Bayou Moon

The Edge #2

by Ilona Andrews

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Walmart and magic is a fairytale–and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life . William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.

When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Magic, Shapeshifters

447 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Ilona 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.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ilona Andrews books are the work of a solid writing team, and though I tend to avoid most paranormal romance, I thought it was time to give their Edge series a try. On the Edge went well, though it seemed a bit Kate Daniels Lite--milk chocolate version. Bayou Moon, on the other hand, is Kate Daniels Special Dark--dark chocolate version.

It begins with William, the wolf-shape changer from On the Edge. It's a couple years later and he's hanging in the Broken, working flooring jobs and drinking beer. A noble from the Weird comes to see him and enlist him in the cause to bring down the lead spymaster for the opposing team. William's unable to resist the offer, as he's been on William's personal to-kill list for years. At the same time, Cerise is working to keep her family's fiances together when her parents disappear. They live in a multi-generation household in The Mire, an Edge area known for extensive swamps and a very insular lifestyle. Apparently the family's arch-enemies have decided to re-open the feud by laying claim to her grandparent's old house. She needs to journey to the Broken to retrieve some documents. Her return trip and William's entry into the Mire coincide. They work together to navigate the Mire, and on their respective missions, dancing around their attraction for each other.

Narrative flows fairly smoothly, largely with alternating viewpoints between William and Cerise, with occasional intrusions by the Spymaster. Plot moves fairly fast and is generally straightforward, with heavy emphasis on action scenes. There is a significant amount of physical fighting in this book with particular techniques described.

The setting is clearly modeled on the marshy, changeable waterways of deep swamps and is always atmospheric. Both William and Cerise have a connection to the natural world, although for different reasons, and their likes and dislikes of the area help bring it alive. The world-building is generally solid with more focus on the weird creatures than on personal magic or spells. However, there's some mutation-type magic employed by the Spymaster and his country that adds a fearsome, freaky angle to the story. There's some mildly confusing Weird politics between the two countries and their spy agencies, the Hand and the Mirror, that play into the reasons for hunting the Spymaster. It's awkwardly integrated largely because William and Cerise are generally apolitical and insular, although for different reasons.

As always with Andrews, characterization and characters stand out. William's dual nature is given a realistic feel as he continually works to understand human cues and maintain 'normal' responses (much like many introverted people, I might add). Cerise's extended family is very idiosyncratic with enough development to make the reader unsure of allegiance, and even those with brief appearances provide interest. Unlike the Kate Daniels series, body count of both friend and foe is high--these are life-and-death matters, so there's an appropriate cost. It might be a shock to those fans of Daniels who rarely encounter a death of characters on the side of 'good.'

There are a few moments of levity for contrast. There's a quick courtroom scene that is made all the more hilarious for the pause in the violence:

“Kaldar. Are you the one speaking for the plaintiff today?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” “Well, shit,” Dobe said. “I guess you’re familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant.”

For me, it was a solid diversion. I wanted an immersive read in an interesting world without intellectual or emotional commitment. For fans of romance, I'm not entirely sure it would satisfy; because both Cerise and William are who they are, it takes a long time for them to acknowledge their mutual attraction. On the other hand, as a non-romance reader, I appreciated the relatively uncomplicated romance structure. It also has almost equal emphasis on action/fighting. Overall, enjoyable and slightly more intriguing than On the Edge.

Three and a half dark chocolate kisses.

Re-read 2021: Interesting and complicated book. Definitely dark chocolate. The romance between the leads doesn't twist and turn with the will they/won't they normal relationship drama, which I really appreciated. Definitely a four star romance. However, the outside forces against the characters were done well but perhaps veered into extreme, and I found I disliked the final chapters of the book. I thought they were over-the-top magically, politically, and romantically, and could really have been scrapped. I could completely see the story ending sooner and then someone saying, 'wait, we need more excitement.' That said, still an above average story.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

➽ And the moral of this rererereread is: when in need of some good old comedy fun, watch COPS thou shalt.

➽ And the other moral of this rererereread is: it is a truth universally acknowldged that “Blondie, you’ve been buggered” is one of the best lines in the history of literature.



See, even the most renowned experts agree with me on that one.

👋 To be continued and stuff.



[May 2020]

🔫 Of Guns and Walmarts Buddy Rererereread (OGaWBR™) with the IA Addicts 🔫

➽ And the moral of this rerereread is: see moral of previous rereread.

➽ And the other moral of this rerereread is: see other moral of previous rereread.

➽ And the other, other moral of this rerereread is: it is a truth universally acknowledged that the courtroom scene in this book is the best thing since sliced bread chopped off puny humans. And that it's funny as fish, no matter how many times you rerererereread it.

➽ And the other, other, other moral of this rerereread is: Cerise might have the silliest name ever (no offense, Cherries of the world), but she's tough as barnacles, kicks exoskeleton, and has the motest awesomest (albeit a little batshit-crazy-with-homicidal-tendencies) family ever.

"She wasn’t Red Riding Hood, she wasn’t scared, and her grandmother could curse his ass so hard, he wouldn’t know which way was up for a week."

And now let's all shake our booties in honor of Judge Dobe and stuff.





[September 2018]

💊 Ilona Andrews is the Only Antidepressant We’ll Ever Need Buddy Rererereread (IAitOAWENBR™) with the IA Addicts 💊

➽ And the moral of this rereread is: Clyde + Judge Dobe + Chuckles the slightly oversized, green bobcat + my Kaldar playing lawyer + Grandma Az + Cousin Emel & his pet eel (or lack thereof) + “Blondie, you’ve been buggered” = bestest, mostest hilariousest court scene in the history of Bestest, Mostest Hilarioustest Court Scenes (BMFCS™). And that, my Little Barnacles, is a scientifically proven fact.

➽ And the other moral of this rereread is: looks like it's Dancing Lobsters Time (DLT™) again.





• Buddy reread with the Awesome IA Army Of Utter Awesomeness (aka the eye candy IA Addicts) starting Jan 19, 2016 •

» And the moral of this reread is: reading any IA book will make all your troubles disappear.
» And the other moral of this reread is: hey, this book was my least favourite in the series, now it's my second least favourite! Woo hoo! I think it's Kaldar all the blood-shedding that did it.
» And the other, other moral of this reread is: why did I think the beginning of the book was a confusing mess when I first read this? My one and a half synapses must have been on strike at the time.
» And the other, other, other moral of this reread is:



You know better than to expect me to write another review for this book, don't you? We already had that talk about you being too naïve and stuff the other day, please tell me I don't need to lecture you again. No? VERY good! It looks like there might be hope for you yet! Now if you really want to read a review for this book, read this thing down here ↓↓ And if you don't, well, you know, don't. It's a free country and all that crap. Bye now.



[Original review: January 2015]

I'm very sorry but I have no idea what to do with this review. It's been almost a week since I finished the book. I don't know how to rate it. I don't know what to say about it. I don't know what to do. Okay. Breathe Sarah, breathe.

So. Bayou Moon. First scene? IA wonderland. Because who else would come up with the idea of a werewolf having a conversation with the action figure army on his porch? Only the Andrews.

William sipped some beer from the bottle of Modelo Especial and gave the Green Arrow his hard stare.

"Here we go again" I thought, rubbing my hands in anticipation. Well it didn't go that well. The first part of the book is pretty boring. Yes. I've said it. This is a book by Ilona Andrews and the beginning is painfully slow. But hey, I can deal with that. The problem is, not only was it slow, it was also very confusing. I think the Andrews tried to throw in too much information at the beginning of the book and it felt both complicated and unclear. I just couldn’t understand what was going on, who were all the people mentioned, what were the places being referred too… I ended up taking notes to try and make sense of it all: Andrianglia, the Dukedom of Louisiana, the Mire (now that was a tough one), swamps, borders, the Hand, the Mirror, Spider and his goons, the Sheeriles, the Mars… Okay, I think my head just about exploded there.



