Bayou Moon (A Novel of the Edge Book 2)

I liked the book but it didn't suck me in as fast as ON THE EDGE. It took me three days to read the first half and I almost put it down a few times. I kept checking the store reviews and dearauthor to see if I was missing something, lol. I am glad I stuck it out because once it got going it was great and only took about two hours to finish.

The first half of the book mainly contained descriptions of the area, bad guys, and inner thoughts of the characters with not a lot of action. There was also a lot of repeat info dump that we got in book 1.

The second half of the book or from about the court house scene forward was fast past, highly detailed, action packed, with a little romance thrown in. I enjoyed catching up with Rose, Decan, and the kids.

Like a few other reviewers posted the ending felt a little untrue to the characters but was resolved quickly.

Overall I enjoyed the book and it had a great plot but I wish it had gotten moving a little faster.

I really enjoyed this book by Ilona and her husband. Overall, "The Edge" series is a good one I would recommend. I'd give more details, but it has been a while since I read the book and I read quite often. (sorry)

So the second book picks up about 2 years after the first one finishes, and focuses on William a character kind of pushed aside on the first. I really enjoyed it, liked being inside William's head and the storyline did not disappoint. Look forward to the next one now.. Hopefully we'll see more of all the characters..

I bought this based on reviews from other readers and wasn't sorry. Interesting characters and plot with a world that is so well written it's entirely believable. Different in style from the Kate Daniels books, but similar in the author's attention to detail. I will definitely keep up with this series.

Ilona Andrews is now firmly on my favorite author list. With the Edge series, they've hit the right combination between paranormal and romance. Personally, I wouldn't mind a little more steaminess a la Jeaniene Frost, but that doesn't seem to be their style.
There are problems with this book--I think the pacing is off, almost as if the story needs to be a hundred pages shorter or a hundred pages longer (I'd prefer longer). Also, the title could be more memorable; I'm not sure they ever mention bayou...it just seems kind of generic. And this is picky, but I frequently have to spend time analyzing the punctuation around the dialogue to determine who's talking and if that character is speaking out loud. Finally, I always have a little trouble with their verb tenses. The authors often go from past perfect to past and it throws me off my groove. Still, those are picky things that could be caught by an editor.
With all that said, I still really like this world and these characters. I love the male lead, William. They do a wonderful job with giving him a definite otherness without turning him into a freak. I just REALLY like this book. I just really like Ilona Andrews and will be waiting for more Edge stories and more Kate Daniels.

Overall, this was an excellent book, though at times a bit unwieldy.

William is probably one of my favorite UF characters - he's strong, smart, and dark, but has this child-like quality about him that makes him incredibly endearing. Cerise Mar - the battle-hardened head of her unruly family - has just enough toughness and vulnerability to make her perfect for William. The way their relationship unfolds is funny, heartbreaking, and satisfying. The author's sense of humor really comes through these characters. As I was reading, I thought there wasn't enough from William's perspective, but now I think maybe my problem is that many of my favorite William scenes had already been revealed as snippets on the author's website.

The portrayal of the Mar's family enemy, the Sheerlies, is amazing. They do the most horrifying things, yet they are not one-dimensional bad guys. You really feel for them and the awful situation they're in, even if it's mostly of their own doing.

Spider, William's enemy (and the character that sets the action in motion) fell flat for me. He was interesting, but something was lacking. I think maybe there were too many characters and factions, and Spider got lost in the shuffle.

I also had a hard time keeping track of Spider's Hand agents and members of the Mar family, and some difficulty understanding their physical descriptions. I found many descriptions (of characters, swamp creatures, the landscape...) confusing to follow.

Declan, Rose, and the boys make a appearance, and I was glad to see it flowed naturally with the story, and their part, though brief, was compelling. Jack was especially entertaining.

The ending (which felt a bit too "True Lies" for me) left a lot of doors open for a potential third book, which makes me quite happy, b/c I'd love to see more of Cerise and William.

I'd definitely recommend this book.

While I won't go into a big description of the story which is quite well reviewed below, I just want to say how impressed I am with this book and the huge step i think it represents for this fine writing team I really love the Kate Daniels books and she has become one of my favorite heroes, but with this book I believe they have stepped into the very top ranks of fantasy authors. The breadth of the story the depth of the characters are all so totally enjoyable I wish I could give the book six stars. Even the villains have a certain empathetic edge that makes them so much more interesting then some. And the heroes William and Cerise are very well fleshed out and likable. People you'd want on your side when things go bad. All in all I can't recommend it enough.

Even though I didn't like the first book "On the Edge" nearly as well, not that it was nor good it was quite good, just not nearly as good. You should, if you haven't, read it first to set the stage. Again though this is an impressive step up for Ilona Andrews. Buy it.

It ended to quickly with out setting the plot of the book. Merely set up another series and did complete the first book. Story originally was good however it cut to the end of some of the chapter a little too quick.

Some people are meant to be writers and this author has it! I love her magic books and didn't think that any book could compare but this book was just as good. The story line and word building was so interesting. I couldn't put the book down. I had to make myself stop reading so i could get some sleep for work lol
This book has it all! I loved the storyline, the h/h, the relation ship between the different characters. I was entranced. One of the best if not the best i have read this year! Im not great at writing reviews but i wanted this author to know how much I loved this book. Keep em coming!!!

I loved this book, the magic,the animals the people, it was right up my ally. I love science fiction. It made me feel like I was part of the story. The different dimensons are great. It makes me want to read everything that this author has written.

I've enjoyed Ilona Andrews' "Kate Daniels" series immensely, and I enjoyed the "Edge" series as much. Her characters are funny and savvy and interesting. I recommend the whole series to other urban fantasy enthusiasts.

I've read all of Ilona Andrews' books, and I have enjoyed all of them. (The Magic Bleeds series keep getting better.) The author does a great job in describing and creating a fantasy world in Bayou Moon and the characters are believable, flawed and heroic. If you've read all of Ilona's books, then you can see similarities in plot/writing. For example, there's always a man and a woman who don't get along at first but then find each other appealing by the middle of the book. Regardless, these books are still very entertaining, and I will keep purchasing them. :)

~* 4.5 Stars *~
William Wolf is a changling. Feared and hated by humans of the Weird - and sometimes killed at birth - his kind is cursed as demons and known for having a nearly unquenchable thirst for violence. He's not and will never be 'normal.' He was raised at Hawk's Academy, a cold place that trained him to be a killer for his country, then spit him out into the military. Until a court marshal and a death sentence took everything he knew away from him. Now, almost two years after helping his old friend/rival Declan defeat the evil Casshorn in On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1), he's living life as a solitary wolf, with a small home in the Edge and a construction job in the Broken. Until Mirror agents come knocking and offer him a job and a chance for revenge on his greatest enemy, a Louisianan Hand agent named Spider.

Cerise Mar is Mire born and bred, and with a large family to take care of and little money to be had, she's learned to scrape and scrounge out a life in the swamp of the Edge. With little legacy beyond an 80 year old family feud and magic of the old ways, she's thrust into assuming the responsibility of leading her entire family when her parents go missing and the Sheeriles, the rival Mire family the Mars are feuding with, take over a house on Mar land. Soon Cerise realizes there is a traitor in her midst, and the Sheeriles have crawled into bed with the magically twisted Hand and instead of facing a family feud, she and her family are staring at genocide the likes of which can hardly be conceived. And she's the one who will have to lead her family to it.

They meet up in the Broken, William and Cerise, these two lost and damaged souls on two separate missions that, in the end, are inexorably linked. They survive through the Mire and end up in the Rathole - working together in the hopes that at least some of them survive. But life isn't easy in the Mire and nothing in the Edge is ever guaranteed.

The husband and wife writing team that is Ilona Andrews has managed to do it again. When I first read On the Edge a year ago, I was - quite bluntly - blown away by the originality and uniqueness of the hard to classify series opener. I hadn't read anything quite like it before. I was familiar with Andrews' skill with plotting and character development from the Kate Daniels series, but I wasn't prepared for the depth and breadth of character and story they produced in that first book. I thought I was prepared for this one.

I was wrong.

Without a doubt, and despite the intricate, wonderful, and detailed plots, it is the characters that earn my highest marks in both books in the series. In Bayou Moon in particular, I was floored by the brilliant complexity of William's character. He is so delightfully and deliciously OTHER - and consistently maintained as such - that each aspect of his personality, from the echoing loneliness to the ferociousness of a warrior to the stark wolf-like needs to the endearing innocence, was brilliantly executed and exquisitely defined to build a phenomenal character that resonates with realism. He is at turns fearsome and heartbreaking, and so charming when bowled over by his struggle to seem human in the face of a complete lack of understanding of humanity. William Wolf will forever be one of my favorite protagonists.

I didn't want to stop reading about him. I didn't want to stop knowing him. In fact, when I finished the book the first time, I did something I have only done one or two times in my life. I went back to the beginning and read the entire book again.

Of course, Cerise was also extremely well drawn, and in typical Andrews fashion, secondary and ancillary characters are also just as complex, just as deep and fully realized that each feels like an old friend...or at least leery acquaintance...by the time you're done reading. I shared Cerise's heartbreak for Lark, her hopeless feeling of wasted opportunity for Lagar, William's frustrations with Kaldar, and even...though it's disturbing to admit...the cold passion of patriotism in Spider. There are no cardboard cutouts here, no two dimensional or cliched characters, no megalomaniacal, bent-on-world-domination bad guys...just complex motivations and complicated responsibilities, heavy burdens of obligation, chilling determination to succeed, fleeting glimpses of hope and yearning for something better.

It is a stunning world. With breathtaking characters. Heartbreaking and triumphant at turns. Fantastic in almost every way. And I was most appreciative that Andrews took the time to detail all the various layers of the plot during the body of the book, and loved the attention to the most minute detail and the nod to continuity in some of the smallest but most telling ways. Like the chocolate. Nice touches throughout that just made sinking into this book such a phenomenal experience overall.

I wasn't totally thrilled with absolutely everything, however. One particular turn of the plot made no sense to me given the definition of Cerise and William and dialogue they'd had through the book. I'm not going to mention specifics to prevent spoilers, but there was one thing that seemed to contradict a previous agreement and vow and it was so significant to the plot that it jarred me out of the story. That one particular turn, and just one other scene that seemed significant during, but never got fully rounded out by the end (and left me just as confused as William professed to being at the time concerning it) are the two aspects of the book that kept me sticking with a 4.5 rating instead of a five.

Overall, I felt Bayou Moon had a much meatier and significant plot than the previous book in the series, with characters, William in particular, that will stick with me long after the book is done. I'm dying to know what happens from here, and desperately want some closure on Lark's tragic issues, even Jack and George (who make an appearance here, and thank you for that!).

I've read other books throughout the years that have left me wanting more. This, however, is the first book - and the first series - that has me demanding (however impotently) more of the lives of these characters - all of them: primary, secondary, and ancillary - and the world they inhabit. I want more of their personalities, want to experience the passions and the rivalries and the revelry. To feel it, to triumph and suffer with these people I've come to know. It's a visceral, painful, yearning sensation with which I was previously unfamiliar.

The Kate Daniels series is a favorite of mine. I can't deny it. The Edge series, though...I think it may be even better. Please, please, give us more.

Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

3 stars for complex story.

Much effort went into the battles -- build up to battles, the battles and the post battle wrap up.

If this was supposed to be a romance novel -- then the authors need to work on making readers care why the two should be together. Quickie "thrusting" does not equal romance.

Men just cannot write "romance" -- if the wife was involved in the writing she was on the fringe. This is another guy trying to capture the "romance" and he fails. Blood, gore, guts, slime does not equal a romance novel.

This is a great paranormal romance. I thought it was written with lots of action, twists and turns, touched off with paranormal shapeshifting and addition of magic and other creature types. It has humor, some language and some sex but not enough to be considered erotic by no means in my opinion.

I thought "On The Edge" was one of the best books I've ever read and this book "Bayou Moon" is just as good. What a wonderful series. The writing is simply fantastic. I love the H/H points of view that tell this exciting, romantic, and heart warming story. Again, kudos to the authors! Thank you.

I have enjoyed all of Ilona Andrews books and looked forward to this one.
I have to say I was disappointed. The character developments of the main characters were good, the secondary characters from the previous book in this series were sketchy. This entire new world and the politics just didn't pull me in like all of her other books, I wound up no caring how the story ran. That in itself is a shame.

It must not have made much of an impression upon me because I cannot remember who are the mail characters. Same dislikes are the love scenes -- don't read them. Still I think I read it and I know I brought it.

Bayou Moon is the second book in The Edge series. We met William, the wolf shapeshifter, in book one. He is living as a recluse in the Edge--the border area between the Weird (magic) and the Broken (not magic) worlds. High ranking members of the Mirror (secret service) show up at his door to tell him his nemisis the Spider is back. The Spider is a murderer runs a group known as the Hand--magic altered, very creepy and tough bad guys. William goes undercover into the Mire, swamp land in the Edge, to track him down and discover an elusive journal that Spider is hunting.

The Mar family is a land rich, cash poor family living in the Mire. They've had a long running feud with the Sheeriles, a rival clan. When Cherise Mar's parents go missing, she is shocked to discover that the powerful Hand helped the Sheerilies with the disappearance. What does the Hand want with her parents? The Sheerilies are trying to take some of the Mar's land. Cherise must find a way to take back their land and save her parents. While on a mission to the Broken to track down some key legal papers, she meets William. At first they do not trust each other, but over time they learn that the Hand is an enemy of both. They agree to work together in the fight against the Hand.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book--it is definitely better than the first book. It has a highly imaginative, fast paced, suspenseful storyline. Highly entertaining mix of action, suspense, mystery, humor and romance. The original world building was very well done.

I loved the main characters and found many of the supporting cast interesting. Cherise was a strong lead female who runs her clan in her parent's absense. I loved her kick a$$ sword abilities--some great fight scenes. I liked William when he was a side character in the first book, and liked him more as his character was developed in this book.

Only negative to me was a part towards the end, which I didn't buy--can't say more because it's a spoiler. It seemed like a contrived conflict (like what you'd find in some romance books) and didn't seem to jive with what we knew about William & Cherise's characters. But that was only one small part of the book, and ultimately this book has a happy ending. I liked the setup for the next book and hope William & Cherise's story will continue.

If you are looking for simliar books, here are others I enjoyed if you want to check them out. Top favs are marked with an asterisk.

Mercy Thompson* and Alpha & Omega* series by Patricia Briggs (Don't miss the anthology in On the Prowl,which is a prequel to Cry Wolf)
Kate Daniels* series by Ilona Andrews
Night Huntress* series by Jeaniene Frost
Sookie Sackhouse* by Charlaine Harris
Cassandra Palmer and Dorina Basarab Dhampir* series by Karen Chance (I like Dory better than Cassie, but from a timeline perspective Cassie comes first. Dory is a great kick butt character reminiscent of Kate Daniels.)
World of Lupi series by Eileen Wilks
Guild Hunters by Nalini Singh
Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill
October Daye series by Seanan McGuire
Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland
Black Jewels trilogy and The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop
Jane True by Nicole Peeler
Fever series by Karen Moning
Circle series by Linda Robertson
Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep

Back in the Edge, but in the dark, lush, and dangerous place known as the Mire with a chilling villain, a clan of crazy swamp folks, and William the changeling wolf. I doesn't get much better, right?

Bayou Moon is book two of the Edge series. It works best following book one since the hero, William, and some of the minor characters along with the world of The Edge was introduced earlier.

Loved going forward with the next installment of the series and oh hallelujah that it was William's story. That was one of the points about the first book left outstanding. William was the unrequited lover- the one not chosen. He's had a tough life as has his heroine, Cerise Mar. I found this book darker and grittier than the first book. There are a few moments with clashes with the villains, Spider and the other members of The Hand and also isolated scenes that had me a little squeamish. Not that I had any desire to set the book aside. Nope, I was all in.

There is so much going on in Bayou Moon- romance, intrigue, action, and that is paired with a solid world, plot, and characters.

