Waiting on Wednesday (119)

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Emerald Blaze

Hidden Legacy #5

By: Ilona Andrews

Release Date: August 25, 2020

Publisher: Avon Books

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Book Summary:

Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author, continues her spellbinding series set in the Hidden Legacy world where magic controls everything…except the hearts of those who wield it. 

As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart. 

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won't rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that's tearing their world apart.

Why I'm Eagerly Waiting:

I love this series so much!  It is my favorite by Ilona Andrews.  Each time I read a book in this series I devour it in one setting, and don't go to sleep until I finish the story.  

What are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday (85)

Hosted By: Wishful Endings

Sapphire Flames

Hidden Legacy #4

By: Ilona Andrews

Publisher: Avon Books

Release Date: August 27, 2019

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Book Summary:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society… 

In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery. 

But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame. 

To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.

Why I Can't Wait:

I love the Hidden Legacy Series, and read all of the previous books in the series last week!  The books in this series are the type you binge-read, and then suffer from a major book hangover when they come to an end.  I love Catalina, and can't wait to get her story!

What Are You Waiting On?

Book Review: Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy 3.5) by Ilona Andrews

Diamond Fire
Hidden Legacy #3.5
By: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Avon
Published: Nov. 6, 2018
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Source: Purchase

Book Synopsis:

Nevada Frida Baylor and Connor Ander Rogan cordially invite you to join their wedding celebration. Summoning, weather manipulation, and other magical activities strictly forbidden. 

Catalina Baylor is looking forward to wearing her maid of honor dress and watching her older sister walk down the aisle. Then the wedding planner gets escorted off the premises, the bride’s priceless tiara disappears, and Rogan's extensive family overruns his mother’s home. Someone is cheating, someone is lying, and someone is plotting murder. 

To make this wedding happen, Catalina will have to do the thing she fears most: use her magic. But she’s a Baylor and there’s nothing she wouldn't do for her sister's happiness. Nevada will have her fairy tale wedding, even if Catalina has to tear the mansion apart brick by brick to get it done.

My Thoughts:

Diamond Fire was a great little novella.  It is told from Catalina Baylor's perspective and is meant to transition readers from Nevada's trilogy to her younger sister's trilogy.  It manages to do this and so much more!

Catalina is Nevada's maid of honor.  She loves her sister dearly and ends up taking over wedding planner responsibilities after Nevada ends up firing two wedding planner's in a row.  Connor Rogan's large extended family fly in to stay with Mrs. Rogan for the wedding, and wreck havoc with the drama filled chaos that they manage to bring with them!

Catalina wants her sister to have a beautiful wedding, and doesn't want to bring her any anxiety or stress.   Leading the charge, she works together with younger sister Arabella, and their cousins Bern and Leroy to get things done.  

Unfortunately, a rare and priceless family heirloom tiara has gone missing, and Mrs. Rogan has asked her to find it, so that Nevada can wear it down the aisle, as previous generations in the family have done.  To top it off, a murder plot has been discovered, and Catalina is determined to take the villain down, and keep everyone safe.  She is overwhelmed with so much responsibility on her shoulders, but if anyone can handle it, she can.

I enjoyed learning more about Catalina in this novella.  She learns that she is stronger than she realizes, and I was proud of the character growth that she underwent.  Also, it was an opportunity to get a little more Arabella and Leroy as well.  I felt like I got to know the Baylor's even better, and I love how there is so much love and loyalty between these family members.  They have each other's back, and even though they can drive one another crazy from time to time, (like any large family,) they would not hesitate to protect and defend each other, no matter the cost!

Catalina is forced to use her powers as a Siren, and we see her becoming stronger, as she experiments, and pushes herself to streamline and use her abilities with finesse.  We get our HEA, (for Nevada and Rogan,) and the story is left open-ended in a way where we know that Catalina is capable of so much more than she even knows, and with the right training and practice, I can't wait to learn about all of the things she is magically capable of, and how powerful she will become.  As an aside, we also get a glimpse of Catalina's loneliness, and I am looking forward to her finding her person.

I am ready, and really excited to continue my journey in the Hidden Legacy Series, with Catalina's first full length novel, Sapphire Flames!

Hidden Legacy Series:

My Review

My Review

My Review

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | TBD

About the Author:

"Ilona Andrews" is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.) They have co-authored two New York Times and USA Today bestselling series—the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and the romantic urban fantasy of The Edge—and are working on the next volumes for both. They live in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

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Book Review: Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews

Wildfire
Hidden Legacy #3

By:
Ilona Andrews

Publisher:
Avon

Published:
July 25, 2017

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Goodreads

Source:
Kindle Purchase

Book Synopsis:

Just when Nevada Baylor has finally come to accept the depths of her magical powers, she also realizes she’s fallen in love. Connor “Mad” Rogan is in many ways her equal when it comes to magic, but she’s completely out of her elements when it comes to her feelings for him. To make matters more complicated, an old flame comes back into Rogan’s life…

Rogan knows there’s nothing between him and his ex-fiance, Rynda Sherwood. But as Nevada begins to learn more about her past, her power, and her potential future, he knows she will be faced with choices she never dreamed of and the promise of a life spent without him.

As Nevada and Rogan race to discover the whereabouts of Rynda’s kidnapped husband and are forced to confront Nevada’s grandmother, who may or may not have evil motives, these two people must decide if they can trust in each other or allow everything to go up in smoke. 

My Thoughts:

Wildfire was another smashing hit in the Hidden Legacy Series!  I was overwhelmed by my need to turn the pages as fast as I could, and I could not put the book down, until I was nodding off into sleep (so I really had no choice.).  If I woke up to use the restroom or get a snack, there I was picking my kindle right back up again, reading until sleep claimed me all over again.

