Fun, fast paced and full of action this was a quick and enjoyable read. I had not read the previous titles set in the Kinsmen world but that did not dim my enjoyment of the story. Loved that is was a classic love story with a ton of science/magic detail to transport me to join the characters in their world while I read. Must now hunt down the other titles!

A welcome return to the Kinsmen series…

Author duo Ilona Andrews have returned to their Kinsmen universe after a decade or so, and it’s a shame they stayed away so long. Fated Blades is a long novella - or is it a short book? You pick! But either way, it’s a fast-paced and fun tale for both IA fans and those new to IA’s books.

The premise of the Kinsmen series is simple. Borrowing loosely from the intro to one of the earlier books: humans needed to be “enhanced” to facilitate spreading across the galaxy - able to survive harsh conditions, or be fierce hunters or warriors, or make brilliant scientific advances. And some of these enhancements were biological, and could be passed down through the generations. Since, however, humans were still basically human, the folks who had these genetic advantages soon wanted to keep them to themselves, and thus the Kinsmen families were born.

Fated Blades features two such families, both with the ability to generate deadly swords or impenetrable shields from their bodies on a moment’s notice. The “secare” originally were soldiers created to fight in a vicious war, but have dispersed in the decades since. The Baenas and the Addlers settled on the same planet though, and in true Montague-Capulet fashion, they are sworn enemies. So when the wife of the head of one family and the husband of the other not only have an affair, but more importantly, steal precious business secrets, heads are going to roll. Quite literally.

As the leaders of their respective clans, Ramona Addler and Matias Baena have to clean up the mess, quickly and quietly, or their families will be destroyed. So they uneasily agree to pursue the culprits together. What follows is a classic space opera (even if not actually set in space), as they race across Rada and back, fighting battles, sharing a few moments of downtime, and learning more about each other as they go. And of course, as with all epic adventures, there’s a show-stopper of an ending – or actually two show-stoppers if you count the epilogue….

Some of Ilona Andrews’ longer books deal with serious themes from time to time, even if these are sort of hidden amongst the action. But their novellas mostly seem to be written for fun, and Fated Blades is one of the best. Long-time fans will treasure the occasional sneaky references to earlier Kinsmen stories: silver shark serpents, the Escana family, passion cones. But none of these are central to the story, and everyone will enjoy the wicked action, the slowly developing relationship between Mathias and Ramona, and finding out how things turn out in the end! (Finally, on a personal level, I also particularly enjoyed one of the minor characters, Haider Davenport, and hope someday maybe he and his husband get their own story, even if it’s just a short prequel or web-snippet.)

Fated Blades is coming on Nov 23, 2021, and it’s an Amazon exclusive. Pre-purchase links are provided below. Also please note that I received an advance review copy from the authors, via their publishers, Montlake Romance, and from NetGalley, and my thanks go to all.

i’m losing my goddamn mind, review to come when i’m more coherent.

~the review, seven days later~

Sorry. Not going to be coherent. I love the previous Kinsman novellas so much (to the point where I own a special edition from Subterranean Press with gorgeous illustrations). My brain was a series of exclamation points after learning about the existence of FATED BLADES. A third Kinsman novella, releasing nearly a decade after SILVER SHARK?! The serotonin levels were dangerously high that day. Many thanks to the Montlake publicist for offering me an advanced reading copy and making my entire year.

The Kinsmen world, in my opinion, is IA's most underrated series. I will now explain to you why they are my favorite novellas ever. Picture this: deliciously soapy Harlequin Presents-style adventures involving magical space warriors. This is a compliment, because I fucking love Harlequin Presents. The tropes are god-tier when executed well. A woman wants revenge against the man who broke their arranged childhood engagement, BUT WAIT, she's an assassin who seduces him for a hit job? SILENT BLADE is one click away on your preferred e-retailer. An admin assistant pines for her boss in a hopeless case of unrequited love, BUT WAIT, she's hiding her true identity because she can kill people with her psychic powers? Let me introduce to the marvel of SILVER SHARK.

FATED BLADES follows in the iconic footsteps of its predecessors. In a faraway planet of Rada, Ramona and Mateo are forced to team up together despite a generation family feud, hunt down their cheating spouses, and reclaim stolen data that will ruin their fortunes if unrecovered.

Y'all. The angst in this is sublime. Forbidden love at its finest: "Oh no, we can't be together because our families would love to murder each other if given the chance... We're still married to other people. It would be unethical to hook up, even if our exes are cheating bastards that we're going to divorce ASAP." This is basically the whole book, plus intergalactic political conspiracy and badass action scenes involving magical weapons. The temple scene... angels wept.

Last but certainly not least: Ramona and Matias have this unsettling magical fighting connection that makes their terrifying blades work extra well when paired together. The book doesn't call it fated mates, but it's fated mates, LOL. Look at the title! They're soulmates, if being soulmates made you really good at killing terrible people for the sake for a bloody sci-fi narrative (I'm not joking, the body count is rather high). As I said: sublime.

Everyone read this book and report back to me!!! I don't make the rules! You are now bound by my covenant for reaching the end of this review.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Two mortal enemies must work together when their lives work is stolen and sold to the highest bidder. A bidder who wants to destroy them all.

Fans of Ilona Andrews' Hidden Legacy series will love the Kinsman series. Fated Blades is an ass-kicking enemy to lovers sci fi adventure filled with humor, sacrifice, drama, suspense, and a centuries-old family grudge. You don't have to read these in order to enjoy them.