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Light hearted and refreshing Clean Sweep is a delightful and highly entertaining read. And I’ll be sure to add other books by the writing duo known as Ilona Andrews to my growing to-read list.

All in all, Clean Sweep is a trip! Unexpected, humorous, sarcastic and fast paced; this urban fantasy, gory details aside, had me giggling late at night. I couldn’t help but love the heroine – Dina the Innkeeper. She was feisty, determined, and self-sufficient [just the way I like my heroines to be]. Add to that a couple of impetuous alpha males, one werewolf, the other vampire; and you know there’s bound to be plenty of fun exchanges between these three [and if your thoughts immediately jump to Twilight, rest assured that these novels have very little in common]. Truly, even the ever annoying love triangle works charmingly well here, creating the needed tension between the heroine and her two would-be suitors and comrades-in-arms, as well as offering plenty of comic relief. The dialog alone was one of the bigger highlights for me; still there are plenty of other enjoyable aspects as well.

“Mhm,” Arland said. “I have spent my spare time studying literature popular with young women of this planet. One should always study the battlefield.”
Sean glanced at him. “And?”
“I suggest you give up now. According to my research, in a vampire-werewolf love triangle, the vampire always gets the girl.” Clean Sweep (p. 224).

Sarcasm and flirting aside, Clean Sweep is less of a romance novel and much more a sci-fi fantasy adventure with a bit of mystery and plenty of laughs, think a cross between Men in Black and popular paranormal fiction. The world building is unique and the characters are original, from a magical inn which can be a character in its own right, to alien races and their often uneasy politics, a very adorable “devil” dog, and plenty of bloodthirsty and vengeful villains. If you are an urban fantasy fan then Clean Sweep should be on your to-read list – no excuses; and even if you are not, you still should check it out and be thoroughly entertained by this quick, quirky, and satisfying read.

Recommended