I spent a lot of the book uneasy knowing that William was keeping secrets because he is working in espionage for his government and knowing that right or wrong motives, Cerise would struggle when the truth came out. They were antagonistic, then flirty, good fight partners, and oh so sizzling with chemistry. I loved this pair more than Declan and Rose in book one.

The setting, editions to the lore of the Edge, and the mysterious quality in tone were also great.

As to the audio, Renee Raudman really knocked 'em dead with her command of the large cast of characters. She did great with the swamp people accents and she came up with one spinetingling one that hit high on the creepy villain factor for Spider. She continues to amaze.

As soon as this one finished, I was itching to reach for the next installment. William's story with Cerise was all that I could hope for. I whole-heartedly recommend this paranormal romance series and do yourself a solid and get it in audio format if you can.

Borrowed from the Library- my thanks to the Wayne County Library system for participating in Overdrive.

I originally wanted to read these books, because while reading Sweep in Peace my friends kept telling me about the crossover of characters from this series. So once I finished On the Edge I was completely in love with Jack and George! But then I was like, "Where is Gaston and Lark/Sophie?" Well, in this installment of the series I got to finally learn about them! They both completely won me over, but man did Lark completely pull at my heartstrings.

This series is about the Edge, which is where the Weird and the Broken touch. The Weird has magic, and the Broken does not. They are mirrors, or parallel universes, to each other. So essentially, the people that live in the Edge are between worlds.

I didn't love William in On the Edge, so I was a little on the fence about this book because I knew it was surrounding him instead of Rose and Declan. I'm not going to lie; the start was a little rough for me. I immediately connected with Cerise, and kept getting annoyed with William for calling her a hobo every other page! I felt such sick satisfaction when he found out what she was actually doing (and how she actually looked). Once I got passed their initial meeting, I ended up loving them together and completely was sold on them being a couple.

Cerise has an insanely large family, who is constantly struggling with a feud against a neighboring family. It's a pointless war that's been going on way past their generation, and is filling their lives with constant violence and struggle. After the opposing family tries taking over one of her family's estates, at the same time as her parents mysteriously vanish, something obviously needs to be done about it. Everyone that follows my reviews knows by now that I love me a good strong female lead, and Cerise doesn't disappoint. Not only is she selfless with taking care of Lark, her baby sister, but her whole clan.

“They hold a grudge like it was their family treasure.”

A mission falls into William's lap, when a man in the Edge is killing innocent changeling children. William is a wolf-shifter, who had a pretty terrible upbringing, so there probably isn't a mission out there that would hit him closer to home for him. The specific place in the Edge that he has to go is the Mire. The Mire is pretty much where all the criminals from the Weird go that are looking to not ever get caught. Because of a lucky turn of events, Cerise and William's paths cross. All William wants is a family, which is very apparent in On the Edge. So apparent that I was actually a little turned off and confused, but when he instantly connects with Cerise it is much more understandable. I mean, the girl is like the pinnacle of the word "family". We end up finding out that Cerise's family, and William's mission, may have more secrets in common than we initially thought.

“Why couldn't she have gotten another Edger or some dimwit from the Broken for a passenger? No, she got Lord Leather Pants here.”

My favorite part of this entire book was the epilogue. Don't get me wrong, I loved learning more about the characters that had cameos in Sweep in Peace. I also loved the unconditional love that Cerise and William shared. I loved the banter, the fighting, the sex. I loved it all, but the best part, for me, was when Cerise and Rose became friends in the end. The whole time while reading Cerise's POV I kept thinking how much better it would have been if she had met Rose in the Edge and could have a kick ass girlfriend. So when they finally bonded, over beers and faded blue-jeans, my little heart was so happy! I'm already completely sold on Fate's Edge just in hopes that I get to see glimpses at this amazing girl friendship!

This book picks-up right where ON THE EDGE left off, except this time the focus shifts to William who just so happens to be a wolf changeling—my favourite kind! We also get to meet Cerise Mar, a heroine who’s on the same level as Kate Daniels from Ilona Andrews’ other series, and I immediately adored her. I enjoyed this installment slightly more than the first, and I think that’s because I was a little more familiar with THE EDGE universe this time around. I didn’t have to pay as much attention to the world-building, although the Mire is an extremely weird place with its own set of magical rules, so there were still tons of new tidbits to take in. BAYOU MOON is another unmissable listen by this fabulous writer / narrator duo!

I’ve loved pretty much every protagonist that Andrews has thrown my way, and Cerise was no different. She’s even more backwoods than Rose from book 1 which was great because I really enjoyed that aspect of the first installment. Mar lives in an enchanted swamp where cats are green, fish have legs, and mud burns; after growing up in that kind of environment you can’t help but be a little off. I liked how badass Cerise is! There’s this one scene where she and William are in a bit of a pickle, and she’s like don’t interfere, I’ll take all of these baddies on myself, and does. Mar is as far from damsel in distress as you can get, and makes the sexy changeling work for it. A LOT.

The Mire is an awesomely bizarre place, and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering all of its quirks. It was doubly entertaining navigating this odd swamp through William’s eyes because he’s constantly baffled by the absurdity of it all which leads to countless comical WTF moments. There’s this little side thread about an eel that pops up throughout the story that’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. I seriously loved it! The weirdness of the locale also comes through nicely in the main plot with the feuding families, Spider and his minions, and the magic behind Cerise’s uncle’s infamous “box”. Rose, Declen, and the kids make cameo appearances in this novel, and there are several references to them throughout this tale which I appreciated, because I wasn’t quite ready to say good-bye to these amazing characters after only one installment.

I can always count on Renée Raudman to deliver a top notch audiobook with her superb narration skills, and knack for upping the ante on an already action packed tale. Originally, I used to think of her as “Kate Daniels”, but after listening to her for this series as well, for me she’s now become synonymous with Ilona Andrews’ writing. Her transitions between POVs and chapters are smooth, and she always seems to perfectly capture the emotions of any given scene. Raudman is definitely one of my auto-buy narrators.

BAYOU MOON is another epic listen by this fantastic duo (trio?), and I can’t wait to start FATE’S EDGE!

Reviewed by Suzanne and posted at Under The Covers Book Blog

In the second book on Ilona Andrews The Edge series, we focus on William Wolf, whom we meet in On the Edge. As a Changeling William has never been shown much affection or kindness, most people are afraid of him, sensing the lethal animal just inside his human skin. For this reason, he is asked to do one last mission before he is left alone in the Edge. This leads him to meet Cerise, an Edger and the newly made head of her large and crazy family now that her parents have been taken by the same man, Spider, that William is looking for. Together they must stop Spider from finding what he is looking for and try and save Cerise’s parents.

This book pulled me in straight away, I was already looking forward to reading about William from what I had read in the first book, and I wasn’t disappointed. His personality came across really well in everything that was written, Ilona Andrews really got his thinking and logic nailed down and you could immediately differentiate his voice and Cerise’s just from the way it was written. That is another point that I like about not only this book, but about On The Edge aswell, the different characters in the book come across brilliantly, and she manages to portray Edger life both the good and the bad really well.

She surveyed the carnage behind him. “Did you have fun?”
He showed her his teeth. “Yes. Now they won’t take you anywhere.”
Cerise stepped closer to him, so close he only needed to lean in and dip his head and he would kiss her. Since he saved her, maybe he could just grab her and—
“That was the stupidest thing you have done since I’ve met you,” she ground out through her teeth.
Belay the grabbing.
The dynamics between Cerise and her family were also interesting and funny, although family is a bit of a weak word, I think “Clan” probably gets the idea across a bit better! Cerise herself was also great, tough, funny and practical, a bit like Rose, only with a few more jagged edges. As for the romance, it was stronger in this book then it was in the previous one, although this book didn’t skimp on the action either. The attraction between the two is strong and passionate and they made a great couple.

“Oh, Gods.”
His eyes shone with want and predatory satisfaction. “The name’s William. It’s a common mistake.”

I thought this book was better then the first, it seemed to just have more of everything, more action, more romance, more mystery and intrigue. I can’t wait to read the next one and I highly recommend you give this series a go if you want books packed with adventure and romance.

4.5 stars

I'm a total Kate Daniels fan girl but for some reason it's taken me a long time to get around to reading Ilona & Gordon Andrews' Edge series. I have no excuses for why that is and the only reason I'm glad I waited is that the entire series is already in my hands just waiting for me to finish devouring it. I expect this review is going to turn into gushing fan girl praise of this couple and their writing, they always create such brilliant and interesting worlds and they populate them with the best characters too. They excel at writing strong female heroines who are capable of kicking arse and standing on their own two feet, and I don't think I've come across one of their heroes who hasn't made me swoon.

We were introduced to William in On the Edge so I was already half in love with his character, he's just such a sweet guy and learning about his upbringing was heartbreaking. He's never had a family of his own or much of a childhood even and it wasn't until he met Rose and her brothers that he realised what he had been missing. William dreams of having a family but he doesn't feel it is something he deserves or that he'll ever be able to have so he tries to put a brave face on things and lock that dream away. William meets Cerise when he is sent on a mission for the Mirror, he is on the hunt for an old enemy and determined to make him pay for the crimes he has committed but it looks like Cerise and her family may hold the key to finding him.

Cerise and her family are just trying to survive, we've already seen how difficult life is in the Edge but for the Mars it is worse than normal. They come from an old Edge family and have a large amount of land but they have a lot of mouths to feed and very little in the way of income. Cerise has taken on the burden of trying to look after her family since her parents disappeared but it isn't easy and things are made even harder by an ongoing feud they have with another local family. Cerise is struggling to keep their heads above water but she's determined and there is no way she's going to give up without a fight so her enemies better watch out.

I loved the romance between Cerise and William, this series is far more focused on the action and the world building than the romance which is something I love about it but I still enjoyed the slow burn between them and the way they gradually come to trust in each other. Both have reasons to be wary but their temporary alliance soon becomes something much more important. I can't believe I haven't even mentioned Cerise's family yet! Another thing the Andrews' excel at is creating eccentric family members and really strong family dynamics. We are introduced to some great secondary characters here and I wanted to spend more time with all of them which just shows how much fun they are.

Bayou Moon is full of action, we get to learn a lot more about the world than we did in the first book and we find out more about the Weird politics and how that effects the Edgers. I was hoping that Rose and Declan would make more of an appearance in this story but we do get to catch up with them towards the end and it was nice to see how they, along with Jack and George, are getting on. This series is fast becoming another favourite of mine and I can't wait to see what happens in Kaldar's story.

My Review:
Overall.... 4.0
Performance... 5.0
Story.... 3.5

I love audiobooks, but unless I'm on a roadtrip, I only get about an hour a week to listen to them. This audiobook was 16 hours long and I only had one small roadtrip when I got to listen to it. As a result, this book took me about 6 weeks to get through. That was entirely too long and I think it affected how much I enjoyed the book overall.

This is a complex world and a complex story, but at the heart of it were Cerise and her family who live in the swamps. William is a changeling...i.e. a wolf shifter...and her love interest. The overall story line was very layered with intrigue and levels of interest from the three different levels of this world. But I'll be honest with you...because it took me so long to get through it...the politics of who all was after what and who was working with whom, got completely lost for me. For me, this book remained about Cerise and William and their developing relationship which I did really enjoy.

For William, being a changeling is not something good in this world. The world considers them feral and tried to kill them all at some point. So he never lets most people know what he is. For Cerise, she doesn't give a damn what he is and I absolutely LOVED that about her. Cerise is one tough cookie and she does what she wants (unless it will hurt her family) and then she does what's good for the family. She's loyal to a fault, tough, but so wanting for a life and the love that she finds with William. For him, he's never even considered that he could find the happiness that he does with Cerise. He is also really tough, but has a vulnerability which just tore at my heart because he wants to belong somewhere so badly. I loved him in book #1 and fell even further for him in this story.

There is a LOT to this story...a lot of characters, a lot of layers of politics, and I'm not going to get into all that. I will say that something that the team of Ilona Andrews does incredibly well is adding children to the story. In book #1 there were Georgie and Jack (which we get to see again in this book ...yay) and then this one had Lark and the boy that I can't remember his name that William takes under his wing. They added so much impact to the story with very little overall page time.

And I can't do an audiobook review without mentioning Renee Raudman's INCREDIBLE narration. Wow. There are SO MANY characters in this book and each one sounds distinctly different. I don't know how she does it. Even the kids from book #1, Jack and Georgie...sounded exactly the same as they did in book #1. She has to have over 100-150 voices in her repertoire and it boggles my mind.

I have to admit, I'm on the fence about book #3. These absolutely are the kinds of books I enjoy on audio, but that one's 14 hours. But it also features Kaldar...who I loved in this book. Maybe I will just sit down and read that one and save the shorter books for my audio enjoyment.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I requested Bayou Moon from my library. It's the only one of Ilona Andrews' books lacking the words "Magic" (Kate Daniels) or "Edge" (The Edge series) in the title, and I'll be honest, my eyes got pretty big when I saw its girth and noted that it was a good 100 pages longer than any of her other books. I certainly didn't expect Bayou Moon to completely capture my heart as my favorite Ilona Andrews book yet, but it did so handily.

Bayou Moon has us returning to the Edge-that weird strip of land running along the border between the Broken and the Weird where magic exists, but not in full force. William, who has spent the last two years having a pity party and drinking beer in his trailer is recruited into duty by the Mirror, a special ops force from Adrianglia. Presented with the opportunity to kill his (and all Changelings') oldest enemy, Spider, William agrees to uncover whatever weapon it is Spider's attempting to recover for his country, kill him, and provide Adrianglia with intel. He leaves his thin strip of the Edge to enter the Mire-a portion of the Edge that stretches for hundreds of miles between the Broken's Louisiana and the Weird's Louisiana.

Cerise Mar has lived her entire life in the Mire, where family is everything and deadly feuds rage for generations. When her parents disappear and the Sheeriles-the family the Mar's have been feuding with for generations-produce a deed signing over to them a chunk of the Mar land, Cerise finds herself in charge of contesting the deed in court, killing the Sheeriles, and finding her parents. Knowing only that they were taken by the Hand, an elite force of magically mutated fighters, Cerise begrudgingly agrees to team up with William who has a convenient knowledge of the Hand and fighting skills that rival her own.

Ah! My enthusiasm for Bayou Moon is practically dripping. We first met William the Wolf in On the Edge where the poor misguided soul tried very hard to convince Rose to love him even though they were very wrong together. More than anything, William wants a family, wants to be loved, but he knows that he doesn't deserve these thigns. I love that in Bayou Moon we get to see inside of William's head and get to know both his excited puppy and really scary wolf sides. He falls hard for Cerise not because he feels he should (as with Rose), but because he can't help himself. It isn't her family (because they're their own piece of work), it's the fact that Cerise is strong, self-assured, and can mow through ten men as easily as slicing butter. Watching Cerise fight is the most beautiful thing William has ever seen. He respects her as a fighter, doesn't honestly know if he could beat her, and lets her fight her own battles.

Cerise, on the other hand, gives us an outside perspective of just how dangerous an attraction to William can be. She realizes slowly that he's a bit broken inside, but instead of viewing him as such she just sees him as something she wants very badly for her own. She doesn't pity William, which would hurt him, instead she chooses to love every crazy bone in his body, and she relishes his sharp edges. If only wolves understood things like flirting and hints (or any nuanced social skills for that matter) and a relationship with one didn't have to be all or nothing.

The third person multiple narratives works so well in Bayou Moon. I enjoyed On the Edge immensely, but here we got to see Cerise and William in equal parts in a balance that really added to the story. The plot was jam packed full of dangers both close to home and completely exotic, and the pacing was so spot on perfect that it was quite difficult to put down. The story here with its layers of villains and motivations seemed much more rich and deadly to me than the plot of On the Edge. Added darkness aside, this installment was still full of Ilona Andrews' snarky and wonderful humor that had me laughing out loud constantly while reading. I fell completely for William and Cerise, but as they were caught up in the world around them, so was I. Bayou Moon was slightly more Urban Fantasy than Romance in its balance, but I liked it that way and wouldn't change a thing.

