Husband and wife team, Ilona Andrews, has delivered another engrossing and thrilling read set in the Kate Daniels World with Gunmetal Magic. Kate, our main heroine for much of this series, steps aside so her best friend, Andrea, can work out some issues.

Description (from Goodreads): After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea's whole existence is in shambles. She tries to put herself back together by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend. When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano--the male alpha of the Clan Bouda, and Andrea's former lover--die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. Now she must work with Raphael as her search for the killer leads into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta. And dealing with her feelings for him might have to take a back seat to saving the world...

Review: Gunmetal Magic takes place between the closing events of Magic Slays and the short story Magic Gifts. Andrea is Kate's best friend and side-kick. She is an integral character like majority of the secondary characters in the Kate Daniels series. In Gunmetal Magic we get to see all aspects to Andrea- the good, the bad, and the ugly- as the authors flesh out her character.
  We are use to seeing Andrea take action, loving her job in the Order of the Knights of Meriful Aid, and offering her sage advice to her best friend. In Gunmetal Magic, Andrea has hit rock bottom. She is fired from her job when her employer found out that she is a beastkin, a rare breed of shapeshifters, she broke up with her boyfriend, Raphael, and now lives in fear of repeating the abuse she receieved as a child when she was brought up in a clan. Andrea wants to start over, but only on her terms and with her being in charge. I loved Andrea in this book as much as I loved her in the Kate Daniel series. She is definitely a friend that I would want to have and I can see why Kate loves her. She is smart, extremely witty, but very guarded. It takes Andrea a long time to get comfortable in her beastskin and realize that it's not a flaw in her character but something to be proud of. Though we might not know exactly what it feels like to be in her shoes, we can empathize with her insecurities.
 Gunmetal Magic is very much plot driven as Andrea refuses to deal with her emotional turmoil for majority part of the book. Her relationship with Raphael, a character who I thought balanced her well, is antagonistic at best as each lash out from being suddenly dropped from each others lives. Though separated for majority of the time in the book, their sexual tension is still high. It's clear that both still have strong feelings for one another. Before this book, I like many other readers, were scrambling to figure out what happened that broke Andrea and Raphael apart as both seemed to be very much in love. In this book, we get answers and a more clearer understanding of how both characters feel. While I loved the action scenes and the humor to keep me on my toes, I really felt the absense of the emotional warmth I'm use to getting when I read about these characters. While things end up well, it doesn't feel as satisfying as it should. Nonetheless the book provides us with new questions about the structure of the Pack's order and what might happen next in Andrea's life. Gunmetal Magic is another exciting story that will help ease the waiting period for the next Kate Daniels book to come out.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Strong violence, some language, and sex is implied. Recommended for mature teens and adults.

If you like this book try: Bloodsong series by Cat Adams, Mercy Thomspon series by Patricia Briggs, Fray or Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 graphic novel series by Joss Whedon, Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neil, Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones