches her with one last assignment, a personal request from her father - kill Celino Carvanna.
The Carvanna family is one of very vast influence and power, but for Meli, the job is personal. Celino broke off a vital, arranged engagement to her when she was still young, leaving her and her family spiraling in terms of their influence and status. You get to see this in a flashback where he has interactions with her while they're both young, but he brushes her off quite rudely. When they do end up meeting as adults, he doesn't even recognize her and is in awe. He didn't think twice about her when they were younger, but Celino definitely notices now. XD How the story transpires from there ventures into spoiler territory for how it concludes, but I definitely liked the dynamic and chemistry of these two characters. It did leave me wanting a little more from it because it was such a short story, ended more prematurely than I was expecting it to. I gave "Silent Blade" 3.5/5 stars.
Next story in the collection is "Silver Shark" - easily my favorite book in the collection. We have a much deeper story in the universe to start with where we follow Claire Shannon, a soldier with a dangerous ability to use her mind as a weapon. While fighting a long war, her team is tragically ambushed and ultimately she ends up on the losing side of the war. She's reassigned to Rada as a refugee, forced to keep her abilities hidden and start over. She ends up working for Venturo Escana, a powerful Psycher (an enemy of hers, no less) and entrepreneur. Their chemistry is piping hot, like he can't keep his eyes off her even before she dyes her hair. (I love the descriptions of the environment and the characters in this collection - it's very vivid. This collection also includes illustrations of the main characters from each story, which is a nice touch.)
There are some intense scenes in which Claire and Ven go head to head without Ven knowing that Claire is on the other side of the conflict. I was expecting it to be much more messy once the reveal was made, but it was actually quite nice (and sensual, might I add). I liked this so much, and it was great that we had a cameo appearance of the couple from the previous story, establishing the connection of worlds. I gave this 4.5/5 stars.
The last story in the collection is "A Mere Formality". Really short story and a bit abrupt with some references that left me scratching my head. In sum, Deidre Lebed is swept into an arranged marriage situation with a new Lord after an unfortunate state of events during a banquet, which weren't what they seemed. But Deidre is not expecting the new Lord trying to have conversations about sexual positions with her. Yeah...negotiation session unexpected. I had mixed feelings about this because I didn't really get to know the characters that well and it felt like a shift compared to the first two stories, with a few pleasant moments of interaction. It was okay. I gave this 3/5 stars.
Averaging out the collection, I'm okay with giving this as a whole 4 stars. It was a solid collection of stories, and it makes me eager to read "Fated Blades" soon.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.
Read
December 1, 2021Yazarın oluşturduğu evrenleri seviyorum. Üzerinde ciddi anlamda çalışılsa okuması zevkli bir kurgu olurdu.
3 kısa hikaye vardı. İlk ikisi benzer evrende geçse de üçüncüsü Allah'a emanetti 😂Hiç bir şey anlamadım. Olaylar okey ama bulundukları evren... Aman evreni geç adamın derdi kaç farklı pozisyonda seks yapabilirler 🤦🏻♀️O yüzden A Mere Formality bizimle değilsin 😂
Onun dışında bende ikincisini daha çok sevdim. Belki yazar daha uzun, ve detaylı yazdığı içindir. Hoş en az 2-3 bölüme daha ihtiyacı vardı ama olsun.
Yazık ettin Ilona yazık. Sana başka da bir şey demiyorum 🥺🙄
Not: Her hikayenin başında karakterlerin illüstrasyonu vardı. Bence çok güzel bir detaydı.
3 kısa hikaye vardı. İlk ikisi benzer evrende geçse de üçüncüsü Allah'a emanetti 😂Hiç bir şey anlamadım. Olaylar okey ama bulundukları evren... Aman evreni geç adamın derdi kaç farklı pozisyonda seks yapabilirler 🤦🏻♀️O yüzden A Mere Formality bizimle değilsin 😂
Onun dışında bende ikincisini daha çok sevdim. Belki yazar daha uzun, ve detaylı yazdığı içindir. Hoş en az 2-3 bölüme daha ihtiyacı vardı ama olsun.
Yazık ettin Ilona yazık. Sana başka da bir şey demiyorum 🥺🙄
Not: Her hikayenin başında karakterlerin illüstrasyonu vardı. Bence çok güzel bir detaydı.
January 6, 2019
3.5 rounded up. A bit tougher than most of Andrews’ work; still enjoyable.
November 9, 2020
I love the Kinsmen universe, I hope Ilona Andrews writes more in this world in the future!
