ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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IRON AND MAGIC Cover Reveal and Preorder Link

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This was a long time coming. The first book of the Iron Covenant Trilogy.

Boom!

Cover of Iron and Magic
Click the image to enlarge

Preorder link: Amazon | BN | iTunes | Kobo

A closeup

Close Up of Hugh and Elara

And we have a wallpaper for you.

Wallapepr for Iron and Magic
Click to enlarge

Credit where credit is due:

Gene Mollica, the amazing artist behind the image: Twitter | Instagram

Andy Peeke, who modeled Hugh D’Ambray: Twitter | Instagram

Jam Murphy, who modeled Elara Harper: Twitter | Instagram

If you like the cover, please drop them a line and tell them they did an awesome job.

We also would like to thank Natanya Wheeler of Nancy Yost Literary Agency, who acted as our cover designer and did an amazing job.  Thank you, Natanya.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. Amazing (and pre-order done)!!! I don’t do either Instagram or Twitter – but fantastic job by all!!

  8. Wow what a great treat for the end of my very long day. Pre ordered! Now I can count down the days.

  10. I can’t wait! My husband is also a huge fan, but he only listens to the audiobooks. Is this one going to be recorded, too? If so, do you have any idea on when it might be available? He’s dying to get it. We both love your books so much. Thank you for sharing these wonderful stories with us. 😀

    • Yes, the audio is in the works. It might be a bit behind the e and print release, but it is coming.

      • Oh goody, delighted to hear there will be a print release too. I’ve already pre-ordered the e book and will also pre-order the print version as soon as it’s available. The cover artwork is wonderful. Since I don’t do Facebook or Instagram please pass on my admiration to all who participated in its creation.

        Anne in Virginia

      • Yay!

        (I just spent a somewhat ridiculous amount of time determining that animated gifs that aren’t too large and that I know I have the rights to really aren’t the right mood. I need to work up some dancing slugs stat.)

      • Thank you so much! Even if it’s behind the print and e books, it’s so worth the wait.

  12. So if I’ve learned anything about Ilona Andrews’ covers, it’s that everything means something. There’s falling oak and maple leaves, what looks like electrical wiring going to the castle, a suspicious looking tornado-like storm, and a not-charging-forward Hugh. Hmm… This is going to be some ride!

    • Power lines down, lighting rods on the roof peaks of the fortress… It’s going to be an *interesting* story!

  13. This cover looks AWESOME!!!!! Hugh looks broodingly sexy, and the White a Warlock looks as strong as I imagined. Boom! Preorder done! I’m so freaking psyched for this.

  14. Beautiful cover! I can’t wait to read it and am going to go preorder it right now!

  19. Whoa! Dark and intense!! And I really loved seeing the end result versus the modeling!

  21. It could be a plain white page and I’d be happy because I can place a preorder. Woot for Blood and Magic!!!

  22. The cover is stunning and absolute perfection! Have pre-ordered from amazon.ca — can’t wait!

  25. I buy at my local independent boomstore and they don’t do the preorder, but the day it hits shelves I will be the first in line! I have always liked Hugh. ?

  26. Hugh is giving me is giving me Hugh Jackman’s version of Van Helsing vibes.

  28. The cover is very dark, but that suits Hugh pretty well. he hero standing like that makes me think of Inigo Montoya, and is ready for vengeance. That is a great thing. 🙂

    Yeah pre-order!

  30. Great cover! Not quite how I imagined Hugh in my mind, but my mental pictures are always a bit skewed….

    • What I was thinking. Not quite how I pictured Hugh but I still love the cover.

        • Read the excerpt. The long hair makes sense considering what he has been doing for the last few months. 🙂

        • It’s not the length, it’s the bounce. Those are some unexpectedly luscious locks…

          Takes a bit of getting used to- check.
          Still absolutely love – check.

  32. Love the cover. Congrats for all the hard work put ??
    Preorder done for kindle on UK Amazon and I will get the audio later too

  33. This is a full-length book that’s part of a trilogy??! I though t it was just a novella or 1 stand-alone. whaaa?!?!?!

    • They just can’t help themselves — Sweep of the Blade was intended to be a novella, too, and we’re getting a second trilogy out of Hidden Legacy…. As long as stories occur to them and life lets them write, we’re the beneficiaries.

      • I really love how the relationships develop when it’s a trilogy. No ridiculous insta-love. Everything feels much more organic and meaningful.

        I just re-read HL and restarted kate yesterday. The way those relationships develop are awesome!

    • And we like it. We get “invested” in the people and their world(s) and we don’t want to leave…

  34. Awesome cover! I’m not on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, so please pass on the great job to everyone message. ?

    I’ll check to see if I can pre-order on Barnes and Noble after writing this reply. If I can, I will. Yippee!

  37. The cover is fabulous! The models and mood are striking. I have pre-ordered; can’t wait.

  39. Sweet! I love it! The models and artist did great. very cool. Clicked and ordered. 😀

  40. That cover promises a lot! I’ll be checking B&N hourly! And, the best part (for me), it’s a trilogy!!! Wheeee!!!

  41. Once I got over the shock of seeing Hugh’s hair (since I still remember the behind-the-scenes video earlier), I have to say I quite love it. All that red on the cover makes it feel bloody and dangerous.

    A question: is there a reason we don’t outright say “Book 1 of the Iron Covenant Trilogy” on the cover? I ask because I’ve experienced buying a book (not by our authors here) thinking it was a standalone work, only to be (not pleasantly) surprised to learn that it’s actually part of a series. The book itself was great and I ended up getting the rest of the series, but it was a mismatch in expectations that could have been avoided by proper labeling.

    Looking forward to the release date!

  42. !!!! Pre order done! Awesome cover. I hope I don’t offend when I say I like these and the latest Kate covers soooo much better than the Legacy covers. (Even though Legacy is my favorite series) Hugh totally fits what I have always imagined him to look like. Zoomed in on Elara- she reminds me of Belle from Once Upon a Time with white hair. She’s fierce! They look awesome.
    Soooo …Trilogy ehh. I’m so intrigued how that story is gonna play out against the wrap up of Kate 10. Might we get some cross over/cameos from Kate’s digs even after wrap up or is this gonna be pretty solidly stand alone series in the same world?
    Either way I’m totally there…just curious 🙂

  43. Smokin’ hot! Love the juxtaposition of the dark brooding and the powerful light. Intense!

  44. I LOVE this cover. LOVE! It’s my favorite of all your covers.

    I know it’s only a chance but crossing my fingers the audio reader is Grace Draven’s MOC guy.

  45. Cover is fabulous. I am going to go ruin my book budget for this book. I already had a book ordered for the 26th. Oh, well, “it’s only money.” And it’s worth it. I will get the ebook from Amazon and the hard copy from Murder by the Book. (I can preorder there, too, but it’s more time consuming.)
    Thank you for your usual fabulous job. I’m going to enjoy the dickens out of this book!

    • Books, food, books, food……..Who needs to eat, I’m sure we can all afford to skip a few meals!

  46. Oh yes, WILL Murder by Book have dead tree books? I know it’s a self pub print on demand?

  48. Can’t wait to read it! Already have a day off booked in. Looking forward to a great relax day *^.^*

  49. Just hoping that Ilona and Gordon aren’t super hardcore April fools fans and set all of this up just to say “Ha! Gotcha!!! April fools!!!”

    I mean, who has time to write another book with all that’s going on in their lives??

    I’m not being an Eyore. I swear.

  50. Pre-ordered. Of course. Was there any doubt?

    p.s. I am loving the Sweep story with Atlanta and Maud. I’m sorry if I missed this but will it come out as an e-book in the end?

  51. Not really how I see the characters in my head but I really love the background. The colors really pop and give you a a feel of the conflict brewing. Such a great use of detail. Can’t wait to get my hands on the book.

      • Yep, me too, being very sensitive and diplomatic about it….
        I am sure the book will be ace !!!

        • all this thing. It’s a shame the art has made the model look _less_ athletic, but it’s a kindle book so!

          • Hugh is supposed to be this muscular, powerful guy. Perhaps the costume hides the model’s physique. The background and atmospherics are great.

            • Remember he has been cut off from Roland’s power for a while (at least one year?) He has also been doing nothing but drinking and feeling sorry for himself for months. That all is bound to show.

              • I meant Elara, hugh is all covered with armour and that. The hugh is obviously prettier than headcanon but the elara depiction is the most jatring for me. It’s a book cover though and given that, it’s pretty great. A lot of scifi/fantasy covers bear no resemblance at all to the content..

                • The characters as portrayed on the cover are true to the content of the book. Hugh is handsome but not well groomed. Elara is not particularly athletic and wears dresses. 🙂 Given that we wrote the cannon, we are the ultimate authority on it.

