“…Something isn’t right with you and this property. Strange things happen around it. I don’t know what is going on, but I will find out. You could make it easier on yourself by coming clean.”
“Sure. This is a magic bed-and-breakfast and the two guys in my kitchen are aliens from outerspace.”
Blurb from the back of the book: “On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is…different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, “normal” is a bit of a stretch for Dina.”
Can I just have a book about Dina doing banal innkeeper things and making guests happy? I know that’s probably not in the cards, though. Like, we need “conflict” and stuff. But I just love this world so much! Being an Innkeeper in this world is like this bonkers combination of coziness and danger, and for some reason that is lighting up my brain so good*.
*I probably won’t end up reviewing it, but as proof of this claim, I did end up giving the second book in this series five stars, the first five star I have ever bestowed upon an Ilona Andrews book.
Story of my life, should have written this review sooner, but I’m making self do it now finally because I’m about to start book two, and that always messes me up to try and review two subsequent books in a series at the same time. Too much potential for confusion.
As noted above, what I liked best about this book was the worldbuilding, and that it was just a fast, easy read. But I also liked the characters and the plot held my attention. The contrast between all the weird technomagic stuff going on and normal, human life in Dina’s Texas suburb was a kick every time I remembered it. I’m excited to see what the Andrews do with this world.