Emerald Blaze, the fifth Hidden Legacy book, is focused on Catalina Baylor, one of Nevada's younger sisters. She has a Prime-worthy magic ability you could describe as irresistible, terrifying charisma. Now the Head of House Baylor, Catalina finds herself in a sticky situation when the scion of another powerful house disappears. She's hired to investigate the disappearance, but Alessandro Sagredo, the handsome Italian Prime who previously crushed Catalina's heart, has also been assigned to the case.

I think most fans of the series will be pleased by this continuation of the series. I have some small complaints, namely the overly messy plot and the romance, the latter of which is usually at the heart of this genre. Simply put, for most of the book, Alessandro is nearly a faceless cipher. There's so little characterization beyond him being a rich, handsome, Italian jerk who has done Catalina wrong. The end wraps things up in a tidy bow though.

Once again Ilona Andrews delivers an excellent book. Though this is a middle book in the series the story has a satisfying end with a bit of a cliffhanger that just makes you want to read the next book NOW without being frustrating. Great characters, a blazing plot and truly impressive world building this book has everything.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

SPOILERS!!!!

Catalina Baylor, Head of House Baylor and secret Deputy Warden of Texas, is back with her family and a new case to solve. It all starts with an attack on Catalina and her team during the retrieval of a special aide monkey for a client of theirs. The group is attacked by corrupted reptilians, it takes a team effort to kill them and Catalina learns that at the same time that Linus, the Warden of Texas, was attacked at his home. He orders her to take over the new case at Montgomery International Investigations, regarding the death of a member in a construction project partnership, the Morton case.

The Morton case looks into the murder of Lander Morton who with the partnership of four other houses tried to clean and re-construct the Pit. The Pit was a small village part of Houston that was constructed over a swamp area but was flooded and became a swamp type place where people go to disappear. All five members sign a contract that states that in the case of one of them dying they won’t get the insurance until the investigation is concluded.

“The drone turned, getting a better view of the corpse. A man in his late thirties, white, dark haired, wearing pants from a business suit, a torn blue dress shirt, and black dress shoes. The drone’s camera dipped down, closed in, then panned up, capturing the body from bottom to the top. No, he wasn’t wearing shoes. His feet had been burned to charred blackness.”

When digging deeper into the living members of the partnership, and the strange events that have occurred during the construction, Catalina learns that there is a strange creature living within the Pit and creating its own corruptions.

At the same time, Alessandro Sagredo returns after taking a contract to find and kill the person that orders the death of Felix Morton.

Now, it is up to Catalina, the Deputy Warden of Texas, to find the strange creature that lives in the Pit, who created or is controlling it, and destroy it before it takes over all Houston.

Catalina Baylor has become a favorite character of mine. Her magic and strategic mind are different from her sisters which makes it fun to follow along with the story and try to think of her next moves. She is truly becoming the granddaughter of Victoria Tremaine and I cannot wait to see the outcome of their relationship.

I really like how all the younger members of the Baylor family have grown so much since the first installment of this series. They have become their own person in the investigation agency and their actions are starting to have positive and negative consequences that affect the family. But I’m still happy that they are still able to shine in this story.

“I pried the plastic open, snagged a fajita, and closed the fridge. Nevada stood three feet away. I jumped and dropped the fajita. Shadow darted across the floor, scooped up the fajita, and bolted down the hallway.

I swore. ‘Make some noise next time, please.’ Nevada crossed her arms over her chest. Uh-oh. I knew that look. That was the you-are-doomed look. ‘Albert called,’ my sister said.”

The main story plot of this part of the series is the missing samples of the Osirus serum and it has been great reading how it is being used and the future implication for the magical society of this world. In Emerald Blaze we learn of a new use for this serum and dangers it creates in the hands of mad scientists, for example, this new creature that could destroy the world if left unchecked.

With every new story, we meet new characters and the majority of them are powerful primes. In this case, Felix’s other venture partners are suspects of this murder and we get to know about them and their Houses. Other characters that I liked were those related to the Baylor House, Patricia and her wife Regina who seem to have a mysterious background and Albert Ravencroft who is trying to date Catalina and might turn into a villain in the future if things do go that well for him.

The magic!!!! With every story in this series, the magic continues to get better. Catalina’s magic is growing and her training with both Victoria and Rogan’s family has helped her create her own House spell. Alessandro’s and the others Prime’s magic were excellent scenes to read too. And the new House Rogan baby would be a great asset for the future, I loved Nevada’s scenes with the baby’s powers. Even the magic that is not a grand display was fascinating and helps to create a wonderful world for this series.

