Magic Mourns
World of Kate Daniels - Book 4
Short Story in Must Love Hellhounds Anthology
By Ilona Andrews
Berkley Trade - September 2009
Urban Fantasy Romance
Andrea Nash wasn't Kate Daniels. Although they were partners, everyone calling their office wanted Kate. It shouldn't matter. After all, she was a knight in the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid. When a call came in that a large dog, one the size of a house, was chasing a shapeshifter who was on fire, she only had one thought - that it not be Raphael Medrano. It wasn't so much that she was worried about him, it was that she would no longer be able to avoid him.
Of course, it was Raphael, and he was as ardent and sexy as ever. He was a male bouda who had decided to court her, in the unorthodox manner of his kind. He didn't take "no" for an answer, and the fact that she hadn't answered his calls, which he made daily, for six months was only a challenge to him. There wouldn't have been an issue if he hadn't been a bouda. She had issues from her past that kept her turning him away.
Magic Mourns was a thrilling read. From the moment the giant dog charges the scene, to the climactic ending, the pages fly by. Even better is the romance between Andrea and Raphael. I simply adored Raphael. He is this fierce bouda warrior, a werehyena who can defeat his enemies. Yet it is his adoration for a woman who continually spurns him that can bring him down, but not quite. It seems that hope springs almost eternal for a male bouda, and that endears him even more. Although part of a series, it completely stands on its own, and appears to be a deviation from the prior stories which are Kate's stories. This story is part of the Must Love Hellhounds Anthology.
Kathy Andrico - ReaderToReader.com