The slow, confusing build-up is really a shame because the world the Andrews created is pretty fantastic. It's much more complex and detailed than in book 1. Once I got into my little head what the Mire had to do with the Edge and how it all fitted together with the Weird and the Broken, I really started enjoying the book. And there are so many things to enjoy here!

► Cerise aka spaghetti woman aka Her Hobo Highness aka Dora the Explorer aka swamp mermaid: congratulations, Nevada Baylor and Kate Daniels would be proud. Because Cerise, with her minefield of a family and kick-ass moves is a pretty fantastic mix of both characters.

William glanced at her sword. His upper lip rose, showing her his teeth. My, my, Lord Bill, what big fangs you have. That was all right. She wasn’t Red Riding Hood, she wasn’t scared, and her grandmother could curse his ass so hard, he wouldn’t know which way was up for a week.

The edge of Cerise’s sword shone once, as if a glowing silver hair were stretched along the blade. She leaped onto the larger boat. They swarmed her. She whirled, cutting through them, slicing limbs in half, severing muscle and bone. Blood sprayed, she paused again, and the fighters around her fell without a single moan. Four seconds and the deck was empty.

Strike, strike, strike, strike. Slash. Slash. Slash. A mini KD I tell you!



► William aka Lord Leather Pants: I'm a bit torn about Lord Bill here. On the one hand he's a pretty fantastic character and I love how complex he is. His bipolar wolf vs. human inner dialogue is great:

The wild in him lost its head, clawing at his insides. Want. Want the woman. “Lord Bill?” she asked. His thoughts tumbled in a feverish cascade. Want . . . So beautiful . . . Standing so close and so beautiful. Want the woman. “Earth to William?” She was looking at him with those beautiful dark eyes. All he had to do was reach for her and he could touch her. No. Wrong. She hadn’t given him permission. If he touched, he would take her. Taking women without permission was wrong.

On the other hand the guy needs to lighten up and grow a sense of humour. No wonder he can't stand ever-joking-around Kaldar. Then again dear old Bill isn't all bad. Not only does he have an action figure army, he also seems to have an obsession with dry socks. Pretty cool if you ask me. And he can get quite swoon-worthy when he wants to. And he kind of slaughters people sometimes.



► The "minefield" family: No one does wacky, eccentric, dysfunctional families like the Andrews. Cerise's tribe is quite the collection of lovable crazies. Lark the small monster is adorable (I want to adopt her along with Georgie and Jack), Kaldar the bet-loving family criminal/villain is irresistible (I think I'm in love), Grandma Az is mischievously ass-kicking (IA Grandma Cult alert!), Richard the family general resents being put through so much foolishness, Aunt Pete is a hilarious corpse-loving cannibal… I love them all.

► Judge Dobe and the courtroom scene: welcome to the circus. This is probably one of the funniest scenes ever written by the Andrews. Pure comedy.

“Kaldar. Are you the one speaking for the plaintiff today?” “Yes, Your Honor.” “Well, shit,” Dobe said. “I guess you’re familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant.” A huge grin sparked on Kaldar’s face. “Thank you, Your Honor.”

The blonde cleared her throat. “With all due respect, Judge, this man isn’t qualified to serve as an advocate. He’s a convicted felon.” Dobe’s gaze settled on the blond woman. “I don’t know you. Clyde, do you know her?” “No, Judge.” “There you have it. We don’t know you.”

Dobe scanned the papers and cackled. It was a gleeful snide kind of cackle, and as he laughed, his eyebrows bounced up and down. “Blondie, you’ve been buggered.”

► The usual IA dialogue awesomeness:

“You’re a thug and an ass,” she told him, baring small, even teeth. “You say the sweetest things. And that spaghetti perfume you’re wearing is to die for. No hobo could resist.” She snarled. Heh. “You sound like a pissed-off rabbit.”

“I say it’s right that she killed your eel. What kind of a pet is that for a respected man anyway? Couldn’t get a dog or a cat. No, this knucklehead gets himself a bald fish with legs!” “Can you believe that child? Well, doesn’t that just sink my boat! And he was such a sweet baby, too.”

“Who’s your friend?” “His name is William. He’s from the Weird. I found him in the swamp and he followed me home.” Urow’s black eyes took William’s measure. “Did you feed him?” “Yes.” “There’s your mistake. That will do it every time.”

►The usual IA crazy mix: altered humans, evil gardeners, "turtle things" with scales, garbage-eating racoons, rolpies suffering from separation anxiety (don't ask), the Gospo Adir Sect and its mud eels, fusions (not what you might think), moon people, a basket-braiding assassin, a mad scientist, slavers, family feuds, a werewolf addicted to COPS (he think it's hilarious), exploding bodies, bee masters, battle smiles, chicken with cumin and rice, the path of the lightning blade, dancing to no music, poison crocheting… What's not to love?



I initially thought I would give this book a 3.5-star rating. I even stooped so low as to consider a 3-star rating *gasps* But BUT. After writing this review and rereading the notes I took while I was reading the book I think I finally know what rating I will go for. See the little stars up there? Now count with me: one, two, three, four. Yep. That's right. Because despite of all its shortcomings this book is still pure IA greatness. No matter how slow or confusing some parts of the book are, it still deserves a 4. Because Ilona Andrews. The best that ever was. The best that ever will be.

· Book 1: On The Edge ★★★★
· Book 3: Fate's Edge ★★★★★
· Book 4: Steel's Edge ★★★★★

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

February 1 2025 update, Third Read.

Read Along with Books of my Heart in February. Join along here if you are interested

Second Read

Yes, I am reading this again....Yes, I just read this like 6 months ago....No, I am not sorry because WILLIAM

Ilona Andrews is just that author that everytime I reread a book I seem to enjoy it just as much if not more. Each read is like coming home to my favorite world full of magic and characters that I can't wait to spend time with.

Re-reading with all my fellow addicts at Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA)

2nd Read

Buddy Read/reread beginning January 26 with all my fellow addicts at Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA)

This is a private group but PM me if you want to join in on the fun.

Again I loved it even more the second time through. There are a few slow spots here and there but I loved

✔ The Hobo Queen
✔ Lord Leather Pants
✔ The Little Lark Monster *you break my heart*
✔ In-Laws worse than the Beverly Hill Billies
✔ Awesome Granny (I'm starting a fan club for all the awesome IA Grannies)
✔ VoUGMaS (Villains of Unusual Genetic Mutation and Sanity)

Original Review March 2013:

I was disappointed early in On the Edge that William was not the love interest. He is so lonely and broken that I wanted him to be what Rose was looking for. Luckily I came to like Rose and Declan together but still poor William left to go into hiding and had no one. Cerise on the other hand has a huge family living in the swamp between worlds and every single one of them seems a little on the crazy side, so she should have no trouble taming Lord William…right?

“Why couldn't she have gotten another Edger or some dimwit from the Broken for a passenger? No, she got Lord Leather Pants here.”

The snarky humor between Cerise and William was fantastic. She comes from a large family and is trying to save their land after he parents have been kidnapped by an organization of magically mutated beings. William is trying to find the same beings to take out their leader once and for all. But just because their goals line up doesn’t mean that everything else does right away.

“William strode to her. That’s how it’s done. Drink it in.
She surveyed the carnage behind him. “Did you have fun?”
He showed her his teeth. “Yes. Now they won’t take you anywhere.”
Cerise stepped closer to him, so close he only needed to lean in and dip his head and he would kiss her. Since he saved her, maybe he could just grab her and—
“That was the stupidest thing you have done since I’ve met you,” she ground out through her teeth.
Belay the grabbing.”

Cerise is a strong heroine. She is easy to like because everything she does is for her crazy family and she has no time or inclination for angst or drama. William is drawn to the woman she it right away and one that doesn’t even want to be saved by him, it is a confusing thing.

The enemy is even greater than in On the Edge as the magically mutated Hand operatives are searching for Cerise and doing unspeakable things to the parents they abducted from her. Spider is truly horrible and a great bad guy as he sees nothing wrong with what he is doing, I loved hating him.

One of the things I liked the best about this book was Cerise’s family. They were funny and a handful. Her grandmother the wise and knowing was full of mischief and Kaldar making absurd bets because that is how his magic worked trying to marry Cerise off. The clan was full of mischievous characters that added all kinds of fun.

“How did the hearing go?” she asked.
“We won, sort of,” Kaldar said. “We die at dawn.”
“The court gave the Sheeriles twenty-four hours,” William corrected.
“Yes, but ‘we die at dawn the day after tomorrow’ doesn’t sound nearly
as dramatic.”
“Does it have to be dramatic all the time?” Catherine murmured.
“Of course. Everyone has a talent. Yours is crocheting and mine is
making melodramatic statements.”

The feud between the families seemed almost of Hatfield and Maccoy standards in its duration and fallout, with a few more laughs maybe. Kaldar was an interesting character and the Hero of the next book. I’m interested to see what kind of trouble he can get into, he seems a very mischievous man indeed.

There wasn’t a lot of time needed for world set up so the story flowed much better from the first book. Everything about this magic system and the characters in it is really growing on me. I enjoyed seeing Jack and George a few years later along with Declan and Rose.

If you like Ilona Andrews then I’m sure you will be able to find something in this that you love. Kate Daniels is still my favorite series of theirs so if you have already read that might as well try out this world too.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was honestly worried before reading this book. You know those romance series that each book is about a character that we met somewhere in the first/previous book? I'm not a fan.

But well, I didn't need to. It's Ilona Andrews and she has yet to disappoint me. I really enjoyed this book, maybe not as much as On the Edge but still a lot. I'm interested in reading Kaldar's story. He sounds fun and cool. He's my favorite of Cerise's family.

I'm not big on romance. Especially pnr. Thankfully, Bayou Moon didn't focus only on the romance between William (I loved him since we met him in the first book) and Cerise (wish she had a different name, I hate those that have an obvious meaning in another/same language). Her family is awesome, kinda reminds me of mine because we are a big crazy family that always sticks together. I was also very happy when we saw Jack and George! I adore these too! I'm honestly trying to finish this series asap to read Clean Sweep but would've continued it nonetheless.

Some might think this book was longer than necessary, I kinda agree but I didn't mind. Well, if I knew it's around 450 pages previously, I wouldn't have started reading it since I have to study at the moment. Sadly, I didn't and here I am read it in 2 days while holding my political science book in my other hand. I had fun reading this book and hope the next would be as good. I don't think any will match On the Edge but it's okay, as long as it's enjoyable and quick to read.

If you liked On the Edge, you definitely should read this book. If you haven't read any of Ilona Andrews's books then WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!!!!!!!! Her books were the best discovery of 2017 for me! I've waited too long to read her books but better late than never. So yeah, go read one of her novels, Kate Daniels preferably because you are missing out A LOT.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second volume of THE EDGE series Ilona Andrews dives full-on into bayou urban fantasy realness. The Edge is a semi-magical border land between our normal world and an alternative version called the Weird, with kingdoms, swords and magic - both good and highly evil. Cerise Mar is part of the Mar clan, a powerful family in the Mire, a swampland in the Edge where family vendettas are a way of life.

When Cerise's parents disappear, it seems like it's part of the ongoing feud between the Mars and the Sheerlies. But behind the Sheerlies is the corrupt Kingdom of Louisiana and a ruthless agent of the Hand called Spider, with a grotesque and magically powerful crew. And coming after Spider is William, a former soldier, shapeshifter and agent of the rival kingdom of Adrianglia. When William meets Cerise, sparks fly, but there's the not insignificant distraction of trying to find Cerise's parents and, by the way, avoid getting killed or captured by Spider, who has a hidden purpose for going after the Mars clan.

As always with the Andrews' books, the plot is highly imaginative and action-filled, with a heavy side of hot romance.

"If I don't let you in, will you huff and puff and blow my house down?"

She had no idea. "I'm more of a kick the door open and cut everyone inside to ribbons kind of wolf.”

William definitely has a wild wolf side. The broken side of William the Wolf is well-depicted, though, and my heart ached for the generations-long bayou feud, the way it was used by the dark forces of the Hand, and the devastating effects on the families on both sides of the feud.

I think I liked the first book, On the Edge, a little better ... and by the way, it's great fun when Cerise meets up with Rose from that book.

“My youngest brother killed a lynx yesterday,” Rose said. “Apparently it came into his territory and left some spray marks. He skinned it, smeared himself in its blood, and put its pelt on his shoulders like a cape. And that’s how he came dressed for breakfast.”

Cerise drank some beer. “My sister kills small animals and hangs their corpses on a tree, because she thinks she is a monster and she’s convinced we’ll eventually banish her from the house. They’re her rations. Just in case.”

Rose blinked. “I see. I think we’re going to get along just fine, don’t you?”

“I think so, yes.”

As soon as I finished Bayou Moon, though, which was sometime after 1 am, I went searching on Abebooks (my favorite online used bookseller) and ordered the next two books in this series. It may be brain candy, but it's really good brain candy, and it's got some emotional and intellectual heft to it.

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread with the IAA group.
Huh, I liked the first book a little better with the reread, but this one I liked a little less the second reading. I still liked it, but I think I remembered it a little too fondly for it to hold up.

I'm a moody complicated reader.


Original review:

If someone had asked him yesterday morning what hell looked like, he would've said he didn't know. He'd spent 24 hours in the swamp, and now he had an answer. Hell looked like the Mire.

This urban (more like rural) fantasy is set in a swamp. If you've ever been to southern Louisiana, you can feel the descriptions of the Mire. It's wet. Always wet. Don't bother trying to wear make-up, if you can get it to stick to your wet face in the first place, it will just come off. Don't bother trying to do your hair- the humidity will re-do it for you within minutes. It gets like this where I live too sometimes - like now. It literally feels like a sauna outside and it's almost midnight. The frogs are so loud that they must be having a rave or something out in the woods behind my house.


their drug of choice is to lick their toad friends... it's kind of creepy....

So, the world building in this book is great. You will feel the need for a mint julip and some fried gator while reading it.

We get William the Wolf's story in this book. He is a handsome guy with very wolf-like thoughts. I love how he is constantly having to remind himself to think more like a human. He has immediate, doggyish reactions to things and then tries to see it from the human's point-of-view. He decides he wants Cerise, but has no idea on how to achieve getting her to like him. He comes up with a half human/half wolf idea:

He'd have to stalk her, he decided. Carefully and patiently. He would bring her flowers, swords, and whatever else she liked, until he was sure when he pounced, she wouldn't want to run away.

Cerise is a tough kickass girl who was raised in the Mire. She has a huge, crazy family that she is responsible for and will do anything to protect. She has a heart of gold, but is also a stone cold killer and William loves that.

They swarmed her. She whirled, cutting through them, slicing limbs in half, severing muscle and bone. Blood sprayed, she paused again and the fighters around her fell without a single moan. Four seconds and the deck was empty. Nothing moved.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.


Cerise looks good in red... luckily...

The best thing about this book, though, is Cerise's family. They are numerous and crazy. Awesome!!


Grandma, did you catch Gramps in the moonshine again?

Her family has to go to court to try and get back their land, and her cousin, Kaldar, is well known by the local judge.

"I guess you're familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant."
A huge grin sparked on Kaldar's face. "Thank you, Your Honor."

I'm not sure that was a compliment...

Cerise's family is like the Beverly Hillbillies with scary magic. Tons of fun! It is so worth it to read this book just to experience the Mar family hoedown.

There is a lot of fighting and action in the book, but not so much that it gets tedious. The family scenes are hilarious, and so are William and Cerise's interactions. I liked everything about this book.