January 1, 2020
Silent Blade
Usually I dislike second chance romances and in its essence this book is precisely that. It just proves that nothing is set in stone if IA is the author. This is what happens usually when I get brainwashed into reading a similar story - I want the male lead to end up gelded. Or at least very very miserable and alone! Somehow IA made me want an a-hole like Celino Carvanna to get his HEA. I can't recognise myself! Add to it the fact that it's a freaking short story (less than 50 pages long) and I should be whining about wasted potential, too little character development, lackluster worldbuilding and so on. Sure it was way too short but nothing felt rushed. Yes, they could have expanded on the worldbuilding (mostly because the world sounds amazing and I'm dying of curiosity) but IA have given us enough to make it feel real without unnecessary info-dumps that tend to numb the brain *looks at most high fantasy books hoping authors will one day learn*. And to cap it off I f@cking loved Meli! I wanna be like her one day! I could do without a jerk like Celino but hey even that played a role in her becoming a badass :)
Since I've read the Hidden Legacy books before I read this I couldn't help but notice the similarities. So while I expect I'll end up whining about the lack of any new books in this series I can console myself with the fact that the IA gods got to play with this world in a slightly different setting.
Silver Shark
When I find an author I adore I always dread the inevitable moment when I've read everything he/she/they have published. So I kept putting off reading this final virgin territory for quite some time but eventually I got roped in a buddy read with the-one-who-can't-be-defied aka Sarah.
What can I tell you about Silver Shark that won't sound like a fangirl excessive praise??? Oh screw it! I'll fangirl all I want. It's my review after all. It was bloody amazing and I can't contain my adoration or my disappointment at the fact that there are no more books in this brilliant universe! Why, oh why have the mighty IA stopped at only two books? It's so damned good it deserves a gazillion installments. Okay, I might be a bit OTT but I'm an eternal slave to the masterful writing of the IA gods. Of course there were some tiny itty-bitty problems with this book. The first and obvious being that it's too short. There were so many things that could have been explored in more detail. Like everything! More about the bionet, more about the other kinsmen families, more about the stupid rock the two factions were fighting over. Second was skipping the most interesting part and just letting us know in general what has happened in the epilogue. That was just plain cruel! I will log a complaint! Maybe now that KD is coming to an end the gods can be persuaded to give us a third, more fleshed out book *looks hopefully at the IA altar* I know it's probably just wishful thinking but Kinsmen really deserves a new installment because it's one of the best sci-fi/fantasy series I've read and has so much potential it's criminal to be left unexplored.
A Mere Formality
I loved this. But that's no surprise since anything by IA is great. It's short, fun and a little naughty. And it made me wonder what a full length novel set in this world would be like.
Usually I dislike second chance romances and in its essence this book is precisely that. It just proves that nothing is set in stone if IA is the author. This is what happens usually when I get brainwashed into reading a similar story - I want the male lead to end up gelded. Or at least very very miserable and alone! Somehow IA made me want an a-hole like Celino Carvanna to get his HEA. I can't recognise myself! Add to it the fact that it's a freaking short story (less than 50 pages long) and I should be whining about wasted potential, too little character development, lackluster worldbuilding and so on. Sure it was way too short but nothing felt rushed. Yes, they could have expanded on the worldbuilding (mostly because the world sounds amazing and I'm dying of curiosity) but IA have given us enough to make it feel real without unnecessary info-dumps that tend to numb the brain *looks at most high fantasy books hoping authors will one day learn*. And to cap it off I f@cking loved Meli! I wanna be like her one day! I could do without a jerk like Celino but hey even that played a role in her becoming a badass :)
Since I've read the Hidden Legacy books before I read this I couldn't help but notice the similarities. So while I expect I'll end up whining about the lack of any new books in this series I can console myself with the fact that the IA gods got to play with this world in a slightly different setting.
Silver Shark
When I find an author I adore I always dread the inevitable moment when I've read everything he/she/they have published. So I kept putting off reading this final virgin territory for quite some time but eventually I got roped in a buddy read with the-one-who-can't-be-defied aka Sarah.
What can I tell you about Silver Shark that won't sound like a fangirl excessive praise??? Oh screw it! I'll fangirl all I want. It's my review after all. It was bloody amazing and I can't contain my adoration or my disappointment at the fact that there are no more books in this brilliant universe! Why, oh why have the mighty IA stopped at only two books? It's so damned good it deserves a gazillion installments. Okay, I might be a bit OTT but I'm an eternal slave to the masterful writing of the IA gods. Of course there were some tiny itty-bitty problems with this book. The first and obvious being that it's too short. There were so many things that could have been explored in more detail. Like everything! More about the bionet, more about the other kinsmen families, more about the stupid rock the two factions were fighting over. Second was skipping the most interesting part and just letting us know in general what has happened in the epilogue. That was just plain cruel! I will log a complaint! Maybe now that KD is coming to an end the gods can be persuaded to give us a third, more fleshed out book *looks hopefully at the IA altar* I know it's probably just wishful thinking but Kinsmen really deserves a new installment because it's one of the best sci-fi/fantasy series I've read and has so much potential it's criminal to be left unexplored.