“The half-finished designs in my head coalesced. My incomplete House Key arcane circle merged with the Aldrin projection design, augmented by the Tremaine targeting band. Yes, that would do it. It would give me the null space and the power I required and it would unchain my mind. The circle glowed in my mind. I just had to replicate it.”

If you are a fan of the author-couple Ilona Andrews and the Baylor’s family story, then I recommend you Emerald Blaze. In this new story, there is something in the swamp and it wants to conquer everything.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

Every time I think Ilona Andrews can't up their game, they go and prove me wrong. This book was peak Hidden Legacy. Catalina is such a badass heroine in a way that's completely unique to herself, and I really enjoyed watching her navigate this new set of challenges. Alessandro has had some major growth, too, and it's delightful seeing how that's affected their dynamic. As always, this book was unputdownable and I instantly wanted to go back to the beginning and reread the entire Hidden Legacy series. I loved it.

Fans of Ilona Andrews' Hidden Legacy series will not be disappointed with the latest installment. Emerald Blaze brings Catalina Baylor and Alessandro Sagredo back together as the former-couple is forced to work together to solve a murder that could unravel a greater (and more deadly) conspiracy. The chemistry between Catalina and Alessandro continues to be electric, but the tension is more interesting, as they work through issues and unresolved blocks from their previous meeting. The narrative is fast-paced and keeps you reading. I never thought dressing wounds on the side of the highway could be so steamy. A must-read for fans of the series, with enough intrigue and action to entice those new to Hidden Legacy.

If the Big, Bad Wolf went hunting for Catalina Baylor’s grandmother, he’d be the one eaten – because she is definitely the bigger, badder predator. Catalina wouldn’t have to marvel at what big teeth her grandmother had, because she already knows and is appropriately wary every single time she even thinks in Victoria Tremaine’s general direction. Someday she will need to test herself against her completely amoral and totally formidable grandmother, but that day is not yet. But it’s definitely coming by the end of this entry in the series.

Emerald Blaze is the second book in the second trilogy in the Hidden Legacy series. So don’t start here. Start with Burn for Me in order to get fully up to speed with this world and totally invested in these characters.

Because the world that has been created in this series is utterly fascinating.

The world of Hidden Legacy is a not too distant future of this world, but a future in which science run amuck has led to magic running even amucker – which really needs to be a word. In the search for a super-soldier, science created the Osiris serum. The serum granted superpowers, its distribution was not regulated, and absolute power always corrupts absolutely. The super-beings that survived the serum’s 50% mortality rate fought for control of what was left of the world after their superpower-fueled rampages.

The story in Hidden Legacy wraps around their descendants. The effects of that serum altered their DNA, and the alterations bred true. A century later, the Houses led by Prime talents quite literally rule the world.

The “hidden legacy” that the series title refers to also loops back to Victoria Tremaine, the baddest grandmother to ever rule a house – not that Frida, Catalina’s other grandmother isn’t fairly badass on her own. Frida’s just badass on a somewhat more human scale.

In the first trilogy, the Baylor sisters, Nevada, Catalina and Arabella, discover that the grandmother they never knew about is the most hated and feared mind talent to ever walk the face of the earth and make it tremble in fear. And that Victoria Tremaine’s legacy requires them to form a fledgling House to prevent her machinations from either dragging them under or chain them to her side forever.

The first trilogy focused on Nevada, the oldest sister, and her romance with head of one of the other powerful houses, her formation of House Baylor and, in the end, her handing the reins of her own house over to her sister Catalina to marry Connor Rogan.

The second trilogy is Catalina’s story. In Sapphire Flames we saw Catalina forced to take the reins of a House about to come out from under the protection that follows formation. Catalina was 21 and just not ready for the series of crises that barrels towards her at breakneck speed.

She’s also not ready to fall in love with the playboy assassin Alessandro Sagredo. But she saves her House, falls in love, and gets her heart thoroughly broken by a man who can’t make himself give up revenge in order to have a real life.

In Emerald Blaze, trouble comes for Catalina and House Baylor yet again. And so does her assassin. But this time she might get to keep him.

The odds on that are about as good as their odds on surviving. In other words, terrible but worth striving towards – no matter what it takes. Or what it takes out of them.

