Sweep in Peace

Innkeeper Chronicles, Volume 2

By: Ilona Andrews

Narrated by: Renee Raudman

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

Dina DeMille isn't your typical bed and breakfast owner. Her inn defies laws of physics, her dog is secretly a monster, and the only permanent guest of the inn is a former galactic tyrant with a price on her head. The inn needs guests to thrive and guests have been scarce, so when an arbitrator shows up at Dina's door and asks her to host a peace summit between three warring species, she jumps on the chance. Unfortunately, for Dina, bridging the gap between space vampires, the Hope-Crushing Horde, and the merchants of Baha-char is much easier said than done. To make the summit a success, she must find a chef, remodel the inn, keep her guests from murdering each other, and risk everything, even her life, to save the man she might fall in love with. But then it's all in the day's work for an innkeeper....

©2015 Ilona Andrews (P)2015 Ilona Andrews

I loved it

You know those authors that you stop all books you are reading when a new book is released? Ilona Andrews is (or are as they are a husband and wife writing team) one of those authors for me. I have never read anything I didn't love, and this book is no different. It has a magical inn and innkeeper, aliens, war, love, pain and adventure. If you're already an Ilona Andrews fan there is a crossover with characters from the Edge series (George, Jack, Gaston and Lark/Sophie)!
Renee Raudman as usual, was amazing. I adore her narration and have loved every book I've listened that she has narrated.
I have a happy calm right now that I get whenever I finish a great book. 😍

Better Than the First

The series got a bit of a re-tooling. Dina is back better than ever. Her broom has amped up powers. Her inn gets important guests. Best of all, George and Jack, the young brothers from the Edge series, join the cast, and they're all grown up. I didn't miss Dina's werewolf love interest Sean from the first Innkeeper Chronicle book -- Clean Sweep. This installment had so much going on, inserting him into the story might have overbalanced the crazy. This book had just the right amount of wild imagination. I hope the series keeps going in the direction of speculative fiction because it just works. Who needs a bodice ripper when you're a broom wielding, magic-flinging innkeeper with attitude? After too short a stay at the Gertrude Hunt, I'd like to make a reservation for the next book in the series because so far every word has been fantastic.

Get the ebook, too.

What did you love best about Sweep in Peace?

Rich world that connects to another series by same author. Getting to virtually live in said world for a time. And thirdly, rereading Clean Sweep as an appetizer to this story. Oh, and the chef, definitely want to take classes from him.

What does Renee Raudman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

For me, Renee is one of the few narrators who really make the characters distinct, individual, and alive. I can tell instantly by the voice who is talking, what they are feeling and so on.

Any additional comments?

My only problem is that first part of epilogue was left out of the audio version. Well, and the problem that book 3 isn't written yet, lol.

Peace

I don’t know what to say here. I love the Kate Daniels & Hidden Legacy series, but I just can’t seem to catch on to this one. While it js interesting to see what Deena can do with her Inn, in general, there was an awful lot of nothing going on for 3/4 of the book. I really didn’t care about any of the character’s trials & tribulations as I couldn’t keep half of them straight in my mind. Things didn’t really pick up until the very end. I wasn’t that impressed with book 1 in the series, but I had a credit lying around & thought I’d give book 2 a chance. Nope, this series just isn’t for me. (Renee Raudmann was fantastic as always!)

Eh

It kinda drug on there was too much detail not enough story line. The ending was great and unexpected though.

**Reviews courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy**

I'm sorry if I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I want to start this review off by once again complimenting the amazing artwork of Doris Mantair. And along with the fantastic cover art Ilona Andrews also commissioned another four pieces of art that are scattered throughout SWEEP IN PEACE. I really wish that more books did that. It's easier to do now that so many people read ebooks, and it brings the story to life a little bit more. Though Ilona Andrews really doesn't need any help bringing the story to life.

Part of what made CLEAN SWEEP a 5 bat book was the unique idea behind the Innkeeper Chronicles. I was a little worried that part of that wonder would've worn off by SWEEP IN PEACE, but that wasn't the case for me. Ilona Andrews continues to add to the world of the Innkeeper Chronicles and keeps the world alive and vibrant.

In CLEAN SWEEP there was a lot of action and fighting since Dina, Sean, and Arland were trying to take down an assassin. However, SWEEP IN PEACE has almost no action or fighting. I love when an author can switch things up like that and still make the book amazing, but some people won't like it. SWEEP IN PEACE is all about court intrigue and politics, because Dina is hosting a peace summit at Gertrude Hunt. Ilona Andrews is constantly keeping you guessing and the pace is still fast and intense, just different from CLEAN SWEEP.

I also loved the romance that was in SWEEP IN PEACE. Now a lot of people will read SWEEP IN PEACE and say that there isn't any romance, and that's because there isn't a ton of interaction between Dina and Sean or Dina and Arland. However, there is a lot of character growth and development related to these romantic relationships. I've always preferred books where an author can pull off an amazing slow burn of a relationship rather than an instant scorching fire. Those relationships are the ones that I get more connected to and invested in because they're more realistic and believable.