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So here's the problem with Ilona rereads--I have a vague recollection of not liking this book as much as I usually like an Ilona book (still liked it, of course, but I think we've established that Ilona operates under a different set of standards), but I cannot, for the life of me, remember why . . .

Not much of a problem, I know (that's the point).

So we're back in the Edge. With William this time.<-----that's right, there's a POV change. FYI.

Two years have passed since we were last in the Edge, and it looks like William has just been sitting around, working construction in the Broken, and generally feeling sorry for himself.

Not that he doesn't have good cause. He's had a crap life so far, and Rose rejected him to go live in the Weird with Declan . . .

Poor William. *rolls eyes*

But when a representative of the Mirror (Adrianglia's version of the CIA) shows up on William's doorstep with evidence that his most loathed enemy (Spider) is slaughtering changeling children again (yes, again), he agrees to go undercover into the Mire, a nasty, swamp-like area of the Edge, to snatch whatever Spider is looking for, and hand it over to the Mirror.

Spider, you see, is an agent for the Hand (the Dukedom of Louisiana's version of the CIA), and Adrianglia and DoL are too evenly matched to engage in open warfare without massive losses on both sides, so instead they fight their war with spies and covert operations.<-----AWESOME.

The Mirror doesn't know what Spider is after, but anything the Hand wants as badly as it seems too, the Mirror will do everything in their power to keep from them.

Even send in a changeling like William.

Cerise Mar has lived in the Mire all her life. The Mire is a savage place, even for Edgers, and Cerise is a Mar, and the Mars are a force to be reckoned with. Her family is land rich and cash poor, and there are a LOT of them. Cerise's father has been the Head of the family since the previous Head, his elder brother, was shot in the head (insert bad pun), by a rival family, in the middle of the "town" square.

YEP. We have a Hatfields and McCoys-type situation. YEE-haaaaaww, once again.

The 80+ year long feud has been quiet since the public shooting incident, but when Cerise's mother and father disappear (McCoys), and Lagar Sherrile (Hatfield) and co. are found occupying her Grandfather's abandoned home, and claiming that her father sold the property to him, oh, and here's the deed to prove it, and no, he has no idea where her parents got to, an escalation in hostilities is inevitable.

But before Cerise leaves to regroup with her family, Lagar lets slip that the Hand is involved, and suggests that she be a good, little girl, and let the issue drop.

Riiiiight.

But what does the Hand want with her parents?

I really did like this installment a LOT. The Mars are a crazy and hilarious bunch that you can't help but love. Lark, Kaldar, and Aunt Murid especially. Grandma Az is pretty great too. And they are exactly what William has always longed for.<-----the FEELS.

This installment is also where a definitive story arc takes shape: the quietly fought war between Adrianglia and the Dukedom of Louisiana. And people . . . the DoL fights dirty and creepily.

One of my favorite things about Clean Sweep was the sci-fi explanations for supernatural creatures. Werewolves were the result of genetic modification of soldiers on a planet at war.

The Hand uses magic for a similar purpose. They "fuse" operatives with plants and other things to give them enhancements, but it's a tricky "science" and things don't always go as expected. One universal side effect, however, is that the experimentees can no longer be considered human when the process is complete. Neither in appearance, nor behavior.



Basically Bayou Moon is both creepy and awesome. William and Cerise are wonderful together, and William's changeling antics throughout their "courtship" are wildly (HA!) entertaining. Spider is truly diabolical (be warned--there are moments of graphic violence in this series), and you will BURN in your desire to see him defeated, and the Edge and the Weird both suck you into the oddities of their worlds. No book 2 slump here, people. Not. At. All.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It's been three years since I read the first book in this series. I am not sure why I didn't continue on with it seeing as I love this author (actually a husband/wife co-writing duo). I think it's the weird Louisiana bayou/backwater hick/twisted magic vibe that I don't particularly care for. I prefer their books set in major cities apparently; see: Kate Daniels series in Atlanta and the Hidden Legacy series in Houston. But despite not warming up to the setting, I am still rounding this one up to 4 stars because the characters and the action and the magic and the romantic subplot are all still there and I continue to enjoy those things in all their books. I'll get around to book #3 sooner this time.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Is there such a thing as a bad Ilona Andrews book?
Nah.



This maybe wasn't my favorite, but, to me, these guys always write a quality story. Even if it isn't mind-blowing, it's still like chocolate to me. Is some chocolate better than other chocolate?
Yes, of course!
But any chocolate is still chocolate.
Delicious, delicious chocolate...



And that's how I felt about Bayou Moon. Not my favorite, but it filled my craving for an Ilona book.
*shrugs*
If you've read the 1st Edge novel then you might remember Declan's friend, William. The one who had the hots for Rose in the beginning? Well, he's the main man in this sucker.
Which, was a serious surprise for me! I mean, I didn't realize that these novels were all going to feature different characters. So, technically, this is a stand-alone. Sure, it would be cool if you read On the Edge first, but you don't have to read it.
But I liked the 1st one better, so I'd suggest you read it!

William gets recruited by a magical MI6 (ish) agency, to help catch a bad guy called The Spider. He's a real creepy dude, and there's a nasty history between him & William that tips the scales in favor of working for the agency.
Meanwhile, Cerise is dealing with paranormal fighting with a neighboring clan in the Edge. Yeah, like a swampy Hatfield & McCoy feud with magic...



Because this is a romance, Cerise & William get thrown together (conveniently) and have to stick together to fight their (conveniently) common enemy.
Ah, who am I kidding? Andrews wrote it, so I enjoyed it.



I really like Cerise, but something about William just didn't make me swoon. He was a good guy underneath it all, but it seemed like (because he was a changeling) his emotions were a bit off. Not enough for me to avidly dislike him, but not enough for me to fall in love, either.
But the story was solid, the characters felt real, and I already have the next book on hold at my library.
I'd say this one is good if you need a quick fix till the next Kate Daniels book comes out!

Also reviewed for:

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.35 ***

I think I liked this book better than the first one! There is not much difference between the two leading ladies, but this book took advantage of the reader already being familiar with the rules of the world and its magic, so not so much time was devoted to the world building and that left more pages for fighting and family drama. And it is good! I loved the swamp, Everglades feel to the terrain in which a big family, land rich and money poor, lives by fighting to survive in the "mud", by living as a tribe, proudly holding their heads high, living with their joys, feuds, tragedies and family legends as if they are what keeps them going. A young woman is put in the position of being this family's head due to her parents being taken by long time enemies. She has to gather all of them together to stand behind her in order to remove the threat hanging over the clan's heads. At the same time she needs to figure out if the young and very handsome and dangerous wolf shape-shifter is someone she can trust with her family and with her heart. And he comes with a bag full of complications, so decisions, decisions, decisions...

Ilona Andrews shine brightest when telling a love story in a Urban Fantasy setting. It gives them a freedom which is not possible in non-fantasy setting and let's us believe in the characters' intentions and motivation easier and with less judgement from a moralistic point of view. They are honorable monsters, righteous killers, powerful protectors, and ladies who can stand on their own two feet against giant tentacled poisonous creatures, as well as unsuitable callers. The authors know how to grab your attention and keep you coming back for more.

The first and this second book in the series are loosely related, and I would recommend to read them in order, but I think they can be read as stand alones as well. I believe the next book will be more connected to this one, but I can't be sure before I read it 😃. I recommend this series to all Urban Fantasy with Paranormal Romance fans, and really to all who love their romance with a lot at steak and plot away from the angsty love stuff😃. I am very partial to the authors and I love how despite bad things happening, the writing never feels without hope or silver lining.

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a good Book 😉!

[Kat Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to categorize how I felt about Bayou Moon.

On one hand I absolutely loved it. I loved the relationship between Cerise and William. I did adore Declan from On The Edge, but I loved William's vulnerability and dedication more. Reading and seeing William find his happily ever after was absolutely delightful.

