Review of Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrew - this book is made of awesomeness!

Title: Magic Bleeds
Author: Ilona Andrews
Pages: 349 Pages, Paperback
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Standalone/Series: Series-book 4 (3 previous books + novella out already)
Release:  Already Out
Publisher: Ace
Purchased by me
Author info: Ilona and Gordon Andrews website (they also have Curran POV snippets that I recommend checking out after reading the book)
 Spoiler Alert: for previous books and some small plot spoilers
GoodReads Blurb: Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic. When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it rose. Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community. When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father. This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family… 

I'm going to join the litany of urban fantasy book bloggers out there and say that this book is made of awesomeness! The Kate Daniels series is one of my favorites and this addition to the series I would say is the best so far. Kate is such a great heroine - she is tough and true to her friends and beliefs - even if it goes against how her step-father, Voron, raised her. And man is Kate put to the test in this book on so many different levels - her relationship or lack thereof with Curran is called into question as well as her position at the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid. Kate also has to face the worse kind of enemy to her - family. After all her years of hiding and training, her family finally catches up to her and she has to face them or leave Atlanta. But by now we know Kate well enough to know she would never abandon her friends and she stays in Atlanta to fight her enemies and of course fight with Curran a little more too.

This book starts with quite the mystery - besides why Curran didn't show up to their special dinner date - Kate shows up on the scene of a bar fight that turns into a potential plague outbreak. No one knows how the bar fight loser became the next patient zero for a blooming plague of syphilis and Kate is hard pressed to contain it. As Kate delves deeper into the mystery of the plagues, she begins to be concerned that Atlanta and her and the Pack are targets of an ancient god. One of my favorite parts of this series is the mythology interwoven into the story and the mythology comes into play as Kate begins to research who or what could be at fault for the plagues. Along the way Kate picks up another potential family member and it was a shining moment of Kate's humor and snarkiness as she deals with her new family member.

My favorite part of this book though were the Curran filled parts. He's his usual pissy, uptight, controlling, alpha sexy self. Which pairs with explosive results with Kate's stubborn and abrasive attitude. These two could just as easily tear each other apart as make love to each other and I think that is what makes their relationship so compelling - can they compromise to make the relationship work? And really can Kate let someone into her life that will become such a big target for her father? As it says on Ilona Andrews website "This is the book where Kate and Curran decide".  Enough said - I don't want to give anything away!

5 out of 5 stars - the Kate Daniels series is made of awesomeness!

 This book also gets the giant microbes stamp of approval for the 

true life portrayal of bad-ass magical plague!