Gwen’s review of Bayou Moon (The Edge, Book 2) by Ilona Andrews
Fantasy romance released by Ace 28 Sep 10
Ever wonder where the term “redneck” comes from? In Texas, it has a very different meaning than in other parts of the country. No matter where you live, though, being called a redneck is not usually a compliment.
The authors of this book call it “redneck romance” – I call it a unique and captivating story. No hint of redneckery involved. Read on to see why…
“Ilona Andrews” is the husband/wife writing team of Ilona and Andrew Gordon. I’d like to think that this combination of male and female perspectives is what makes the characters so rich and complex. No matter the reason, the result is a book full of people you know, believe in, and want to spend time with.
The “redneck” or rustic overtone is not buck teeth, “aw shucks” type. It’s used as an important story element, lending a sense of impoverishment and an edge of desperation to the characters and their actions. It helps explain a lot of what happens in this very dense story.
And a lot happens in Bayou Moon – lots of very well thought out fight scenes, lots of fun dialogue, and good quality time spent in the heads of the hero and heroine. It’s a well told story of some very interesting characters in a very believable alternate reality. It was easy to read it and forget where I was for a while (literally startled out of the “book trance” a couple of times).
I can’t say enough good things about the way the hero was written. William is a damaged, lonely man yearning for some softness in his life. Then he meets a woman who is anything but soft – they don’t even like each other for much of the beginning of the book. But the heroine, Cerise, manages to bring to William that sense of family and belonging he craves. You will have more fun being in his head than any other character in the book.
The world and the plot is delightfully complex. It’s been a while since I’ve read such a believable alternate reality. It’s easy to think “this could really be true” when reading it – nothing dragged me out of the story with a “wtf?” feeling. I stayed fully engaged in the book until something or someone startled me out of it. LOVE that.
The romance is believable and so wonderful when it finally happens. I was really cheering for the couple by the time they got together. However, I would have a difficult time classifying this strictly as a “romance” – there’s so much more to the story than the simple “boy meets girl” plot line.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good paranormal/fantasy book. I didn’t read the first book and didn’t feel lost in this one. You will enjoy the time spent in William and Cerise’s world. You may even feel like you should wash the swamp mud off your feet as you read it.
Grade: A+
Summary:
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.
Read an excerpt here (scroll down).
Other books in the series:
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