My only problem/confusion stemmed once again from my inability to keep names strait. The Mar clan is pretty dang big, not to mention the list of villains between the Mire and the Hand. We knew there was likely a turncoat within the Mar family, and for the longest time I was convinced it was Kaldar because I had his name confused with Karmash, Spider's second in command. This bummed me out as I really liked that scoundrel, but then I realized that I was just confusing myself again. *sigh* At least at no time did I feel that Bayou Moon called for a Deliverance banjo duel.

I read this book on my Kindle. It is the second book in The Edge series by husband and wife book writing team, Ilona Andrews. There are four books contracted for this series. You don't really have to read the first book, On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1), to enjoy this one; although some characters from the first book do make an appearance in this one.

Cerise Mar and her family own tons of land in the Mire, the Edge Swamplands, but they are poor. When Cerise's parents are captured by a feuding family; she is now the family's leader and will stop at nothing to get her parents back even if it does mean rekindling an ages old feud with the competing Mire family. But things are more complicated than Cerise could imagine. William, the changeling from the first book in the series, has been hired by the Mirror to track down an agent of the Hand (both factions represent nations of the Weird) named the Spider. William and Cerise find that their paths will cross and that Cerise's family feud may be connected to a silent war being waged between the Mirror and the Hand.

I actually liked this book quite a bit more than On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1), and I liked that book a lot. The plot for this book is a lot more complex, there is more battle and more intrigue. This book also ties in more of the politics that are happening in the Weird and it was great to see more of the infrastructure that makes up the Weird; we never got to see much of the Weird in the first book.

William and Cerise are wonderful characters. Cerise is tough and shoulders her responsibilities to her huge family well; she has some weak moments but that only makes her easier to love as a character. William is a wonderful match for Cerise, he is just as tough as Cerise and comes with a lot of baggage which makes him a realistic and lovable character as well. The chemistry between these two characters is amazing; you are really rooting for them the whole book. Even the side characters are unique and well developed. There are a number of side characters in the group of the Hand and in Cerise's family that could hold a story all their own; they are wonderfully complex and interesting.

This book is more of an urban fantasy than a paranormal romance. There are a couple steamy scenes between Cerise and William. William is one of those "Mate-for-life" alpha males which makes the story lean a little to the romance side at some points. That being said there is a ton of action and some truly awesome fight scenes in the book, and it is these type of scenes that make up the majority of the story. Nothing ever gets overly serious in this book; the characters have a great sense of humor and the dialogue and banter does an excellent job reflecting this.

As with ever other book I have read by the Andrews; the plot is tight, the fight scenes well done, the romance scenes well done, the book very engaging, great world-building, and lovable characters. Just a great book overall.

Overall this was a wonderful addition to this series. This book broadens the world we were introduced to in the first book, On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1), and has a more complex story than the first book did. Cerise and William are tough characters who really kick-butt but are at the same time lovable. I can't wait to read the next book in this series to see what it adds to the story. Ilona Andrews has quickly become an author who can do no wrong as far as I am concerned...everything I have read by this husband and wife team has been wonderful. Definitely check out their Kate Daniels series; I love that series just as much as, if not more than, this series. If you enjoy this series and the Kate Daniel's series I highly recommend the following Jaz Parks by Jennifer Rardin, Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep, Dorina Basarab by Karen Chance, and Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. All feature tough female characters and highly developed, creative worlds that lean more towards urban fantasy than paranormal romance.

Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.50

Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Bayou Moon was great! I knew William's story would be kick ass but really it was Cerise is the one who shined.

Story Thoughts: Love stories that give me a Hatfield and McCoys feel and this one nailed it! I have had this book since 2013 and was so glad to finally get to it. I am loving this series and there isn't much that I can say about that hasn't been said before. I will say that the thing I love most about it is the action. There is lots of it and it is kick ass!

Character Thoughts: I love William. Ok I loved him in the first book too but loved him even more here. What I loved most was that Cerise made him shine, her family made him crazy, and his predicament made him think fast on his feet. I did love Cerise too and her kooky family. She actually stole the show as far as I am concerned. She was smart, ballsy, and a wonderful leader. I am thrilled to the 2 rascals get their own books! I think those will be interesting.

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated By Renée Raudman / Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins

Again Renee did an excellent jobs. This are not short listens though so be in it for the long haul. They are worth every minute but at 15 hours it is a commitment!

Final Thoughts: Bring on Book 3!

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

*Beware of Spoilers*

It's been two years since Rose ran off with Declan and William has made a residence in the Edge, keeping to himself and accepting that he will always live alone. When he gets an unexpected package on his porch; a box that includes pictures of changeling children that were brutally murdered and a note from the one who is responsible, William's enemy, Spider.

William is then visited by a couple of associates from an organization that is hunting Spider, known as the Mirror. They want him to go to the Mire, where they believe Spider has gone and kill him. He agrees and the adventure begins.

He follows the Mirror's instructions and goes into the weird and takes a tour that will lead him into the Edge and the swamps that makes up the Mire. There is a dirty hobo lady taking the same tour and she eventually kills their guide leaving William and herself to work together to get through the dangers of the swamp.

He quickly learns that the hobo lady is putting on an act and is actually Cerise Mar, the one person the Mirror told him to get close to. William plans to use her as bait to draw Spider out, but once he starts to have feelings for her, it's not quite so easy to put her in danger, well in more danger than she's already in that is.

Spider works for a group called the Hand that is known for performing experiments on it's operatives, and most of them aren't even human anymore. The Hand wants Cerise, and she and William must fight the monsters they send her way to keep her safe and to save her family.

This is another installment to the series that I found to have an incredibly slow start. The trip through the swamps to get to Sicktree seemed to take forever and I just couldn't get interested in it at all. With all the made up creatures such as the rolpies and the engineered beasts from the Sect and the Hand I felt like I was in the middle of a sci-fi novel and that is just not my thing.

But once they arrive at Cerise's home, the Rathole, the story truly begins. We meet her eccentric family that has so many interesting characters that's it's hard to keep up with them all. The cousin William couldn't stand, Kaldar, was actually my favorite. I thought he was a fun character and I'd make a bet with him any day to get the outcomes I want! From the court hearing on, I couldn't help, but like him.

"Well, shit," Dobe said. "I guess you're familiar with the law. You hit it over the head, set its house on fire, and got its sister pregnant."

Kaldar's matchmaking was a lot of fun to.

The romance between William and Cerise was a slow built one, but it made it all that more enjoyable when they did come together. I really enjoyed William and am happy to see that after all the horrible things and terrible treatment he's lived through that he can finally be happy with the girl he loves.

"Oh, Gods."

His eyes shone with want and predatory satisfaction. "The name's William. It's a common mistake."

This review and more at openbooksociety dot com

Bayou Moon is book two of the Edge series by Ilona Andrews. Unfortunately I haven’t read book one (I certainly want to now!), but I found I didn’t need to in order to appreciate and understand Bayou Moon. It stands remarkably well on its own.

William and Cerise are my favorite parts of this book. Each one has plenty of depth and their interplay is delightful. In particular, Cerise is a marvelous strong female lead. She has guts and determination; she’s fierce yet proudly human and flawed. Family interactions also take center stage, and they have plenty of delicious complexity to them. Nothing is simple or cut-and-dried. Everything has layers; everyone has motivations. Andrews is also extremely good at depicting not-entirely-human characters, with their own quirks and habits.

Combat in Bayou Moon is heart-stoppingly magnificent, tense, and utterly cinematic. I can easily picture the battles in my mind’s eye. The magics are heady and dark, an almost organic blend of styles and traditions that suits its milieu. My only problem with this book is that now I have to catch up on the rest of the series–it’s too good to miss!

I enjoyed this book and was glued to it but was impatient for the two main characters to meet. I wouldn't have had it any other way, though. Authors and publishers seem to think readers have attention spans of kids on their DS and I believe many have higher capabilities. The delay provided time for the authors to paint a decent picture of Cerise and William's personalities, current circumstances and introduce some secondary characters.

I agree with other reviewers about the depth of the plot and variety of characters. Great! I particularly enjoyed how detailed they painted the main and secondary characters and their inner turmoil. I appreciated the deliciously ghastly villains. There was no attempt to make them anything other than evil, but sometimes a known evil, that of war. Basically, saying it's for the good of my country can explain away a multitude of actions. They were endowed with certain, insurmountable powers and I would have enjoyed being more horrified by watching them actually employ those powers. Later, they seemed to become more and more mundane,making their relatively easy vanquishing anti-climactic in the fight scenes. For instance, at one point after meeting the villains:

SPOILER HERE:
Cerise becomes so terribly ill just viewing the one genetically altered member of the Hand from a distance, until William took her into the Broken. He mentioned being ill in the past himself many times for the same reason. However, this did not seem to hamper anyone else who met the HAND during fight scenes. Shouldn't their reactions have hampered their fighting skills even more since our heros are the the strongest of the good guys? Did I miss something?
SPOILER OVER...

Anyhow, there were a few issues in the book that I overlooked and suspended my disbelief about anyway, as a reader sometimes must to appreciate fiction. One of those I could not overlook was a lame misunderstanding between these two at the end. Even if the authors could make us believe these two would suddenly lurch out their simpatico with each other, their reactions to the misunderstanding were also opposite of how they had been acting up until then, especially Cerise's. It seemed like a lazy "old-fashioned Harlequin romance" plot device toss-in by the authors. If they had to throw in a last minute bit of turmoil, it should've been better thought out.

Still, I eagerly await the next installment, especially if the evil characters are scary and alien to us. However, I would prefer more of an explanation of why/how they became villains. This should make the books more multi-dimensional. A few more reviews/drafts of the book to iron out inconsistent actions committed by the characters would also benefit the next installment. I still highly recommend this book for action and interesting characters!

A little bit too long, but I was delighted about the end of William's story, that started on the previous installment. Cerise is funny and strong, the plot is cool enough, even if not so many battles would have not done wrong to the book. Looking forward to read the third book.

Un pochino troppo lungo, ma il finale della storia di William, che era cominciata nel precedente volume, mi é piaciuta parecchio. Cerise é una donna forte e divertente, inoltre la trama non é male, anche se qualche battaglia di meno non mi sarebbe dispiaciuta. Sto per cominciare il terzo libro.

I enjoyed the first book "On the edge" for what it was - "Mills and Boons" with magic and parallel universes and I enjoyed this one too...but it's almost exactly the same as the first one. I have copy and pasted part of my review and replaced the name Rose with Cerise. However contrary to other reviewers, I liked it more than the first one.

Cerise lives in a part of the the Edge, the slither of land between the two dimensions: "The Broken" (where we live) and "The Weird" (where magic is alive), called Mire. It is a swamp hellhole filled with poor locals and people deemed as criminals that've been dumped there from The Weird Kingdom of Louisianan. Like Rose from the first book, Cerise is poor, hard working but lives with her family who are caught up in a never-ending blood-feud with another family. Cerise's parents disappear and she is the new head of the family. She must enter the broken to fetch a document and on her return encounter William the Wolf, the changeling from the first book. He is is hunting "The spider" and 'coincidentally' their missions turns out to be on the same path.

Again we have the feisty smart mouthed woman refusing to conform, a handsome 'noble' stranger, magic, masses of electrifying sexual tension - add to that another evil magic nemesis that is set on destruction.

Whilst this one is more or less the same book as the first, I found William and Cerise more interesting than Rose and Declan because they did have some faults, well William did anyway.

This book is good for what it is, an entertaining beach read but like all books in the romantic genre - it is utterly predicable.

Cherise Mar's parents have gone missing which leaves her in charge of the family. In a race to get back home, Cherise runs into the wolf shifter William. William is working undercover to track down a vicious killer called Spider who is searching for something. William has been hired to find whatever Spider is looking for and turn it over to the Mirror. (The Mirror is basically a magical CIA.) William and Cherise's paths intersect more than either first imagined as Spider has set his eyes on something that the Mar family owns.

I really loved Bayou Moon. The atmosphere was excellent and one that I really adore in stories. It felt like hardcore Cajun country bayous. Very swampy, remote, and muddy.

Also, Andrews always does a great job writing shifters in her stories. It's nice how she manages to thread specific animal natures into their personalities. (Such as William's distaste for being fenced in by so much water.) As for Cherise, she was pretty bad ass. Intelligent and bit a ruthless, she knew how to take care of herself and those relying on her. I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series.

This was a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed it a lot, but wouldn't go so far as to say I loved it. I thought William was absolutely adorable, Cerise was wonderfully badass and the Mar family was a great bunch of side characters. But I also thought it overly long, the ending a bit rushed (as in all wrapped up a little too easily) and I didn't need the sappiness at the end.

I listened to this in audio and thought the narrator did an excellent job, much like in book one.

At first I gave this book 4 stars, for the reasons mentioned below, but since then, I have returned to re-read either the entire book or favorite scenes numerous times. So, now, Blue Bayou is a DIK (desert isle keeper) boosted right up to 5 stars.

I have read all 4 books in the series. This is my favorite. I just adore William!! LOVE him. He is a changeling wolf. His mother gave him to the State at birth, to be trained and transformed into a killer for The Red Legion, a black ops group in The Weird. He is so noble-hearted, so loyal, and so very lonely. He has never known family. He has one true friend, Declan from Book 1 On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1).

In this book, William falls hard for Cerise Mar, who lives in the Mire, a huge swampy area in the Edge. Love Cerise, too! Cerise is a trained warrior who flashes white magic. Cerise has known rejection, too, and she wants to love William, but she must think first about her huge extended family. They are in danger: Her mom and dad have been taken hostage by an evil thug, Spider, and things get worse, rapidly, because there is a traitor in her clan.

The plot was decent. It was very bloody, which I could do without, with zillions of battle scenes and creepy evil creatures created by black magic. But after a while all that campy, gory violence began to grow on me. ;-) And always, I was interested in finding out about the journal and the secret device. No spoilers, but I was absorbed in the developing story line.

I enjoyed the interactions between members of Cerise's family. I liked the family member who showed up at the big battle scene at the pond at the last minute. An 11th - hour hero. I liked watching the whole Mar family pull together. I liked how William helped Gaston and Lark, the kids. I also liked how Cerise stood by William, even when she learned his secret. For the first time in his life, he was not rejected, but given unconditional love. Sigh. :-)

Problems: I wanted more romance between William and Cerise. Not necessarily sex, but bonding time. Wanted to see William happy more. Cerise, too, deserved some peaceful happy time with Lord Bill ;-) after all that stress. Not crazy about the ending. Was annoyed by the misunderstanding and separation at the end -- came too late in the story. I did not buy into the cause for it. Also, the plot had some inconsistencies.

Ps. William is somewhat similar to silent, stoic Eggie, a killer wolf shifter in a special branch of the Marines. The admittedly sillier, sexier, hokier story is called Like a Dog with a Bone, by Shelly Laurenston. It's found in the anthology: Howl For It. I liked both stories in the anthology.

Plot Summary: A lone wolf ex-soldier and a swamp girl meet up in Ilona Andrews latest fantasy. William has been living in a trailer in the woods, drinking beer, watching television, and playing with action figures. He has no family because he's a changeling, and his kind are treated like animals by the denizens of both the Weird and the Edge. A group approaches him with news that his old enemy, a magically-enhanced thug named Spider, has been located in a swamp called the Mire, and they want William to hunt him down. When William travels to the mire he finds bugs, mud, and a hobo girl who smells like rotten spaghetti. Cerise comes from a large, land-rich, money-poor family, and she's traveling incognito on a desperate mission. A multi-generational feud is about to boil over and her parents have been kidnapped. William observes that Spider's agents are hot on Cerise's tail, so he decides to use her as bait.

