The Iron Covenant Book 1No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy… But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work. Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when … he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.
Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she’s trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself – and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.
Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”
Hugh and Elara may do both.
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I didn’t think I would like this series because the main character was such a bad guy in another series. SURPRISE!! He was turned into a believable hero who I want to read about more!!!
Nice change of focus for the “Magic” series.
Betrayal, friendship bought and lost, loyalty earned and repaid, a tragic couple of characters who find new possibilities — and Magic both binding it together and fragmenting it at the same time. It builds on and in the world created by Ilona Andrews but takes it in new and hopeful directions. Oh, and a castle. That’s great, too.
I love Ilona Andrews books and this one did not disappoint
Always a treat to read a book from this author team.
Can’t wait for more in the series. Has lived up to my expectations ever since The Edge collection. Another winner!
If you’ve read any of Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series, this is a must read. It started off as a April Fools joke that fans loved, and ended up looking like it might redeem the unredeemable. To those who hate Hugh, just remember, there’s always 3 sides to every story: hers, his and the truth.
Well, I wasn’t sure even Ilona and Gordon could do it, but they did: they made me root for Hugh! Elara is a fascinating new character, though their “romance” still has a ways to go before it’s more than just sexy, but seriously, *Hugh* has quite a ways to go, now that he’s no longer operating under “Whatever Roland wants is unquestionable.”
Iron and Magic Review!!
Title: Iron and Magic(Iron Covenant 1)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Review:
Ok first of all can we all just agree that anything from Ilona Andrews is dynamite and a guaranteed must read? Agreed? Good! I cannot believe the idea of Hugh’s story started out as an April fools day joke by IA! So in case you haven’t read Kate Daniels series(which you need to remedy right away) then let me tell you a little bit about Hugh.
Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, is the “Bad Guy” in the KD series. You hate him, you love him, then the cycle repeats. Hugh’s story is nothing short of epic. Now, Hugh has lost nearly everything and needs to find an alliance. In comes Elara, who also needs an alliance. What do they do? Marry! Of course they absolutely can’t stand each other which makes their story so fun to read. I cannot wait for the next book! Iron Covenant is a spin-off of Kate Daniels series BUT you can read on its own. It is highly suggested to read KD first and then Iron and Magic but it’s totally ok to read as a stand alone series.
Bought AND read it the day it came out. Now I’m on pins and needles waiting for Magic Triumphs and the next two Iron Covenant books! 🙂
Oh, I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to this book. I love everything that Ilona Andrews writes. I reread the Kate Daniels books at least 2x a year. So a new book in the Kate world following Hugh D’Ambry was something that I needed to have. I needed to have it like I needed my next breath. So, here it is.
Hugh is trying to figure out how to keep going after his whole life has changed. He’s looking at his own mortality, trying to figure out what he should do, and what his future will look like. One thing that he knows he’s going to have to do is figure out where to find a base for his surviving Iron Dogs so that they can be safe.
Elara is looking for an army to help protect her castle and her people from Landon Nez, Roland’s Legatus of the undead. He wants her castle for some reason. She isn’t leaving. She’s planning on staying, but she doesn’t have trained fighters to help her. So when she finds out that Hugh and his men are trying to find someplace to use as a base, she sees how it can be a mutually beneficial situation. So they seal their alliance the old-fashioned way. They get married.
There is so much wonderful that goes on in this book. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Hugh, and I was dying to see how Ilona Andrews would turn him into a character who is the hero of his story. They did it so well. So very well. He’s not a perfect man. I mean, he’s still Hugh, trained by Roland and Voron, and a man who loves war, but at his core, he’s not necessarily a bad man. Elara is just a magnificent character. They are so suited to each other. They both need a strong person to stand up to them and support them. They would run over anyone else. Kate would never have worked for Hugh, they would’ve tried to kill each other. They did try to kill each other. But Elara, she’s going to make him a better person.
Such an awesome story. I need to have so much more of it. I hope there is so much more to come.
I just went on an adventure to another world where technology and magic compete for supremacy and I it was one thrilling ride where I met mesmerizing characters and fought spectacular battles.
Hugh and Elara were the main characters that I met on this journey and they are strong, captivating and easily seized my attention and refused to let go once they had it. This couple were both intriguing and daring with lots of appeal and unique characteristics that made them stand out. As for the relationship between them, well it definitely had some electrifying chemistry and an attraction that had sparks flying everywhere but it was also feisty and full of turmoil as they fought each other tooth and nail throughout the story with snappy dialogue that has me convinced that a happily ever after for these two may be a long time in coming, at least they finally have a sort of acceptance of each other, so I can’t wait to find out how their relationship progresses.
Lots of excitement and thrills keep the adrenaline pumping throughout this fast paced and smooth flowing story with lots of twists and turns that kept me wondering just what would happen next. The bad guys and creatures are as fascinating as they are scary and cause Hugh and Elara a seemingly endless amount trouble so there was definitely no dull moment to be found.
I am a huge fan of the Kate Daniels universe and I can never get enough, so I was quite excited to find out that Hugh was going to have his own story. Iron and Magic is well developed and full of all the fascinating elements and all the wonderful characters and creatures that make up the universe, so is it really any wonder that I was completely enthralled by the first book in The Iron Covenant series and I am eagerly awaiting the next.