A Mere Formality
I loved this. But that's no surprise since anything by IA is great. It's short, fun and a little naughty. And it made me wonder what a full length novel set in this world would be like.
November 12, 2021
4. 5 ▪︎
Space Opera is my catnip. There is just something about the genre that tickles me pink. It’s an anything goes genre as you can do literally anything with it.
Silent Blade
5 ☆
Silver Shark
4.5 ☆
A mere formality
4 ☆
Can't wait for Fated Blades
Space Opera is my catnip. There is just something about the genre that tickles me pink. It’s an anything goes genre as you can do literally anything with it.
Silent Blade
5 ☆
Silver Shark
4.5 ☆
A mere formality
4 ☆
Can't wait for Fated Blades
January 5, 2019
I believe I started out 2018 with my first book as Ilona Andrews and that is always a good decision, so I decided to do it again.
I can see how these novellas might have been where the Hidden Legacy universe started *which I adore* and I enjoyed each story immensely. Everything you look for in this writing duo’s stories was here, the unparalleled world building, outstanding characterization, kickass action and sharp, often hilarious banter. What’s not to love? ❤️
I can see how these novellas might have been where the Hidden Legacy universe started *which I adore* and I enjoyed each story immensely. Everything you look for in this writing duo’s stories was here, the unparalleled world building, outstanding characterization, kickass action and sharp, often hilarious banter. What’s not to love? ❤️
January 13, 2019
My favorite is the 3rd story! Would love a full-lenght book
July 20, 2019
I originally read the kindle version of these stories. I purchased the audible version bc I love this world (07/2019) . I hope to read more about this universe.
October 14, 2022
she gave him a bright smile as the ene-ribbon whipped from her wrist. she was still smiling when the top half of his skull slid to the floor.
silent blade ✩ four++
what is there to say about silent blade other than, omg i wish this was a full length novel. i'm just gonna say it, the romance - while excellent - had the potential to reach god-tier levels of swoon had silent blade been a full length novel. as it stands, the romance, action, and world building was solid af.
i think my favorite aspect of silent blade was the way meli watched celino for six months while my mans was drowning in his own self-inflicted sadness. she wasn't afraid to make that beautiful man squirm.
❝i love you, meli. i didn’t love you when you were sixteen, but i love you now. i’m sorry. i’m sorry i ruined your life. but i will help you build a new one. be with me.❞
silver shark ✩ four+
silver shark as a concept was … a bit hard to grasp, at first. now that could be because i started this story at about one in the morning 🤪 however, once i picked up what ia was putting down, well … i. was. hooked.
the romance, for the most part, really worked for me. venturo and claire really complimented one another. he was this scary intense dude to everyone but claire. meanwhile, claire was venturo's very own version of cinderella.
❝a violent psycher paralyzes your mind, and when he lets you go, you calmly ask if you should alert the authorities. you kill me, claire.❞
… ❝i considered screaming in blind panic, but I didn't want to break your concentration.❞
❝was that a joke?❞
❝possibly.❞
he raised his glass. ❝congratulations.❞
❝thank you.❞ she grinned and drank her wine.
a mere formality ✩ two-
by far the weakest story in this little novella set. while the first two stories were able to successfully flesh out a romance, characters, and plot, well … ahahaha 🥲
a mere formality felt like a very incomplete story. first off, i had no idea there was supposed to be a romance until the very end.
deirdre agreeing to marry lord nagrad had me out here like:
truly, where was there any hint of a romance brewing? moreover, we never even learned lord nagrad's name. he was just, nagrad, or lord nagrad. i mean the book literally ends with our girl dede asking my man what his name is 🤦♀️
honestly, if there was any story that needed to be longer it was this one.
December 4, 2021
Great fun! A collection of two previously published stories plus a new short story.
'Silent Blade' was a nice intro to the Kinsman world, but it was rather short and sparse. 'Silver Shark' was a much more developed story, with good world building and deeper character development.
Both were written more than 10 years ago, offering the loyal fan a glimpse of how the authors' storytelling has evolved over the years.
Now--onward to Fated Blades!
'Silent Blade' was a nice intro to the Kinsman world, but it was rather short and sparse. 'Silver Shark' was a much more developed story, with good world building and deeper character development.
Both were written more than 10 years ago, offering the loyal fan a glimpse of how the authors' storytelling has evolved over the years.
Now--onward to Fated Blades!
January 7, 2025
Very short.
And because it was so short, it was hard for my sad little brain to visualize all of the tech and magic in this world.
I was just left ... wanting.
Still a good read though
And because it was so short, it was hard for my sad little brain to visualize all of the tech and magic in this world.
I was just left ... wanting.
Still a good read though
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