Escape Rating A: This was a “read in a day” book. I started at lunch and while I’d like to say I finished at dinner, the fact is that I was so engrossed in the story that I skipped dinner and just kept reading. It was THAT good.

The world in this series is a tasty stew of urban fantasy, science fiction and paranormal romance. Because magic, and super-soldiers. But science created the magic AND the super-soldiers. While the traditional monsters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance don’t seem to have been accidentally created in this world – no vampires or werewolves – there are certainly PLENTY of monsters.

Some of them even walk on two legs and make a pretense of being human. And some of those make real monster-y monsters. Like the weird hybrid plant/animal/human/super-soldier Abyss that has taken over the Pit that has taken over Jersey Village Texas. (Jersey Village really exists. I have friends who live in Houston who might even recognize it under the slime the monster has coated the place with!)

As is usual with this series, there are three threads to the plot that braid into something utterly absorbing from beginning to end.

The first thread is the mess. Actually so are the second and third threads – just different types of messes.

Catalina first has to solve the problem in the Jersey Village Pit. Five Houses got together to reclaim the swamp, and now one of the representatives is dead and his father wants revenge. It’s Catalina’s job – literally – to figure out which of the four survivors is responsible for the murder. It’s Alessandro Sagredo’s job to end whichever of those survivors is the guilty party. Which means that Catalina has to find a way to work with Alessandro without killing him and without letting her heart take anymore of a beating than it already has. If she can.

And then there’s Alessandro’s own side of this mess. He’s involved because his hunt for the man who murdered his father has led him back to Houston, to Catalina, and to this case.

Underneath all of that, like the Abyss monster hiding below the swamp, is a case of stolen Osiris serum, Alessandro’s really screwed up family, and Victoria Tremaine. Not necessarily together – at least not as far as we yet know – but not exactly separate, either.

Because power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and there is something rotten and corrupt at the heart of the world that the Houses have created. Something that Catalina, Alessandro, House Baylor and House Rogan are stuck in the center of.

This series is not over – thank goodness! There will be one more book from Catalina’s point of view, and I’m terribly curious to see where it goes. As Catalina has more or less figured out where her heart has already bestowed itself by the end of this one, the next book will probably feature a threat to that relationship and further exposure of the rot at the heart of the world. Most likely with grandmother Tremaine spinning her spider webs at the center of it all.

Whatever it will be, I can’t wait to read it!

I was disappointed in Sapphire Flames, the first Hidden Legacy book featuring Catalina Baylor, because in some ways it felt like a re-tread of Burn With Me. I still don't think Catalina's story arc is as strong as her sister's, unfortunately, but I did enjoy this one more.

It’s very much in the mold of all the novels by Andrews, which are variations on “dangerous men and the (sometimes less obviously so but equally dangerous) women who love them.” Catalina comes into her own in this installment in the series, as her job as an apprentice Warden gives her a chance to show that she’s a force to be reckoned with. The murder investigation isn’t all that complex, but threats from the killer and their accomplices, plus the mayhem created by a very unique Big Bad, keep the action humming along. Readers also get more of an insight into Alessandro this time around, which made me like him more as a character than in the first book.

I’m looking forward to the next in the series. This one ends on a very ominous note, and I need to find out what a certain someone is plotting!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I love anything written by this writing duo, and Emerald Blaze was no exception. The action is fantastic, full of high stress moments where I have no idea what will happen next and I find myself holding my breath worrying about the fate of my beloved characters. And the banter and humor never lets me down. I will say that the angst was pretty intense, but I expected that after the ending of the last book.

I adore the family dynamic and the secondary characters just as much as I love Catalina, the main character. The Baylor (and Rogan) family are so wrapped up in each other's well being and drama, always in the know and ready to provide backup, advice or a shoulder to cry on and I love each and every one of them. I also really enjoyed that Nevada played a bigger role in this book than the last (and I missed her and Mad Rogan) and some things I stewed over were resolved.

The ending to this book was perfectly wonderful, I wanted to cheer at how well everything was working out and I was finally getting my way after 2 books of angst and heartbreak. Sure, the evil mastermind is still on the loose and about to rampage and Catalina and her family are targets, but all is well emotionally and I felt very content with the state of the world.

But then the epilogue happened and I am shook and have no idea what will happen next. There are so many moving pieces at play in this very, very dangerous world and I don't know what disaster will show up and I need another book stat! What a way to hook me (as if they needed more ways to lure me in, I am trash for this series and these authors.)

