I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: my own shelves
Sweep in Peace
by
Ilona Andrews
It is part of the The Innkeeper Chronicles #2 series and is a urban fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by Nancy Yost Literary Agency (NYLA) on November 13, 2015 and has 315 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Dark and Stormy Knights, Angels of Darkness, Hexed, Fate's Edge, Hex Appeal, An Apple for the Creature, "Magic Gifts", Gunmetal Magic, Innkeeper Chronicles, Steel's Edge, Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, Magic Bleeds, Magic Slays, Magic Rises, Magic Bleeds, Burn For Me, Night Shift, Magic Shifts, Magic Binds, White Hot, Wildfire, Iron and Magic, Magic Triumphs, "Gerard Demille and Helen Meet", "Diamond Fire", "Sweep with Me", Clean Sweep, "A Mere Formality", Blood Heir, "The King of Fire", Sapphire Flames, "A Misunderstanding", Emerald Blaze, "The Cool Aunt", One Fell Sweep, Sweep of the Blade, "Silent Blade", Fated Blades, On the Edge, Bayou Moon, "George and Jack in School", Sweep of the Heart , Magic Tides, Small Magics, "The Wilson Building", "Conlan’s Birthday Text", "Dabwaha", "Don't Fight with Fate", “A Bit More of Roman”, “Getting Distracted”, "Sgt Munoz Had to Go", Ruby Fever, "Regina", Magic Tides, "The King of Fire", Magic Claims, "Sandra", "No Heroes", "Purpose", "A Mere Formality", "I Will Explain Everything", "Sanctuary", "Kind Regards"
Second in The Innkeeper Chronicles urban fantasy series and revolving around a young innkeeper and the B&B she’s bringing back to life in Red Deer, Texas. It’s been six months since the excitement of Clean Sweep, 1.
My Take
It’s a fascinating conundrum with all parties wanting peace but only a peace that accords with their points-of-view, their desire for conquest versus their desire for family to survive. Part of that is their desire for vengeance for all the people they’ve lost to this war. But there is also the perspective on not wasting more lives.
Ooh, that Dina packs a bite, lol. I love it. Phew, this is a story that is both action-packed and character-driven. It is NOT boring in any way, shape, or form with plenty to laugh about on the way. Andrews has created a fascinating world with similar and yet very distinct cultures.
It wasn’t until I read over someone else’s review that mentioned George, Jack, Gaston, and Sophie as being from Andrews’ The Edge series that the opening scene made any sense. And I have no intention of telling you who the old man was…
As for Sweep in Peace, it’s full of backstabbing strategies and betrayals, a soap-opera-worthy chef who creates miracles, and three peoples with their own agendas. Although. It is only two of the three who actually hate each other.
It makes sense that Andrews uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Dina’s perspective since the entire series arc is about Dina’s hunt to find her parents who have been missing for six years.
What a crack up! Andrews inserts her info dumps on the backgrounds of the vampires and Otrokars very neatly, allowing Dina to stick it to George and his thinking he’s so hot.
Dina is a clever lady, and I certainly enjoyed her take on football:
“Football is a war game of land acquisition…”
Andrews does keep us grounded…a little bit…with Dina’s interactions with the suspicious Marais. Poor guy.
My primary niggle is this whole outcast thing with the Merchants. Nuan Cee’s explanation makes no sense. If his father is cast out, how can he still have a mother from whom he had to cut ties?
Fun, fun, fun…sobered by the truth of war.
The Story
It’s only because Dina is desperate for guests…and income that she agrees to take on over thirty guests. Many of whom hate each other.
The Characters
Dina Demille has her own way of hunting for her missing parents, by running a special inn with a broom as her badge of office…and weapon. Beast is her tiny Shih Tzu of the many, many, many teeth. Klaus Demille is the brother she hasn’t seen in a long time. Hmmm, Dina notes that her father had been a very good con man. An unnamed cat is rescued by Dina from PetSmart. Snuggles had been a black fluffy cat from Dina’s childhood.
The Gertrude Hunt Bed-and-Breakfast is…
…a somewhat sentient three-story inn built in the 1880s that works with her innkeeper to cater to the needs of her guests. A permanent guest, Her Grace Caldenia ka ret Magren, properly addressed as Letere Olivione, prefers world domination to brunch. Renowned as a gastronome in the galaxy, she also likes Mello Yello and Funyuns!
Orro is one of the notoriously difficult and dramatic Quillonians, and a former Red Cleaver chef — he is said to have poisoned someone when he worked at the Blue Jewel on Buharpoor where Soo had been his sous chef.
Brian Rodriguez is the innkeeper of Casa Feliz in Dallas and had been a friend of Dina’s parents.
Red Deer, Texas
Officer Marais is quite suspicious of Dina and her B&B. Mindy of Mindy’s Mud and Weeds runs a successful nursery as well as raising English springer spaniels. Beak is her latest prizewinning dog. The Sims is a dinner-movie theater.
George, Lord Camarine, a necromancer and former spymaster, is now an Arbitrator. His crew includes his brother, Jack, a lynx shapeshifter (On the Edge, 1), and their cousin Gaston ( Fate’s Edge , 3).
Nexus is…
…actually Onetrikvasth IV, a planet rich in kuyo, a base ingredient for military stimulants and where one Earth month equals three Nexus months. The summit participants include the Merchant clan of Nuan Cee who own the spaceport; the vampires of the Holy Cosmic Anocracy; and, the Hope-Crushing Horde. Turan Adin is an indestructible general employed by Nuan Cee.
Sean Evans is an alpha-strain werewolf who left Dina and earth. His parents had fled the destruction of their home planet, Auul.
The Holy Cosmic Anocracy is…
…a union of nine vampire Houses and seven planets. Their primary leaders are the Hierophant, their religious leader; the Warlord; and, Justice, the chief judge of their highest court. House Meer was supposed to take the responsibility this turn of the war on Nexus.
The Houses participating in the summit include Krahr, Vorga, and Sabla. Arland is the marshal of House Krahr, and he has an interest in Dina. Lady Ilemina is the Preceptor (ruler) and Arland’s mother. Zamak is their coastal castle. Lord Soren is Arland’s uncle. Hardwir is Krahr’s best engineer who truly dislikes internal combustion engines. I think Ryona had been Hardwir’s sister. Odalon is Krahr’s Battle Chaplain. Lord Robart, the Marshal of House Vorga, is a jerk. Ruah is a bulletproof swordsman. Lady Isur is the Marshal of House Sabla. Lord Beneger is with House Meer. Uriel is a scarred knight with no respect. Knight Korsarad is/was their third companion.
The Hope-Crushing Horde, a.k.a., the Otrokars, are…
…centuries-old enemies of the vampires with Otroka their home planet. Dagorkun is the Under-Khan, the son of the Khan. The Khanum is his mother and the leader of their delegation. Kordugan was her third son. Her people include Kolto and Ruga, their shaman…with an advanced degree in microbiology.
Baha-char is…
…a shopping planet with the Galactic Bazaar as the marketplace of the galaxy. Wilmos Gerwar is an old werewolf who now runs a weapons shop. Gorvar is a lupine who works for Wilmos.
Nuan Cee and his clan look like foxes (their real species name is lees), and do they ever love their luxuries! Nuan Re is Nuan Cee’s grandmother. Nuan Kuo is his sister. Nuan Oler is his sister’s cousin by marriage. Nuan Couki “Cookie” is his thrice-removed cousin’s seventh son. Nuan Sama is the niece who works in the stables, caring for Tan-tan, the donkey-camel, and who is an expert with a molecular synthesizer. Nuan Ara is Cee’s blood sister’s youngest son. Feistykins will become grandmother’s kitten.
Kuan lees are cast-outs, unwanted anywhere.
Arbitrators are part of a neutral body who specialize in dispute resolutions. Louise and her husband are too ordinary to be guests. Merchants are facilitators of trade for rare goods or mass quantities; Ama is another Merchant clan. Cai Pa is a water world. The inns of earth are neutral hosting places for the aliens of the universe. A Cleaver ranking is a certification by the Galactic Gastronomy Board, the best cooking school in the galaxy, with rankings ranging from Red Cleaver, which is the second highest, to Gray Cleaver, the lowest.
Ganer College is a place of healing on George’s world where Sophie (George’s conscience), a.k.a., Lark, of the serial killer nature has retreated. And she is really angry with George! That’s fair, since George is furious with her.
The Cover and Title
The cover finds Dina in profile from the top of her head to her chest with a range of oranges that nearly blends into the sweep of Dina’s blonde hair. She’s clothed in a purple cloak with her hood down behind her back. At the very top is an info blurb in black with the author’s name in lilac below that outlined in black with a bit of a shadow. The title spans Dina’s shoulder in the same lilac except in an abrupt script.
The title is Sweep in Peace with all the hopes that Dina has that the summit will be successful.