[image error]
Also, werewolves are kind of awesome...

But between bouts of schizophrenic awesomeness were periods of meh. Let me try to explain. Most of this novel was just so great that I considered spear-heading new laws to maritally bind myself to this series. Then suddenly, Andrews would write something like, "So the attack on the castle happened and it was over in an hour."

Nice.

Did you all sit down and have a cup of tea afterwards? Did someone make a stupid pun about the bad guy losing his head? Did they break out into dance?

[image error]
In which case I apologize for suggesting you were lazy, Andrews. You were really just sparing us, weren't you?

Basically, if you liked On the Edge then you will like Bayou Moon.













******SPOILERS*****


Whilst I did love this book, I have some questions for Andrews if I were to ever meet her. Do we really always need our heroes to be fabulously wealthy? Can't they just be well-off, or even average? Maybe even poor?

I really felt like it was part of William's charm that he was a poor bum with a heart of gold. As women, do we need to have The Provider in order to find a man sexy? I know Cerise fell in love with William before she found out his wealth, but still you can't deny the end result. Happily Ever After means ending up in a fabulous castle with all your dreams come true. It isn't enough to find that one person on this earth who you truly connect with and who fills you with love, respect and adoration. No. He has to come with a big house and a pot of gold.


Okay, there could be worse ways to end up...

[Jo ★The Book Sloth★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 IA Can Do No Wrong Stars

Re-read with the awesome IAA gang.

I was sooooooooooo late for this. I barely finished before the 3rd book BR started BUT it was awesome so I regret nothing!xx

***************************************************

I think IA is gradually becoming my favorite author!! Once again I loved her book. William was... Well Meg Ryan can show you!



Cerise...



Cerise was a very likable heroine. She is smart, responsible, loyal and pretty. I like the fact that although IA gives her heroines sth to make them stand out she never makes them "THE SHIT", someone that is so unique that you have to take notice so it is natural for the hero to fall for them. Instead they are everyday girls(in their world) and what makes them stand out is their personality, not their "unique" powers.

William...



I loved William since I first read about him in the first book and kept on loving him throughout this one. William is a combination of confidence and insecurities. He is smart but doesn't think exactly like a human, sometimes he was like a little boy and you wanted to cuddle him and then he would be all hot and sexy. I loved Declan in the first book too but for completely different reasons...

The story was good although it dragged out a bit in places but not enough to take anything out of Andrews' awesomeness. It was well-written and full of action and luckily once again although it was a big part of the story, the romance came second. I didn't want it to end.



Now I could start raving about all the things I loved in this book but I would need hours and I'm too bored. So I'll just suggest you read it and find out what a great book it is for yourselves.

PS. I LOVE Kaldar already. He is such a wickedly hot guy that will either captivate me or completely dissapoint me as a hero!

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good. Amazing, really. Even better than the first book. To think that I almost didn’t pick up this series and mostly did so in preparation for the Innkeeper Chronicles! I really would have missed out if I’d skipped this series. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like different viewpoint characters in each of the four Edge novels, but there is something to be said for each book having a complete relationship arc (unlike the 10-book Kate Daniels series), which, to my delight, also did not involve any stupid misunderstandings / miscommunications or unnecessary drama.

And I just love William! He has got to be one of my new favorite heroes. Lethal, competent and skilled. I actually much preferred him over Declan in book 1. I also loved the inner conflict of his wild wolf side and the human part and I ached for all changelings like him being mistreated, instrumentalized or even killed.

But the book did not just have one fabulous hero and a kick-ass, sword-wielding heroine reminiscent of Kate Daniels that had me deeply invested; the plot also had me hooked from page one. Though at almost 500 pages it was almost twice as long as the first book, I was grateful to spend that time with William and Cerise. I’m actually quite put out there is no sequel to their story; especially since the ending hinted at future adventures. Anyway, here’s to hoping book 3 comes close to being this wonderful.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

William's story lived up to my expectations. He is a very cool character that more or less stole the show from the hero in On the Edge. Not that Declan wasn't a perfectly good hero. Well, he was a bit more 'golden boy' than I like my heroes. But he worked for Rose. As for personal taste, I go with William!

What can I say? I like 'em edgy. I appreciated how the Andrews shaped Williams character and showed all his textures and layers. One would think that a changeling would be a pretty basic guy, all id. Not William. He has a dichotomy, although he does aim for simplicity in his actions and thought processes. And wonderfully self-controlled, considering. He had to learn it the hard way, which is organic. I think he was very true to his nature. He had that primal, violent aspect, but also a loving, sensual (and not just in an erotic) nature. Although he had never been part of a family, you could see that he valued and treasured the concept of family. I especially liked how he reacted to Cherise. Just on a primal level, he fell for her and 'knew' she was meant for his. Even with that instant feeling, nothing was guaranteed in the story. There was a long journey for them, and that love story adds to but doesn't take away from this distinctly gritty fantasy read. Although I will put this on my urban fantasy shelf, I guess it really isn't UF. It's more like rural fantasy. Hey, would love more books in this sub-genre!

Speaking of rural fantasy, I loved the local color. With On the Edge, that was a major appeal of the story, the down-home Southern ambience of the story. This story goes even deeper. This is about swamp people. It felt very authentic and real. I think we can all identify with having an interesting family. How we have various relations that are just kind of odd, but we love and accept them because they are family. That's this book in a nutshell. Cerise's family was full of characters, each one distinctive. They gave her a headache and sometimes a heartbreak, but they were blood, and blood is thicker than water. So what if her family has some folks that aren't strictly human? Every family has quirks. I loved Cerise's loyalty to her family, and better yet, that William could respect that and realized that his Mate's family was his family now.

As far as adventure and action, this book has it in spades. As with other books by Andrews, it can be gritty and gory. The whole storyline about the scientific/magical adaptations was rather stomach-churning! If you're squeamish, you might not want to eat while reading some parts. William is seriously awesome as far as his warrior skills, and Cerise more than holds her own. In fact, she rocks the house. She's a tough, strong woman, the kind of woman you want to high five. Despite being tough, she has some vulnerabilities that give her a realistic portrayal. I could identify with her love of family but her feeling of being trapped by obligations. I liked her a lot. On top of her emotional and mental fortitude, Cerise is an incredible swordswoman, which definitely works for me, because I love swordplay. I also liked that her family is full of tough guys, of both sexes. Particularly, liked Kaldar and Aunt Marid, and little Lark. Let's not forget Gaston. But all in all, quite a brood, the Mars!

This was a long book, for sure, but there wasn't filler. I think moreso that there was a lot of story to be told, and no need to cut some of it out. We got William's fully-fleshed story and I loved it. Although I fully adored On the Edge, I love this in a different way. I think that's a great progression for a series, that each one feels different, although it captures what I love about Ilona Andrews' writing and stays true to their voice.

Now I'm wondering what these folks can get up to next in the Edge, Weird, and Broken, or all of the above! Glad there are more books in this series to read!

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read lots of PNR books and none is as good as Ilona Andrews, this series is one of their first and I can see lots of improvement in their new series so I won't critic this too much cause they have indeed improved.

I have just two issues with this book, the insta love even though it was well executed was somewhat rushed. The second is the ending, lots of things happened in just a short time, it was rushed it would have been better if it was longer.

The writing and the setting is to die for, the setting of this book is in a swamp, the author did an amazing job with the world building, before this book the only experience I have with swamps is from a James Bond movie, with this book now I can picture it and its awful.

If someone had asked him yesterday morning what hell looked like, he would’ve said he didn’t know. He’d spent twenty-four hours in the swamp, and now he had an answer. Hell looked like the Mire.

Great. A green cat. Why the hell not? This place came in two colors: green and brown, and the beast had both.

That's William's opinion of the swamp. The writing is great, third person multiple POV.