                  • I thought she boinged around the woods all spiderman like – but actually she does it with magic doesn’t she!

  52. Will preorder right now! I am looking forward to it. I know there can be no guarantees, but will Renee Raudman be the narrator or did you find somebody else?

  54. Awesome cover, check
    Suspenseful story we’ve been teased with, check…
    Pre-order? Hell yes!

    Thank you so much! Yay!

    • +1
      I think the preorder goes live alittle later on. The uk amazon site. Week look out for it.
      Brilliant cover. Very dark and mysterious

    • Clearly the Amazon (USA) pre-order button is working perfectly on day 2 of the pre-sale:

      Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
      #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Witches & Wizards
      #1 in Books > Romance > Paranormal
      #1 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Romantic

      Congratulations to our favourite authors, to their effective agent, to their wise publishers, to the models, photographers, and artists involved in making that clothed cover (they heard the complaints about the shirtless Hidden Legacy ones, and responded), and congratulations to us, who are getting a Kate Daniels spin-off trilogy out of an April Fools Day joke. Life is very good, indeed.

      • Now if Barnes and Noble would get the book up on its website for pre-order………..

      • Yes this. The depiction of Hugh is perfect, except I too have somehow never pictured him with such long hair, but I’m ready to adapt to that (I’ve been abstaining from the snippets because I want to the book to be a surprise for me). The cloak, the sword, the humongous hands, the dark smouldering intense stare. Looks like Hugh to me.

        • You have much, much more willpower than I will ever have…. I see a snippet and do my funky convulsing chicken dance whilst screaming my head off and then promptly devour whatever has been written.

          I can see the appeal of waiting, really I can, I just can’t manage that level of self control…

    • Definitely. It’s set to be a proper trilogy and they’re doing it through an agency. Now my only concern is how quickly they can produce the audiobook. XD

      P.S. No pressure, Authorlords, we know you just got done submitting the final Draft. We can happily stew a few months in anticipation.

  60. 3 am and couldn’t sleep. Saw the email about a new blog post, jumped on, clicked the preorder link. Score!

    BTW, it’s already #1 in several Kindle categories, and it’s only been up for a few hours. The Horde has voted!

  61. Oh my. Hugh wasn’t this hot in my head. Been eagerly awaiting the preorder button. Fabulous cover! Just goes to show that your covers would be awesome if you were allowed to do them yourselves 😉

    • Oh Hugh was definitely that hot in my head, though I was imagining his hair much shorter or maybe pulled back. However, due to what happened prior to this book, I can see why he looks more disheveled.

  63. The image as a whole is gorgeous. I’m just not too sure about the male model’s hairstyle. Andy Peeke is a gorgeous lad, but this long do doesn’t do anything for him. On Insta, he still has short hair, so this is either a wig or it is photoshopped on? Just wished they kept his hair the way it was.

    But other than that, it’s great.

    • …..but Hugh has long hair so it matches the description. Hugh is also described as handsome so that fits too ? I know some folks are saying the cover doesn’t fit the image they created in their mind’s eye when reading the book – that is pretty normal — but Andy Peeke, with short or long hair, works for me ?

      • And there is the convention that for cover shots people have their hair all loose and flowing, whether this would be practical for them on any kind of regular basis.

          • Drama! Flowing things! It’s right up there with clothing blowing dramatically in the wind. And heavens knows that women being pictured/filmed with their hair loose is part of our visual language. I for one am all for equal opportunity hair porn. (Especially considering how disreputable and forbidding he looks. Also, I want to steal his coat…!)

  64. Wow – awesome art and bam; pre-ordered.

    Only 48 or 49 sleeps to go (in Australia).

  65. I get what the cover’s message is sending about place. The place is in Kate’s Universe. Magic up, rips things up. Magic down, we can drive to town. Yes, very well done.

  66. Wow!!!!
    What news to wake up to and of course preordered directly- one thing off my to do list.
    And congratulations for turning in the manuscript with so much else going on- amazing things coming our way that you hinted at like the tunnel, the moat, the big battle, and the whole book really, sigh…
    Cover is fascinating to behold after seeing your posts on its production it really shows how much creative energy went into this from everyone involved.

  68. I don’t know how to twitter or instagram,,, but that is a lovely cover..
    Thank you.

  70. Preorder done. LOVE this cover and the interpretation of Hugh for where he’s been in recent months. Love the thematic elements and mood. So much smolder!! Powers of light and dark. Can hardly wait for release. I am on IG under my studio name and will pop over to root for each of them with my thanks. This is fabulous. Hugh’s story, at last. Thank you!!!

