ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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Surprise Snippet

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Some moments in life you remember forever. 

One time, when I was five, my parents told me that we were going on a trip.  I looked outside the window, at the grey November sky smothered with clouds, and decided that I wasn’t going. My dad brought me a pair of aviator shades, then he took my right hand and my mom took my left, and together we walked down a long hallway deep into our inn.  At the end of the hallway an ordinary door waited. We reached it, it swung open, and summer exhaled heat in my face.  I shut my eyes against the bright light, and when I opened them, we stood on a street paved with stone.  Tall terraced buildings rose on both side of us, and straight ahead, where the alley ran into a street, a current of creatures in every color and shape possible surged past the merchant stalls while a shattered planet looked at them from a purple sky.

Then there was the time when I first arrived at my own inn.  It was early spring. The trees stood mostly bare except for the evergreen Texas oaks that only dropped their leaves when they felt like it.  I had driven slowly, looking for the right address, and when the old Victorian came into view, I almost drifted off the road.  Big, ornate and nonsensical the way Victorians often are, the building jutted against the morning sky, a dark ruin left to rot.  Shingles had fallen off the roof and siding peeled from the walls in chunks. Brown weeds choked the grounds.  I knew it would be bad, since the inn lay dormant for decades, but I didn’t think it would be that bad.

I pulled into the driveway, got out, and circled the house, looking for any signs of life, reaching out with my magic, but finding nothing. I was losing hope with every step. And then, I rounded the corner.  There, bright against the backdrop of oaks and pecans, twelve apple trees bloomed, branches heavy with blossoms.  It was the moment I realized Gertrude Hunt still lived.

Today was such a moment. It didn’t have the vivid colors of Baha-char or the fragile beauty of the apple trees, but I would never forget it. Sean Evans stood in our bedroom wearing an innkeeper’s robe.

“Mirror,” I murmured.

Gertrude Hunt shifted its magic in response.  The wall in front of us liquefied, snapping into a mirror.  We stood side by side, he in the copper-colored robe I’d sewn for him and me in the blue robe my mother gave me.

Sean was taller than me by a head.  The robe covered him from his neck to his toes, but he’d left the hood down. He was very handsome, my Sean. He’d spent a long time trying to win a hopeless war.  It left scars even his body with its accelerated regeneration couldn’t heal, and the shadows of its memories still flickered in his amber eyes.  But when he was alone with me, like now, his eyes turned warm and inviting, his posture lost the coiled readiness, and he relaxed the way a man would in the safety of his own home.

I studied our reflection. Innkeeper robes came in a variety of styles, but these simple ones were our daily uniform. We looked like a couple. My parents wore robes just like this, except my father preferred grey and blue.

I never thought I would have this. When I was younger, I had imagined myself as an innkeeper of a successful inn, but in my dreams, there was never anyone standing next to me. My parents were still missing, my sister left to marry a vampire marshal on a faraway planet and took my little niece with her, my brother still wandered the Galaxy, but I had Sean.  He loved me and I loved him.  We were no longer alone. 

The blond innkeeper woman in the mirror smiled back at me.  She looked happy.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Thank you so much for this snippet. My appetite for more Innkeeper stories has been both sated (for the moment) and whetted for more! I absolutely love your work.

  8. Thanks! I worry about Sean… don’t look at me like that, I know he’s fictional. I spent a lot of time with vets with PTSD and really horrible memories… and worry is my superpower.

  24. All the feels! I love this. It reflects the way I feel about the innkeeper series. There’s a lot of unanswered questions still, but this for this moment, everything is all right. Thank you, Ilona, for this on a rainy Saturday.

  40. What a treat, and it’s not even Christmas, yet! Is this a teaser that a new Innkeeper story is starting in the somewhat near future?

    • ❤️????????????????????????????❤️
      ????????????????????????????????????
      ????????????????????????????????????

  55. Thank you very much for the snippet 🙂 Maybe I’m forgetting, but is there a full description of when Dina woke up the Inn?

    • No, just a snippet about the apple trees in Sweep in Peace, maybe another snippet in Clean Sweep, but I may be wrong, and this.

    • Dina explained about the apple trees to Sophie in Sweep in Peace, but I think this version is a bit more detailed.

  59. All the feelings! This is so lovely, it’s a perfect moment for me and thank you so very much for giving me that feeling <3

  69. Thank you so very much!!! I love Dina and Maud……..can’t make a choice. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving 🙂

  71. Thank you for the snippet!! I really need this today. Love Dina and Sean and everyone at Gertrude Hunt!
    Hope you all have a good weekend!

  84. So Sean is wearing a robe after all. I eagerly await the next Innkeeper.

    Hope all the eyes are recovering.

  88. ????
    Thank you!
    Trying not to think what will disrupt the precious moment, and can’t wait for it, at the same time! ????

    There is a code/rule for robe color (age, rating, clients) or any innkeeper can choose what he/she prefers?

  90. I feel like it is my birthday! Thank you so much for the lovely snippet! Have a wondermous weekend and Happy Thanksgiving!

  91. Wow thanks for the snippet it is much appreciated Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

  97. Oh, oh, oh. Thank you so much. Is this a hint that we will be returning to Gertrude Hunt for the next Innkeeper?

    Anne in Virginia

  105. Thank you. This snippet made me happy.

    I wonder if Sean’s robes have Velcro, so he can shed them in battle, easily?

  108. Thank you.
    Happy Wolfenoot to you and your Pack. May your meat always be roasted and your Mooncake sweet. Arooo!

  121. I love your writing. I wouldn’t change anything on the story line ever.
    Sometimes, with current spellcheck and the rush, words get left out and the book goes out. I am not here to be critical! Just sometimes i see such things and wish I could comment. I don’t care if you don’t put this on the blog! Please add the word “had” after the following I. ” I sewn for him and me in the blue robe my mother gave me.”

    • I FOUND A TYPO
      That’s awesome. Please don’t point it out. Dedicated volunteer proofreaders will go through the section and correct grammar, punctuation, and copyediting issues. Thank you so much for your help. 🙂

  130. This is wonderful! Sometimes I just need to hear from you guys. 😉 I’m doing a reread (relisten) of the Edge series. Love you guy’s world building and character development!!!! Thanks for your imagination! Happy Holidays!

  132. Thank you so much!! Love that Sean is wearing a robe after declaring that he wouldn’t! So looking forward to more of these two!

  136. Wonderful surprise. They are the best. Happy Thanksgiving to House Andrews, and all the pets.
    And Happy and Healthy and safe traveling to everyone at the start of these holidays. ????????????????????????????????????

  140. Lovely! Thank you for the glimpse into that moment! We should all be so aware of our moments to treasure 🙂 And all the moments of Innkeeper are worth rereading!

  147. Happy Thanksgiving to you. I woke up this morning with a my corgi trying to climb up on my chest. Looking at me with those sneaky, happy eyes. I grabbed his fur looked into his eyes and told him he was such an awesome baby boy. Yes, I did. Baby talk all the way. Every single one of us has shit we have to go through, get through, and survive. Did you ever stop to count the time that even in the midst of all this crap your fur babies made you smile.?

    Your writing makes me smile. Thank you for the good feelings.

  151. Thank you. It’s been a very discouraging week, and to come home and discover Sean has been talked into a robe just made the world a better place.

  153. Thank you. My heart just melted a little. I wish I could kiss my hubs, but I am at work. You guys create such VIVID scenes.

  154. Why am I weeping? This is how you write, with bold strokes and intimate detail. In amongst the chaos of lives well lived, there is love and humor. Thank you. Now, where are my tissues dammit?

    • You weep because beauty brings such joy that you have to express it. Same reason I have tears in my eyes. When this book comes out, I’ll shed tears again as I read this in context. And when I read that book for the 15th time, I’ll shed tears for this. Vivid colors or fragile beauty be hog-tied! Proof that Sean loves her enough to wear the robe she made for him is far more touching than either.

      And now we have to wait while life interferes with writing the rest of what is promising already to be another book we can’t put down.

  156. Triumph! This makes me so happy! Love that Dina sewed it for him. I would love to know what changed Sean’s mind. “One thing. I’m not wearing a robe.” LOL. Thanks as always for sharing.

  157. The is the sweetest thing. Sometimes I turn, see my husband and I have that same feeling. The unbelievable feeling that I could be so lucky to have someone walk beside me every step of the way.

  161. Those moments you keep in your heart …and you guys have the gift that make us see them in Sean and Dina! ❤ Thank you!!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours..

  166. Sniff sniff I so needed that. Thank you so much for being willing to have happy couple that continue a story instead of saying and they lived happily ever after.

  167. Awwww…..you have encapsulated those moments that I look at my husband and smile, treasurin the “We-ness!

  169. Terrific but could we get Sean’s POV because it’s also a huge moment in his life and in Sean/Dina relationship. Arrgh that sounds ungrateful for the post you gave. Put it on the never ending wishlist.

  176. I love it!!! Oh man, I can’t wait to read the rest of the story this goes with. I love them as a couple.

    • I am showing comments on 17th, 18th, 19th, and 2 today. You are probably not seeing them right away because your browser is caching the site. 🙂

  189. Thank you. I too Hades very very horrible week. This took meanest from my emotional pain for a few

  190. Thank you. That was wonderful. I love all your books, but I have to admit that Kate and the Innkeeper are my favorite. Beautifully written.

  193. I’ve missed this. So VERY much. Thank you! You just made my day a whole lot better! (Wish I could melt into the full story … )

  197. Such a peaceful “Ahhhh!” Moment! Thank you! Leaves me wanting to re read the innkeeper chronicles!

  198. As with many other fans, your writing also makes me smile – please don’t change the way you write.

  200. Thank you for the snippet, thank you for sharing your gifts with us, and thank you both for being you.

  201. Oi … I just put down my kindle 2 minutes ago after a complete reread of the series to make up for a crappy week- and was sad there was no more for now – and now there’s this…. you rock!!!

  205. Thank you for such a lovely surprise! I enjoy reading this series and look forward to anything and everything you post about the Innkeeper and Kate Daniels. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thanks again for sharing your gift.

  206. This was nice. I figured Sean would eventually wear the robe, even if he just sees it as the uniform for his position now. I’m glad those 2 found each other. Many adventures ahead!!!

  209. I just came from work. Had a totally crappy day and then ..you made my day just a bit better. Thank you

  213. Very nice, looking forward to more when you have the time and inclination. I got my laminate floor laid last month and the cats are loving it, chasing around after their toys which slide really well. The snippet put the same happy smile on my face. Off to my son’s for Thanksgiving so looking forward to that. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

  216. Dina’s happy. Now I’m happy. Thank you!!

    (And people ask me why I read so much. Pfft. Silly people.)

  218. Wonderful! I hope this will be a new serial. I love the Innkeepers and look forward to the weekly goodness just as much as I do my daily oatmeal (cereal).
    P.S. Webs is a great company to do business with. I have a whole stack of sweaters
    made from their yarns. Orders are always prompt and perfect.
    Paradise Yarns ( Ice Yarns) in Turkey are also completely reliable and orders
    are super fast and always perfect, too. Happy knitting, Ilona, et al.????

  226. You are killing me! I’m struggling to stay interested in almost every book I pick up lately and now all I want is more Innkeeper!
    Thank you for this snippet, it’s such a sweet scene ????

  233. Perfect! Question- is the next Innkeeper book going to be written as a serial or are you writing it like you do your other books?

  237. Yaaay I love you guys! 🙂
    What a wonderful way to brighten any dreary day.Now Fridays will become the best day of the week again!

  245. Lovely snippet; it reminded me of how much I like this couple. I feel a reread coming on. I thought I was happy for their story to end but now I want more. Thanks for sharing x

  253. I love thee innkeeper both Dina series and Maud series. Thank you for the snippet. It made me happy on a gloomy day.

  254. Your writing is so beautiful and reflects your God given talent. Thank you for taking the time to share this snippet with us. Happy Thanksgiving!

  255. Fantastic snippet (but that is not a surprise – you ALWAYS have awesome snippets) 😀

    When this book does eventually come out. Please go back to Renee for the audio book version. The other people you’ve been using haven’t been bad – but they haven’t been anywhere near as good for the most part. She totally captured the vampires (especially Arland), Helen’s voice, and the Lees far better. (and for that matter she does a far superior Mad Rogan).

