In EDGED BLADE, intrepid Private Investigator Kit Colbana is finally getting back on track with her life and her romance with Damon, Alpha of the cat clan. After suffering through a horrific captivity and torture in an earlier book of the Colbana Files series, Kit is struggling with her warring emotions and PTSD. The nightmares Kit is reliving had been keeping her from social contact, but she is slowly pulling herself back together. Damon is content to be there for her, and patiently waiting for her to turn back to his arms and into his life.

Kit begins to be confident enough to take on a few small cases; but it is not long before her good friend, the warrior witch Justin, pulls her headlong into his current case. Justin is investigating the disappearance of stray shifters, and needs Kit's particular skill set to help in his search. As the pair work the case, they soon find that there is more than just a few shifters disappearing, and that witches and other nonhumans are also be taken for unknown purposes by a mysterious, shadowy group. As they dig deeper, Kit and Justin discover that there is a sinister plot behind the lost nonhumans; and the plot is more far-reaching than they ever imagined.

EDGED BLADE is UF written the way it's meant to be written, and this is the best book of the Colbana Files series so far. There is great wordbuilding, nonhuman characters that are not stock stereotypes, and a really good storyline. J.C. Daniels has outdone herself with this intriguing tale, and the fascinating UF world she has set up for the reader. The stories are gritty, realistic to the genre, and morally ambiguous.

As the fourth book of the series, EDGED BLADE kept my full attention from beginning to the (unfortunate) to-be- continued ending. I was left with the feeling that I must have the next book now! The twist at the end and the need to find out the secret of Blackstone has me dying for the next book. I also really enjoy the unique take author J. C. Daniels has on shifters, vamps, and witches. I'm now looking at all three types of nonhumans in a new light. Colbana Files is like a breath of fresh air in a set-in-its-way UF genre.

EDGED BLADE is book four in a UF series I'm really enjoying, and one that is getting better by the book. It is, unfortunately, not a book that can be read standalone. The plot arcs and threads carry over from previous books. However, Colbana Files is a highly recommendable UF series, beginning with the first book Blade Song.

Book Summary

In the year since her life was torn apart, Kit Colbana has slowly rebuilt herself. There’s a promise of hope in the relationship with the alpha of the local shapeshifters and she no longer comes screaming into wakefulness. Life’s not perfect but then again, when was it ever?

When her best friend Justin comes to her for help, there’s little question as to what her answer will be. Witches are disappearing and Justin won’t rest until he has answers. Soon, they learn that it’s not just witches who’ve gone missing, but vampires and shifters, too.

Unlikely alliances are forged as Kit and Justin found themselves drawn into a twisted web of lies and betrayal. As the clock counts down and the culprit behind recent disappearances is revealed, those Kit loves the most become the target of somebody who will kill to protect an ugly secret.