Review: Dream Team of Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 7, 2011
As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get any better than combining short stories from my two favorite UF series and I'd love to see them in future anthologies together.  Before you decide to purchase, however, be aware that these two short stories were already published previously.  A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews was previously published in Dark and Stormy Nights and is the prequel to the Kate Daniels series where we see how Kate meets the infamous Saiman.  One for the Money by Jeaniene Frost was previously published in Death's Excellent Vacation and picks up after the events of Destined for an Early Grave where Cat and Bones are supposed to be on vacation but end up on bodyguard duty for a wealthy heiress.  It goes without saying that each short story is up to their usual quality writing, sarcasm, wit, humor and danger.In A Questionable Client, Kate Daniels, long before Magic Bites happens, is working for the Mercenary Guild and is offered a highly paid job to protect a client for the next 24 hours.  She questions not only that other guild members have declined the job, but the two people currently assigned have also quit, but being dirt poor, she can't say no to the money. When she gets to her destination she finds herself in a very posh apartment with a very secretive Saiman chained to his bed with a distended belly.  While trying to assess the danger that he's in, the apartment is assaulted time and time again and Kate has to defend Saiman, undeservedly, while figuring out why they want him in the first place.  The dialogue is great, the fight scenes fantastic, and the history between Kate and Saiman completely explained.In One for the Money, Cat & Bones are pulled off vacation by Cat's uncle Don.  It turns out he needs their help protecting an old friend's spoiled heiress who's life is in danger from her cousin since he stands to inherit all of her money upon her death.  As they investigate where the danger will come from next, Cat and Bones lure a trap for the assassins only to find themselves ambushed and in completely dire circumstances.  The threat to Cat in this short story is one of the best in the series and Cat and Bones still manage to sneak in a sexy rendezvous which fans simply never tire of.In addition to these stories, we also get a very sizeable sneak peek at Ilona Andrew's next Edge novel as well as the first three chapters of the next novella starring Kate and Curran.  You can read part of it on their website, but these chapters include more than what I've seen online including scenes with Ghastek.  Even more tantalizing are the previews for Jeaniene's next two stories, a gripping three chapters preview for a novella starring Cat and Bones, and best of all, a look into Once Burned, the first of the new Night Prince series featuring our favorite, Vlad Tepesh, and it looks fantastic.  Having read the short stories before, I have to say, I was more thrilled about the previews, but as a compilation, Magic Graves is a must for impatient fans such as myself.