Catalina Baylor is the magical Texas deputy, that enforces the law. She also runs a family owned investigative agency. When swamp monsters attack, she must work with her teenage crush Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who walked away to face his own monsters and broke her heart.

Why I started this book: I love Ilona Andrews work and this series is my favorite. I've been haunting Netgalley for months and snapped at the chance to read and review an ARC. The set up sounds so melodramatic, but trust me on this, it's worth the read.

Why I finished it: Perfect addition to the series... lots of high power action, hilarious family dialog, and character motivations are explained and expanded. There are several hints from [book:Sapphire Flames|41088576] about the identity of the mastermind that were not addressed, instead additional hints were sown and once again I'm completely satisfied with the story and eagerly awaiting the next book.

Of course I dropped everything, and of course I devoured it all, and there are just three things that I want to talk about.

1) Can I be adopted and change my last name to Baylor?
This family is everything! Supportive, loyal, and fun. From book one this family has been GOALS!! I love their connection, the way they all work towards a common goal, everyone has a place, something they are good at and are responsible for. And in the evening they all come together for a meal, as one, to talk, laugh, and raze each other. This family is the heart and soul of this series, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

2) The plot (besides Catalina and Alessandro, because they alone can fill an entire book), was phenomenal. I can only applaud the authors for bringing ideas to the table that are fascinating, captivating, and entertaining. The storyline was fast paced, explosive, intriguing and all in all unputdownable.

3) Catalina and Alessandro – wow!!
First of all, these two matured so much. I was so impressed by Catalina, the way she handled herself, BRAVO!! And Alessandro – swoon! Both kick ass and together they are GOALS! I’m loving this couple more and more with each book. Which is true skill, because Ilona Andrews series become better and better with each book.

last thoughts
So, yes, this book was definitely a success for me. There was so much going on. The plot was entertaining from beginning to end, and made me want to read book three/six RIGHT NOW!! The wait will be hard, but I love where the couple is at this moment. And I can already feel that the next book will be THE BEST yet.

I have been a fan of Ilona Andrews for years, and I'm still hooked. This newer romantic fantasy series about an alternate modern world where magic was discovered by science and has transformed part of the world's population into telekinetic mages, telepaths, elemental mages, and more is one of my favorite series. Four books ago, Nevada was a hidden, rare truthseeker trying to keep her family and her family's business together and afloat when she ran into Connor Rogan, the Scourge of Mexico and one of the most powerful telekinetic mages in the world. Emerald Blaze is the second in a follow-on series about Nevada's younger sister, Catalina. Catalina's power is also unusual: she's a siren, and can make anyone love her. At first, that sounds pretty great, but there are massive consequences that have made Catalina shy about using her powers. As a Prime, the Head of her new House, though, and secret Deputy Warden of Texas, she must use her powers if she's to save the world from the apocalypse. I love high stakes plots, as long as there's a happily ever after.

Emerald Blaze opens with Catalina being ordered to take on a new case as Deputy Warden of Texas... alongside her old flame, Alessandro Sagredo, a powerful antistasi who can null others' magic and pull weapons from anywhere in his vicinity. Six months ago, he left Catalina without an explanation. Now he's back, and she's forced to work with him to solve the case and save the world. They turn out to be a great pair, and the romantic subplot has tension, dynamism, and steam. And also Italian sweet nothings.

Catalina's story began when she was quite young, and she and Alessandro are still quite young, but they've grown up a lot since the last book, and I really appreciated that Big Events that make sense have taken place off-screen, because it made the two much more dynamic and interesting. The only part that struck me as a little off is one moment of too much self-sacrifice from the sisters, Nevada and Catalina.

The general plot continues from the last book, which is great but makes this not a good starting point for this series. In fact, if you're new to this series, you'll really want to start with Nevada's first book, Burn For Me. If you're a general fan of Ilona Andrews, you should definitely check out this series, and this book.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book on Netgalley, and I am so happy I did. I loved the first Hidden Legacy trilogy and when I first learned Catalina would have her own, I was both excited and a little concerned that I wouldn't enjoy her story as much as Nevada's. I was wrong. We watched Catalina develop in the Diamond Fire novella and Sapphire Flames. In Emerald Blaze, she really comes into her own. The action in the story starts from page one and it's difficult to put down. Some favorite and not so favorite characters from the past return. It's an extremely satisfying addition to the Hidden Legacy world and might actually be my favorite so far.

The Hidden Legacy series continue its triumphant development of the version of a world where magic is the key to power and wealth in a new magnificent read Emerald Blaze. This is the fifth full-length book in the Hidden Legacy series which follows the Baylor family. You can not stop turning pages while enjoying the rich world building, vivid characters, non-stop action, heart-pounding romance and masterful dialogue.
Catalina Baylor enters new defining stage in her life working as deputy Warden of the State of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law. She is forced again to rely on gorgeous, dangerous, and mysterious Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart. The truth behind his back story comes out in Emerald Blaze.
Together they won't rest until they stop the use of the outlawed, superpower-granting serum that might destroy the world of humanity by turning people into monsters.
Catalina as a character is strikingly different. She has anxiety, questions herself rather than always being invincible. She can be considered a fresh new voicehe in urban fantasy genre.
This book was everything that I had hoped it would be. I would highly recommend this book to others.

The great: Pacing was excellent, as usual--I read this in two days, because everything moves at a good clip. I love all the interactions between the different Baylor family members, and Nevada was back this time! Arabella and Leon remain the best. We get a surprising amount of resolution between Catalina and Alessandro, to the point that I think they've worked through almost all of their issues. It will be interesting to see what happens with them in book three.

The meh: just like in Sapphire Flames, the ending was pretty abrupt. I'm not talking about the cliffhanger in the final chapter (v. shocking!), but how the arc with Cheryl was concluded. Instead of confronting her, we have another rescue (this time of the obnoxious Marat), and everything is resolved in one chapter. How was she working with the Big Bad's organization? Why did she have the Osiris serum? Apparently the Big Bad has all the serum samples, and... [insert unknown evil plot here]. I'm sure we'll get resolution for this in book three, but I would have liked a little more resolution and explanation.

Catalina has lost a lot of her vulnerabilities between books one and two, and I wish we could have gotten more insight and backstory into that. We find out what happened to Alessandro, piece by piece, but Catalina remains a little less fleshed out. She's talking to Victoria, and had her heart broken, and now has this ice queen vibe going. That's a lot to happen in six months! I also wish we had gotten more about her work as Linus's deputy--he deputized her near the end of book one, but now seems like a set thing. (What cases has she worked on? Also, what was going on with Linus in this book?)

Regardless of my niggling issues, I very much enjoyed this read and am looking forward to book three. (Hopefully next year!)

This is one of my favorite paranormal romance series. I LOVE the Baylor family and all of their quirks and love and personality. I devoured Nevada's books and NEEDED to read this follow up to Catalina and Alessandro's story right away. I was not disappointed.

The tension and conflict between C&A were through the roof. He was so unexpected in all ways in this book and She is so fierce in her role as Head of House and leader of the family. Their sense of loyalty and love and responsibility both endeared them and made them relatable. Its a fun romp with great side characters and giant monsters to go with it! Personally, the family dynamic has reminded me a little of Stephanie Plum, but with more steam and grit and a little less clumsiness. I can't wait for the next book!

There is so much going on in this book. Some motivations for main characters are revealed, and that's really satisfying, but enough questions remain to keep things interesting for the next book. We get some really nice moments with Leon, discover Bern has a love life, and there are major developments for Catalina. Also, the Pit might be eating Houston. A little bit.

I love everything that Ilona Andrews writes. We always buy her for my library and I buy for my personal collection. You could read this one first, but for maximum enjoyment start with Sapphire Flames or go back to the very beginning with Burn for Me.

Six months after the events of Sapphire Flames, it seems like Catalina is used to her job as Deputy Warden, and she doesn’t hesitate when she is ordered to take over a high-profile MII case. She does get a surprise when Alessandro shows up to the meeting. She hasn’t heard from him since he broke her heart by leaving, but he’s been hired to assassinate whoever killed Felix Morton, and both he and Linus want him to resume bodyguard duties for this case. With her Prime face in place, she agrees, and together they investigate in Emerald Blaze.

Ilona Andrews books never disappoint, and Emerald Blaze is no exception. Readers get to return to the familiar world of Hidden Legacy and its beloved characters in an exiting new chapter in the hunt for the stolen Osiris Serum. The story is full of both plot and emotion as Catalina and Alessandro are thrown together once again.

They’ve both changed in the sixth months between books, with Alessandro becoming more serious and Catalina having grown into her duties both as Deputy Warden and as Victoria Tremaine’s granddaughter. They’ve grown, but this happened mostly off-page. Alessandro’s life in the interim is explained enough, but it would have been nice to hear more about Catarina’s early experiences working with Linus. It seems like such a big part of her life for readers to miss.

