Book Reviews:: Burn for Me | Ilona Andrews

The Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews is one of my favorites of all time. Since the summer of 2022 when I first read these books, I’ve read them probably 10 times each (that’s six books, they’re all amazing). They’re something special, and I’m going to try to convince you to give this urban fantasy series a chance.

Burn for Me Ilona Andrews Book Cover Hidden Legacy Series Book One, Burning Carnation Flower

Nevada Baylor is a private investigator who can tell who’s lying. It’s her magic. Subtle, but accurate AF. She uses it to solve cases and earn good money for her large family that’s been struggling since the death of her father. She is steadfast and reliable – she wears responsibility on her sleeve like an albatross. In order to keep the company afloat during difficult times, she had to mortgage the company to Montgomery Enterprises, a larger PI firm in the greater Houston area who owns the Baylor Investigative Agency as one of its subsidiaries. Now, they’re calling in a mandatory case that will more than likely end in flames – locate the bad-boy wannabe Adam Pierce, a man who can burn whatever he wants with his prime status magic, and bring him back to his powerful family. Nevermind he doesn’t want to be found, after he incinerated a bank and killed two police officers. But Nevada can’t refuse or her family will lose everything. She must take on the case, and pray she makes it out alive.

But Nevada isn’t the only one looking for Pierce. Connor Rogan, one of the most powerful prime level magic users in the world, is looking for him too. The last thing Nevada wants is to get involved in magic-user politics, but she’s getting nowhere on her own, and Rogan may be the only one who can help her finish the job. Nevada and Rogan must work backward to find the why behind Adam’s masquerades, so they can anticipate his next moves and save Houston from the heat of his power. But as they dig deeper, they realize Adam is tangled up in a conspiracy that is far greater than they realized.

Not only are these books action packed with compelling mystery and time-sensitive stakes, but the characters are well-rounded and the cast as a whole is so darned loveable. Nevada and her family each have their strengths that combine well to make their agency work, and they continue to develop as the series progresses. They’re a quirky family, but they are bound by deep love, and they’ll do anything for each other.

The world in this series is a twist on our own. Earth, but with a magical twist. Early in the twentieth century, scientists distilled the Osiris Serum, which, when taken, either kills the recipient, warps them (don’t ask!), or gives them enormous magical abilities which are passed down through generations. This has led to the development of magical families, called Houses. These magical elite scheme for generations to hone the magical abilities of their offspring, all in want of more power in society. Their matches are rarely for love, so when they are, it’s often a sacrifice.

Burn For Me Ilona Andrews Original Book Cover, Models

Underneath the investigation, this is a love story, though I’m not sure Burn for Me can technically be classified as a romance (just don’t tell that to the first cover, lol). There is a little bit of spice, but if you’re one who doesn’t prefer it, or needs to skip it for some reason, the spicy scenes are separate enough from the narrative that the story still works well. One of my favorite scenes in this first book is not spicy, but Nevada and Rogan are trapped for a time in a confined space, and the humor and tenderness of it is just perfection.

I am convinced that just about every type of reader could enjoy this series, and I’m so glad the first trilogy got new covers because the first ones, the old-school bodice rippers, don’t reflect the depth within the pages.

I wish I could pluck out and distill the feelings reading this series gives me and share it with you, because if you could experience it, you wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up. I’ve read these books again and again (and again), and I only fall more in love every time I get to revisit them. They’ve become my ultimate comfort read, and lucky for me, I get six (and a half) volumes to relish. That’s a lot of comfort.

But seriously Ilona & Andrew – when are you going to grace us with a trilogy for Arabella?! (And Leon!) You could write a hundred books in this series, and I, for one, would eat them ALL up. Bravo!

Details

Title:: Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy Book #1)
Author:: Ilona Andrews
Genre:: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 382 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 46m
Audiobook Narrator:: Renee Raudman
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: October 28th, 2014
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Level:: 2 (just a hint, descriptive)