Of Swine and Roses

This story is really great, which is no surprise coming from these authors. The best part is that it's a simple story about a boy and a girl and a pig. Seriously, though, it's fun and cute, plus there are explosions and magic, so it's basically perfect. Really a good read, well worth your time.

If you like the writings of Ilona Andrews, you really must read this, especially if you are counting down the days to the next release. If you aren't already a fan, this isn't a bad place to start; since it's short you'll get an idea if you like the writer's style without the investment of a full length book.

First, be aware that this is a short story. Really. It's not a novella, it is a short story. Having said that, it was a wonderful short story. It didn't take long to feel sympathetic and connected to the main character and there was action, romance, and family drama all packed in! Loved it, hope something full length comes out!

This could have been stretched out quite a bit but wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I like a story to move fast just like the next person.. nothing worse than getting stuck in a rut and having to read through it hoping for a good part. Well, you won't find that issue with this book.. but really a 30 minute read should be free! I felt like I read a magazine article it was so short!

I LOVE this author duo - their books are AMAZING! I just started the Kindle ap and I've purchased several of these stories and am just disapointed. I expected MORE. I guess moral of the story is to NOT buy the lower priced stories? I don't want to pay for something I can read in under a half hour.

Good news - I see NOW that on the store.com they show the total pages. I will look at this before I buy books in the future!

I love this author's Kate Daniels series and her/his kickass heroines. These kinsmen short stories are very enjoyable as well. I totally relate to a girl not afraid to kick off her heels and get dirty to get the job done:) Bravo Andrews

The writing team that is Ilona Andrews just can't do anything poorly. As short as this story is, 300 kindle pages, it's absolutely charming. The setting is, I'm assuming, modern urban fantasy about various houses with magic. 17 Year old Alena is forced into a date with the neighborhood thug, Chad, because her family needs the connection to get a loan approved by his family. Although she is left with the choice to go, it would be insulting not to accept his date and it is her obligation, even though she can see absolutely nothing good coming of it.

Self fulfilling prophecy or not, it turns into the worst date ever, starting with Chad ogling her [...], to conversations that are harder than pulling teeth. Everything they try goes wrong, and Chad gives up all perceptions of gentlemanliness to finish off a job that his friends couldn't take care of. From there, Alena finds herself chasing around a poor helpless pig that Chad is hellbent on destroying. She's put up with everything the night has thrown at her, but she refuses to sit back on her date and watch him brutalize a helpless pig. She ends up saving the pig's life, takes him home, and proceeds to have a complete breakdown with tears and confessions of how miserable her life is, naked no less, only to find out that the pig turns into a man and .... poof...disappears.

Needless to say, things end on a happy note of potential continuation which I would be pleased to read about. It sounds like an intriguing prologue to a new series to be perfectly honest, although I doubt they had that in mind. Regardless, it simply boggles the mind that in such a short story, they manage to get you caught up in the web of emotions as if you were going through the series of unfortunate events yourself. I could totally relate to the pain, pressure, and humiliation, as well as the light at the end of the tunnel. If you've never read Ilona Andrews before, you can't go wrong. There's nothing they could put out that I wouldn't buy and they've ruined me forever for any Urban Fantasy that isn't part of the Kate Daniels World. Having said that, totally worth the .99 for entertainment.

I've read nearly all of Ilona and Gordon Andrews' books over the last couple of years but there are still a few short stories that I needed to get around to and Of Swine and Roses was one of them. Then I found out that this was actually the first story set in the Hidden Legacy world so since I loved Burn for Me I knew I had to pick this up ASAP.

This short story introduces us to teenager Alena Kornov who is under pressure from her family to date Chad Thurman, a boy from one of the local families who they need a favour from. Alena has absolutely no interest in Chad but her mother is a master of guilt manipulation and Alena ends up agreeing to her demands. What follows is an absolutely hilarious first date from hell. I'm not going to say any more than that so you'll just have to read it for yourself but it was definitely a fun read.

It's official, team Andrews can do no wrong! Even in a 23 page short story they manage to hook me completely in and get me fully invested in the characters they've created. I actually would have loved to see this turned into a full length novel but it was surprisingly satisfying for such a short read. I do kind of hope that we might get a glimpse at these characters in one of the Hidden Legacy books though so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that they'll make an appearance.

This is a short young adult story by the Ilona Andrews writing team. It is a very cute and sweet urban fantasy with a romantic twist to it. Definitely worth the 99 cents to read, especially if you are a fan of the Andrews' writing.

Alena is forced to go on a date with a Thug named Chad. You see her family is powerful in magic but poor and Chad's family is rich and would be a great fit...politically. Alena hates the idea but agrees for the good of the family. To say the date is a disaster is understating things; especially since it ends up with Alena chasing a pig through mud and ruining her favorite shirt. In the end though things aren't quite what they seem...

This story is very short; took maybe 10-15 minutes to read. But in that small space the Andrews create an excellent world and vivid characters who you really grow to love. I am always amazed at how complex a world and characters these authors create in such a small space. The characters are witches and are part of a complex political structure.

Definitely worth the read if you are a fan. To be honest I didn't like it quite as much as their adult stuff. My favorite non-series based short story by them is still Silent Blade. Still it was a very fun and cute young adult read and I am glad I read it.

This would be something that could be expanded into a great YA series and hopefully there are plans for that...although I haven't heard anything.

Overall worth the read. It is a good way to be introduced to the Andrews writing. A fun, cute, and sweet story full of magic, humor, and irony. I really enjoyed it. Hopefully they will start a YA series in this awesome world at some point!

SUMMARY: Set in an urban paranormal world, protagonist 17-year-old Alena Koronov is "strongly encouraged" to go on a date with Chad Thurman by her parents for (mostly) political reasons. As bad dates go, this too goes awry when the steps of romance involving a movie, ice cream, and...a pig? A little bit of intrigue, a little bit of magic, and a little bit of romance all get tied up a very neat package.

PROS: Strong characterization and writing, even for that of the supporting characters. I think a novel could have been built around any of the characters here. The ending is not unpredictable but it's done well.

CONS/WARNING: This is a short story and yes, it may end sooner than you'd like...which means you can reread it a bunch of times without losing too much sleep! :) Is it worth 99 cents? Absolutely.

DISCLAIMER: I am a huge fan of Ilona Andrews and cannot wait for the Kate Daniels book 5 to come out, so this may not be an entirely unbiased review.

CLARIFICATION: This book (so far as I can see) is entirely independent of other books written by the authors. So please, new and old readers, if you enjoy fantasy, please give this book a try!

I pretty much love everything by Ilona Andrews. The only problem with this story is that it feels too short, but I think this was the base for her new series and the first book was fantastic, and I'm looking forward to more. I enjoyed the characters, they felt real and their actions made sense in context.

Take a young women just on the verge of adulthood, a neighborhood bully and a small pig. Combine with a first date, add some humor and you get a short fun story. It gets four stars only because it was shorter than I would have liked. The world where it is set appears to be similar the Kate Danniels world with maybe a bit of the Edge's weird thrown in.

Love the story, I only wish it were longer! The world and characters seem interesting and would like to hear more of their story.

Though I find nothing at fault with the story, in my opinion, $2.99 is way to much to charge for such a quick read!

I found this to be much like her other books, though in a different world. Ilona Andrews does characters very well and her stories are always great. If you like this one, look up her other books. You will not be disappointed. I eagerly look forward to any of her books. Always a pleasure.