Emerald Blaze by Ilona AndrewsCatalina and Alessandro are thrown together again when, once again, powerful Primes threaten to destroy the city. Her new job as a Warden of Texas earns her (and her family) some protection as a new house but that also means that she is being thrown into situations that would endanger the lives of anyone less powerful than herself. That also means that she sometimes needs to rely on others that she'd rather not, including Alessandro.
The Big Bad in this one just isn't as well developed as it has been in other stories. And the revelation of the power behind the big bad was sort of a deflation. I really hope that we get to learn more about Alessandro soon. He is still a little too much of a mystery to really care about. But you still have an amazing family and their stories do let them grow more and the epilogue definitely made me immediately want to jump right into the next book.

Four stars
This book came out August 25th
Follows Sapphire Flames
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Andrews has penned a hit with Emerald Blaze. The Hidden Legacy series continues with book five, another book in the adventures of Catalina Baylor. Catalina is really growing on me as a heroine, and her journey in this book confirms that she can definitely kiss ass and take names. Alessandro is back too, and we get new information about him and his past. The romance between him and Catalina grows hand-in-hand with the extremely difficult investigation Catalina has been tasked with. Tension mounts with every page, and Andrews still keeps up the fantastic character and world development that they’re known for.

My only caveat would be that if you haven’t read any of the Hidden Legacy books, this volume is probably not the best place to start. While there is some explanation of what’s going on and who’s doing what, understanding the relationships and world building to this point really would enhance the enjoyment of this story. I suggest newcomers to the story start with book one – and prepare to be unable to put the book down! For those who are familiar with the world (or crazy enough to just dive in!) Emerald Blaze is a fantastic entry in the Hidden Legacy series, and I unhesitatingly recommend that you snap it up. I absolutely cannot wait to see what fun the authors have in store for us next!

Catalina Baylor and her sisters are Prime magic users, possessing impressive powers. One of their grandmothers, Victoria Tremaine, would love to control those powers, and is less inconvenienced than one might think by the fact that she's locked up in a prison for magical offenders.

But that's not Catalina's most pressing problem right now. The Warden of Texas, responsible for the enforcement of laws governing the use of magic, hired Catalina as his Deputy six months ago. He's now giving her a very big job. Five Primes, of different Houses and of varied talents, have formed a company to clean out and redevelop the Pit, a sort of magical brownfields site in Houston. This would be very profitable, if they can pull it off.

One of the Primes involved, Felix Morton, has been murdered. His father, Lander Morton, is not actively involved in the project, but is the major source of funding. He wants his son's killer not just found, but killed. He's hired an assassin to do the killing, and an investigative firm to find the killer. Linus Duncan, the Warden of Texas, has ordered Catalina to take over the case. And she's to do it without revealing to Lander Morton or the other Primes involved in the project that she's the Deputy Warden.

Oh, the assassin Morton has hired is Alessandro Sagredo, the handsome Italian who broke Catalina's heart not many months back.

But Alessandro has his own reasons for wanting to be in Houston and working with Catalina. Someone is out to get Catalina, and will attack other members of her family to get her distracted and vulnerable. He had his reasons for leaving her behind, but he has no intention of letting her be killed.

Soon Catalina is juggling a major investigation, an attempt to kill her and possibly destroy her family, her distrust of Alessandro, and her grandmother's manipulation of her and threats against the granddaughter she feels betrayed her, Catalina's very pregnant sister, Nevada.

This is number five in a series, but while there were a few points where it took me a moment to catch up, overall I was able to follow it and enjoy the story. Catalina, her family (well, not Victoria Tremaine), and the family friends are likable and interesting. It's fun finding out what Alessandro is really up to, and several of the Primes involved in reclaiming the Pit are better people than I initially expected them to be.

Who murdered Felix Morton, and why, turns out to be the tip of a dangerous iceberg.

Worth noting here that the magic system has real rules and limitations that make it definitely not just a form of cheating.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

I absolutely cannot get enough of the Baylor clan. This is book 5 in the series (all of which I highly recommend) but the second one following Catalina and another fantastic addition to this highly entertaining series. It's going on my keeper-shelf alongside the others, I loved every single minute.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley and HarperCollins*

I love the Hidden Legacy series!!! Thank you Avon and Netgalley for the advance reading copy. Since I’ve loved listening to the others I also preordered the audiobook from Librofm and listened to it on publication day.

Emerald Blaze is the 5th book in the series and these would really be best enjoyed read in order. They take place in a world much like ours - except for the small detail that magic is real and some people have powers. The powers can be all different kinds and range from minor to the ability to destroy buildings in an instant.

The Baylor family has a private investigation firm - and also some unique powers. The first three books in the series follow Nevada and these next three are about her sister Catalina. This is a series where sometimes I would say the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The issues being solved in this book weren’t my favorite in the series - but I was still all in to see the characters I’ve grown to love and after that ending I need the next book IMMEDIATELY!!

While these are paranormal romances - I would say the romance side is very slow burn and secondary to everything else going on. In this case it doesn’t bother me - I’m here to see what happens next with the Baylors and look forward to the rest of the series!!

I loved this book! Complex plot, amazing characters, tons of action… one of the best they’ve done so far. And that’s sayin’ something!

If you’ve been following my reviews for any length of time, you’ll no doubt have noticed I’m a Ilona Andrews fangirl. Snatching the top spot as my favorite urban fantasy writers, these two continue to dazzle me at every turn. And they’re only getting stronger.

The concept for the magic system in this world is rad. It has origins in basic superhero development, where there are those among us who are just born with special abilities, but its presentation is highly original. And a lot of that can be attributed to the structure of the society and the many house politics included in the world building. I love that after five books in the series there are still things I’m learning about the different magical abilities. The concept is so expansive that they can afford to spread it out over multiple books, creating a lot of interesting moments within each one.

My favorite thing about Emerald Blaze specifically was all the moving parts. Far from a lazy plot, there’s a murder mystery to solve and magical shenanigans afoot. Between all of that, Catalina also had to deal with a certain handsome Italian who keeps insisting on complicating her life. The book really immersed in house politics. It also provided a strong sense of which conflicts are going to make up the finale of the series, and I can’t wait.

There were so many specific scenes within this book that struck me to my core, I briefly considered doing a spoiler review just so I could geek out about all of them. Suffice to say, there were plenty of moments that will surely make all my fellow IA fans swoon as much as I did for this fantastic story.

Speaking of swooning – the marketing and covers would have you believe that the romance is the main draw to this series, but that is so not the case. I really enjoy the romantic component – the authors are amazing at providing slow-burn love story that grows organically through the series (truly, the only type I like reading about). But as good as they are at that, all of the other elements are so strong (especially in Emerald Blaze) that romance is almost secondary. It would be a totally kickass series without the romance, but its inclusion definitely gives the books better character motivations and a more rounded feel (i.e. it’s the total package).

I love Catalina. She’s vulnerable and compassionate and sincere, but she also has this fierce, almost frightening desire to keep those she loves safe. Much more so than her sister Nevada, this girl is willing to do whatever it takes and she has the cold, calculated ability to see it through. She’s patient and shrewd, yet the reader still gets to see how charmingly human she is by contrast. Uncertain of herself most of the time, she’s somehow able to put all of that aside to get the job done. Most of the heroines I read about (especially in this genre) also have many of these attributes. The difference with Catalina is that the authors makes you feel alongside her and really come to a visceral understanding of what she’s going through. I’m always one or two levels more deeply connected to Catalina, and that’s something I don’t experience often.

Recommendations: highly recommended! Don’t let the covers fool you – Hidden Legacy is one of the most robust, entertaining urban fantasy series I’ve ever read. Kate Daniels starts out a little slow then gains momentum. Hidden Legacy sweeps you up for a wild ride right from the start and only gets better from there. There’s a reason these authors are at the top of my UF list. I can’t recommend them enough!

Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller

I didn't like this one as well as some of the others in the series, but thought it was definitely worth reading and since I love Ilona Andrews, I can't wait for the next in the series!

Oh goodness, I love this series so much! Emerald Blaze does for Catalina what the three earlier books in the series did for her older sister Nevada. It makes you look past the superficial to see an honorable, tough young woman who’s easy to adore, in part because she doesn’t cave in to everyone’s demands. Finding her own path through grit and determination. The Hidden Legacy series, set in a Houston where magic is power shows how this smaller house (Baylor), and Catalina as its Prime, navigate the house politics while staying independent and increasing their own worth. That’s all fascinating to read, but then when you throw in a hero who is a dichotomy to his outward screen idol facade, and who is determined to protect that heroine? You are guaranteed fiery dialog and sizzling chemistry, and a fun plot that makes those pages flip by too quickly.

Ok, ok, what can I say about this plot. Well, this plot is too intricate to attempt to describe so I’ll just say that as their investigation moves forward the romance takes a back burner and the mystery becomes what I’m truly interested in seeing. Yes, their chemistry is great, but it’s this magical world that Ilona Andrews has created that holds my attention. It’s the supporting characters that give our main characters depth and emotion. Emerald Blaze is not a surface piece of fluff, despite what the cover looks like, there’s actually a lot of meat in the story, and the plot definitely holds my attention.

If you are a fan of this series and are wondering if Nevada and Conner have any part in this novel, the answer is yes. Nevada is actually around for a good portion and as with any favorite characters, it was so good to see her, but Catalina and Alessandro were the stars in Emerald Blaze and really I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Looking towards the future a third book is on the horizon. An underlying story arc was not completed in this book and I’m eager to see how they finish it out! Let’s hope they write quickly! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

It’s always a pleasure to check in with the Baylors. The whole family is entertaining and there’s always something going on. I enjoyed this so much that I went back and read the whole series over again which was not a waste.

Catalina is assigned to work in a dangerous case involving missing workers, a murderous Pit, and a dead Prime. But the worst part? Being assigned to work with the bodyguard/killer who broke her heart.

Cat and Alessandro not only have great chemistry, they have a great and supportive partnership. Alessandro is a swoonworthy alpha male without being toxic, just like Rogan. Kudos to the authors for

Six months have passed since the end of Sapphire Flames, but Catalina Baylor is still grieving the loss of her relationship with Alessandro Sagredo. She’s also trying to balance her duties as the Deputy Warden with running her family’s detective agency, all while keeping her second job a secret. Then she’s attacked by a giant reptile. All the balls she’s been juggling threaten to come crashing down when that attack leads the Warden’s office to take over a case that forces her to work with Alessandro again.

This Alessandro is not the same one who left Catalina, though he’s just as devoted to protecting her. He’s suffered a setback in his personal mission and lost some of the cocky attitude. He’s also finally willing to share the details of that mission, which tie in to Catalina’s case and explain a lot of his previous behavior. Despite the pain between them, Catalina and Alessandro make a great team. Not only have they grown up a bit since we saw them last, but they also get to show new aspects of their magic.

One of the things that struck me is how different Catalina is from her sister Nevada, the main character of the first three books in the series. It’s obvious in the interactions between them that they approach their roles as big sister and Head of House in different ways, Nevada looking for immediate results and Catalina playing the long game. Emerald Blaze references events between Nevada and Catalina’s arcs, only some of which we saw in earlier books, which emphasize those differences and also bring Nevada and Rogan into the latest story in an interesting way.

One of the reasons the Hidden Legacy series stands out is because of its incredible action scenes. Emerald Blaze had a slightly different, though no less incredible, feel for me since most of the battles involve monsters and machines rather than people. It’s only at the end that the magic user behind them is revealed. Normally it’s those action scenes that I think of first when reflecting on the series. With Emerald Blaze however, it’s the emotional moments that have stayed with me. Catalina and Alessandro nearly had me in tears on several occasions.

I’m fighting the urge to start rereading Sapphire Flames followed by Emerald Blaze again to make sure I’ve caught all the twists and the feels. For me, this is a perfectly normal reaction to finishing an Ilona Andrews book. I’m sure it will happen sometime before the next Hidden Legacy book comes out. I’ve read them all multiple times and I always manage to discover something new.

Ilona Andrews can’t be stopped! I’m so glad there are so many members of the Baylor family because that just means more books! I loved Nevada and Connor’s stories (I think I’ve reread them at least four times now) but now Catalina has captured readers attention with her siren ways. Can I just point out the differences in the covers for Nevada and Connor’s stories vs Catalina and Alessandro’s? Shirtless to sophisticated, boom!

Catalina’s story just keeps getting better and better. Book two, Emerald Blaze, gives readers a lot of background on Alessandro so h’e’s just not some tall, dark, and mysterious stranger to us and Catalina. And she’s not her usual prickly self throughout the book, which is nice to see. Ends in a way that leaves room for book three.

Emerald Blaze is another winner in the Hidden Legacy series, which is best read in order. Great world building, action packed plot, wonderful characters, and satisfying romance—this book has it all! Be prepared to have a little vacation from all the corona virus problems and spend some happy hours reading.