Review: Bayou Moon, Ilona Andrews

William Wolf hasn’t had an easy life.  As a changeling, he’s been an outcast from birth.  His parents both abandoned him and he grew up in a strict school where he learned to be nothing but a warrior.  He sees things partly through a wolf’s eyes and much about his perception is black and white.  When he meets Cerise, she’s dressed as a hobo and he’s not sure what to make of her.  He doesn’t expect a world-weary girl from the Mire, trying desperately to find her vanished parents before they’re killed.  In the Edge, almost anything goes, and as William and Cerise find themselves a common enemy, so do they find they have a few more romantic feelings in common as well.

While I still couldn’t say I’m as in love with this series as I am with the Kate Daniels series, Bayou Moon was a satisfying, well-written and plotted paranormal romance that had quite a bit to it.  It’s hard at first to get to grips with William and Cerise; they are both very strong, almost polarizing characters, and while they’re immediately attracted to each other (well, once Cerise cleans up), they’re also immediately at odds.  When they realize they are after the same person, they team up, and the true attraction begins to reveal itself.  I was very eager to read more about William after encountering him in the first book of this series, On the Edge.  Cerise isn’t mentioned in that book, so we have a little more to learn about her character and how she interacts with those around her.

Overall this book was quite a bit darker than On the Edge.  The Mire, where Cerise lives, seems to be a harsher place than the rest of the Edge.  Her family has been in a feud for her entire life.  Overall, we get the impression that the Mire is dirty, muddy, and deadly, which perfectly suits the grimmer nature of the storyline itself.  A book about a changeling raised without love and a fierce woman that scares those around her was never going to be a cheerful one.  What matters is what Cerise and William can do to salvage their lives and eradicate the world from one particular deadly presence – and if they fall in love along the way, I’m certainly not going to complain.

With a gripping, atmospheric story and a sweet romance, Bayou Moon was a very good paranormal romance.  It’s not quite set apart as brilliantly as the Kate Daniels series is just yet, but I’ll happily continue reading future installments (and anything else the husband and wife writing team of Ilona Andrews comes up with!).

I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.