(The Edge Series: Book Two)

Bayou Moon felt huge at 447 pages, so I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it should have been even longer. Yes, this is a fabulous fantasy (it's not really "urban" since it all takes place in a swamp... maybe I should call it a "contemporary fantasy" instead), but if I have any criticism it's that the ending felt rushed. Perhaps the publisher was cringing at the thought of letting the word count balloon even more, but really, after such an amazing adventure it shouldn't have ended like a shotgun wedding (for the record, there was no wedding, I'm just trying to say that it ended rather hastily).

Okay, with that teeny, tiny nitpick aside, I am now prepared to sing its praises. Bayou Moon is exactly the kind of absorbing, complex, character-driven fantasy that I want to spend $7.99 on. Every time I had to put this bad boy down I kept thinking about it, and I was all itchy to squeeze another free hour out of my day. William just about broke my heart while making me pant in heat. I'm glad that the Andrews poked fun at him for wearing leather in a swamp, and the way he obsessed a little over his "pelt" was grin-worthy. I needed these light moments, because his backstory is horrific, and his complete conviction that he'll be abandoned sooner or later was sad stuff.

Cerise was worked over every which way, and even though she was raised by a close-knit family, just about everything is stripped from her over the course of the story. The Andrews like to take their heroines and squeeze them mercilessly, like they're trying to get blood from a stone. It makes the whole novel fraught with tension, intensely emotional, and an absolute page-turner.

Even though Bayou Moon is technically the second book in The Edge series (On the Edge being book one), it practically reads like a stand-alone. Someone could read these backward and not suffer much, but since I though On the Edge was fantastic, there's no need to skip the first one either. I have another fantasy series to add to my top ten list of action-packed, romance-enhanced fantasies.

Originally posted at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews.
Bayou Moon is the second book in the The Edge series by the fantastic writing duo Ilona Andrews. We met our hero, William Wolf, in the first book of the series On The Edge. He thought he had his forever dream to have a family at the tips of his fingers in Rose, but his love was requitted when she chose his former best friend over him. In Bayou Moon we find him living the life of a hermit in the Edge -- the border between the Weird (land of magic) -- and the Broken (no magic land) -- hiding from the world and somewhat moping. What?! He is totally moping! But then... members of the Mirror, the Weird's secret service, pay him a visit and give him an order to find an elusive journal, and also the opportunity to find his longtime nemesis The Spider. The lure of finding and facing The Spider once again is too great to pass up. William finds himself on a long journey to the Mire, a swamp land in the Edge. Here, he meets Cherise Mar, who is far more involved in his original task than he could have imagined.

This is one of those books where I had high hopes for the heroine Cherise and hero William but I never made a full connection with either of them. It may have had to do with the fact that Cherise had so many family members they were coming out of her ears. The ginormous Mar family is a land rich but money poor family living in the Mire and there were so many of them I got distracted. Additionally, I fell in love with William Wolf in the first book and though I still admired him in Bayou Moon, the ending regarding their HEA felt contrived and fell flat for me. I came away thinking more about the villains than I did the heroine and hero. With this being said, The Spider and his group of made-villains called the Hand are seriously horrifying and fantastically done! The imagination that went in to building these characters is simply superb. Simply put, The Spider creates his team of villains by grafting them with the healing and super powers of plants and the end result is not only smelly, and seemingly indestructible, but really deeply disturbing. I am shivering right now thinking about them. So creepy!

In summary, even though I was disappointed that I didn't fully click with the heroine and hero, I still enjoyed this book tremendously. All the original world building that I come to expect from Ilona Andrews was there in droves, and some of the secondary characters that were introduced were very compelling. The plot was meatier than the first book, and it will filled with action and suspense. I look forward to seeing what lies ahead in future books in this series!

Again, the horrors the villains come up with and how they’re even shaped are awe-inspiring in their absolute ability to create nightmares. The details the Andrews endow these villains with really do amaze me.

I loved William and Cerise’s love story a lot more than Rose and Declan’s, simply because it was more passionate. Especially from William’s point of view. I would probably give my left arm for a man to look at me like he looked at Cerise the first time she was clean. Seriously. Then I’d run.

Another thing I love about the story itself is that Ilona Andrews does not shy away from painful events in their stories. People will die. Some get broken. Things happen, just as they do in real life, and it changes them. Despite the fantasy-like setting, that was superbly realistic and adds depth to this already intricate world.

This has to be my favorite of the four novels I think. 5 stars!!

I have to say that while this book was OK, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as the first "Edge" book, (and it's nowhere even close to the Kate Daniels books..). I know that the author Ilona Andrews is a husband/wife team, and this one felt so much more "romancy" than the first that I have to feel that they shared out the dutites differently this time around.

I'm struck as well about the main arc of both books which (no big spoiler here..) involves all the main characters leaving The Edge as soon as possible despite supposedly having deep ties to it in both cases. If "The Edge" is such a compelling setting, why the focus on leaving?

Aside from the general sappiness of the romance in this go-round, I'm also struck by the odd structural problems of the denoument wherein a major plot event takes place totally off-screen, just after awkwardly shoe-horning the characters from book one back into events. The ending also posits that William's situation is not what he thought it was, in another unconvincing twist -- it's hard to believe that William didn't know this (he's "different", not stupid) and hard to believe the uber-spy who recruits him counts on him not knowing it.

On the plus side, the teaser chapter from the next Kate Daniels book which appears at the end of _Bayou Moon_ is dynamite..

I bought this book.

I admit I was a little sad when I read the blurb on the back of this book and I realized it wasn't a direct sequel to the first Edge book, On the Edge. But Andrews is one of my auto-buys so I snatched it up on release day nonetheless. Am I glad I did.

William is a changeling, reviled and abused by the fae-ish bluebloods from the magical Siamese sister to our world called the Weird. After playing a secondary role in the first book William, crushed at the loss of Rose to his friend Declan, hides out in the non-magical "real" world, the Broken. Between the Weird and the Broken is the Edge, where the descendents of exiled, abandoned or escaped Weird families now live.

Tempted by one more job from his military background, and a chance to kill a long time mortal enemy who's know for slaughtering changelings, especially children, on principle, William ventures back into the Edge. The Mire is a swamp that's not just filled with Edgers trying to survive, but also with exiles from the Weird who are too strong magically to survive the crossing to the Broken. In the Mire William stumbles right into an old blood feud between two swamp-folk families that makes the Hatfields and the McCoys look like a squabble. One side has just teamed up with William's enemies and the other...is headed by the brilliant, beautiful and deadly Cerise.

Cerise has been the head of her family for only a few days, since her parents disappeared, the first act in the flaring of an old blood feud that she'd rather move past. In fact, she'd like to move past the swamp, being poor and having to deal with the deadly (and crazy) blueblood she found in the swamp, but to do so she'd have to abandon her family, an act that would make them targets for the stronger land owners in the Mire.

Bayou Moon is a thick book, pushing 500 pages. But it's a solid filled read, with tons to catch a reader's interest. The hot-blooded romance is tempered (a lot) by wicked fight scenes, more enemies than you can count and a surprising almost-science fiction twist. Its a fast ride, compelling with a pitch perfect take on non-human characters and a plethora of truly imaginative fantasy elements. Humor, attitude, action and some really sexy leads, Bayou Moon is an awesome addition to the urban fantasy (rural fantasy? Swamp fantasy?) genre and a great place to start for readers wanting to know what all the buzz is about.

I like the cover - the swampy background - the sword.... the dark hair and different looks to the woman on the cover. They guy is kind of blond (The darker the better for my tastes), but he looks okay. Like the long hair. Wild.

The Book - What can I say? Thoroughly enjoyed the book. There was just the right amount of wildness in the characters. Just the right amount of crazy. Just the right amount of steamy....(normally, I can do without the steamy, but Gordon and Ilona do a good job of not going overboard, and yet getting the point across that two characters are pretty hot and bothered for each other...) Bayou Moon is set in the swampy area of The Edge, and features a character from the novel The Edge. William is a changeling that has been living in the Edge, ever since the events in the novel (previous novel featuring Rose and Declan). He's approached by the special ops of the Weird's citizens to help capture...or rather KILL an operative of the opposing country in The Weird. If you've read The Edge, you know a bit of the background, if you haven't then you'll learn a bit when you read Bayou Moon. William travels to find and kill this operative (Spider) and has a run in with Cerise Mars...

...and later her crazy family. I LOVE her crazy family. I love the way they are brought to life by Ilona Andrews. The dialogue, the narration, the different points of view....all blends so well together that there is not one boring or "down-time moment" in this novel. I love the edgy, dark personalities of Cerise, her family members, and William. There's a scene set in the town that just gives a glimpse of the different ways of the Edge families.

I also love the different animals that are described in both Bayou Moon and The Edge (the book). There are some seriously strange animals and wildlife in this series. Plants also - there are some crazy plants that come into play throughout this series.

William finds that his mission and Cerise's family issues have a lot in common. Cerise, with her crazed clannish family is the perfect fit for William, which brings us a dark and mildly twisted romance - the best kind of romance to have. (lol). Part of the courtship of Cerise and William is swordplay - real swords.

As with their other novels, Gordon and Ilona Andrews gift us with entertaining narration, great dialogue, twisted plots and some great fight/action scenes. They can also write very good "steam" scenes, that are pretty intense, and yet don't leave me with the feeling that I've just read porn that's been inserted into the book to sell copies. There are also appearances by the main characters in the previous novel, The Edge. Rose, Declan and Rose's brothers all have short and interesting scenes in Bayou Moon. Can't wait to see what they'll come up with next for an Edge novel.

If you enjoy urban fantasy, or fantasy set in strange settings, with edgy characterizations that manage to contain a lot of humor, you're going to love this book. It has it all. Funny, Heartwrenching, action, fighting, steam, .....PLOT! An Excellent Read.

Just in case....Ilona Andrews also writes the Kate Daniels series

`Bayou Moon' is the second book in Ilona Andrew's paranormal romance series, `The Edge'.

The `Edge' universe is a complicated one. It is our world infused with magic and with other dimensions and universes. There is the `Weird' and the `Broken' - alternate universes that are mirror images of each other. Same continents, same oceans - only slightly skewed. Then there is the `Edge' - a thin strip of universe that divides the Weird and the Broken. It is in the Edge that those with little or no magic exist - aware of the alternate universes, and having longer life spans, but most of them are unable to cross over to the more magical Weird.

It is in the Edge that Cerise Mar lives, on a bit of swamp land called the Mire - with the state of Louisiana on one side, and the Weird on the other. Cerise is the eldest daughter of the Mar clan - called `rats' by the locals for their family numbers but poor social status. The Mar's are a rag-tag family of gamblers, ex-soldiers and mad scientists and for as long as anyone can remember they have been in a family feud against neighbouring land-owners, the Sherillee's.

The blood feud is heating up when Cerise's mother and father, Genevieve and Gustave, go missing and the Mar's suspect the Sherillee's of foul play. . .

Meanwhile, an ex changeling soldier called William is residing in the Broken, having escaped the Weird and military service. But all that is about to change - he will be forced to leave his cosy trailer, action figurines and CSI-watching when he is compelled to exact vengeance on an old foe. A man called Spider works for secret organization, `The Hand'. . . he hates changelings and has been murdering changeling children for his own blood sport. But worse than that, Spider is looking for something in the Mire that could gift him with great power and strength. . . and it's up to William to stop him.

While travelling the Mire's oozing swamplands, William and Cerise cross paths and reluctantly join forces when they discover that William's nemesis and Cerise's parents are linked to the same mission. . .

Ilona Andrews have done it again, much to nobody's surprise. This husband and wife writing team are an urban fantasy juggernaut and with each book release they get better and better.

`Bayou Moon' comes on the heels of first book `On the Edge', in which William was first introduced but lost the girl and exited with his tail between his legs. William was a cagey conundrum in that first book, but fans sensed something deeply dark and compelling about him nonetheless. Fans were right to be fascinated. William is a complex character, with a tragic background and the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is Heathcliff-tragic, but never `woe is me'. William is fiercely independent and accepting of his hard lot in life (a childhood spent in a military training facility!) and as a result he has a very `get the job done' attitude that is a teensy-bit psychotic, but still impressive. Above all else though, William's fascination lies in his secret desires. He wants a family. He is dumb-struck by the very concept of `family', and cannot fathom what that sort of unconditional, supportive love would feel like. I loved William! And I especially loved his very befitting romance with Cerise Mar. . .

Cerise is one ballsy chick. When her parents are kidnapped she becomes the leader of her family clan - but really, Cerise has been in the pilot seat for many years now ever since her father quietly handed the financial reins over to her. Cerise has the weight of her family on her shoulders, but she shoulders the burden with aplomb and hardly a bitter word. She is so strong and independent, but underneath her armour is a young woman denied a life - denied a chance at love and marriage. Hell, the closest Cerise has come to `love' is fighting her enemy, the eldest brother of the Sherillee clan, Lagar Sherillee.

From there on in William and Cerise experience light-heartedness with one another that they don't exhibit with anyone else. And from antagonistic flirtations to a heated repartee, these two are an impressive match. Even more so for William's often strange courtship ritual.

The `Edge' series, much more so than `Kate Daniels', offers a lot of intricate politics and subplots. While the series overall is more romantic than `Kate Daniels', the political underpinnings are crucial to the book universe and story. There's a lot of double-talk about the Hand, and the Mirror - secret organizations. And if you aren't concentrating, then a lot of vital information will be lost. At times all the information about back-door dealings and crazy political villains tires when what you really want is William + Cerise. But Ilona Andrews are masters of world-building, and as tedious as the inundation of information can be, it pays off in the end.

I loved `Bayou Moon'. I thought Declan in `On the Edge' would be my definite favourite of this series, but William takes the cake. I love this series as much as `Kate Daniels' and I can't wait for more `Edge' in 2011.

5/5

We first met William in On the Edge. He is a changeling, a shapeshifter, who has been rejected his entire life. He was given up at birth, raised in a heartless facility, then forced into military service. He is estranged from his only friend, Declan, and he simply doesn't believe that he'll ever have love or a family of his own.

He's been living in the Edge for two years now, largely cut off from his old life. But he is pulled back in, when given the chance to finally track down and kill his old nemesis, the Spider. That mission takes him into the bayous of the Mire and it's there he meets Cerise.

Cerise has her own issues to deal with. Her parents have been kidnapped. The Spider is responsible, which gives her and William a common enemy. There's a lot more going on.... a family feud between Cerise's people and a neighboring clan, a mysterious monster, a secret journal. But the the single biggest draw in the book is William. He is such a heartbreaking tortured hero. Watching his tentative steps towards a relationship with Cerise is riveting. Seeing him find his first feelings of happiness is lovely. And getting the payoff on the phenomenal sexual tension was awesome. (A very, very satisfying love scene.)

But there were times I got lost. There were too many characters. I understand that it's sort of the point that Cerise's clan was really, really big. But it was really hard to keep track of everyone. And once we started learning the names and skill sets for the Spider's enhanced soldiers, my retention skills were kaput. I applaud the idea of big and sweeping world-building in theory, but I just couldn't keep up in some parts, which took me out of the moment more than once. It was also hard to keep track of the geography in my head.

It was still good. Especially the parts of the story that focused on Cerise and William. It was also a treat to revisit Declan, Rose and the boys to see how they are doing. 4 stars.

William Wolf didn't get the girl in last year's _On the Edge_, but he certainly won over plenty of us readers. In _Bayou Moon_, the second EDGE paranormal romance by the husband-and-wife team that makes up Ilona Andrews, William gets his turn to shine and to meet his match in a scrappy Edge woman.

Cerise Mar has just become de facto head of her wild but tight-knit family after the disappearance of her parents. At first it just looks like the Sheerile clan, the Mars' sworn enemy, are stirring up trouble again. But Cerise soon learns that a sinister organization called the Hand is behind the kidnappings. William wants revenge on the Hand's leader for reasons of his own. On a journey through the Mire, a treacherous Edge swamp, William and Cerise's paths (and schemes) converge.

The trip through the Mire moves a little slowly, uncharacteristically so for Andrews. It's not that it's devoid of action. Quite the contrary, Cerise and William encounter plenty of spine-tingling and stomach-turning bad guys along the way. It's just that the "shape" of the story isn't quite visible yet. It feels like it's meandering from one fight to the next. If you get bogged down here -- pardon the pun -- I urge you to keep going; Andrews is sneakily laying lots of groundwork for the William/Cerise relationship and for the mystery plot, and it all does come together terrifically in the end.

This being Ilona Andrews, there's a substantial humorous streak to temper the horrific and violent elements. Snarky banter arises almost instantly when the hero and heroine meet, and there are further laughs when the other members of the Mar family become more prominent in the story.

***
"Bet me something."
"I don't have anything."
Kaldar grimaced. "Pick up that rock."
Gaston swiped the rock off the ground.
"Now you have a rock. I bet this five bucks against your rock."
***

(By the way, I really hope Kaldar gets his own book someday.)

_Bayou Moon_ has a little bit of everything: horror, comedy, romance, heartwarming family relationships, tons of creepy swamp atmosphere, and a twisted blend of magic and mad science. I loved the way everything dovetailed together eventually, and the way the Mars' past was slowly revealed. There's not much more I can say without spoiling some of the best surprises, but I'll just say that I highly recommend Bayou Moon and hope the Gordons keep writing EDGE books for a long time to come.

I liked Bayou Moon even more than the first book, The Edge, and in this second book we get to see another corner of that world and the inhabitants of the swampish Mire.

The leading lady this time is the capable determined Cerise, who is forced into taking on the huge responsibility of keeping her large (and somewhat dysfunctional) family afloat when the leadership position falls to her after her parents are kidnapped. Her warrior skills are amazing - Cerise is truly a deadly woman who can take care of herself - but I liked that she is humanized by the times she has to sneak off to deal with her personal grief, and by her desire to grab some happiness for herself even though the timing is just not right.

As much as I liked Cerise, I was surprised at how much I loved William this time around. His weirdness was kind of creepy in the last book, but finally seeing inside his head explains so much. William is not quite human, he's just learned to control his instincts enough to pass. But even with his enormous self-control, William is still a little bit off and here it makes his feelings for the heroine so much more intense. Also I felt sorry for William in the last book - he just wanted a family so badly - but knowing his back story and getting a first-hand glimpse of his inner lone wolf, I felt even more empathy for him this time. There was one moment that actually brought tears to my eyes - when William has finally attained what he always wanted but it is about to slip from his grasp, he thinks to himself that he should have known that he wouldn't be able to keep it - it was so sad.

I liked almost everything about the story, but the icing on the cake was the crazy Mar family, especially Kaldar (loved his talent and yippee he's the star of the next book). There is so much potential to this magic-laced fantasy-ish world that borders on the edge of our mundane world and now it's official - I am in love with both of the Andrews' series. The next Edge book and the next Kate book couldn't come quickly enough for me even if they wrote one a month - I wish they could clone themselves.

I was absolutely delighted when I heard that Ilona Andrews had signed a contract for more Edge books. I read On the Edge last year and was completely swallowed up by the world of the Weird, the Broken, and the Edge. I loved Rose and her rifle and her precocious and wild little brothers. Declan the blueblood grew on me and I finished it crossing my fingers for more from that world. When I learned that BAYOU MOON would follow William--Declan's sometime brother-in-arms, and sometime enemy, I did my little dance of joy. I'd always like William. He was lethal and unrefined, where Declan was dripping with stiffness and honor. Just more my kind of guy, you know? I wondered who he would find and how they would get on. I'd liked Rose so much and I wanted William happy. There. I said it. I also like this cover better than the first one. William's not so "here I am in all my glory" as the dude on the cover of On the Edge. Also. He has arrows, which as you know equals awesome. And Cerise looks wary and capable in a very Kate-like way. These things boded well.

William is still hanging out in the Edge. He's working his nothing job, living in his dump of a trailer, and kind of wishing it would all just end soon and he'd be suddenly and effectively put out of his misery. But he's got one last mission to perform. And it is one he intends to pull off flawlessly and with the ruthless precision he became known for during his time in the Red Legion. The elite mercenary known as Spider is creating an army of mutants and serving as spymaster for Adrianglia's rival nation in the Weird. So William is called up to spy on the master, discover his plans, and bring him down at all cost. Having crossed swords with the vicious Spider several times before, William is more than happy to oblige. He'd like nothing more than to rid the world of that psychopath once and for all. While on his way into the portion of the Edge known as the Mire, William encounters Cerise Mar. Nominal head of her clan, Cerise is on her own quest to find her missing parents and save her ancestral home from their neighboring clan whose been at their throats for ages upon ages. Since William is fairly certain Spider is behind the abduction of Cerise's parents, and since Cerise knows the ins and outs of the Mire like the back of her hand and can guide him through them, he attaches himself to her--against her will, I might add--and the two of them set off through the swampy wasteland to track down a killer.

BAYOU MOON is even wilder than its predecessor, if you can believe it. And since, in many ways, William and Cerise are wilder than Declan and Rose, I relished how the landscape, the villain, and the entire storyline reflected that. The Mire is the grim and grimy underbelly of the Edge and I literally had no idea what unholy creature would turn up next to block their path. I couldn't help but enjoy watching Cerise guide big, bad William through her homeland and take a little pleasure in watching him squirm at the most outrageous and intricate ways the clans have developed to eke out an existence in such a place. I liked Cerise from the very beginning. But then I was predisposed to as she is tough and determined and recognizes William's value. The narrative alternates between William, Cerise, and Spider's experiences and I will say I almost cringed every time it switched to Spider. The dude is the real thing--absolutely heinous and it was hard to watch him twist and pervert those around him in pursuit of his cause. I dreaded their final meeting and looked forward to the few moments of happiness allowed these characters here and there. Fortunately the bond between William and Cerise is the real thing as well and I worried over them (and loved them) as much as I hated the villain. The Mars as a group are an extremely varied and strong supporting cast of characters and I eagerly got to know each of them as William did. Introducing your family to new people is always an interesting and sometimes thorny endeavor and I thought this was a particularly strong aspect of the novel, especially as it so effectively humanized Cerise and showed us why she was the way she was. I enjoyed catching glimpses of old characters, while keeping the focus on William and Cerise and making room in my affections for a few new ones who I hope to see again soon in future books. BAYOU MOON struck me as a stronger, darker, meatier installment in the series and I had no trouble whatsoever giving myself over to its sinister charms.

Bayou Moon is the second novel of Ilona Andrews's The Edge series. It follows William's story two years after the events of On the Edge. William is sent on a mission by The Mirror to find the object that Spider, the villain, is looking for. On his way to the Mire, a swamp area in the Edge (where Spider is), he is forced to travel with a homeless-looking girl, Cerise. He later finds out that it was only a disguise. As soon as he sees what she really looks like, he wants her. Then, when he sees how she fights, he wants her more. Cerise's parents were handed over to Spider by her family's enemy. After running into several creatures and hunters looking for her, William decides to stick with her, for the time being anyway. Nothing is as it seems. Lies, blood, and death surround Cerise as she tries to find her parents and destroy those that get in her way.
Ilona Andrews floored me with the amazing characterization in this book. William was so complex! He is a changeling-both human and wolf. There are times when he acts and thinks like a human. However, with every strong emotion, the wolf comes out-maybe not physically, but mentally. Whenever this happens his thoughts go from normal and rational to "I want...." and "Must have....." Very primal. Cerise notices when he switches to wolf-mode. She can see it in his eyes, but she doesn't know that he is a changeling. Andrews juggles the two mind-frames very well. Changelings, in their fundamental nature, act on instinct, not thought. William always has to remind himself that he is also human and he cannot just take what he wants; he has to ask for it and be ready for rejection if it comes. This was very sad yet admirable. He really wanted to be with Cerise for most of the book. He always reminded himself that women didn't want him; he was a monster that could not be loved. William had to deal with a ton of inner conflict, besides the wolf/human one. He was always scared that once Cerise found out who he was, she wouldn't want him anymore. Before he can be with Cerise, he has to come to terms with his past and that it does not define him-his actions define him.
I felt so bad for Cerise. After her parents are kidnapped she has to lead the family in a battle not only against their rival clan, but also Spider. Meanwhile, her younger sister is slowly going insane-thinking she is a monster who deserves to live in the woods. Because she is the new head, she has to hold her emotions in so that the family respects her. The only person she truly lets in is William. She trusts him, and loves him. Because he looks like a Blueblood, noble of the Weird, she calls him Lord Bill when she first meets him. Even though it was just used to mock at first, she continues to call him this as the story progresses. I love the nickname, its so cute. It has a teasing/flirty edge to it in the book.
There were a lot of different elements mixed into Bayou Moon. First, there was a lot of gore, violence, and family feuding going on. The action is suspenseful and bloody. The fight scenes were depicted with a great attention to detail. I felt like I was in the middle of them. There were times when I was definitely shutting my eyes and muttering "ew." Second, there was romance. William and Cerise's relationship was intense. There were a lot of "almost" scenes. They were both obviously attracted to each other. Cerise even admits to her family that she loves him, but he can't take a hint. William is very straightforward and doesn't understand flirting. He also doesn't believe she wants him so he always pulls himself back when he wants to kiss her (or more). This leads to many tension filled scenes that had me screaming "Just kiss her already!"
I liked On the Edge a bit better than Bayou Moon. Not too sure why, but Bayou Moon is still a great book. It's emotional, action-packed, and romantic. The other characters, besides William and Cerise, are for the most part three-dimensional. There were so many, I thought I'd get confused (especially within Cerise's big family) but Ilona Andrews did such a great job writing them, that it never was the case. Rose, Declan, and the boys from On the Edge appear briefly at the end-which was nice. All in all, I thought Ilona Andrews crafted an excellent book.

"Bayou Moon" continues Ilona Andrews record of quality, well-written and enjoyable paranormal novels. Like her Kate Daniels series, the Edge books seem to be getting even better.

"Bayou Moon" is a thicker book than "On The Edge" but its so packed with adventure and romance that it feels over far too quickly. William and Cerise live in different parts of the Edge. William is on a quest to hunt down an enemy who is on a quest for something related to Cerise and her family. The two band together in an effort to combine forces to get rid of their common enenmy and hopefully rescue Cerise's kidnapped parents.

There were far too many plot twists and intriguing side characters to mention in one review. The book had so many important developments and revelations that it was sometimes hard to keep up. Cerise's home in the swamplands of the Edge include all her extended family. They all have vibrant personalities and I wanted to know more about them in the worst way. Everytime any of them was in danger I was worried about each of them.

William is my favorite hero in recent memory. He is a "ruthless" killer, a horrifying changeling but his character had so much heart. He is basically a big kid. Cerise does what she has to do no matter how much she hates it. William needs a strong woman and I never questioned the believablity of their love for each other.

The story has a slight misstep. Obviously I don't feel that it impacts the book enough to warrant a lesser rating. Their were times at the very end where scenes felt rushed. It defintely felt like the writers couldn't go over a certain page count. This led to a couple of brief moments of confusion where I had to go back and reread a paragraph or two.

Forgive me for not giving more detail about the occurances in this story. Everything is so tightly knit together that it would be a shame to spoil anything.

~ 4 Moon Stars ~

Suspense, Intrigue, Adventure, Betrayal, Romance!

I'm a big fan of Ilona Andrews. I love the "Kate Daniels" series, so I set out to check out her other works and I’ve not been disappointed. I loved the relationship between Cerise and William. Cerise, she's strong and determined, and admirable. She holds her family together when disaster happens. I loved William's vulnerability and dedication. He has his difficult and sad childhood. He's a changeling, he's a monster,but when William loves, he loves true and it's forever.

"If you love him, fight for him. Nothing worth keeping is free in this world. If you don't love him, cut him loose. Just don't take too long to decide. Our future might be short.”

As for the story it starts out slow and the plot was vastly complicated then “On the Edge”, but still a great read. Basically, if you liked On the Edge then you will like Bayou Moon.

The Book
Cerise Mar is the head of her unruly clan of family. She is the treasurer and role model of the family. They live in the Mire, a large swamp land in the Edge- a world between magic (the weird) and the non magic (the broken). Cerise's parents are taken and their grandfathers house taken over. She must step up and fight the good fight to take back what's theirs and find her parents. On her way back from the broken she is forced to take a boat ride with a tall dark stranger - William. He is sent there from the weird's Adrianglia's military brain. He is to kill Spider - evil enemy of the state - and take whatever it is he is searching for. Spider is who took Cerise's parents. Their fates are tied together for the foreseeable future. Cerise must learn to work with the outsider and William must gain her trust.

Thoughts
This book is different from the first. I don't know if that is good or bad. There is a lot more information and talking/thoughts vs action in this novel. I really liked there is more surrounding characters. Cerise's family is big and I liked all the characters. I like Cerise and William I just don't like them together as must as I liked Declan and Rose from the first. Their relationship isn't as intense or tangible. I wished there was more romance, but this book is more on the side of Urban Fantasy than Paranormal Romance. I liked the plot it is complicated and different ones working in tandem. I like the Edge, but I'm way more interested in the Weird. We don't learn very much about the edge there is only one chapter in the weird, I wish there was more. I did like learning more of Jack and George, the little charmers from the first. This novel is also way more dark then the first. The children in this book aren't as charming, but Lark is interesting and special. I did like this book I look forward to the next in the series.

I'm loving the writing duo of Ilona Andrews. This is their second created series and they are increasingly becoming my most favorite writer(s). Bayou Moon is the second book in their The Edge series. This book picks up two years after where the other left off, yet could also stand alone since it concerns a different set of main characters. Although, I would recommend readers to read the first book first. The first sets up the setting of this fantasy world superbly, whereas this one highlights, but doesn't go in-depth.

Wolf shapechanger, William, from the previous novel becomes the hero in Bayou Moon. Recruited to go after his mortal enemy, he enters the Edge near the boarder of Louisiana only to come across a very unusual woman with an incrediable fighting ability. Cerise is one of the last fighters of the old way. She was trained by her grandmother to sword fight using Flash. She's also the head of her very large, poor family in the Edge.

William and Cerise have wonderful sparks in this book. Plus they are both so likable it makes the book difficult to put down. Cerise's relatives are a trip! I especially loved reading about her cousins. Hopefully they will star in future books in this series. This oversized paperback kept me up most of the night and I ended up finishing it in just two days. I look forward to the next book by Ilona Andrews a great deal. Unfortunately, it will probably be another year before I get one.

This was an excellent fantasy novel written on the world of The Edge. What felt missing, what stopped the last star, was the lack of interaction between characters from Bayou Moon and from On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1). This is William and Cerise's story, and I wanted more of Rose, Jack, and Declan. Heck, I even wanted more development for Lark, since I found her an interesting character. The start is on the slow side, and while it is romantic, enough urban fantasy style action is included that I consider the book legitimate urban fantasy (not paranormal romance).

Pacing wise, it would have been a tighter novel if the beginning had less background and more connectivity. Cerise started out as not very interesting to me, in part because she is shown as inexperienced and helpless. If they had a scene of her practicing swordwork with flash, I think I could have taken her more seriously earlier in the novel, because she fits the profile of (boring) distressed damsel too much in her introduction.

By mid-book the story picks up, and overall I found it an enjoyable novel. It is about William the werewolf, and his adventures in the bayou on the edge, as he meets swamp-girl Cerise and gets involved in her troubles.

From the moment I first read On the Edge (the first in this series) last year, I was desperately impatient to read Bayou Moon. I pre-ordered it months ahead of time, I re-read On the Edge last month in preparation...

...and it was even better than I'd hoped. An exciting, imaginative and non-clichéd fantasy adventure, set in a really fabulous alternate version of the contemporary American South, it's full of sparky family dynamics, real emotional depth, a great sense of humor, and a really delightful romance. I absolutely loved it.

Structurally, it was even stronger than the first book in the series, and it could definitely stand alone...but it's even more fun after having read On the Edge.

On a purely objective level, I feel like I *ought* to knock off half a star from my review because of one small but important plot thread that never got tied up properly at the end of the book...but honestly? I enjoyed this book SO much, I couldn't care less about that dangling plot thread. Who cares? It certainly didn't detract from my crazy, crazy love for this novel. Bayou Moon was just so much fun to read...and I know I'll be re-reading it many times before the third book in the series comes out!

The Adrianglian Secret Service asks William Sandine the Changeling to stop Spider from possessing a weapon of mass destruction that will lead to war. Loathing his long time enemy, William agrees to go to the Bayous of Louisiana to challenge Spider and his insidious ring of operatives.

When Spider abducts her parents, Cerise Mar becomes the clan chief. To save their property the Mire swamps of the Edge, Cerise visits the Broken. Returning to her home, Cerise and William meet. The outsider realizes she and her kin may be the tool to prevent Spider from achieving his nefarious scheme and perhaps ending his terrorism all together. However, William's biggest problem is his attraction to his hostess; a foreign feeling to the Changeling who belongs nowhere and to no one.

This is a powerful swamp romantic fantasy starring a harassed heroine, a hermit hero, a vile villain and the mad Mar mob. The story line is fast-paced with a sort of Scottish historical Highlander feud feel to the Mire while the Spider weaves his web. However, the fun in this delightful tale is the return to Ilona Andrews's Weird world of the Edge (see On the Edge) where malls and magic converge.

Harriet Klausner

It seems to me that Ilona Andrews cannot write a bad book . This one was fantastic with great world building in a new environment . It also had a great plot with good plot twist and great characters . The romantic interest and the action keeps you turning pages long after you should have turned off the light and gone to sleep . I can tell you that I lost hours of sleep reading this one because I couldn't stop .

Honestly, Ilona Andrews (the writing duo) are knocking it out of the park every book.
Bayou Moon, the second book in their 'Edge' series, follows the story of William, an ex-soldier/spy from a more magic-heavy place who after the events of "On the Edge" has relocated to a broken-down trailer in, well, the Edge. The Edge is a backwater between more magical lands and our own world, known as the "Broken." And Broken describes William, who after the events of "On the Edge" feels out of place and isolated, and has retreated from the world like the wounded animal he is. He is pulled back to the world by the reappearance of an old and savage enemy, who takes pride in killing people like William, shifters of form and spirit.
At the same time we are introduced to Cerise, a woman from a Baoyu in the Edge, whose family is proud but poor, and facing the end of all they know from a richer, and corrupt family they have been feuding with. William's quest, and Cerise' crisis turn out to have similar causes, and they find common cause in more ways than one.
Enough Plot. Why do I love these books and this author? Because they respect their characters enough to have them function as human beings. Rarely do I feel they are making decisions just to create literary conflict and crisis (Ahem, LKH). These books are closer to Paranormal Romance than the estimable Kate Daniels story, but unlike the 90% of crap in PR, refuse to allow the relationship and chemistry to be the sole purpose of the book. Instead both plot and relationship merge in a satisfying and exciting adventure.
What I liked best about Bayou Moon, is that the characters had several opportunities to make the kind of self-destructive choices that seem to sadly define so many protagonists in this field. They refused to every time.

WOW... once again, Ilona Andrews blew my mind. The Cover blurb says it all "Ilona Andrews just keeps getting better" Jeaniene Frost.

I was ecstatic that William got his book. And I was tickled to death by Cerise. She was strong, compassionate and kickass! Definitely a good fit for William. They fit like puzzle pieces and it showed off the brilliance of the Andrew's team that William could have his HEA with all his flaws and claws without having to change. I loved this book. It kept me at the edge of my seat and I devoured it in a day. The conflict! OMG... I was so involved in this book that I felt each heartache and triumph like it was my own. I also liked how time has passed. William doesn't immediately get his HEA and the flow of time makes it all the more poignant.

This is truly series crack. I am now a die hard fan and I will purchase and happily read anything by Ilona Andrews, even if it's bawdy poetry scrawled on toilet paper...

PB/Rural Fantasy: I saw all the great reviews about book two and book one was a page turner with new ideas. So, when the first 120 were more like a traveling novel with the two main characters deigning any interest they had in each other, I was confused. It really was more like a romance novel and I wondered if it was going to get any better.
As soon as William and Cerise make it to The Mire and you really meet her nutty family, it got so much better.
The plot was really interesting. In book one, you met Rose who lived in The Edge. The Mire is part of the Edge, the poorer whiter trash part. William from book one has a job to do and travels to the mucky, yucky Mire to find his nemesis.
The beginning was too long and too romancey, but the next 3/4 of the book makes up for it. A good addition to the series.

William and Cerise's story had loads of action and intrigue. Their romance was edgier than Rose and Declan's and infinitely more appealing, but it seemed to be overshadowed by Cerise's family feud. The Mar family's level of insanity and entertainment was highly addictive; it also had me wishing I could have a holiday dinner with their wacky relatives!

I did not read the first edge book but it did not seem to take away from the story. The writers did a great job of filling in the history without overwhelming the reader. There are 4 different worlds in this book and several types of magic. I would like to have read more on these two subjects and how it impacts the members of each society. I may have missed it in the first book.

There are a few things that I really like about this book. 1. The villain does not see himself as a villain so the reader gets to understand what motivates his behavior. 2. The romantic relationship did not suffer from an overkill of romantic angst. It drives me crazy when an author dangles the prospect of the romantic leads union to the point of being beyond frustration e.g. Kristin Britains Green Rider Series. There seemed to be real issues and communication challenges within the relationship. The resolution was difficult but not unsurmountable.

The story line is interesting but the relationships and family mores and values are the core to the success of this story. You feel Cerise's pain as she has to make life and death decisions concerning the people she cares about most.

I love the Magic series from these two authors but The Edge has the potential to be a series with lots of depth and character.

I love Ilona Andrews books. They always have great world development and Bayou Moon is no exception. I liked William's character in On the Edge and I loved seeing his character fleshed out. This book had me laughing out loud a lot; William's inner dialogues are seriously entertaining. The female protagonist, Cerise, also holds her own in the book. Ilona Andrews is really skilled at creating multi-faceted characters. There was a sizeable cast of side characters, but it wasn't confusing to keep everyone straight.

That said, this book switches point of view between Cerise and William mostly, but also between several other characters. I get that it's to weave the story, so the reader can see what is happening simultaneously as plot and story come to a head... But it can be a bit disconcerting. My biggest complaint though, the book ends without the reader finding out what happens to the side characters that we spent all this time getting to know and were sometimes even in their heads as they narrated the story. I wanted to know what happened to them.

Audiobook review: Liam’s story is exciting, adventurous, heart wrenching and warming, and hot! Adventure cravers will like this story a lot! Great world and character building along with an awesome storyline and plot! Ms. Raudman did a fantastic job narrating as always!

Ilona Andrews is my new favorite author(s). The first book in this series was good but it had a much simpler plot than this one, with a more limited cast of characters, who were also not nearly as well rounded or quirky as those in this book.

William was a side character in the first. Here, he takes center stage. He's conflicted, complicated and ambivalent, both about what he wants and about his own worth as a human being, which makes perfect sense, since he's not exactly a human being. Cerise Mar is a tough, smart heroine who is very handy indeed with a sword. They make a great couple and their romance develops naturally, from disdain, to respect to passion.

The plot revolves around a plot by Louisiana, a nation of the weird, to steal a journal written by Cerise's grandfather, a scientific genius. The main villain, Spider, is the Head of the Hand, Louisiana's loathsome secret service. William is enlisted by the Mirror, Adrianglia's not so loathsome secret service, to oppose Spider. William and Spider have a history. Spider hates changelings and once massacred eight changeling children. William and Spider have tangled twice before, each time fighting to a draw. This time, William is determined, will be different.

Declan, Rose, George and Jack play minor but satisfying roles.

There were a few inconsistencies. For instance, in the end, there are two copies of the journal, plus the original. Unless I missed it, it's uncertain what happens to two of them. Also, Spider has gills and can breathe underwater, yet at one point, he seems to be in danger of drowning. These are minor problems, however, in what is a wonderful story with strong, sympathetic characters. I'm hoping to see more of all of them in the next volume of this excellent series.

Hoping to basically fade into the woodwork living in working in the Broken (the non-magical world) for the last few years, William is startled when he is approached by an agent of the Hand - a group of spies who serve Adriaglian in the Weird - to once-and-for-all destroy the ruthless killer known as the Spider. Having dealt with the Spider before, William absolutely understands the importance of taking down the deranged killer for good. The Spider's trail leads William directly into the Mire - a portion of swampland that separates the Weird and the Broken called the Edge - and straight into the path of the warring Mar clan. At the head of her rag-tag family is Cerise Mar and she's currently only holding her rough and tumble family together by sheer determination. Cerise's parents were kidnapped and as the oldest and best-trained fighter, it's now up to her to make sure her fiercely proud family of Edgers can protect themselves. So even though she knows it's a bad idea to bring William into her family's conflict, she can immediately see him for the trained fighter he is and knows that he just might be the only chance her family gets.

Thank heavens Ilona Andrews decided to return to the fascinating world of the Edge, this time with a story for William. William played a bit part in ON THE EDGE as Declan's shape-shifting army buddy and I just knew from the start that he'd be buckets more interesting than Mr. Perfect Declan could ever hope to be. For starters, William is a bit damaged. He's got these dark corners in his past and already is a bit behind emotionally due to his being born a changeling -- in this case a man who shifts into a wolf. But man, is he ever so likable. For the outset, it's obvious William's got himself on this tight leash -- he refuses to become the 'animal' so many people believe he is.

And then that's not even going into how much I loved Cerise and her off-beat family. Their magical talents range from deadly flashing sword skills to limitless good luck which can only be tapped after a bet has been placed upon the outcome. And once again Ilona Andrews showcase their trademark wit in the character of Cerise. She's smart and tough and I immensely liked her. I could have spent much more time in the Mire with the Mars family but was still immensely pleased with what I got. Whereas ON THE EDGE often felt a little too formulaic and fluffy, BAYOU MOON has some grit and substance to it -- The Spider and all of the Hand's minions are some scary dudes -- plus it's hefty. 447 pages hefty people! I'm not one to complain about that sort of thing. All total, BAYOU MOON is a fabulous second novel with plenty of good things to recommend it. I for one am already waiting to see where Ilona Andrews will take us in the Edge next.

Even if, once again, Ilona Andrews got shafted in the cover department. Admittedly, BAYOU MOON is light-years better than the artwork for ON THE EDGE, but this one would be greatly improved by the removal of the pensive floating head of William.

I'm not sure how to describe this series. It's romance, but it feels like urban fantasy. And it's not urban. Far from it. The first in Andrews' "The Edge" series took place in a tiny, backwoods community and this one takes place in a swamp. Not much urban about that, is there?

So, after much thought, I've decided to call this series "contemporary fantasy". For now.

We met William in the first book of the series, "On the Edge" and I personally fell in love with him then. I was so thrilled to find out he was getting his own book and it definitely lived up to my hopes. He's a "changeling" wolf in a world that either presses changelings into military service (after a childhood of brutal training) or kills them outright. He's never had a family, longs for one and believes he can never have one.

Cerise Mar reminded me a lot of Kate Daniels. She's amazing with her blade and she heads an entire family. She's part of the "Mire" community where families feud and secrets abound. Her parents have been kidnapped by a dangerous entity, aided by the Mar's longtime enemies, the Sheerile family. The difference between Cerise and Kate is back story, including Cerise's experience with familial love that allows her to open to William and all his understandably unsteady baggage.

William and Cerise cross paths on their way to the same place. They fight together, save each others' lives a few times and fall in love.

What's amazing about this story is the richness of the world. It's something fresh and new and I read with a feeling of total immersion. New characters were introduced and I did get confused about who was who, but didn't dwell on it and it eventually became clear through the story. Just like it would if you were a guest of the Mars and meeting them for the first time.

The action is intense, the plot points exciting, heart-breaking, sweet, or all put together.

I don't know if people who don't like urban fantasy would like this, even though it's romance. I do know that UF fans should really love it, especially those of us who really do like romance in our books.

The only bad thing about it is I have to wait for the next Kate Daniels to get more Ilona Andrews. This husband/wife writing team is one of the best finds of my year.

It's official: Bayou Moon is one of my favorite reads this year!

I have a confession to make. Sometimes when I read UF, I'm not always able to follow along with all the plot specifics. I get characters or their motivation confused, especially if there are similar names or the plot is too complicated. This book was beautifully penned - I feel like Bayou Moon was written specifically for me. The characters and settings were wonderfully and descriptively composed, I could see each character in my mind's eye as I read the book. The plot moved along at a quick pace, but I was able to follow and understand what they were doing and why. I liked the way one thing led to another but it made sense and didn't jump all over the place.

Cerise is a fabulous heroine - she's strong and compassionate. Family oriented. Smart. All the things I look for in a heroine. While I liked her from the get-go, it was near the end that I just sat back and thought, "Thank you, Ms. Andrews, for writing such an amazing heroine." Let's just say she's a woman of her word and doesn't run from anything.

William, *sighs* oh William, I heart you so much! I really liked William in The Edge (my review here), and was glad he was getting his own book. He's definitely a broken hero: he's feeling sorry for himself since Rose left with Declan, combine that with his horrible childhood and he has a very low perception of himself, except where his fighting skills are concerned. He's attracted to Cerise, not exactly at first sight, but when it happens - BAM!

The wild in him lost its head, clawing at his insides.
Want. Want the woman.
"Lord Bill? She asked.
His thoughts tumbled in a feverish cascade. Want. So beautiful...Standing so close and so beautiful. Want the woman.
"Earth to William?"
She was looking at him with those beautiful dark eyes. All he had to do was reach for her and he could touch her.
No. Wrong.
She hadn't given him permission. If he touched, he would take her. Taking women without permission was wrong.
William pulled himself back, regaining control. The wild buckled and snarled and screamed, but he reeled it in, forcing it deeper and deeper. Remember the whip? Right, everybody remembered the whip. Everybody remembered being punished for kissing a girl without permission. The scars on his back itched, reminding him. Humans had rules. He had to follow the rules.

Page 82, Bayou Moon

Strangely enough, the thing that did it for me regarding William was not related to Cerise at all. I'm not giving away spoilers, but it was his actions on pages 247-249 that did me in. Of course, when you add that to the overall hotness of his character and the way he understands and interacts with Cerise....book boyfriend status was inevitable. The back and forth between Cerise and William was riveting (and humerous) - especially when Cerise's family stepped in to "help".

I know I'm gushing about the awesomeness of the hero/heroine, which is important, but the secondary characters were great too - I liked Cerise's family. They were a very eclectic group and had their own weird ways of showing their love and support for Cerise.

Now, on to the bad guys - they're bad ass. They're pretty gross, actually. They've got all this extra "stuff" that makes them almost impossible to defeat. Luckily William has a history that involves knowledge of their "extras" and how to deal with them.

Bayou Moon is the second book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I think Ms. Andrews gives enough background at the beginning of the story that you would have no trouble jumping right in. Bayou Moon should go straight from your bookstore to "Now Reading", let it skip the TBR pile, you won't be sorry!

"Bayou Moon" is the second book in the "edge" series. The first book was called :on the Edge." It picks up some time after the events in the previous book and some of the characters are plot lines carry over. Bayou Moon is essentially the continued story of William the Changing from the first book. It also introduces the Mar family from the Mire portion of the Edge. The Mar family is a poor family even though they own a lot of the Mire. Most of the Mire seems to live up to it's name and is low quality land. As the story starts, William is in the Broken and Cerise Mar and the Mar clan are looking for both her parents and copies of some important documents.

The first part of the book is interesting. There is a little voyage, a few monstrous beings, some interesting back story, action... I'm in my happy reading place and then, out of the blue, Ms. Andrews pulls out this classic romance novel tripe of the type that makes me not want to read romance novels if I can help it. It pulled the wind right out of my sails just before the book was to end. :( The tripe was totally unnecessary and completely turned my stomach. It's so sad when a decent fantasy book gets ruined by romance book cliché. A male friend of mine was also reading it at the same time and had a similar reaction to it. It you like that type of thing; you'll still like the book. However, if you are not a HUGE romance fan you might be disappointed by the ending. You can put some romance in a book without killing the book, but this was completely out of character and unneeded.

I love this universe and the stories Ilona Andrews spins. William and Cerise fit together perfectly. But the carnage was significant. Ah, well. A pair of fighters should have to fight for their happy ending.

Cerise Mar lives in the Edge. A place between the Broken - where you and I live and the Weird - where the people with magic live. The Edgers, as they are called, have some magic and are mostly poor and spend their time feuding with each other. Some from the Edge can cross into the Broken or the Weird, others who have too much magic, can not make the cross and spend their entire lives in the in between. Cerise lives in the Mire - a swamp filled place where sogginess rules and where Louisiana dumps all of their criminals. Her family owns a big part of the swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. They have been feuding with a neighboring family, the Sheeriles for many, many years. After Cerise's parents go missing, Cerise discovers the Sheeriles have overtaken her grandparent's house and may have had something to do with her parents disappearance. Cerise is desperate to get her parents back, and will fight this feud with everything she has. She first needs to make her way into the Broken to retrieve documents to prove that house belongs to her family.

William is a changeling from the Weird. Changelings are feared and frowned upon in the Weird and his mother gave him up when he was one day old. Growing up at Hawk Academy, an orphanage of sorts for changelings, he was never nurtured, learned to fight, and grew up under very oppressive circumstances. William has spent much of his adult life searching and fighting with Spider. Spider works for the Hand, a secret organization that has magically transformed soldiers, all very creepy and evil. They are never the hunted, the always are the hunter. Spider has killed eight changeling children and William wants him punished. He has fought him twice, and they both limped away. William wants a third and final time with him.

Because William survived his fight against Spider, the Dukedom of Louisiana's rival territory, Adrianglia wants William to sneak in find out what magical object Spider and his crew are searching for in the Mire. It is when both William and Cerise are trying to get back to the Mire that they meet. Cerise quickly realizes William is a deadly fighter, and William learns Cerise is no slouch with the sword either. Together they find their goals interweave and they start their journey togther.

Many are familiar with Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniel series where they give us the very sexy Curran and wonderful heroine Kate. Last year, they started a new series, with the book On The Edge. We first meet William in this book, and what a great character he is. Growing up in such an oppressive orphanage, he doesn't know how to interact with people. It doesn't help that he is a changeling and the wolf seems to rule his mind for the most part. He doesn't get sarcasm, or jokes. He is very territorial and he kills with absolutely no remorse. He was taught by violent methods the difference between right and wrong, but he often has to remind himself, or think back to his training before proceeding with something. Grace and social skills does not come naturally to him. What does come quite naturally is his feelings for Cerise. He doesn't have a lot of experience with women wanting him, so he doesn't recognize her desire. He has that "want" and "mine" thing going on in that wolf brain of his. He tries to seduce her with a fish head, or bringing her dead animals.

Cerise is just about as cold a killer as William is. She has lived her entire life feuding with families and has learned to wield her sword with deadly accuracy. She says, "Failure happened. The trick was to accept the risk and try anyway." That is how she lives her life. When her parents go missing, she becomes head of her unruly family, and carries quite a heavy burden. But she steps up, and basically says - bring it!

Speaking of her family, again, Ilona Andrews gives us a crazy bunch of people that bring so much to this story. We have aunts, uncles, and cousins all with very distinctive personalities. Two that really stand out are Lark and Kaldar. Lark is Cerise's younger sister, who calls herself a monster. She hides in the woods and strings up dead animals. There is so much to her character that we haven't even discovered yet and I really hope Ilona Andrews dives into her more in future books. We also have Cerise's cousin, Kaldar who is very sarcastic, steals stuff from everyone, and is a good guy - but also on the edge of being sleazy. Again, he is set up to provide us with some good things in the future.

The world is amazingly imaginative, the villain is super evil, and events happen that made me go whoa! The attraction between William and Cerise is really great fun, with some very cute moments and the action never stops the entire book. I loved this book!! It can be read as a stand alone, but William is first introduced in On The Edge.

Ilona Andrews doesn't disappoint in the second book of the Edge series. I loved the characters in this book! I loved the way William thinks and it was nice to see him get his time to be the hero after meeting him in the previous book. The characters and their interactions were superbly done and I must commend Ilona and Gordon on their imagination when it came to the villains in the book. They were described so well and vividly that I was completely disgusted, which was a good thing. They were different from anything I had read before. But that is par for the course with this author. They may write urban fantasy, or in this case "rustic fantasy" but when you read their books you don't feel like you are reading something you had read before. It is new and exciting, it will keep you interest the whole way through and leave you wanting more. And as always, there are parts of the book that will touch your heart and there are parts that will have you laughing out loud. I highly recommend this book. And while you are at it, go read everything else by Ilona Andrews that you can find. You won't regret it!

Skillfully written. The realm of Bayou Moon is extremely well developed and easily lures you in. I swear I could feel the mud & mire between my toes. The strength and grit of Cerise to save her family emanates from the pages. You can feel her emotions and understand her thoughts. You want to stand beside her and cheer her and William on.
Great Read!
Bayou Moon (A Novel of the Edge Book 2)

For as much as I enjoyed the first book in this new series from Ilona Andrews, I loved the second even more. I liked Declan, but I absolutely adore William. He is complicated, flawed, and yet just so.... damn adorable. I really enjoyed the glimpses into his mind and the whispers of doubt when he thought about how he wanted Rose, the heroine from book 1, for himself. It was so obvious that he just wanted a family of his own, people to care for, people to love. I just wanted to cuddle and caress him til he was better.... and then jump all over his sexy weapon wielding ass.

Cerise reminded me of Kate, from the Andrews' Urban Fantasy series, yet she isn't Kate. Yes, she carries the same kick ass girl aura and the same courage and strength, but she isn't afraid to be emotionally vulnerable. She is cautious but also trusting and and easy to relate to.

What I adore most about Ilona Andrews writing paranormal romance is that she holds nothing back. Bayou Moon is about the romance and the characters' journey of finding each other, but it is also about the story. The plots are complicated and the world is detailed, filled with intense characters and tricky politics. These aren't books that you can skip over the "non sexy parts" and still keep up. Andrews' writes more than a story of boy meet girl. It is a story of boy meets girl with kick ass world building, intelligence, humor, and nerve tingling tension

Well written, inventive and imaginative. All sides of the conflict have their own motivations and loyalties that explain why they do what they do, including the "bad guys". In addition to the richness and dimensionality of characters, which other reviewers commented on, there is one aspect of the world created by Ilona Andrews for this series that stood out for me and made it a particularly enjoyable read: magic is treated as just another set of natural phenomena, subject to scientific study and technological use. "Bayou Moon" may be readable stand-alone, but I found the context created by the first book, "On the Edge", to be helpful. Given how enjoyable "On the Edge" was, I recommend reading it first.

This second book of The Edge is even more fun and more interesting than the first one. I really liked William the Wolf in the first book and he becomes so much more real in this book. He meets his match in Cerise, a girl whose entire family lives in the Mire --- a long winding snake of land filled with swamps, monster gators, and even more improbable creatures.

I came to care so much about these characters and the extremities they had to endure. There are tons of surprises in this story. Ilona Andrews never ceases to amaze me.

I recommend this book with all my heart.

I'm such a picky reader. If it's not well written, I have better things to do. And, as a challenged reader with ADD, I looked at Bayou Moon with some anxiety (it's thick). Once again, Andrews flew over both and landed with such flair, she impacted my personal philosophies on writing. Andrews builds her worlds like none other I know. Her dialogue electric, her characters so real you think of them as friends and her sentence structure something I long for in my own writing. And just to get your blood pumping, enough twists and turns and crazy family members to keep you up at night. Delicious! Ilona, keep them coming!

I disagree with one of the reviewers that claimed it was like re-reading the Edge, partly because the heroines were so similar. Other than the superficial similarities (head of the household, white flash etc) I think they are different personalities. Cerise was borderline arrogant, self-assured, hot tempered without much empathy. While Rose is assertive she is also reflective and empathetic. I liked the Rose character but had difficulty warming to the Cerise character. Cerise felt a little two dimensional to me. I didn't care what happened to her as she didn't feel like a real person and I think if the William character wasn't so engaging (as well as the other "supporting cast") I don't think I would have enjoyed the book.

Overall I enjoyed the story, the setting was interesting (very pungent description of the swamps) and the characters (excepting the heroine) were engaging.

I have to say that when I fist started the Edge series, I tried it on a whim. However, I found that On The Edge was a pretty good book. Interesting characters, story, and plot and was quite unique compared to most romance I've read. I loved Andrews' descriptions and settings and I couldn't wait for the second book.

Bayou Moon shot its predecessor completely out of the water. I loved everything about this book. William is the lonely, wounded warrior who in his heart just wants to belong. Cerise is a sweetheart who just wants to have a normal life and pull her family out of the mud they've been rotting in. The villain, Spider, is a much better villain than in the first book. All of his minions are unique and he doesn't act insane or bulky like many other cookie-cutter bad guys. He's calm, kind, handsome, and uses charm, charisma, and finesse like any noble gentleman. However, he's also pure evil and calculated, he is a great foil to William.

The romance was charming from beginning to end, the return of some of the characters from the first book is refreshing. I love the comedy as well as the down-home charm that filters throughout and the action scenes were awesome. I wanted William to get a girl since I met him in book 1 and I must say he couldn't have asked for better with Cerise, a sword-slaying belle of the south with a solid head on her shoulder and a mean swinging arm. After hearing his heartbreaking back story, you can only fall in love with the kind-hearted assassin and wish him all the best.

I can't wait till the next book, as there are quite some open-ended parts to this delicious plot. I don't know who will be the next main character, whether its the roguish Kaldar, aristocratic Richard, wounded Hugh, or some new character entirely. I'll be waiting on pins and needles in expectation.

Just superb paranormal urban fantasy romance. YES. All that. Very solid and appealing characters. Great plot outlining. The kind of book you can just drop yourself into and have a true pleasure read. Just the right amount of suspense, danger and violence for me personally. Not too dark, but enough challenge that you can pump your fist and give it a good. "YES!!!" When the winners beat the losers. Satisfaction.

If you've read many Illona Andrews books you'll see that, just as with most romance authors they have a pretty fixed through-line from book to book regardless of character. The men are always 'this way.' The plucky heroine is always 'this way.' So you won't be surprised after the first book. They stick to their trope. However, that is a small quibble. They know what they do well and they do it. I haven't yet found one of their books that I haven't enjoyed. BAYOU MOON was no exception.

I've enjoyed the story, as much as I could listen to, but I can't get a copy of the audio book that has all of the story available. I either get the first disc to Bayou Moon with the second disc belonging to another book or the other way around. It's very frustrating. I enjoy this author but whatever company did the audio really messed up.

I loved this book. I wasn't completely taken with William in the Edge, but, wow, he was an amazing character in this book. A special treat for me Jack and his relationship with William. I was so happy to get a taste of that. I'm hoping their relationship will be explored in depth in other books...in fact, William needs another book!!
At times, Cerise reminded me a bit of Kate Daniels...more than just the sword skill and looks. She had an honor and strength that rose to the occasion in the face of imminent death.
Great plot, exciting world and amazing characters. A marvelous read.

I listened to this as an unabridged audio book and was very much looking forward to this story having loved William's wolfy self in On the Edge but this one forced me to rewind so many times that I feared I was losing my mind once and for all. There were so many characters introduced, and I couldn't remember any of them from one page to the next, that I found it difficult to focus on the plot. The romance between William and Cerise (my apologies if this is wrong, it's been two weeks and names easily escape my brain) seemed to get lost in the fray of Cerise's freakishly large family and there's a bit near the end where both Cerise and William are so ridiculously stubborn that it felt contrived. Very disappointing. This was more of a straight up fantasy or paranormal or urban fantasy or whatever they call them today, than it was a romance.

These two writers are simply top of the mark in almost everything they write--so to be honest this is really more like 4.5. I feel sad to complain of the terms' OVER-creativity in an industry where the mediocre becomes the norm. But--I have a vivid imagination to go with a squemish sensibility. Completely enjoyed all the characters on the "good guy" team. There was a sensitivity towards the "differently-abled" shifter characters that I thought could be carried over to anyone facing an life as an outsider. The female lead was competant in many areas which matched up perfectly with her life setting. Finally just a first class ending where sometimes, if you have a particular-kind of family member--love is simply not enough. Now back to the monsters. Yeeecckkk! This book spent a moment on my keeper stack and then got passed on to an artisitic and appreciative teen boy. I feel a GRAPHIC graphic novel is in the works.

Bayou Moon is the second in Ilona Andrew's new series the Edge. This time the book focuses on William and Cerise. William is no longer living in the Weird, instead of being a noblemen and soldier he is now living in the Broken and living in the Mundane world. On the opposite hand Cerise lives in the Broken/Edge because her family is too magical to transition fully into the Broken. Her family is called the Rats because there are so many of them, they're all poor, the scrounge, steal and yell. With her parents gone/kidnapped she's now the leader of them, all of them, yippie. Through more entanglement she finds herself having to rely on this William, but his noble blood shows through, proving she can't trust him as far as she can throw him.

Bayou moon was just as good as the Edge. I love Ilona Andrew's writing and her style of getting up close and dirty with her characters. Andrews is wonderful at giving her heroes and heroines amazing powers/responsibilities, yet knowing just how to write them so they are likable and relatable. The back and forth between the two is almost as funny as meeting the different family members of the Rathole. I especially like Kaldar and I hear a rumor that he might be getting his own book, so cross your fingers. The story was fast paced at times and can seem a bit overwhelming, but I enjoyed how quickly the story progressed. All in all it was a great read and I really, really hope I can see Kaldar in the future and who is intended one might be.

I'm finished after what seems like a lifetime!

William was such a mixed up character on the previous book On the Edge at first when I got the glimpse of a love triangle (between Declan, Rose and William) I wanted him out and fast, but Ilona and Gordon don't play with the cheap tricks of triangles and cliffhangers.

But a book dedicated to him???

Even now that I've read the whole book I sensirelly have my doubts. The trip to the Mire was a hard one, mud and monsters at every step, this book seems to massive and takes a lot of patience to finally reach the end.

William and Cerise aren't my favorite couple! William its ok but Cerise it seems unnatural even for a novel heroine to be soooo kick ass!

I love Ilona and Gordon's writing and their humor is so distinct that you know it's them even hidden after layer after layer of monstrosities.

I am such a big fan of Ilona Andrews - every novel and short story written by them has hit the spot. Which is such an incredible writing performance that stands up to the big names such as Harry Dresden & Rachel Morgan series.

Admittedly when The Edge, Book 1 came out I was a little hesitant about this new series as I've gotten very attached to the wonders of Kate Daniel's "mag/tech" world. By the end of the Book 1, I was quite happily awaiting the 2nd book.

The 2nd book in the series starts off perhaps slightly slower than expected. Then once the two main characters, William and Cerise, met in the swamps and WHAM!!!!! The action starts to get rolling and THE ACTION NEVER LETS UP until the end of the book. I was surprised to find myself adrenaline-charged and completely wrapped up in the story. The chemistry between Cerise & William works for me.

Btw the body modifications by agents of The Hand reminded me of the demonoid creatures in the classic Japanese anime "Ninja Scroll". Conclusion is this 2nd book outperformed the first one. I'm such an action junkie ^_^

Ilona Andrews writes great female leads. Kate Daniels and Cerise Mar are such fascinating, intelligent, level-headed, sword-fight female protagonists. Please give us more!!!!!

Just as good as the first one but for some reason William was better as a side character. Although the book did begin with him talking to a Green Lantern action figure he stays pretty mundane throughout the book. This is why I'm trying not to get too excited about Kaldar who is a kleptomaniac who has a magical ability to win any bet he makes.

The bulk of this book is about a family feud that can be boring since we all know how it's going to end but an effort was made to make you empathize with at least one member of the villainous family, and that saves the book.

The really clever and inventive parts come at the end, you'll know it's coming after the scene where everyone dis and there is still a bunch of book left.

Ok so the romance parts aren't so romantic. Who cares? I read for the fantasy element anyway and this book was plain fun. I liked the first Edge book as well. This book has a well written original world with interesting characters that have some novel 'gifts'. I'm enjoying it. I only gave it 4 stars because I think that if you can't do romance, leave it out but since it's diluted by the plot it hardly matters. If I could give the authors one tip.....quit making the male lead character look like the 'I can't belive it's not butter' guy. It's getting old. Seriously, if you like the Kate Daniels series you will like this. I'm also a fan of Kim Harrison and Patricia Briggs. This is a good example of that kind of genre. Worth the 7.99.

William is back! After reading about William in On the Edge, I was thrilled to find out the next book in the series would be his. As Bayou Moon begins, it's been two years since the ending of On the Edge. Rose, Declan and the boys have moved to the Weird. William stayed behind in the Edge and works in the Broken. If you didn't read On the Edge, then that might not make sense to you but that's okay because Andrews does a good job filling in any blanks. There's no info dump, instead the history and back story are woven in as needed. I do recommend reading On the Edge, it's very good, but not necessary to read before Bayou Moon.

William Wolf is all alone - drinking. Something he does often. That's never a good sign. Throw in talking to comic book action figures and you've got yourself one sad, lonely hero. What William needs is a quest, a crusade, a mission. Anything to get him off his ass and stop feeling sorry for himself. Well, he's about to get one. William is a former elite soldier and his unique services are needed by The Mirror, a spec ops/CIA type group from the Weird. A horror from the past is about to revisit William and pull him into the Edge and into the middle of a long standing feud.

Cerise Mar is having a crappy day. She had to trek through the mud, hunting down an escaped rolpie - cute beasties, part seal, part otter, who pull the boats throughout the swamp of the Mire. The Mire is the place in the Edge where Cerise and her family live. Once Cerise gets the rolpie back to the Rathole, her family home, she's met with some disturbing news. Her parents are late getting home and it's up to Cerise to find them.

Cerise comes from a very eclectic family with a lot of relatives who wield a variety of magic. She's very aware of her role in the family and with her parents missing, it's up to her to take the lead. Cerise is a reluctant heroine. She knows what she needs to do and does it but she really longs for a little less responsibility and a more stable life. She's smart and can kick some serious ass as well as extremely loyal to her family. She would do anything for them. I can definitely say she's right up there with Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson as one of my favorite heroines. After Cerise learns what has happened to her parents she must travel to the Broken. It's there where she runs into William, "Lord Leather Pants" or "Lord Bill" as she dubs him. Cerise is not impressed, yet.

William doesn't like the swamp or the Mire. He doesn't understand the odd people he meets there. And oh, boy are they odd. I loved how William, with his smart ass humor dealt with the oddities that came from the Mire. One of the first oddities he encounters is Cerise. They clash from the start but must work together to get away from the enemies hunting them. William and Cerise go from irritation to respect as they get to know each other. Cerise is one kick-ass heroine, she didn't let William take over when they found themselves fighting their mutual enemies. She did appreciate his knowledge of the enemy, she's not a fool and will take help when she needs it. William can't help but find Cerise interesting and so finds himself pulled deeper and deeper into her family and their problems.

The relationships throughout the story are well developed and give plenty of character insight. William didn't grow up in a family environment and isn't always sure how to take the teasing and banter of the large Mars family. Instead of making him feel like an outsider, they pull him in, treating him like one of them. It was such a novel experience for William. I loved how we got to see him come to care about this special family and become part of it.

The common enemy that William and Cerise are fighting is a nasty bastard with a bunch of equally nasty minions. Spider is an altered human from the Weird. He and his little army of alters are after something that could change how wars in the Weird are fought. It's up to Cerise and William to make sure Spider doesn't get what he wants. They come up against some seriously freaky opponents with truly repulsive alterations. Andrews can write some amazing fight scenes. You feel like you're in the battle, on the edge of your seat, not always sure who might survive this round. There is quite a bit of action, blood and gore in the story. And sometimes things were just plain gross. I loved it!

Talking about action, there is a romance between William and Cerise. It's not an in your face romance, they have a lot going on with fighting, plotting and planning their next move. It's more a romance of quick looks and lingering touches. Of stolen moments and time together. Neither one is quite sure what to make of the other or of their attraction. I found the dialogue between the two to be amusing and clever. They start off with smart ass insults, progressing to grudging respect and finally falling in love. In the end, it's a very sweet, genuine romance that leaves you believing these two were meant to be.

I mentioned that Cerise has a large, extended family and Spider, aka nasty bastard, has a number of minions, leaving a lot of characters to keep track of. Some of the names are unique and I did find myself having to do a little re-reading to help with the who's who. Also, at one point there is mention of the real possibility of a traitor, then it's not mentioned for a very long time. I kept wondering when it would be brought up again, since it seemed very important.

Bayou Moon is a wonderful addition to The Edge series. It has fascinating characters, interesting story line and some seriously wicked action. A book that will keep you reading long into the night. I highly recommend both The Edge and the Kate Daniels series by the talented writing duo that make up Ilona Andrews.

5 stars.

Amazing story.

I got completely immersed into this book. As I read it felt like I was there with the characters and I was a part of their world.

Such a great story, William and Cerise were wonderful, and I just wanted to read 447 more pages of them and the surrounding people.

I can hardly wait to read the next one.

omg. loved this one. i wondered if the first edge book was maybe written by only the female half of the writing duo. but this one definately feels more like the incredible kate daniels series. i am definately rereading this one. it has awesome and exciting action... supernatural sci/fi baddies everywhere... and a sweet romance sub story line. heck i even enjoy the para military element and her annoying family. there is not one thing i would change. it manages to have it all... just like the daniel series. officially i have a new fav author or should i say authors... thank you for writing this.

I always like Ilona Andrews' work though this book gives me somewhat different feeling than the first one (On the Edge). While the Edge represents the fairly tale world in an adventurous manner and ray of hope (at the end of the tunnel somewhere), Bayou Moon is a bit depressing and sad. Both books are good - I just prefer the Edge.

It gets 4.5 stars from me, not quite full 5.

GOSH! All I can say is I just found Ilona Andrews' books and really like them. This one was as entertaining as "Burn For Me" which was my first read of these two married authors. Far-fetched reading fun are the words that come to me.

I loved this book. I am already an Ilona Andrews fan but when this new series started with The Edge, I admit I was completely underwhelmed. There was none of the wit and sparkle that makes Kate Daniels so fabulous. However, Bayou Moon was great. I loved the main characters Cerise and William and Cerise's family is made up of some of the most engaging side characters I've ever read in Ilona's work. Definietly worth buying and reading. And don't worry even thoough the characters from The Edge appear in this book it can be fully appreciated without wasting your money on that book before you read Bayou Moon.

First, I must confess that while I liked The Edge, I didn't love it. Compared to the Kate Daniels books I felt The Edge just wasn't as good. (Declan was too much of a pretty boy, I think). That being said, I didn't have high expectations for Bayou Moon. However, it is an Ilona Andrews book, so I picked it up right away. And I am glad I did. I loved Bayou Moon. Loved the action, the world, the mystery. I especially loved the characters (with a capital L).

William (hero) is moody, powerful, and so hot I kept putting the book down just to savor the vision of him in my head. Cerise (heroine) is smart, strong, and not afraid to take what William offers and hold onto it with both hands. Her family was wonderful in that dysfunctional, but we love you anyway type of deal. (Really liked her two cousins Kaldar and Richard- hope to see either one of them in their own books?). The relationships between characters - Cerise and the Sheeriles (evil family in the Mire), Cerise, William and her mother, William and Declan (small section, but noteworthy) for example, were all complex, full of angst, conflict, and ultimately honor. William's bald desire for a family and love, and Cerise's need for challenge and adventure make for a sweet and fun romantic subplot. Everything about this book just worked.

One thing worth further mention - Ilona Andrews does a wonderful job of creating three dimensional villains. There are multiple evil doers in Bayou Moon and each is a study in tragedy. (As well as making me want them dead in a really serious way).

Overall: the writing is excellent, the characters are superb, the romance is hot, and the story is a great example of High Adventure and fun. Well worth the read!

****FEAR NOT. NO SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW****

I really enjoyed On The Edge, but Bayou Moon blew it out of the water. This series is just - different. Yes, there is some romance (more classic-type in Book 1), but it's more than that due to the non-stop ass-kicking, the myriad of interesting characters with weird abilities, and all the cool, backwoods magic.

The main characters are fantastic and fleshy. You root for them and if you're a sap like me, you cry for them, too. The male lead breaks my heart with his inner turmoil and angst. The female lead is kick-ass, humble, kind, and noble. Together they make me laugh and laugh with their witty banter, but what can you expect? The authors, husband and wife team Ilona Andrews, are notorious for their ability to make even the darkest story insanely funny.

If you weren't too keen on the first book in the series and are debating whether to read this installment - DO IT! It's better and less "romance-y". =D

Seriously. Can this pair of writers write a bad book? Between this series and the Kate Daniels series, the answer is "no". When I picked up the book, I was amazed by how thick it was and was a little intimidated, but the Andrews' writing style had me hooked within a few pages. I enjoyed the intrigue in the book and their fight scenes are always some of the best. I had thought that the first Edge book might just be a one-off, but this book moves the series along splendidly and offers more pathways to explore this intriguing world.

I absolutely love it when I find a series of books that I just cant get enough of. This is one of those authors that weaves a story that captures you, pulls you into the unbelievable. I cant wait for more! All of Ilona Andrews' books are great.

i really liked book 1 "on the edge"; enjoyed this one even more! both have gritty, dynamic, lovable heroines bent on survival in diff areas of this so detailed, bizarre setting.
particularly i found fascinating: plot had right amt tension & twists; exploration, evolution, & fullfillment of 2 main characters (william & cerise); great surrounding cast (esp grandma); well-paced story & action sequences; and thoughtful dialogue incl balanced wry humor. all this authors books have been amazing reads.
r. mckinney

Not as good as the first Edge book but better than the third. The female lead was a little harsh and the male lead mildly pathetic. But there is a lot of heart to the story that somehow makes it work.

You will really feel like you are in the Mire. The world building is amazing. I laughed out loud many times. There are new powers and creatures we haven't heard of before to keep things new and exciting. This book is twice the length of book one, On the Edge, and you will love every page. I thoroughly enjoyed the peeks into William's head, and the parts of the book from his perspective. There were twists and turns in the plot and I could not predict where things would end. If you are looking for a funny book set in a different world with magic and romance, look no farther. Run to the bookstore to get this book, don't walk, and be prepared to stay up all night.

This was a very well written book. Anyone who enjoys exciting fantasy romance will enjoy it. The hero and heroine really fit with each other and it had some real twists and turns in the plot. Just a great book!

I am not going to re-hash the plot since others on here have already done a fantastic job of it already. But I will say this book was even better than the first! Go ahead and treat yourself to this one it is worth it! The action is fast and interesting! The romance is natural and feels right. This husband wife writing team is fast becoming a favorite of mine! I only wish more books would be made for this amazing world they have built!

The book description covers the plot as well as the many reviews already here but I just wanted to add my rating to the overall score.

While I liked the first book in this series a lot better, this was still very good and a lot darker.

Look forward to more in this series.

Love Ilona Andrews and the Kate Daniels series and this universe is just as good and getting better! I loved the first one but this widen the world and gave us a great cast of characters and not just the h/h. Plus this is soooo funny! Hoping to have more of this family in future books particularly the brothers and Lark. Great to see Rose and Declan and the family too.

I liked the characters in this book, and I liked the story. I just wasn't thrilled with any of them. I liked On The Edge more, and liked the characters in it. I'm not sure why she wrote a sequel and then used entirely different characters. Those characters were not as good as the originals.

Like I said, surprisingly awesome! Didn't have huge hopes after not being super impressed with the first "Edge" book, but being a Ilona Andrews fan, I went ahead and read this one - and glad I did! Super fun read after an okay beginning to the series, in my opinion. Enjoy :)

There seem to be two camps in the urban fantasy market. The first are books which focus on blending the mundane with the sublime, using the juxtaposition of what we know as "our world" with invented elements of magic/fairies/vampires/what-have-you to tell stories about inner conflict, exploration, and identity. The second camp is something I like to call Badass Chicks Fight Evil With Hot Guys, Or Evil That IS A Hot Guy.

Not that there isn't (significant) overlap between the two, especially in the current market. But you can tell, when you read a book, which aesthetic it aligns with in its heart of hearts. "On the Edge" was in the first camp. "Bayou Moon" is squarely in the second.

A lot of "Bayou Moon" reads like someone sat down with "On the Edge" and sketched out a rough outline of what made that book so enjoyable. Independent heroine? Check. Focus on family dynamics? Check. Clash of cultures in the romance? Check check. Add a Wild-West-ish atmosphere to the setting of treacherous landscape, we're ready for takeoff.

And if what gets you going is a romp where two heterosexual lovers pair up against the odds, with downtime to simmer and smirk at each other, "Bayou Moon" is just the ticket. Watch out for some elements of darkness -- necromancy, murder, and hints of cannibalism -- but this is Ilona Andrews. If you've read the Kate Daniels books, you know Andrews doesn't stint on gore.

But for the rest of us, "Bayou Moon" is just going through the motions. I kept comparing it to "On the Edge" in my head, and it kept falling far short of that standard. Some of you may protest that's unfair, as it's a different book, but since there are so many parallels to the story structure (see above) I'm not sure how I could have avoided it. I didn't want "Bayou Moon" to be the SAME as "On the Edge," but I would have liked it to be able to hold its own. But while you admired Rose for successfully navigating the conflicting worlds of the Edge and the Broken, we never see Cerise outside her comfort zone. Rose was an outcast, Cerise is the favored daughter of a powerful family. Rose has intimate and often fraught relationships with her two brothers, Cerise has a huge family that she appears to get along with fine.

I'm not saying "Bayou Moon" suffers because the choices made in creating Rose were more my taste -- that would be a personal call. But there's a vital flaw in Cerise's situation: lack of conflict. All the choices made for her were boring, because they never force her to make hard decisions or sacrifices. This isn't just a problem with the protagonist, this is a pattern reflected throughout the whole book. We have no idea why the Big Bad is after something that belongs to Cerise's family, just that he is. (And he's a Big Bad.) Her family is also caught up in a vicious feud with another -- why? Whatever, it's a feud! Instant plot! Andrews even throws in a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque element in there, which feels insulting in its half-heartedness.

A lot of "Bayou Moon" felt tacked-on, honestly. Remember that gore I mentioned? Sure, a lot of vicious things happen, but none of it to characters we get to know as people. (Lark is not a character. She is a big-eyed, vulnerable plot device.) We only care because Cerise cares. But if we don't care all that much about Cerise... well, I addressed that problem, didn't I.

Don't even get me started on the romance. Listen, I don't hate on the debt the Badass Chicks camp owes to paranormal romance, but if you ARE going that route, pay your frickin' dues. Deliver up sensuality and a complex, even angst-filled relationship between your leads. Not... whatever's going on between Cerise and William. One wince-inducing sex scene, an easy triumph over reservations (The phrase "He won't hurt me because he loves me," is used, and: really, Andrews? REALLY?) and a last-minute "misunderstanding" which is insultingly juvenile.

I was so excited when I heard "On The Edge" was only the beginning of a planned series. But you know what? It might be better to avoid it altogether, rather than risk seeing characters I once adored in books so depressingly mediocre. I mean, if that's the experience I wanted, I could go back to LK Hamilton.

William, the werewolf changeling, meets the swords-woman of his dreams. They trek through a swamp, fight the bad guys, have their day in court, and somehow manage to make a little private time together when they aren't disemboweling their enemies or cutting them in half. Ah, love sweet love.