Further, the ending of the story was a bit rushed. While the mystery of the killer was revealed in good time, the motive for using the Osiris Serum wasn’t revealed at all, and the final conflict was ushered in much the same way as it was in Sapphire Flames, with a rescue mission rather than a confrontation.

Overall, though, Emerald Blaze was a fantastic book that ended with several surprises about the characters that readers have grown to love, and I can't look forward to the next book more.

Pub Date: Aug 2020
SO AWESOME! This urban fantasy, the second of Catalina's books, sees her taking on another case for Linus. She's stronger and getting over her heartbreak. And then Alessandro shows up again, assigned as her bodyguard. Sparks fly and fun is had by all! Loved the humor and the romance, as always, and when Nevada shows up too, we get the whole crazy family back! Ilona and Gordon, thank you for this great escape and soothing solace in this crazy time.

Catalina is back and recovering the edges of heartbreak she went through when Alessandro left at the end of Sapphire Flames. She’s busy with her investigation business, her family, and her duties as the Deputy Warden. While retrieving a support monkey that’s been stolen, she and her team are attacked by biomech creatures. They escape and it’s the beginning of a new case assigned by Linus, the Warden: she must find out who killed Felix, a businessman who was murdered at his latest job site. Is it personal or related to the business project? He has four business partners who are working to redevelop the Pit, which we’ve seen in previous books, so there’s no shortage of immediate suspects.
The catch here is that Alessandro has been hired by Felix’s father to kill whoever killed Felix. Linus orders Alessandro to work with Catalina and guard her during her job. Forced proximity for the win!
Because this is the second book in the trilogy, I wondered if it was going to be a game of will-they-or-won’t-they throughout the entire book. The romantic relationship does get back on track and is very satisfying. Both Alessandro and Catalina have changed in the past six months. They have a lot to learn about each other still, let alone figure out the additional complications from Sapphire Flames.
Usually when I read about two authors writing together, I wonder how they blend it all together. With Andrews, I wonder if they chuckle (or cackle) together as they weave these sneaky little details and give us such a great balance of intrigue, humour, and character growth. Emerald Blaze stands well on its own, though readers will be catch the importance of some continuing storylines if they’ve read previous books in the series. The magic and world building are fantastic. The details build smoothly so the reader can follow along as the story goes instead of being infodump or a sudden magical solution to solve all the problems. That’s so hard to pull off, and Andrews did a fantastic job of it.
I do not say this lightly but I’m fairly sure this will wind up in my faves of 2020 list. I love mysteries, romance, and fantasy, and Emerald Blaze was a perfect blend of the three for me. Now I’m off to reread the rest of the Hidden Legacy books.

Emerald Blaze is so much more than a romance. Continuing the story of Catalina and Allesandro as they move toward their Happily Ever After proves what master storytellers the Ilona Andrews team truly are; romance, yes, absolutely, but also a "couldn't put it down" urban fantasy action-packed adventure that I would recommend to anyone wanting something well-written, funny, and able to truly transport the reader into a different world. Fantastic!

You guys, it's so good. So good! I loved the pacing, the action is nonstop. Catalina has matured a little and settled into to her role as Head of her House and Alessandro has dialed the arrogance down to an acceptable level. I'm already desperately waiting for the next book in the series.

After every book in the Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy series I wonder how they will possibly be able to top what they've just written. And then the next book in the series comes along and...they do! Emerald Blaze is filled with everything I love about this series. The world building continues to blow me away. I know, I really do know that this is a fictional world but everything in it is so unbelievably real that I find myself completely immersed in it, reacting to the characters, danger, magic, and non-human beings as if it's all real. I engaged in a lot of gasping, hand-wringing, breath-holding, sighs, and, yes, a few tears, before reaching the end. The characters are so well developed that they've become more like real people to me than characters in a story. I care about them and am fully engaged in their lives.

The book starts a bit slow but quickly begins to build then ramps up and takes us on a life or death race to the finish. Catalina's character continues to strengthen and grow in this second book of her trilogy. As much as I liked Nevada, I like Catalina even more. She's really growing into her power and position and I can't wait to see what comes next for her. Alessandro, also, shows significant growth in this story. I'm enjoying the person he's becoming and the effect that has on his actions and his tenuous relationship with Catalina. Their romance really develops in this book with unexpected twists and unveiled secrets that pack an emotional punch and create an ever deepening bond. These two have captured my heart and I am so hoping for their happily ever after. There are a couple significant obstacles in their path though, and one more book in the trilogy, which means more hurdles ahead. And I am here for every one of them.