Finally, for those of you who read The Edge series, you'll get to see some of your favorite characters again. In CLEAN SWEEP there was just a minor mention of two characters from The Edge, but in SWEEP IN PEACE George, Jack, Gaston, and Lark all play large roles in the story. Don't worry if you haven't read The Edge you won't be confused by anything in SWEEP IN PEACE, but I also highly recommend reading The Edge series if you haven't.

SWEEP IN PEACE is an excellent second installment in the Innkeeper Chronicles, and I can't wait to see what Dina has in store for her next!

Book 2

First book was a read twice book. This novel is a bit of a disappointment after the first one left you wanting more. It was more complicated to keep up with. To many mysteries clashing with each other. Simpler is always better

A Fun Listen Overall

If you could sum up Sweep in Peace in three words, what would they be?

Supernatural B&B vs. Cop

Who was your favorite character and why?

Beast-- the dog :) Every character has their cringey moment, except Beast. He seems to be the only one that understood what is going on.

What three words best describe Renee Raudman’s voice?

Old School Southern.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

One B&B. One cop. Lots of guests.

Any additional comments?

As someone who lives in the South, I didn't think the narration was a good representation of a modern Southern accent. She sounded like a character out of Gone With The Wind, not a young woman in her early 20's. Also, despite the old-school-south accent, it didn't have much of the slang you would hear in southern states like Texas.
That said, you can push past the accent and still be very riveted. I didn't care for how the conflict in the plot resolved, but it was still entertaining. The story overall was fun to listen to.

Struggled to finish

I enjoyed the first book in the seriers but on this second book I struggled to get through long drawn out scenes that didn't contribute to the story and was tempted to fast forward several sections.

2nd in Series Disappointing

I liked the first book, and was looking forward to the 2nd. I noticed others didn't give it as high marks, but didn't want to skip over to the 3rd book. I wish I had now! The story was just awful and slow, and the narrator was annoying. I think there were too many characters for her to voice, and when she wanted to show greater emphasis, she yelled. This one was a waste of my time. I honestly don't think you will miss anything if you skip it and give the 3rd book a try instead.

Loved it! But.....

Where does Sweep in Peace rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I defiantly loved this book! I would say it's not as high as new species series but it's certainly middle/high area

Who was your favorite character and why?

Main character

What didn’t you like about Renee Raudman’s performance?

Her voice!! I can not express myself how much I hated her voice!! The female character in the book is young. But unfortunately they gave her an annoyingly old grandma voice!!! It's that type of voice that really grates at you and athough the book is certainly worth reading the voice ruined for me. I didn't consider stoping half way but pushed on instead.

Any additional comments?

Next I think I might just read the book rather than listening to Rennes voice

May be my favorite Ilona Andrews series

I absolutely lóve the world building in this series. IT somehow manages to mix a slow and relaxed pace with exiting events, a wonderfull main character in an interesting setting

Love Gertrude Hunt and all that dwell within!

I read the very first book and loved it, then I saw that the rest of the series were on here!! So I jumped straight on and listen to the next 2 books fairly quickly.
I love the stories, the characters and plot. These aren't your run of the mill "I know how this ends" type of books! They kept me guessing, engaged and enjoying all of them....so far!!
The Author is awesome and has so many other books and series that I can't wait to start when these are finished.

Heartbreaking in Audible

I have read and re-read this book which is a fine example of the talented Iona Andrews team but I have come to prefer the Audible version. Although, listening to the climatic scene at the end is almost too painful. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing the collective grief into reality. It’s a challenging monologue, beautifully written, which she delivers with a raw gritty feel that is incredibly moving. A lovely, quiet and respectful happy ending for those who (like me) prefer to leave a book with a smile on their face.

Laugh and cry

i dont know how long it has been since i enjoyed a book so much this is the top of the list book 2 of the series the narrater Renee Raudman has a wonderful way of telling the story you can laugh at some of the antics and have some tissues ready for near the end well worth the 5 stars

Second time Marathon listening

I had read and listened to it before and this was another marathon. love the author , love the voice actress

Better than the first one, still slight

I'm attempting to like this series while I wait for more Hidden Legacy novels. This book is definitely better than the first, but I'm still finding these stories surprisingly slight. This one has almost no personal development for our Inn Keeper - just the story of coping with her next set of guests. Her romance doesn't really move on nor does her search for her parents. It's engaging, but feels insubstantial. The narrator is okay, if you know Ilona Andrews audiobooks, you'll know Rennee Raudman does most of them. I'm not a fan, but I've trained myself to bear her.

Brilliant

Thoroughly enjoyed the reading and storyline. The characters are so believable and I could not wait to get the next book.

Sweep in Peace

This is a great story of how everyone is needed to make peace. Read brilliantly again by Renee Raudman.

I think I may be addicted

I'm really enjoying this series, more and more. They're different, interesting and keep you holding on till the very last word.

This is book two, I'm off to see if there's a book three