Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews
By far the absolute best in the series! Truly a favorite in the paranormal/fantasy world, Ilona Andrews as a writing team is simply amazing.
Nevada and Rogan have such a unique and funny verbal sparring style. It makes for a perpetual smile while reading. Smart and funny is a classic way to describe it, but it just works so well.
I really enjoyed the progression of Nevada’s character. She understands who she is and what she needs to do to keep her family and her relationship safe. I was delighted to see Rogan display such trust in Nevada’s ability and magic. He’s not the knight in shining armor that rides in to save the day. He’s her partner and facilitator in all her in endeavors, even if it makes him uncomfortable.
All the secondary players in the Hidden Legacy series have a moment to shine as well, making this one heck of a multifaceted read. Old ways and new ways all join to create a team working together for the betterment of the family. There is definitely room for more to come in this world if Ilona Andrews wills it.
This reader has nothing but glowing words and thoughts when it comes to Wildfire. One of my favorite reads this year!
5 Stars
Tanja
From the cover…
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.
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.
“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.
Excerpt
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
Mom made big eyes at me and nodded toward the table. I dropped my bag on the floor and sat.
“Drink your tea.” Grandma Frida pushed a steaming mug toward Rynda.
Rynda picked up and drank it, but her gaze was fixed on me. Desperation in her eyes turned to near panic. Right.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath from the stomach all the way up, held it, and let it out slowly. One . . . two . . . Calm . . . calm . . .
“Nevada?” Grandma Frida asked.
“She’s an empath Prime,” I said. “I’m upset, so it’s affecting her.”
Rynda gave a short laugh, and I heard Olivia Charles in her voice. “Oh, that’s rich.”
Five . . . six . . . Breathe in, breathe out . . . Ten. Good enough.
I opened my eyes and looked at Rynda. I had to keep my voice and my emotions under control. “Your mother killed an entire crew of Rogan’s soldiers and four lawyers, including two women your age. It was an unprovoked slaughter. Their husbands are now widowers and their children are motherless because of her.”
“A person is never just one thing,” Rynda said, putting the mug down. “To you she might have been a monster, but to me she was my mother. She was a wonderful grandmother to my children. She loved them so much. My mother-in- law doesn’t care for them. They have no grandparents now.”
“I’m sorry for your and their loss. I regret that things went the way they did. But it was a justified kill.” Dear God, I sounded like my mother.
“I don’t even know how she died.” Rynda clenched her hands into a single fist. “They only gave me back her bones. How did my mother die, Nevada?”
I took a deep breath. “It wasn’t an easy or a quick death.”
“I deserve to know.” There was steel in her voice. “Tell me.”
“No. You said you needed my help. Something terrible must’ve happened. Let’s talk about that.”
Her hand shook, and the mug danced a little as she brought it to her lips. She took another swallow of her tea. “My husband is missing.”
Okay. Missing husband. Familiar territory. “When was the last time you saw . . .” Rogan had said his name one time, what was it? “. . . Brian?”
“Three days ago. He went to work on Thursday and didn’t come back. He doesn’t answer his phone. Brian likes his routine. He’s always home by dinner. It’s almost Christmas. He wouldn’t miss it.” A note of hysteria crept into her voice. “I know what you’ll ask: does he have a mistress, did we have a good marriage, does he disappear on drunken binges? No. No, he doesn’t. He takes care of me and the kids. He comes home!”
She must’ve spoken to the Houston PD. “Did you fill out a missing person report?”
“Yes. They’re not going to look for him.” Her voice turned bitter. She was getting more agitated by the minute. “He’s a Prime. It’s House business. Except House Sherwood is convinced that Brian is okay and
he’s just taking a break. Nobody is looking for him, except me. Nobody is returning my calls. Even Rogan
refuses to see me.”
That didn’t sound right. Rogan would never turn her away, even if I pitched a huge fit about it. I’d watched the two of them talking before. He liked her and he cared about her. “What did Rogan say exactly?”
“I came to him on Friday. His people told me he was out. He was out on Saturday. I asked to wait, and they told me it was a waste of time. They didn’t know when he would be back. I may be naive, but I’m not an idiot. I know what that means. Two weeks ago, I had friends. I had my mother’s friends, powerful, respected, and always so eager to do Olivia Charles a favor. Two weeks ago, one phone call and half of the city would be out looking for Brian. They would be putting pressure on the police, on the mayor, on the Texas Rangers. But now, everyone is out. Everyone is too busy to see me. There is an invisible wall around me. No matter how loud I scream, nobody can hear me. People just nod and offer platitudes.”
“He didn’t stonewall you,” I said. “He was out of state. With me.
She stopped. “You’re together?”
There was no point in lying. “Yes.”
“The thing with my mother, it wasn’t just a job for you?”
“No. She killed the wife of a man I consider a friend. He works here now.”
Rynda put her hand over her mouth.
Silence fell, heavy and tense.
“I shouldn’t have come here,” she said. “I’ll get the children and go.”
“That’s right,” Grandma Frida said.
“No,” Mom said. I knew that voice. That was Sergeant Mom voice. Rynda knew that voice too, because she sat up straighter. Olivia Charles was never in the military, but three minutes of talking to her had told me that she had ruled her household with an iron fist and had very low tolerance for nonsense.
“You’re here now,” Mom said. “You came to us for help, because you had nowhere to turn and because you’re scared for your husband and your children. You came to the right place. Nevada is very good at tracking missing people. Either she’ll help you, or she will recommend someone who will.”
Grandma Frida turned and looked at Mom as if she had sprouted a pineapple on her head.
“Right,” I said. I may not have personally murdered Rynda’s mother, but I made that death possible. And now she was a pariah, alone and scared. She had lost her mother, her husband, and all of the people she thought were her friends. I had to help her. I had to at least get her started in the right direction.
What a stellar review! Thank you for sharing!
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