Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews

Sweep with Me (Innkeeper Chronicles, #3.5)

by Ilona Andrews

A charming, short novella in the Innkeeper Chronicles, from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ilona Andrews. 

Thank you for joining us at Gertrude Hunt, the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, during the Treaty Stay. As you know, we are honor-bound to accept all guests during this oldest of innkeeper holidays and we are expecting a dangerous guest. Or several. But have no fear. Your safety and comfort is our first priority. The inn and your hosts, Dina Demille and Sean Evans, will defend you at all costs. [But we hope we don’t have to.]

Every winter, Innkeepers look forward to celebrating their own special holiday, which commemorates the ancient treaty that united the very first Inns and established the rules that protect them, their intergalactic guests, and the very unaware/oblivious people of [planet] Earth. By tradition, the Innkeepers welcomed three guests: a warrior, a sage, and a pilgrim, but during the holiday, Innkeepers must open their doors to anyone who seeks lodging. Anyone.

All Dina hopes is that the guests and conduct themselves in a polite manner. But what’s a holiday without at least one disaster?

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

5 of 5 stars

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Sweep With Me is the latest in the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews (Ilona and Andrew Gordon). It’s a holiday novella, which means it’s all sweet and endearing and was really the perfect gift from our wonderful authors.
Following the events of One Fell Sweep, Dina and her inn are facing a little bit of a backlash. Combine that with the upcoming Treat Stay, and it’s safe to say that she has a lot on her hands. The Treat Stay means that Dina must accept any and all who come staying at the inn (minus unknowing humans, that is). Including those the Assembly sends her way.

“No innkeeper could turn away a guest during Treaty Stay unless that guest had been banned from the inns.”

I was completely overjoyed when I heard that we were going to be getting a holiday novella set in the Innkeeper world. I was even more excited to hear that we were heading back to earth to see more of Dina and Sean!
Sweep With Me was a fun and sweet novella. It was everything I could have hoped for, and then some. I don’t think I realized how much I had missed Dina until I started reading her story once again. Now I kind of want to go back and reread the rest of the series…
There was a lot to love in this novella. First, there’s the obvious; the Inn and all of the characters that fill it. Then there was the plot, which was a delightful balance of whimsy and intensity. It was fascinating to learn more about the Treaty Stay, and to see a bit more of the Innkeeper’s traditions.
Seeing Sean and Dina working together in the inn was certainly another plus. I had been wondering how that was going to work, and I feel like all of my questions have been answered. So thank you for that!
The foreshadowing of the main antagonist was brilliantly done. The tones that Ilona Andrews leaned on here were as old as time, and thus they’re something that many of us can feel a resonance with. That added connection took the plot to a new height, and added impact to the final battle. In short; it was perfect.
I know it’s going to be quite some time before we see another Innkeeper novel. Since we know what Ilona Andrews will be working on in the meantime, I’m totally okay with that. But I will admit that I love this series, and will miss it in the meantime. I think I’m going to have to go back and reread the entire series again, to help cope with that bit of loss. But it’ll be worth it!

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 20 January, 2020: Reviewed