Search - Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Bk 3)

This is the third installment of the Kate Daniels series. It is possible that it could be read as a stand alone, but let's face it, who would want to? Ms. Andrews has created a unique world filled with fascinating characters and exciting dialogue. A must read for anyone who likes magic, shifter or urban fantasy novels.

Kate started the series as a loner, unwilling and maybe unable to depend on anyone but herself. As the books have progressed, she has opened up and is slowly letting people into her life. The overall storyline about her father takes a nice leap in this book.
And the chemistry between Kate and Curran continues to ignite the pages as Kate fights her feelings for the Lord of the Beasts. We are given a larger glimpse into Kate's history and how she came to be the way she is. She is one kick-ass female protagonist.

I was thrilled to get the book and devoured it in one sitting. I even found myself going back to specific points in the book to reread them already. The ending left me wanting more and eagerly awaiting the next book.

OK I think my favorite parts have to do with the interaction between Kate and Curran. By the time you get to Magic Strikes, Curran has made it clear he's courting her, but Kate is unwilling to be involved with him. She's got a big secret about her identity and she's still convinced that Curran is just after her for the challenge. The dance between the two is amusing, and I'm not sure who is going to "win" the game because they've both made some bold and brassy declarations. Anyway, this is one of those relationships that span several books where you know they're supposed to get together and the question is when. I'm just having fun watching it, whatever they do.

Another thing I really enjoy about this series is the world building. There's always really well done writing in terms of description - I can read a paragraph or two in this book and my mind's eye easily conjures up the scene and everything going on in it. And there is always something interesting going on, I'm not bored or checking to see how many pages are left, I'm just reading. The series is refreshing in the use of some well-known supernatural creatures and turning them slightly on their head.

Kate's an interesting character - intelligent and definitely falls under the "kick-ass heroine" title - she's got a magical sword, knows power words, and has a special heritage and an upbringing that made her a deadly fighter. Plus she has a smart-ass mouth to go with it. If you have something against this sort of character, you may not like this series, but if you read books 1 and 2 and liked them, I think you'll like this one too. I think there's a little bit of growth to her as the series goes along. In book 1 she's isolated but by book 3 she's surrounded herself with more people she cares about despite feeling like this makes her vulnerable.

I was happy to find this book was out & read it in one night, I am going to reread it. lol I loved the snappy comebacks & oneliners from Kate. I love the action & the chemistry, too. There were parts that had me laughing outloud. Great story line & can't wait for another installment.

4 1/2 stars. This is book #3 in the series and I’m still listening to the books on audio because I have almost no real reading time. Sigh and boo hiss on the real life. I found my mind didn’t drift away too much on this one. This time around we learn a bit more about Kate, poor Derek is put in harms way (poor Derek, that kid really deserves a break), Kate and Curran do the humorous verbal sparring thing they do so well and a lot of other magical and gory stuff happens. Sorry, that’s all I’ve got. I listened to it last week and had no time to write and my short term memory just ain’t what it used to be.

I think I enjoyed this book more than the previous two. I found the wit more sharply honed and became very invested in several of the characters. I just loved the bit with Raphael and the romance novels especially the fact that he read them and knows he can’t/won’t/doesn’t want to measure up to them, LOL. So very cute. I also adored Curran’s menu at the very end. That was hilarious.

It made me laugh and even get a little teary. Good stuff. I will move on to the next one soon.

When Kate's shapechanger friend Derek is almost killed, she vows revenge. In order to succeed and find a cure for Derek, she must help the Beast Lord's second in command, her former partner Jim, go against his master's law and participate in the illegal tournament of the Midnight Games where warriors fight to the death, even though it will mean his death if he ever finds out. This is the first book of the series that I thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover. Andrews has hit her stride - the action was plentiful and fast-paced, the characters have settled into their skins, the romance between Kate and Curran is developing nicely, the author has spiced it up with lots of wit, and we finally get to know the secret of Kate's past. I'm actually looking forward to the next book.

I love this series and have devoured all the books in it. The series is a nice, light read, but very entertaining. There are good action scenes, but the author doesn't get bogged down in the details. Lots of humor both high and low brow. This book sees more development of the shapeshifter culture which I found very interesting. There is some good character development with Kate. She's started to trust other people to help her (or at least isn't fighting against their help as much). I'm really hoping the love story with Curran comes to a head in the next book. Relationships developing so slowly always drive me nuts. :-)