Nice quick short story ( )

A questionable review: 2,5 stars.

I don't like short stories, but I love the world of Kate Daniels so much that I wanted to read more side-stories. In this one Kate meets Saiman for the first time, but unfortunately it didn't work to me.
I was detached from both the events and the characters and Saiman is quite.. disturbing. I can stand him for just a short appearance, but not as a primary character. I still love Kate and her wittiness and I'm willing to read more novellas about her and other secondary characters *thinking of Andrea or Derek - cough cough* ( )

Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors and the Kate Daniels series is my favorite of all the books that the husband/wife duo write. The writing style is fast paced and engaging and the characters are completely believable despite the fantastical elements that surround all the books. These books are a must read for me and I eagerly devour them and count the months until the next one arrives. I love that despite the occult and romance leanings of these books there is still a generous dose of humor. I highly recommend the Kate Daniels series. ( )

Kate & Saiman's first encounter with each other has always been touched upon periodically in the series and this novella about that 'unfortunate' (from Kate's POV) bodyguard job Kate took on for the enticingly high fee Saiman is willing to pay.

Ilona Andrews never fails to bring mythology and ancient folklore into this series and this time, Saiman managed to antagonize the Russians and that brought forth a onslaught of Russian mythical creatures hell-bent to take his life.

And the humor!

"What happened?" "You fell." "Really? What did I fall into?" "My fist."

And, "Would you like some milk?" is the greatest punchline I've come across in a book this year. LOL!! ( )

Read from author's website. Also published in Dark and Stormy Knights anthology, 'Magic Bites, Special Edition' Kate's first meeting and job guarding Saiman.
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