  71. Awesome ?

    I imaged Hugh with short hair but since his split with Roland I guess he’s gone a little wild ? but I like it. Elara looks just as I imagined.

  72. Just wondered, will there be a way to buy a print of the cover, suitable for framing? I know David Mattingly sells signed and numbered prints of covers he does for Baen. I’ve bought a couple of them that were from books in Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden series that I especially liked and I especially like the cover of IRON AND MAGIC. It would make a nifty framed print. Do you have a link to the cover artist to inquire or do you own the full rights to the artwork print yourselves?

    Anne in Virginia

    PS I checked Amazon first thing this morning and IRON AND MAGIC is #37 in the top 100 kindle sales and #1 in all three of its sub categories. Wow, we the BDH are mighty and had a busy evening pre-ordering.

  73. I really like their poses and the colors and layout. It will really stand out!

  75. Very dramatic and arresting cover! Definitely sets a mood!! So excited about the book, and can’t wait to see what delicious surprises you have in store for us in it! Glad to see how well it is doing in the rankings already. The BDH has spoken, hear us roar!!! ?

  77. Wow! Love be the cover. Very edgy and definitely can see the conflict brewing.
    …And did you say a trilogy? Yaay!

  78. Hugh’s giving off a darker vibe than I ever imagined – me likey!!! I always imagined him as more military/uptight in appearance. Sorry if I missed a previous post – any update on audiobook narrators?

  80. Love it! Cover Hugh is more brooding and forbidding than anticipated but that’s not a bad thing!!! Just pre ordered on Amazon UK! Yay!!

  81. Iron & Magic is flying off the virtual shelf in Canada, in less than 24 hours. We are a small population, but with many voracious readers. I imagine BS Rank number will only get higher as news gets out. Congratulations.

    Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #46 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
    #1 in Books > Romance > Paranormal > Witches & Wizards
    #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Witches & Wizards
    #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Urban

  82. CONGRATULATIONS on finishing and the FABULOUS cover!!! SO looking forward to it!!

  85. Thank you Ilona and Gordon for sharing the photo shoot for the cover. It’s fascinating to see how the process works. I can see the photo shoot pictures in my mind’s eye and see how they were the basis for the cover art. So cool!

  86. Love the cover – really sets the time for the book. Looking forward to reading it. Have preordered, of course!

  89. I am so happy to have ordered. Thank you so much. The models are gorgeous. I appreciate all their hard work too.

  90. Wowww ……
    I remember your post about the photo shoot and your description of the models/positions. WOW ? they did a really job !!!!

    PS I don’t have Instagram or Twitter, could you just pass along my WOW ? for me?

    • “PS I don’t have Instagram or Twitter, could you just pass along my WOW ? for me?”

      Me, too!

    • Ilona, I tried to take your test you had posted on your Blog the other day, but since I’m not on any of those accounts I was unable to complete it. Sorry ?, it was good of you to try to include us in the fun anyway.

      • I finally figured out why I didn’t get a result on the quiz/test posted on the Blog, I must of missed one of the questions, so I didn’t get my place in Kate’s world the other day when I first tried. Now I know …… The Pack.

  91. As soon as I saw the picture, I focused on Hugh’s nose and immediately thought about Kate breaking it during their sparring bout. Ouch! Great cover. Can’t wait to read the book. I could never see Hugh as a redeemable character, but from the snippets, I’ve definitely reconsidered.

  92. Lovely cover! Tho I was curious how the sticking out leg pose that was in video was going to be translated into the cover. Did not get to see that. Nice job everybody. Thank you and Authorlords and team.

  93. You must be so happy to “birth” this baby. Very excited to see what this new series is all about. Another awesome job by our benevolent Authorlords!

  94. Sorry, but I haven’t figured out how to Twitter or Instagram, but I really like the cover.

    Thank you Gena Mollica; the images are enough to pull me into the story even without IA name on it.

    Andy Peeke, you make me wonder if I had Hugh wrong all this time, but still look menacing enough to leave some doubt.

    Jam Murphy, I love your look; you look as if your character could give Hugh a run for his life!

    Natanya Wheeler, thank you for all the design elements. The cover is beautiful.