    I don’t think you could comment if you guys had a fight or something, but if you did, it would be great if that bridge could somehow be mended.

  257. I’m thankful I found your books, thankful I found you website and the BDH, and thankful for this lovely snippet. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

  262. Love this. If it’s a snippet does that mean you are writing another one. Please also one with Maud and Helen.

  268. I actually got goosebumps with the feels in this short piece! I definately needed a smile before starting my nursing shift. Thank you from Australia.

    Oh and Thank you to the commenters in the BDH. It is always just as great reading you guys xo

  271. Yay, thankyou! i can’t wait to find out what happens with Dina and Sean and their search for her parents! and the cheeky George!

  272. Wonderfull! Great snippet!! I’m so excited that you are writing more on Innkeeper, one of my absolute favorite stories!!! Thank you!!!! (Think I’m demonstrating enough ecxitement? : -)

    • Oh, no! If this is the start of the book, disaster will be literally just around the page. It’s inevitable.

      Of course, reading about the disaster will be fun, but there will be a disaster.

  273. It makes me wonder: will Gertrude Hunt respond to Sean the way it responds to Dina? Will he have to wolf out occasionally?

  274. Thank you for this. It’s great to see Dinah and Sean happy and working together. If Sean wears the Innkeepers robe, does that mean he also can connect now with Gertrude Hunt? Or will his connection with the Inn be different? Curious minds want to know. But I suppose that will be revealed at a future time. Sigh. Good thing that retirement has given me more patience.

    • There was another snippet previously — the ones with the chickens? — where Sean gave a command to Gertrude Hunt and she obeyed.

  275. Awesome snippet! So nice to see Dina and Sean again. Considering the Sebastian North clue at the end of the last Dina book and the Klaus thing at the end of the Maud book, I’m really looking forward to the next book. Whichever thread you pick up.

  276. Oh the feels!! I love it!
    Thank you for the snippet and feel free to let us look into the new book a bit more! 😉

  277. You wrote a piece in one of your blogs about how surprised you were about the sales for the Maud’s “Book”. First, it was extremely well written even if you might feel differently, and second, everyone really enjoys both plot lines. You have managed to create a potential second series and both will be well received. Please, the both of you , keep up the great work. Thanks.

  280. Thank you! Sean in a robe! Muahahaha! Hey, he must have sat for the Innkeeper exams then. Congratulations to both Sean and Dina!

  282. Thank y’all! This was 100% happy and I appreciate it today, when 4/5 of my family is sick. Have a wonderful holiday week!

  286. :):) I can’t wait for more!! Thank you for the little taste, I’m excited for more whenever that happens :):)

  291. Thanks for this ray of hope. All your snippets are a sign you are blessed with multi tasking and amazing talents. I hope your family is enjoying your holiday season in USA and that all missadventures are over. I wish you all improved health and much joy while here in Australia we are having our most intense summer for many years. I love a sunburnt country, of drought and fighting fires, yet still we keep a smile on, hoping Santa brings the rains.

  293. Love it. I’ve been wanting to see Dina and Sean really together finally for four books and now that moment is finally here. I can’t wait to see all the rest.

  296. Thank you for this surprise! I was in the car Friday night into Saturday driving to see family for Thanksgiving.
    Oh my goodness with Sean in the innkeeper’s robe. Yay! It’s nice to see him and Dina so happy. Now let’s read about Maude and Arland’s wedding. ????

  299. Thnk you so much for this snippet!! I finished reading through all 4 books again. I look forward to the next one that will hopefully answer a few questions you gave to us from the last two books. Love ALL your work!!

  300. I like Maude but I love Dina and her inn. The whole universe could walk through her door and get fed by a giant hedgehog! What could be better?

    • Loved it can’t wait for Soo much more. And now I need to reread them all. I have Soo many questions about Dina’s parents???? Not the least on where they went but on the past……

  305. This short week will be busy as I finish up yet another term. Thank you for starting the week off well. Have a wonderful holiday with hopefully no drama.

