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.
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!
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.
Fantastic review as always Lindy, Oh I so have this author team high on my list of have to start reading. Now I just need some time LOL do you know where I can get that
ReplyDeleteThank You Debbie! I hope you get the time you need to sit down, relax, and enjoy a good story :)
Deleteyay now you're on time to read the new one!
ReplyDeleteI just started Catalina's book, and it's so good!!!
DeleteLook at you getting all caught up!
ReplyDeleteI know! I'm super excited. I was able to read all of the books in a week :)
DeleteI felt the same way about how well this one did transitioning the series to Catalina's story. I'm excited for Sapphire Flame.
ReplyDeleteI've started reading Sapphire Flames, even though it's not due until August. I just couldn't wait!!!
DeleteI really do need to read more by these two. I've tried a couple of their series (Kate Daniels being my fav) and have loved them all or at least really liked them.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to need to check out the Kate Daniels series next! Thanks for the recommendation :)
Deletelook at all those beauties. great review
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thank You Sherry!
DeleteI enjoyed this one too. Great review.
ReplyDeleteOh amazing review. I haven't read anything by this author, but I think I have a book by her.
ReplyDeleteSharrice @Reese's Reviews
You should read it. This author team is really good! Addictive storytelling at it's best awaits you :)
DeleteI had read this around when it was released, but my husband didn't and so we listened to it on Monday on our long car ride home. Loved it all over again! I was happy to see Catalina gaining more confidence with her powers, too. Now I can't wait for Sapphire Flames! Hopefully I'll get approved for an ARC but it isn't looking good. Oh well, lots of books in the meantime. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so neat that you and your husband got to enjoy this story together! I really hope you get to read Sapphire Flames soon Rachel!
DeleteAll of your reviews for this series keep making me want to read them more and more. They just sound so good. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Teresa! I think you'd love this series!
DeleteCan I ask a question? What does HEA mean? I feel so ridiculous asking and I kind of understand but really I don't know?! I'm so glad you are loving this series so much. I love sirens!! ❤️
ReplyDeleteIt was such a fun read! I love Sirens too :). HEA stands for Happily Ever After.
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