CLEAN SWEEP (INNKEEPER CHRONICLES, BOOK #1) BY ILONA ANDREWS: BOOK REVIEW

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4 star rating
Clean Sweep
Innkeeper Chronicles, Book #1
By Ilona Andrews
ISBN#9781625173430
Author’s Website: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/

Brought to you by OBS guest reviewer Omar

clean-sweep-innkeeper-chronicles-ilona-andrewsClean Sweep tells the story of Dina Demille, the Innkeeper of the Gertrude Hunt Inn that is located on the entrance of the subdivision of Avalon in Texas. The book starts off with the arrival of a new neighbor, Sean Evans, to the subdivision. Rumor has it he’s an ex-military, which sounds like a normal thing, but Dina has seen Sean at night running around and marking his territory. Exactly what a werewolf would do. Dina has been around werewolves before and she knows they are unstable, so she doesn’t approach him until the killings begin.

Dogs are being killed. First it was an escape-artist Boxer; then Thompson, a Beagle, a notorious lawn bandit that always left presents; and lastly, Brutus, an adult black Chow Chow. The first two kills were hidden and made in the night, but when Brutus is found recently killed in the morning under the oak of the Henderson lawn, it means the killer is escalating and making it a challenge.

Dina secretly saves a woman that was going to be killed in the middle of the night, she kills the creature a Ma’avi stalker; only to find out that it’s not smart enough to be on Earth alone and it always moves in packs.

To make things worse the vampires arrive in a red glowing light from their spaceship that attracts the local police. Now that the Inn has been attacked,  Dina must find a way to defend it even if it means that she has to work with Sean and Arland, because the Dahaka is a strong opponent and she’s going to need all the help she can get to kill it. Keeping the Inn and her guests safe is the duty of an Innkeeper and Dina won’t back down.

Clean Sweep was written by the couple-writer team Ilona Andrews. This book was written and posted weekly in their blog last year. It’s completed digital form was realeased on December 2nd, 2013, and the paperback on the 20th of the same month.

Like the other Ilona Andrews books, this one also has magic, vampires, and werewolves. But different to the Kate Daniels and the Edge Series, where the vampires and werewolves were caused by magic, here both of them are aliens. The vampires come from the Holy Cosmic Anocracy a series of six planet, were each planet is called a House.

The werewolves are also from outer space, from a planet called Auul, but different to other books, these were scientifically made to combat the invasion from the next door planet. This is not another vampire vs. werewolf book, but sparks of a relationship for the innkeeper do show:

“What are your intentions towards Dina?” Arland asked on the screen.

“My intentions are my business,” Sean said.

“Mhm,” Arland said. “I have spent my spare time studying literature popular with young women of this planet. One should always study the battlefield.”

Sean glanced at him. ”And?”

“I suggest you give up now. According to my research, in a vampire-werewolf love triangle, the vampire always gets the girl.”

“Is that so?” Sean asked.

“It is.”

“In that case, may the best man win.”

Clean Sweep is about a woman that is trying to make her Inn into a prosperous one, like the one her parents had before and defend her new home that is the subdivision of Avalon with all her odd neighbors, so Dina’s main concern at the moment is to defeat the Dahaka and the other things that may come later.

Ilona Andrews has started book two named Sweep in Pace and like the first one it will be in the same format as a weekly part upload on her blog. The first part already looks promising. Clean Sweep has really caught my attention and I can’t wait to read more about this new story that Ilona Andrews has created.

If you’re fan of Ilona Andrew’s work you are going to like Clean Sweep, also this book was self-published by the couple, so if you like to support them you can buy the digital or paperback format. Would you like to stay in a Inn with werewolves, vampires, and other intergalactic creatures?