  95. If you could give us a heads up when the print version is available that would be fantastic!!!!!!

  96. The Barnes and Noble pre-order link is up and running. Checked that off my list of to-dos!!! Yeah!!

    • For all Nook lovers out there…for me to find Iron and Magic on B&N’s website I had to search under “Iron and Magic” instead of Ilona Andrews. Wont is correct…the link is up. 😀

      Pre-ordered…boom! By the way, B&N thinks I have great taste for pre-ordering the book. I think so too.

  97. I like the cover. It is fun to see after the sneak peek at the photo shoot. I think the models are believable as these characters.

    Also, I’m thrilled they are wearing clothes.

  98. The video footage had Elara in front, but I think it is appropriate that, dastardly villain though he is (er, was?), Hugh should be in front for the first book. We know something about him, we’ve never met her. Maybe we have despised him, and his actions, but he has always stood out among the rest.

  99. Wowzers! Great cover – gorgeous guy, gorgeous gal, love the whole look. Great job by all involved. Already preordered. Can’t wait!

  100. Congratulations!! I know you’ve worked hard on both the manuscript and putting together a great book including this cover and I hope the sales reflect proper BDH appreciation.

    FYI: I have money at BNN that I’m trying to burn through so thought what a great opportunity to pre-order your books from there but it’s not working for me. I tried ordering Diamond Fire weeks ago and there it still sits, in my cart. Tried again just now and same thing happened with both books even though it seems like my pre-order went through. So don’t know if you feel like your pre-order sales through BNN are low but there is something whacked with their system.

  101. What a fabulous cover!! And I think I broke my one-click finger, hitting the button so hard . . . .

    June is going to be AWESOME!!

  108. Gorgeous cover! The characters look perfect, exactly as I would picture them, with Hugh looking handsome, but battle- and life-hardened. So many times there’s what looks like a 22 year old GQ model on covers. Same with Elara – they took a young, pretty model and made her look a little older, sexier, and mysterious. Great job Gene Mollica, and Ilona and Gordon!

  111. Can’t wait for the book. Not wild about the cover. All the loose, bushy hair seems all wrong for a swordsman.

    • Me too. I’m sorry but it’s not my favorite. I like the new Kate covers – they’re “real” somehow, this one is a little like the first Kate covers.
      And I loved the models. I just don’t buy the outcome.
      Maybe it’s just that the Hugh I pictured in my mind looks completely different and Elara in my imagination looks more sharp.
      For me they don’t look real and I’m not the fan of the whole red around them.

      But I’m a big fan of all your books so I will buy this one too for sure 🙂

      • Yes. He doesn’t look like the high in my head either. But I kinda like it. But I do want to attack him with a hair brush. 🙂

  112. I can’t wait to read Hugh’s story, I’m even more excited by the idea that it’s the start of a trilogy too! So many exciting books to look forward to from you guys 🙂

    I’m assuming it’s because this is self published that the paperback isn’t available for preorder? If memory serves me correctly the paperback usually appears just before or on release day but I’ll definitely be watching for it & I’ll probably end up getting the kindle version too so I don’t have to wait to read it LOL

  113. Wow! What an amazing, intense cover. I was a bit torn about this becoming a real novel. Loved the April fools joke, but a real book? With Hugh? The snippets were winning me over and now with this cover I can’t wait.

  114. I know you hate cover comments but I kinda miss the guy from the April’s Fool day cover. I have a thing for arm muscles!

  117. Love how both characters look real. Not a stick thin female with giant gravity-defying boobs.

  119. Loving Elara! Her pose and outfit are awesome and so much character and strength in her close up. Hugh’s costume is fabulous and the close up is smoulder-licious. Can already picture them snarling at each other toe to toe…

  120. Oh boy. That is one gorgeous cover. I can’t come up with a single complaint. And I tried. 😀

  122. Oh Holy! What a cover! Elena is just right. But Hugh? You really, really should have set him up as Raphael.

  123. Which site will give you the most royalties? Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, or another site? I want to buy from whoever will give you the biggest piece of pie on June 26th. 🙂

  124. I found the release date on the Amazon pre-order link (June 26, 2018 ), but I’d love to see a place on the drop down menu for Up and Coming works in progress so that when there’s a lot coming up I can check on upcoming release dates etc without combing back though the posts after I forget. For example I think I pre-ordered the linking novella coming next in the burn for me series, but I can’t find the post to check for a date. Might y’all consider such a link? I know there’s supposed to be something like it, but the up-coming book and novella information often doesn’t show up under Books.? Maybe it’s because I have to use the mobile website?

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