The main characters William and Cerise are cool, William is a wolf changeling and Cerise is a swords woman, she's so badass. She's from an extended family, they are close to a hundred if you count the children and all of them can swing a sword. William's past is even more sad than Declan said. Changelings have a hard time understanding most human emotions, things have to be spelt out for them. I like how his head works though. This part is just hilarious.

Cerise took a towel off the table and thrust it at William. He looked at her like she was crazy.
“Cover yourself.”
“Why?”
“Because most men don’t stand there with their stuff hanging out for all to see.”

Kaldar and Robert are her first cousins which I love, Lark her younger sister and lots of other relatives.

The Dukedom of Louisiana that kills Changelings at birth have their agents genetically engineered, they are called the hand, the agents kidnapped Cerise's parents and William is sent by the Mirror(the Adrianglia CSI) to take out the leader of the hand. They met, worked together and the rest is history.

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

1.) On the Edge ★★★★

Buddy Read with Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA)!

[new_user · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had too-high hopes for Bayou Moon. That must be it, right?

I've been anticipating Moon since On the Edge. William's wolfy thought-processes are endearing, and he's just vulnerable enough without stepping into woe-is-me territory, even if he does think to himself one time too many that he's not worthy. He's earned at least that much, maintaining his humanity despite rearing as a child soldier at Hawk's Academy.

Female lead Cerise similarly bears up under pressure in the swamp as head of some two dozen family members, aka gangsters-in-training. Cerise overkills the antagonism. William bears her insults with a smile, but I was not amused the umpteenth time she called him an idiot and rebuffed him with extra sauce. Was it necessary? Sometimes I liked their dialogue, but even the choicer moments pale in comparison to On the Edge. Only a "Lord Leatherpants" tossed here and there. I missed the good-natured humor, in the external and inner dialogue. Cerise is Rose on PMS.

William and Cerise's romance also lacked... how do you say... passion. It was almost Young Adult. While I liked William's point of view, his legitimate admiration for Cerise, I hate to say so, but maybe the novel could have used some Romancelandia crotch-tightening, LMAO. At the least, I think William should have decided he was worthy for a relationship or some touching or some suggestive dialogue -anything that would have suggested interest beyond high school book-holding- earlier than the last quarter. In the end, Moon's romance disappointed me, and the last minute Misunderstanding just baffled me. It came way too late in the game, the last chapter, in fact, and was unnecessary-- the couple had already declared themselves.

Also, I would have liked to have seen William go wolf once or twice. Carrying on a subterfuge meant he may as well have been human. (Just human! Pooh! LOL.)

On the adventure side, Andrews dazzles, as usual! Her world-building fascinates and horrifies -ew, he has what growing out of what!- her plot twists and turns, and there is enough unique, magic-twisted, that-is-messed-up swamp adventure to satisfy any urban fantasy reader. She even returns with ambiguous villains. I might have liked this better if I had been expecting a fantasy instead of a paranormal romance with all the relationship-y trappings.

So, I'm sure many other fans enjoyed this one, but I'll think twice before I pick up the next one.

[Melindam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Ilona Andrews aka Ilona & Gordon!

What can I say? I love you and I am so happy you are there for us writing these awesome stories.

I became totally indifferent to the terrible covers (though this is not the worst by far - that title still goes to the otherwise wondrous series of Hidden Legacy). :)))))

Yours in gratitude and reverence,

Melindam

[Mrs. Badass · Rating 4 out of 5]

447 pages...woah. A Long book!

4 Stars this was a great read!

I can't classify The Edge Series. It isn't Urban, it isn't Paranormal. It isn't Romance.

I could try to classify this book as 'Swampy Magical Fantasy', but I doubt there are other books out there that would fit into this new category. I suppose I could agree with Gordon and say it is Rustic Fantasy. I think it suits this particular story anyway.

Ilona and Gordon have written a complex miasma filled with Political Intrigue, Fantastic Magical Creepy Beasts, interesting characters and plots that will leave you scratching your head in wonder and amazement at the creativeness of two humans.

Bayou Moon is a book that is so different from any other book or series I have read or heard about. That makes it special. The Edge Series is dark and scary, gross and bloody.

Some of my favorite things about Bayou Moon:

1) A wicked kick ass chic as a lead named Cerise. The girl can rock the small flashy sword. Cerise longs for love, safety, and freedom from financial burdens.

2) A Bad ass Wolf named William. William longs for family, a place to belong, and the love of a good woman.

3) Disgusting and gruesome monsters and villains who have no morals, no dignity and no scuples.

4) Dialogue that is meaningful and sometimes funny.

5) Side characters who have depth and relevance to the story.

6) An absorbing world, and colorful world building.

Things that bothered me

1) Lengthy descriptions of scenery and sometimes too much time on a scene. But Overall, I immensely enjoyed the world.

2) No map of territories. As a reader it was hard to visualize this world on a map. Originally, after reading 'On the Edge', the first book in this new series, I thought the Edge was all encompassing. In this story, we are taken to the Mire, which is inside the Edge. I was confused for a while. There was a lot to take in and try to comprehend. You have the Weird, the Edge and the Broken. Then you have the Lousiana People, the Adrianglians, the Hand and the Mirror. I found myself re-reading passages to try and wrap my head around all the different places, people and worlds within the worlds.

********************************************************************


I would recommend this book to all Fantasy Fans. Urban, Paranormal, Magical etc. It was enjoyable, different, and interesting. I look forward to all other Edge Books.

*******************************************************************

[Zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

William, a wolf changeling, is living in The Edge when his former country's government asks him to destroy The Hand, a very bad group from another country.

Cerise lives in the Mire, swampland in The Edge. When her parents go missing, she discovers that they are being held by The Hand and that an enemy family is involved.

Not a bad continuation of this series, but William and Cerise never really grabbed me as main characters. It was a decent story though, and I really liked seeing some of the characters from the last book.

[Rachel L]

DNF about 50% in

There's nothing wrong with this book, but I've listen to about 8 hours out of 15 on audio, and I don't love it. Started out great, but sadly, I am not invested in the characters or the story.

[Orient · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uncertainty, Trap, Fantasy, Mystery,Adventure, Betrayal, Love. All these I once again found in I. Andrews book. And the main badass survived. Awesome! I think this story was more engaging than the first one. Though it started out slow, the authors fully drew me into the fascinating world of this book and led me through the story in a way that I didn't want to put the book down and I just wondered what the characters' next adventure will be.The world building really enchants with new creatures, new locations, and new descriptions of the worlds and fates.

I adored the Cerise's and William's relationship. Cerise is so strong, determined and admirable, but also vulnerable. Andrews really skillfuly revealed the character of William, his strenght, loneliness and passion. I liked that William is vulnerable and dedicated too. Along with his absolute loyalty and protective drive, it made me like him. I loved the little visit to meet Declan, Rose, George and Jack in the end of the book, and the epilogue is way better than in the first book.

It is a really fantastic story, created with an expert hand into a world, which encircled me so briskly, there was so much going on and it fascinated me.

[AH · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of things that I enjoyed about Bayou Moon. The world building was incredible. Ilona Andrews (and her husband Gordon) are a very imaginative duo. When they build a world, they fully immerse the reader in that world. Bayou Moon is a world of swamps, mud, strange creatures, eccentric characters, and magic.

Bayou Moon takes place two years after On the Edge. For those who have not read these books, The Edge is a place that exists as kind of a buffer zone between our world (The Broken) and the Weird (a magical parallel universe to our world). The Mire is a very swampy part of The Edge and is a place of lawlessness and feuds. It has kind of a trailer park feel to it, a poorer and wilder part of The Edge. This book focuses on William and Cerise. William was introduced in On the Edge and I did not find him a likable character at the time. Cerise is a new character, a member of the large and magical Mars family. William is on a secret mission and meets Cerise on his journey into The Mire. Right away, we experience the Ilona Andrews’ trademark banter complete with sparks flying between William and Cerise, but there did not seem to be the kind of attraction that has been done so well in their other books.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the swamp and the creatures that lived within it. The mode of transport was especially neat, boats pulled by these otter/seal creatures called rolpies. Using a giant eel as a “watchdog” was also very original. The swamp is a dangerous, oppressive place and there are many other dangerous creatures living in it. Giant sharks, huge alligators, not to mention the feuding families that live in the swamp, all are lethal.

