I've enjoyed this author's work for several years now.

I should have known I'd love the mess that is Kate Kane. The mystery is messily intricate, and the cast of characters is, um. Unique. I'm gonna go with unique. :) Nothing is easy but that's the way Kate (usually) likes it. I did not expect to enjoy the sex scenes so much, but they're short and sweet and often funny, and that's a perfect trifecta for me.

I'm not sure I understood more than half of the various mechanisms of this series's universe, but I will settle for entertaining. ( )

I don't know what is so off putting in this book.

Yeah, I rated it 3 stars, but it lost a lot of points over the course of the story, starting with the heroine falling for the vampire without any real reason to - the vampire, Julian, Vampire Prince and former ninja nun, really isn't all that interesting. She's more background noise and damsel in distress, which, given she's one of the four big vampire big shots in London does little to enhance her rep, than anything else.

Kate Kane, herself, is actually a boring character for all that she's the daughter of the head of the Wild Hunt, and is, therefore, half fae. Not that she lingers much over this fact, she's not really too fond of her mother. Her taste in bed partners leave a lot to be desired, with the exception of Nimue, who I think would be fun to follow as a primary character. Patrick, "the psychotic ex", is another piece of work entirely.

I will give Mr. Hall kudos for writing some of the most gag-worthy descriptions I've come across in a long time and hope to never read again. For the sake of all of our meals, future/present, I will not share these descriptions with you, though I will warn you about fae kings getting thrown down into an English sewer pit and waiting 800 years for their revenge. The results are not pretty, by a long shot. ( )

I will be posting this review to my blog on September 7, 2019!

Queer, marvelous, dangerous and hilarious! This is a perfect beginning to a PI series! – Kinzie Things

Full disclosure: Alexis Hall is one of my favorite authors. Most of the time, I find myself wanting to read certain genres or certain “types” of plot. After reading Iron & Velvet I now know that I will happily read anything that Alexi Hall writes.

Kate Kane is a part-fae, kick-ass, bit-of-a-disaster, lesbian private investigatory. If that’s not enough to interest you, Kate has a vampire ex-boyfriend who stalks her (and watches her sleep), an assistant who may be reconstituted marble, a love-interest who is both witty and debauched (and also kick-ass), and a murder case to solve. The case is going to be a challenge that is the supernatural-bitey-attacky kind!

“That made it me, my dickhead ex, a celibate incubus, the most fabulous man in fangs, an indestructible Geat, a shape-shifting toff, and someone who’s already tried to kill both me and the person we were trying to rescue. We’d got to seven after all. Still a bit light on magnificence, though.” – Kate in Iron & Velvet by Alexis Hall

I absolutely loved this book. There were several times when I was laughing out loud and had to set the book down to explain to my partner what was going on. Yes, this novel is a little over-the-top, and yes I absolutely recommend it. It’s kind of like a mash-up of a stream of consciousness and supernatural crime-fighters.

Kate’s life is a bit of a mess. Her business partner is dead… and the whole history behind it seems convoluted. I’m hoping that this is the kind of hanging thread that Hall will tug on in future installments of this series. While Kate is pretty funny, there’s a hint of resignation about her that is a bit sad. Of course, she has sworn off vampires when she meets Julian – the devastatingly beautiful and enticing female Prince of Vampires connected to a murder. Of course, Kate’s intrigued and has trouble sticking to her own swearing off of said supernatural creatures.

Patrick, the vampire ex-boyfriend turned stalker, has absolutely got to be a swipe at the Cullen type of vampire from the-books-that-shall-not-be-named. Patrick is fiercely devoted to Kate and has been for far longer than they were actually together. He’s both a hindrance and an inevitability in Kate’s life but I couldn’t help being amused every time he appeared.

More than anything… it’s just the writing that makes my heart happy. It’s the little things…

“I finished my coffee and gamely ate a banana. They’re basically mush held together with stringy bits. And Eve once told me they were technically nuts, which blew my mind. Then she told me that peanuts weren’t nuts. And then I dumped her. Though not, admittedly, for a couple of years.” – Kate in “Iron & Velvet” by Alexis Hall

Alexis Hall? You get me. So much wit and humor in one action-packed book is good for my soul. Cannot wait for more of this series. ( )

3.5

Really interesting setting but I could have done with a bit more world building, I felt kind of lost with all the Princes and Knights and Kings and whatnot. But Kate was fabulous. Great humor and snark. ( )

4.5
I have heard so many great things about this series and I'm pleased to say most of them held true. I really enjoyed this. It was funny, irreverent, witty and occasionally just a little naughty—all good things in my books. But I had a few complaints.

There is a lot of backstory that left me feeling like I had missed a first book or something. I eventually caught on, but the details were a bit slow in coming. I'm never overly joyed to start a book and find repeated references to characters I don't know.

Also, though I appreciate that this is F/F paranormal romance slash urban fantasy (the first such book I've ever read), I thought that the lesbian card was over played. It seriously felt like every woman, or at least every powerful woman in London must be Sapphic and every one of them was extremely forward and trying to seduce Kate. It kind of felt like the same shtick played over and over.

Plus, if I'm honest, I don't think the sex contributed as much as it should have. It all felt a little abrupt and abortive in the end—kiss, kiss, maybe lick, pinch, BITE, done; no significant build up or notable climax. meh.

What I liked, I really liked though. Kate was sarcastic and clever in a self-deprecating kind of way. She's self assured and willing to admit she's winging it most of the time. She's strong without being unbelievably so. (Characters often become caricatures if they're guaranteed to win every battle with ease.) Mostly I just laughed a lot. I really fell for Hall's writing style and sense of humour. It's as acerbic as Kate is and I'm a sucker for that. Plus, all of the running jokes, like "here lies Kate Kane..." and repeat/compounding lists, for example cracked me up.

An all out success. I can't wait to read book two, Shadows & Dreams. ( )