2015 modern fantasy anthology, short stories in the Kate Daniels universe.
This is a convenient ebook collection of five short stories – two
of which I've already reviewed, A Questionable Client and Magic
Tests. The other three are:
Retribution Clause shows us Adam, a frost giant and insurance
adjuster (because of course he is, it's that kind of world), making
good on an insurance policy by assassinating the person who murdered
the policyholder. Except it's more complicated than that, because it
always is. I'd like to read more about these people, but I don't think
they return. (Originally in the anthology Hex Appeal. Incidentally,
Bombay Sapphire is not a "bright blue liquid".)
Of Swine and Roses has the daughter of a fading family encouraged to
go on a date with the thuggish son of a less-fading one, to try to
sort out a bank loan… but really, was she expected just to stand by
while he and his friends tried to chase down and kill a wild pig?
(Originally a stand-alone etext.)
Grace of Small Magics is the most blatantly romance-tropey of these
three stories, but does benefit vastly from having a hero who
realises that "your family is at my family's beck and call" is not
an appropriate place from which to start a relationship. (Originally
in The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance.)
All of them have some decent action, but as always with Andrews it's
about the people first. Drop any of her protagonists into another's
situation, and they'd do different things to get a different result.
Also, praise to the Andrews collective for saying in the blurb that
all these stories have previously been published, and not throwing in
one new one just to encourage the completists to buy this collection.
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