I loved Cerise’s family. Every single member of this family had some kind of endearing eccentricity that just made me want to read on. It seemed to me that Cerise was the smartest of the bunch as she did the family bookkeeping. Cerise was also a white flasher – she was able to control magic and flash white with her sword. I loved how the family constantly tried to pair up Cerise and William. One of my favorite scenes was when Cerise and her assorted female relatives were watching William and commenting on how attractive he was.

I didn’t particularly like Cerise. I can’t figure out why I didn’t like her. Just didn’t. I felt the same way about William’s character as well. I did like reading his “wolfie” thoughts but there just didn’t seem to be enough “wolfie times” for William.

The villain in this book was very brutal. Spider was just creepy as were his “fused” henchmen. Spider’s specialty, aside from violence, was to fuse humans with other creatures and plant life to create monsters to serve him. Think of it as a kind of "veggiepunk" (as opposed to steampunk).

I found this book to be a really imaginative read. I can’t wait until Ilona Andrews publishes the next book in this series.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louisiana Bayou, by artist Bettie Jean Bordelon


★★★½ This is one of those books that I’ll probably re-read in a year or two and LOVE. Right now it hasn’t been fitting my mood, causing me to take forever to read it. Maybe the labyrinthine twists and turns of the Louisiana Bayou are the perfect setting for the Byzantine-like world that is presented in this one, book #2 of The Edge series. I absolutely loved the first, On the Edge, which was a total surprise. I remember trying to pick up all the intricacies of the Edgers’ world and starting over before I was half-way through with pure joy. (I even repeated it a week later by audiobook.) However, in this one, I was just saying to myself, “Come on, already!” with the world building.

I can’t explain why, because I loved the protagonists, tenacious Cerise and socially awkward William, but the first half of this book didn’t grab me, or hook me, or touch me. The good news is it did pick up the second half. I usually like a “road trip” book that pits the hero and heroine against the environment and draws them together. There are certainly tons of things that jump out of the Mire or go bump in the night, but I just sort of check-marked them off with an “okay, they got through that” attitude. (See what I mean about my mood?)

Nevertheless, I’ll continue with the series.

Steel's Edge <--Expected publication: November 27th 2012.

[Anzû · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Edge novels are a mix of Romance and Urban Fantasy, the latter being a dominant force. I loved the series. Heck, you all know how much I love Ilona Andrews' work, there's no need to say anything else.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 Re-Read

The first book of the series was based on Cinderella. This one starts as The Taming of the Shrew and ends as Beauty and the Beast. During the first section of the book, we have changeling William, feeling sorry for himself, getting a new assignment, and then trying to conceal his furry nature from Cerise. She is undercover as a homeless person, on her way home to the Mire. She has a sharp intelligence, a sharp wit, and unfortunately a sharp odour as part of her disguise. She is also unconvinced that a nobleman can be anything but useless in the swamps. William is determined to be awesome enough to impress her.

Eventually, however, both William and Cerise have to drop their disguises. Just like the Beast, William has given his heart and is willing to die if Cerise is unwilling to accept him. Unlike Beauty, Cerise gets both aspects of her beloved, the wolf and the handsome nobleman.

These old story patterns have been with us a long time and as soon as we encounter one of them, we instinctively know where the story is headed. Not all fairy tales end happily, so there are losses along the way. Despite that, this couple gets their HEA. And Iona Andrews readers get the background that will stand them in good stead for their Innkeeper series.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

One of the main things that I love about the Andrews’ female main characters is that they are very self-sufficient & competent to run their lives. They are acknowledged to be high functioning people by their families & circles of friends. Not only can they handle the vicissitudes of life, they can defend themselves and their dependents.

Another reason that I love their books? The humour. In this book, when Cerise and William first meet, they are both “undercover.” She thinks he’s an ass and secretly calls him Lord Leatherpants. She is smelling rather pungent, and William not-so-secretly calls her the Hobo Queen.

William leaned forward and pointed at the river. “I don’t know why you rolled in spaghetti sauce,” he said in a confidential voice. “I don’t really care. But that water over there won’t hurt you. Try washing it off.”
She stuck her tongue out.
“Maybe after you’re clean,” he said.
Her eyes widened. She stared at him for a long moment. A little crazy spark lit up in her dark irises.
She raised her finger, licked it, and rubbed some dirt off her forehead.
Now what?
The girl showed him her stained finger and reached toward him slowly, aiming for his face.
“No,” William said. “Bad hobo.”

There are, of course, the obligatory rocks in the romance road. As Shakespeare told us, the course of true love never did run smooth. But that line is from Midsummer Night’s Dream and the plot line of this story is more Taming of the Shrew.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second book on Ilona Andrews The Edge series, we focus on William Wolf, whom we meet in On the Edge. As a Changeling William has never been shown much affection or kindness, most people are afraid of him, sensing the lethal animal just inside his human skin. For this reason, he is asked to do one last mission before he is left alone in the Edge. This leads him to meet Cerise, an Edger and the newly made head of her large and crazy family now that her parents have been taken by the same man, Spider, that William is looking for. Together they must stop Spider from finding what he is looking for and try and save Cerise's parents.

This book pulled me in straight away, I was already looking forward to reading about William from what I had read in the first book, and I wasn't disappointed. His personality came across really well in everything that was written, Ilona Andrews really got his thinking and logic nailed down and you could immediately differentiate his voice and Cerise's just from the way it was written. That is another point that I like about not only this book, but about On The Edge aswell, the different characters in the book come across brilliantly, and she manages to portray Edger life both the good and the bad really well.

She surveyed the carnage behind him. “Did you have fun?”
He showed her his teeth. “Yes. Now they won’t take you anywhere.”
Cerise stepped closer to him, so close he only needed to lean in and dip his head and he would kiss her. Since he saved her, maybe he could just grab her and—
“That was the stupidest thing you have done since I’ve met you,” she ground out through her teeth.
Belay the grabbing.

The dynamics between Cerise and her family were also interesting and funny, although family is a bit of a weak word, I think "Clan" probably gets the idea across a bit better! Cerise herself was also great, tough, funny and practical, a bit like Rose, only with a few more jagged edges. As for the romance, it was stronger in this book then it was in the previous one, although this book didn't skimp on the action either. The attraction between the two is strong and passionate and they made a great couple.

“Oh, Gods."
His eyes shone with want and predatory satisfaction. "The name's William. It's a common mistake."

I thought this book was better then the first, it seemed to just have more of everything, more action, more romance, more mystery and intrigue. I can't wait to read the next one and I highly recommend you give this series a go if you want books packed with adventure and romance.

[Shandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial thoughts: Another Ilona Andrews book I thoroughly enjoyed!!! I liked this one better than the last Edge book, which I totally loved. Review to come.

Review:

Actual rating: 4 I-Always-Leave-IA-Books-Feeling-Happy stars. No story spoilers.



I've read plenty of IA books at this point. I've yet to write a "real" review for one. I always end up gushing. SorryNotSorry. I love the way they write. It hits that booknerd happy spot inside me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. That spot deep inside that reminds you why you love reading. Why you get excited to pick up a new book. Why you spend your entire day longing to get back to that book. Every single book I've read by them does that to me.

There's no question Kate Daniels is my favorite series. I didn't walk into this series expecting KD. That's probably why I enjoy it so much. This is a different world with different characters. But it's IA. So you know it's good. I love the world they've created here. It's magic. It's awesome. It's IA. I dig the new characters as the main dogs in each book. I loved watching William evolve in this one. Cerise is amazing too. IA never fails to write a strong lead female.