We also get a lot of familial interaction in this book, including Nevada and Rogan (YAY!). I love the dynamics within the Baylor family and am especially enjoying watching the evolution of Arabella, Leon, Bern and others. Still keeping my fingers crossed for a trilogy for Arabella once she's a bit older.

For maximum enjoyment of Catalina's character arc (without reading the entire series), I recommend beginning with Diamond Fire (a novella), then reading Sapphire Flames followed by Emerald Blaze. However, for a complete understanding of the Hidden Legacy world as well as the Baylor family dynamics, I suggest starting at the beginning of the series with book one in Nevada and Rogan's trilogy, Burn for Me, followed by White Hot, Wildfire, and then Catalina's books.

Emerald Blaze publishes August 25 but is up for pre-order now. I've already ordered a print copy to add to my keeper shelf. In the meantime, I have no doubt I'll revisit this story again at least once or twice (maybe more) before release date. These characters have a tendency to not want to let go.

*ARC received from Avon via NetGalley for unbiased review

Six months have passed since Catalina Baylor was made Deputy Warden of the Texas National Assembly. Six months since she made a Faustian deal with her ruthless grandmother. Six months since Alessandro Sagredo, Italian Count, Prime, an assassin, disappeared from her life. The confluence of these events have changed her into someone new, someone harder than who she'd been before. Now she's about to be tested again.

A new case, one filled with monsters, and assassins has landed in her lap and once again House Baylor finds itself under attack. To make matters worse her former flame has returned has suddenly as he left, forcing her to confront feelings she's done her best to bury...

Emerald Blaze is a PRIME (pun intended) example of why Ilona Andrews reigns supreme in the world of supernatural romance. In addition to the ever satisfying love story the writing duo peppers their work with intrigue. This book delivers satisfying answers on major questions posed by the first book in this trilogy, while teasing a lingering mystery or two. I love the characterization of Catalina, a distinctly more Machiavellian protagonist than Nevada, but no less delightful. Alessandro has made some major personality adjustment regarding his maturity, but these changes are explained in the book and overall I feel for the best. A thrilling and delightful adventure from cover to cover. Highly recommend!

I’ve fallen in love with both the Hidden Legacies book in general, as well as Catalina’s books specifically. This book absolutely did not disappoint! The lovable cast of characters (Catalina’s wonderful family as well as new side characters like Linus and Runa) return and are their usual quirky selves. During the last book, Nevada was understandably elsewhere to give Catalina room to shine but she is back in this book, and any people who might have been frustrated with the backstory of why Catalina became head of her family I think will be pleased at the explanation. I also thought that the case that they’re working on was really interesting (and seeing Catalina adjust to the new role she was assigned in the last book was a lot of fun!). I usually find the case and supernatural stuff secondary to all of the relationship stuff and it was still the case here, but I don’t want to give the world any less credit. I just love the characters so much.

Now, to the main stars of this book, Catalina and Alessandro!! I fell in love with their relationship last book and watching them pine and struggle this book was such a painful joy. I can’t believe I have to wait another year to read more from them. I will just have to re-read the series in the meantime!

LOVE Catalina and Alessandro! I figure there is one more book left to their story and can't wait to see what happens next! And that ending!!! Yeah, definitely can't wait to see what happens next!

I think most book lovers would have a hard time naming their "favorite author." But over the years, as I read and reread everything by Ilona Andrews, and find myself in times of stress picking up their books again, I have to say that Ilona Andrews is my favorite. Having this egalley drop in the midst of quarantine (after I had just finished a complete reread of Kate Daniels and Innkeeper, and was just starting on a reread of Hidden Legacy), was an unexpected, but wonderful, surprise.

Switching over the leading characters in the middle of a series can be tough, and the last book, Sapphire Flames, had to spend time convincing the reader that Catalina and Alessandro could lead the series. We get right into the thick of it in Emerald Blaze, firmly on board with the pair. We're introduced to new monsters, new bad guys, potential new allies, all while spending time with the other characters we've grown to love.

This was a very strong addition to the series, and I can't wait to see where Andrews leads us next!

Monsters, magic, romance and weapons: a perfect combination for an entertaining read. Ilona Andrews delivers again in Emerald Blaze. The pacing is fast. The characters have heart. The romance is indeed ablaze. In serious times, this book is a fun distraction for dedicated readers and new fans alike.