Title: Steel’s Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: The Edge #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Whatever it was, she could use a distraction, and he was the man for the job.
The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale – and the Weird, where bludblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…
Charlotte de Nay is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has been filled with nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. But when Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.
Richard is a swordsman without peer, the future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan – and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper tahn Richard knows, and even working together, he and Charlotte may not survive…
This was a great finale (so far, I hope) to The Edge series. I’m still hoping that more books will be written based in this amazing world, but if it doesn’t, then this is a pretty damn good story to end with. Following Richard Mar as he tries to right the wrongs of Sophie’s past and heal his own wounds. This novel gave everyone a happy ending and a hope for a better future, something that all good series should end with – a sense of hope.
Although Steel’s Edge keeps in the strain of the rest of the series, it’s a beautiful urban fantasy, paranormal romance that follows two dysfunctional characters as they slowly fall in love. Yet, Charlotte’s position as one of the bluebloods, the upper echelon of Andrews’ worlds gave it a nice new spin. Both Richard and Charlotte have had past marriages and past tragedies, in a way that I don’t understand, they are damaged. Yet, the united cause of stopping slave traders helps to bring them closer together and finds a way in which they can both overcome their horrible pasts.
Of all The Edge books, this had the best finale and ending to the story. Richard and Charlotte’s admittance of their feelings and the ways in which they show their love is completely different to the other three couples in this series. Yet, I found their relationship that sweetest and the ending with the family that they create the most endearing.
Steel’s Edge helps to tell more of Sophie’s story. Her, George and their compatriots have more of their adult life told in Sweep in Peace, but how Sophie becomes a master swordswoman isn’t really told. Sophie’s relationship with Charlotte is really sweet, but her attitude towards her surrounds is a little overwhelming and intimidating.
Earth and Skye 
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