I look forward to the other two books set in this world. Gimme. Gimme. Gimme.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Contents: one fairly quick sex scene, violence, lots of gruesome gore, minimal swearing, if any)

Of the four books in the series, I like Bayou Moon best. Originally, I only gave Bayou Moon 4 stars, but I have boosted it to 5 because I keep going back to re-read it, in parts or whole. Each time I read it, the plot with the red burial shroud moss gets better. And I love William, aka Lord Bill, the secret agent changeling wolf.

CHARACTERS: William (aka Lord Bill) is a changeling wolf. His mother gave him to the State at birth, to be trained and transformed into a warrior for The Red Legion, a black ops group in The Weird, a magical place. He is a nobleman, but not wealthy. William is noble-hearted, loyal, and so very lonely. He has never known family. He has one true friend, Declan, from Book 1, On the Edge. In Bayou Moon, William falls hard for Cerise Mar, who lives in the Mire, a huge swampy area in the Edge. Cerise is a trained warrior who flashes white magic. She's valiant and fierce, a killer if necessary. Cerise gradually learns to trust William. He adores her.

I loved hearing William's italicized thoughts -- when his inner wolf was howling mad and itching to fight, or whining for Cerise or worrying about Cerise or slobbering over Cerise. So much fun! I fell in love with William because of his POV, which we got right from the start. His thoughts and feelings showed his intelligence, his drive to avenge the dead children, his protective bent for kids (Lark and Gaston in this book, Jack and George from book 1), his never-ending loneliness, and his overwhelming need to mate with Cerise (but it wasn't destiny impelled soul-mating; it wasn't insta-luv).

PLOT: Cerise wants to trust William, but she must think first about her huge extended family. They are in danger: Her mom and dad have been taken hostage by an evil thug, Spider, and things get worse, rapidly, because there is a traitor in her clan. William and Cerise are both after Spider, but for different reasons, and William cannot tell her the truth -- that he is a secret agent. Cerise must save her parents and William must stop Spider from getting his hands on a secret formula / device that could create immortality almost (clever and plausible bit of science fiction). The plot was actually decent. It was very bloody, which I could do without, with zillions of battle scenes and creepy evil creatures created by black magic. But I was quite interested in finding out about the journal and the secret device. The suspense was good and the plot development was solid, with only a few minor inconsistencies. Good pacing.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS: Nicely done!! I enjoyed the interactions between members of Cerise's family. I liked watching the whole Mar family pull together against Spider. I loved seeing how William helped Gaston and Lark, the kids. Also, Spider, the horrid villain, was three-dimensional and believable. Well done!!

A fun scene, with Cerise talking to William about 75% into the book (not a plot spoiler, but I hide it anyway):

There is an old storehouse on the edge of our lands...the family rarely goes there. In about a minute, I'll walk down these steps and head to that storehouse. If someone were to wait about ten minutes or so, so nobody would get suspicious, he could meet me there."

It took him a minute. She was inviting him. "Where's the barn?"

Her eyes sparkled with a wicked gleam. "I'm not going to tell you."

What the hell?

"Cerise arched her dark eyebrows. "It's too bad that you don't have any dogs, Lord Bill. If you had one, you could track my scent and chase me down, like a hunter. Through the woods. Imagine that."

She turned and headed down the stairs.

Bloody hell. He loved that woman.

WEAK POINTS: Wanted to see William as a wolf a bit more, too, interacting with Cerise. Also, Cerise deserved more happy times with Lord Bill ;-) after all that stress! Not crazy about the ending. I was annoyed by the stupid misunderstanding and separation at the end -- came too late in the story. I did not buy into the cause for it. Also, the plot had some minor inconsistencies.

Sequel: William and Cerise play important secondary characters in the sequel Fate's Edge. I didn't much like that book, but I liked seeing my favorite wolf again.

Similar book: William is somewhat similar to silent, stoic Eggie, a lonely wolf-shifter in a special branch of the Marines. The far sexier, but admittedly hokier and less complex story is called Like a Dog with a Bone, by Shelly Laurenston. It's found in the anthology Howl For It.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

08/02/2016 Buddy read with my fellow IA addicts over at IAA b/c they are hilarious and make this already fantastic series just more fun!

Cerise Mar is from The Edge, which lies between the Broken, a non-magic world, and the Weird, where magic rules. Her family is money poor but land rich, and has been in a life-long feud with the Sheerile family. Now Lagar Sheerile has claimed ownership of her grandparents house, and her mother and father has been taken by the Hand, spies who has no problem killing and torturing. They are deadly, so altered with magic that some of them aren’t human anymore.

William, is a changeling, who is all alone in the world. He yearns for a family, but knows that he will never have that. Changelings are either killed at birth, or surrendered to the government, where they are taken to Hawk’s Academy, a prison where they are taught to be killers and nothing more. Once William left Hawk’s he joined The Legion, before he was sentenced to death. After being saved by a man intent on using him to kill his best friend, Declan, he has retreated to the Broken, hoping for a semi-normal but alone life. But then he’s called upon The Mirror, the Andriaglian’s Secret Service, who needs him to locate Spider, the Hand’s most deadly spy, and to take away the object he’s looking for.

And so Cerise and William’s paths cross, and a truce is agreed upon, to stop the Hand and find Cerise’s parents before it’s too late.

I just loved this world that IA has created. It utterly amazes me. The magic, the characters, the world and the humor. All of it is just fantastic. And the writing is just wonderful, and beautiful.

Night had claimed the Mire. It came on padded feet, soft and cautious, like a swamp cat, with its ears raised and its eyes opened wide.

Cerise’s family was hilarious and crazy and I loved them. Especially her cousins Richard and Kaldar. I cannot wait for Kaldar’s book.

The judge’s massive eyebrows crept up. “Kaldar. Are you the one speaking for the plaintiff today?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Well, shit,” Dobe said. “I guess you’re familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant.”

And little Lark, Cerise’s sister. Who is so broken, that she believes herself to be a monster. This little girl just broke my heart, and I just wanted to hug her, and adopt her.

Some women waited for a knight in shining armor. She, apparently, had ended up with a knight in black jeans and leather, who wanted to chase her down and have his evil way with her.

Cerise is my kind of heroine. Strong, capable and snarky. I just loved how she was no damsel in distress, and seeing her fight with a sword made me fall a little in love with her. And how she kept strong for her family was so admirable, and no matter how dire circumstances were, she didn’t let it get the better of her.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
Every time I look at you, I have to put a leash on myself. “No.”
“If you lied to me, I’ll hurt you,” she promised.
He showed her his teeth. “You’ll try.”
She sighed. “You worry me, Lord Bill. You’re trouble.”
He won again. William hid a laugh. “You should be worried, and I am.” He folded the arms of the crossbow and headed toward the boat.

I have been in love with William since the first book. This broken, lonely man, who craved love and a family. The fact that he loved Cerise’s strength just made me love him even more. It’s not every day that you find a man who can appreciate a strong, independent woman.

The romance was damn sexy, and the banter between William and Cerise was wonderful.

I must say the Hand was damn scary, and freaked me out with all their weird abilities. And Spider was as evil as you can get.

I loved everything about this book. The fascinating world, the fantastic characters, the captivating plot, and the wonderful romance.

A must read for EVERYONE, no matter what genre you prefer. You don’t want to miss out on the magic that is IA.

Original review 07/03/2014

I loved William in the previous book, and I was so excited to see that this book would be his. William is a changeling soldier, and so very lonely. He has no family, and no-one who really cares about him except his best friend Declan.

Cerise Mar is amazing, a brilliant fighter and responsible for her large family after her parents disappeared.

I loved the bantering between Cerise and William and their romance was wonderful. The Mar family was great, and I loved reading about them.

The villain in this book was very scary, and the plot intense. I had trouble putting this book down.

A great addition to this series.