Wildfire began with Rynda, Rogan's ex-fiance coming to Nevada for help in locating her missing husband.  For being an empath, she managed to cause quite the raucous!!!  Now that Nevada was applying to be her own house, (so that she could protect her family,) possible suitors were coming out of the woodwork.  Jealousy spiked its ugly head as other people tried to interfere in Nevada and Rogan's relationship.  

Leroy's powers fully manifested and his character is very interesting as well!  We finally learn what Arabella's magical gift/curse is, and get to see all of them in action, along with Catalina.  The family is nervous about the upcoming trials, where their abilities will be put to the test and they will be judged on what magical level they are, as well as if they qualify as a house.  However, that won't stop their enemies (along with Nevada's grandmother, who wants them to be a part of House Tremaine,) from coming after them!

Good versus evil battle it out, with primes from different houses showing what they can do.  Nothing could tear me apart from my kindle during the final battle!  Wowzers!  Wildfire was epic!  My favorite family, The Baylors, all worked together for the greater good, along with House Rogan, and the friends that they had made along the way.  It was one heck of a wild ride!  

I am really excited to begin the novella, Diamond Fire, which is suppose to be the book that bridges Nevada's story to her younger sister, Catalinas's story!  We have barely tapped in to who Catalina is as a person, and I can't wait to learn more about her, and see who she will become.  Powerful magic is in the Baylor blood, and it will be exciting to see her learn, hone, and embrace her abilities!  

Plus, her possible love interest was hinted at, and the authors have made him very mysterious.  My interest is piqued and I want to learn more about him and the house that he comes from.

If you can't already tell, I love this series, and give it my highest recommendation for an addictive, enthralling, magical, and romantic reading experience!

Hidden Legacy Series:

My Review

My Review

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | TBD

About the Authors:

"Ilona Andrews" is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.) They have co-authored two New York Times and USA Today bestselling series—the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and the romantic urban fantasy of The Edge—and are working on the next volumes for both. They live in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter 

Book Review: White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews

White Hot
Hidden Legacy #2

By:
Ilona Andrews

Publisher:
Avon

Published:
May 30, 2017

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Source: 
Kindle Purchase

Book Synopsis:

Nevada Baylor has a unique and secret skill—she knows when people are lying—and she's used that magic (along with plain, hard work) to keep her colorful and close-knit family's detective agency afloat. But her new case pits her against the shadowy forces that almost destroyed the city of Houston once before, bringing Nevada back into contact with Connor "Mad" Rogan. 

Rogan is a billionaire Prime—the highest rank of magic user—and as unreadable as ever, despite Nevada’s “talent.” But there’s no hiding the sparks between them. Now that the stakes are even higher, both professionally and personally, and their foes are unimaginably powerful, Rogan and Nevada will find that nothing burns like ice …

My Thoughts:

As much as I loved the first book in the Hidden Legacy Series, Burn For Me, I enjoyed White Hot even more!  In this sequel the world building is already established, but now we get even more action, and the romance between Nevada and Rogan has just begun to develop.  

We now know that there is one master villain who is being backed by several houses and has an army of deadly mages with various talents.  In this installment, Cornelius Harrison, an Animal Mage of House Harrison is looking for help in discovering who murdered his wife, Nari.  She worked for a very powerful House, House Forsberg, as a lawyer, and when Cornelius asks for their assistance, they refuse, and threaten him.  

Cornelius is friends with Augustine, who confides in him that Nevada, is a Truthseeker.  Cornelius convinces Nevada to take his case.  Rogan is also thrown in to the thick of things, so Cornelius, Augustine, Rogan, and Nevada end up working together.  Along the way, danger is at an all time high, with Rogan, Nevada, and her family being targeted by an Ice Mage, a Manipulator, and various other mages.   As the danger escalates, so do the feelings that Rogan and Nevada feel for each other.

I loved White Hot!  There was never a dull moment in this action packed story.  The suspense, mystery behind the Ice Mage, Manipulator, and their leader, had me turning pages.   The delicious white hot chemistry behind Rogan and Nevada's developing relationship had me excited to see what was ahead for these two.  The strong, independent, and courageous Nevada was extremely likable.  The fiesty banter between Nevada and Rogan was a lot of fun, and this story brought smiles, laughs, butterflies, surprises, and excitement throughout.  

We learn more about the origin of Nevada's powers, as well as what her sister, Catalina's magical powers are.  I hope the next book lets us in on Arabella's abilities.  Nevada's cousin, Leon didn't think he had any magic, but we are starting to get a glimpse of what his ability may be.  I love Nevada's mother and grandmother, and her sisters and cousins are so much fun to read about as well.  We are also learning the back stories of Rogan's employees and why they are so loyal to him.

My favorite thing about this sequel is that we see the transition from "Mad Rogan" to Connor Rogan take place.   We see how brave, courageous, loyal, and strong Rogan is.  We see PTSD from combat is what has made him the way he is.  Rogan has two sides to him.  While the first book hinted at the good in Rogan, this sequel really starts to show us why we should love him and root for him to be with our heroine!

White Hot was an excellent addition to the Hidden Legacy Series!  I am really excited to dive in to book three, and can't recommend this series enough!  It has everything that a reader could want in a story; action, romance, suspense, humor,  magic, extremely likable characters, and romance!

Hidden Legacy Series:
Add to Goodreads 

My Review

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | TBD

About the Authors:

"Ilona Andrews" is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.) They have co-authored two New York Times and USA Today bestselling series—the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and the romantic urban fantasy of The Edge—and are working on the next volumes for both. They live in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter