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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As I read this book, I could not help but think of how seamless it seperated from the Kate Daniel series. It seemeed a natural step for the authors to create this spinoff. Charaters believable, world setting extradinary, banter, fea lights, action, and romance. They are what J.D. Robb is to Sifi Detective Novels. Louis L’amour Is to western fiction, dare i mention Modesitt. Hey, just sayin, they had me cheering for Hugh. The killer of B.
Have so enjoyed this series, the plot twisters of past present and to come.
I ENJOY LLONA ANDREWS BOOKS.
If there was ever I book I’d wished I written, it would’ve been this one! Fast paced, enthralling, edgy, and with outstanding characterization, Iron and Magic hits all the marks for urban fantasy fans. I DEVOURED it.
This was such a great book. I had a hard time putting it down. I can hardly wait for more in this series.
Awesome writing as usual. If your a fan of Kate Daniels series this book will give you insight into the much hated Hugh d’Ambry the Preceptor of the Iron Dogs. You must read this. I think d’Ambry will be a key helper in the fight against Roland.
I had already been fascinated by the character of Hugh D’Ambray in the Kate Daniels series, and it was good to see him as a main character. I had previously perceived him as a ruthless and fanatical follower of Roland, willing to do anything that Roland had ordered. However, after falling out of favor, he was “purged” by Roland, and you see him as lost and in deep depression. However, the one thing that eventually snaps him out of his despair is his loyalty to his troops, the Iron Dogs, who he had personally recruited and trained. They were being systematically slaughtered by the necromancers. This is the one thing that snaps him out of his despair. Since he has no funds, assets or a home base, he must seek to form an alliance that can provide a haven for himself and his troops. Although he is still the same ruthless and cunning man we have known before, you start now to have glimpses of the loyalty, smarts and a certain nobility of character that forged his troops into such an elite group absolutely devoted to him. Elara Harper is another fascinating and mysterious leader, a woman of mystery and magical power, with a powerful and dangerous aspect within her that she must keep control over. She is just as devoted and caring of her own people, a group who had often been ostracized, persecuted and hated, and she will do anything to keep them safe from their enemies. She has a strong castle, resources and supplies, but no army, so she forms an alliance with Hugh. Their relationship is often tempestuous and incendiary, and at times even hilarious, yet each starts to have a growing respect for each other. There is a possibility of the development of a true romantic relationship, if they can stop from killing each other before that!
OMG OMG OMG – I honestly did not think I would like Hugh as much as I did.
Iron and Magic is a spin off series of my beloved Kate Daniels, and it follows bad boy Hugh on his journey, after being banished and cut off by his master and God Roland.
Reading his side was eye-opening.
I personally loved how the authors explained his side of the story. His feelings, and lack of feelings because of Roland’s absence made complete sense. And it wasn’t surprising that I liked him from the very first page. Hugh’s need of being needed was raw and all consuming. After being cut off, he required a base for his soldiers, and they expected him to give them purpose and place to call home.
When Roland found out about Elara, things suddenly settled into place. She needed someone to keep her people safe, and he would get a castle for his soldiers to call home.
Perfect, right??
LOL – not so much.
Hugh and Elara had a hard time not killing each other. Their back and forth was hilarious, and sparks flew almost non-stop. I must say, Elara couldn’t have been any better for Hugh. She was feisty, powerful, an expert in her field, loyal, dedicated and devoted to her people. She stood up to the Warlord, didn’t cower or back down, and when it came down to it she stood her ground and challenged him when needed.
I loved their dynamic. I found myself smiling, and I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of their stories. There is so many much more that needs to be addressed.
I was tickled that some of my old cast favorites had cameos that promised of epic things to come.
So again, BRAVO for writing an amazing and utterly satisfying novel. I can’t wait to read Magic Triumphs, it sounds like it will have some answers already.
Oh, and one word UNICORN!!!!!! I almost peed my pants laughing my ass off.
Illona Andrews can do no wrong! I haven’t read anything of hers/his that I haven’t loved. They are the kind of books that you can’t wait to finish and hate to finish all at the same time.
Read anything by this author and you can’t go wrong!
The characters build from the world of Kate Daniels with some additional twists. I was intrigued enough by the plot twists to query whether the next book was out yet. What a,couple the two main characters make. I cannot wait to read how that relationship develops.
Great story and characters. Can’t wait for the next in the series.
Love love
I went in skeptical because I’m a huge fan of the Kate Daniels series and anyone who has read those isn’t a fan of Hugh D’Ambry….but I enjoyed this book and the back story it brought to Hugh’s character. I look forward to more in this series.
Some bosses are not worth your time.
I like Hugh now, I hope Kate does too.
Elara is intriguing, look forward to finding out more. Elara & Hugh are very interesting together. The book was fascinating in it’s twists, the next two are going to be amazing.
Ilona Andrews. I need say no more. In my A,B, scale it is an A
I can’t say enough good things about this book. Hugh has turned into a character I am rooting for. I thought that this hit all the right notes. So looking forward to more in this series.
I’ve wanted to read Hugh’s story ever since the authors teased their readers with a blurb as an April Fool’s joke. As a villain, he was great but I always wondered about his backstory since he was first introduced to us in Magic Strikes. Here was a character raised by the same man as the heroine, yet loyal to the man Kate had been brought up to believe was her destiny to kill. This book shows Hugh as a complex man whose motivations we can sympathize with, if not endorse. Can’t wait to read more about him and his new alliances!
So thankful that this spin off to the Kate Daniels series exists. This was an absolutely amazing read and I finished it in one day. It was so hard not to both hate and pity Hugh from the outset but he turned a major corner and became a character to root for. Loved Elara from the get go. A strong heroine looking to keep her people safe even if it means tying herself to an unpredictable man like Hugh. Can not wait for more!!
Although this story can stand alone it’s made richer by reading the entire Kate Daniels series first. I loved getting the back story for Hugh. And I can’t wait to see how his relationship with the pack going forward will change the game in the struggle between Kate and her father.