  307. Love just what I needed after being sick and not feeling good for the past 3 days!!!! Thank you very much

    • Thank you for the snippet. Want to know what blackmail, inducement, bet, etc. Dina used to get Sean to wear a robe.

  311. I do have one burning question: since Dina has her own inn, who will inherit her parent’s inn when they are finally found ? One of Dina and Sean’s children?

  312. Wonderful to see another Innkeeper novel starting. Hoping that somewhere down the line, we get more on Klaus, too.

    • Sneaky snippet taking us to Dina and Sean…when we left Maude, Helen and Arland meeting Klaus… Thank you for this insight, though???? it makes us hungry for more????. Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

  316. Yippee! There will be more!!
    Thank you so much and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. ,->

  323. Thank you. Most days I feel like I just live through, but these moments of unexpected smiles make it worth it.

  324. And it’s not even Christmas yet. I love these two and any chance to see more of them is welcome. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for the lovely snippet.

  325. Beautiful. It doesn’t matter if this ever makes it into a novel, it’s a lovely moment that deserved to be written down. You rock.

  326. a snippet featuring my favoritest character? Christmas came early! 🙂 a big thanks for sharing this. it brought tears to my eyes in the best way possible – a happy surprise

  329. Thank you. I fell in love with the Innkeeper series first. Any snippetm novella or novel is always welcome. Dina, Sean, Maud, Helen and Arland are always interesting to read about. So anytime you write about them is a happy moment.

  331. I love all of your series, but there Is just something magically about the Innkeeper series. I hope you write them for years!

  333. You completely made my day. I love this couple, Gertrude Hunt and the entire cast of characters. Thanks for sharing. ♥️

  340. Thank you for the snippet. It’s a grey day in Seattle, and this brings up my spirits as I work on my final project due tomorrow for a class.

    Does anybody want to make an InnKeeper Robe pattern? Is there already one available for CosPlay events?

  342. Thank you. Whenever anyone asks “if you had to live in a book or fictional world, I immediately think Innkeeper.” Happy Thanksgiving.

  344. Thank you. This series has a soft place in my heart, as it was my very first IA read. *double thumbs up*

  345. My husband and I both love your entertaining stories. Most of ours are audio that we listen to on trips, walking the dog, or just relaxing like a child with a nighttime story. Thank you for many hours of peaceful enjoyment. We can’t wait for our next instalment for this series.

  348. I love all of your books, and always find myself reading them again and again. I can’t wait for the next book

  349. Thank you! I love Dina and Sean. They are dreamily perfect but also imperfect enough to identify with.
    I have trouble sleeping at night, because I have high anxiety every time I try to relax. I have a wonderful life, but it is a busy one and I have a lot of things I wish I had done differently every day.
    Daydreaming about different worlds helps. I can’t daydream about this one, even in a different time as a different person, because I end up with the same stresses. Your worlds are the ones I turn to most often, to help me sleep. Thank you.

  353. I try to avoid reading the advance releases of this series, preferring instead to read the final draft, but this is interesting. If I recall correctly, you last left us with impending nuptials and not much time for preparation. Will Dina and Sean be attending? Caldenia? If so, shouldn’t they be getting ready to go?

  359. What a lovely snippet. It just warmed my heart on a cold and gray day. Looking forward to reading the continuing Innkeeper Chronicles…Klaus’ story is going to be an adventure.! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

  361. Oooooooohhhhh…. this so warms my heart. I missed Dina and Sean. Seeing them as an established couple is #goals ????

  366. Thank you so much for the lovely snippet! This was so beautiful and touching. Dina and Sean are my favorite couple, so this scene fills me with all sorts of joy and squee. 🙂 I would really love to see an illustration of this scene, showing the two of them together in innkeeper robes.

    Also, I’m very much hoping that this won’t be their final book–I’m not ready to say goodbye to those two! And it’s just such a warm and comforting feeling every time we get to visit the Inn.

  368. Thank you! I wake up with dry eyes. Sometimes so dry they hurt. Sometimes with one stuck shut till I can rehydrate. Your writing make me weepy and give me moist eyes again. I can see! This is very good for the video games that come next. I dedicate my Overwatch snipe shots to you. 🙂

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