White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews #BookReview

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence! ***

His magic brushed past me, a raging, terrible beast. Shivers ran down my spine. Suddenly the past two months of normal life tore apart, like fragile paper, and I was right back next to Rogan, about to charge into a fight. And it felt right. It felt like I’d been sleepwalking and had suddenly woken up.
I had to get away from him as soon as I could. He was bad for me on every level.

What was a more-than-two-year wait for eager readers spanned mere months for Nevada, and she (albeit unwillingly) jumps right back into the fray with her favorite-unfavorite grumpy mage.

“Please don’t get into his car,” I told Cornelius. “He’s dangerous and unpredictable.”
“Thank you,” Rogan said.

There is so much to love about this story, this story world. Like the first book in this series, White Hot is a delight to read. The characters are truly unique and universally appealing, each standing out in his or her own way.

Connor “Mad” Rogan might be an intense guy—seemingly self-serving and manipulative—but he is loyal and dedicated to Nevada in ways she is only starting to understand. Rogan can flip from lethal, scary, and heartless to playful, insightful, and unexpectedly charming in a blink. The force of his character is simply overwhelming, and I found myself jonzing like an addict for my next hit of Rogan. And Nevada Baylor possesses a core of iron strength that she doesn’t let dominate her life or her personality. She’s strong when she needs to be and humble and ordinary the rest of the time. As a couple, they possess enough magical energy to take on small armies, but it’s their personal chemistry that truly shines.

“Do you need me to drop you off?” I asked.
“Why would I want that?”
“So you can brood in solitude.”
“I don’t brood.”
“Plot horrible revenge, then. Because you’re freaking me out.”
“It’s my job to freak you out.”
“Really?”
“That’s the nature of our relationship.” A spark lit his eyes. “We both do what’s necessary, and after it’s over, I watch you freak out about it.”
“I don’t.”
“Oh, I don’t want you to stop. I find it highly amusing.”
That’s the last time I try to cheer you up. Go back into your dragon cave for all I care.

The Primes of Hidden Legacy’s magical story world resemble the Cardinals of Nalini Singh’s Psy: so powerful they measure off the top end of the magical spectrum. There is literally never a dull moment in this story. If Rogan isn’t destroying something, Nevada isn’t snarking at someone (or defending herself so very capably), and Augustine isn’t manipulating or charming someone, then Bug is surely up to some hilarious new antic or Grandma Frida is taunting Nevada with marriage text messages. Family is an integral part of this story and a binding foundation of Nevada’s character. Like a real, struggling middle class family, the Baylors stick together through all their sibling bickering and shared-space frustrations. They’re good people at the core, and their scenes breathe down-home vibrance into a story seething with dangerous magic.

Rogan’s personality was like his magic: a powerful typhoon that swept away everything in its path. I had seen the extent of his rage and the intensity of his desire. When he focused on you, he did so completely and you felt privileged to be the object of his attention in spite of yourself.

Every scene with Connor Rogan treks deeper into his why, the experiences and decisions and consequences that made him this borderline-psychopathic juggernaut of a mage. Once you learn how overwhelmingly good the core of his character is, his darkness becomes even more appealing. This man has been through hell on earth, and he’s still protecting people. He’s a good guy dressed up as one of the villains. And he likes it that way. But Nevada sees the real Connor. And I loved that this book sets just the right pace to pay tribute to that.

I might as well have been invisible. Women looked at him wherever he went. In the age of magic, many men were handsome. Rogan wasn’t just attractive; he projected masculinity. It was in his posture, in the male roughness of his face, and in his eyes. When you saw him, you knew no matter what happened, he would handle it. Little did they know that he solved most of his problems by throwing money at them or trying to kill them. Sometimes at the same time.

In true urban fantasy fashion—or maybe it’s just an Ilona Andrews thing—anytime Nevada and Rogan start to get their freak on (or, really, treat each other with any kind of softness), something comes out of left field and tries to kill them. Which was both predictably amusing and more than a little frustrating. But ultimately, totally worth it. The dramatic and romantic tension in this story (and in its predecessor) is magical. White Hot is a prime—har har, pun totally intended!—example of what makes good urban fantasy so addicting. You get just enough of everything to keep you hooked but never enough to satisfy. Which gives any forward progress, particularly in the romantic relationships, even more punch. The fight scenes in White Hot are explosive and imaginative, quick-fire action that never fails to shock and entertain.

White Hot is the middle story in the Hidden Legacy urban fantasy series. While it has its own (very satisfying) ending and is technically a standalone, a lot of core world- and character-building happens in the first book. I spent several sleepless nights addicted to this story, but if you haven’t yet read Burn For Me, you will definitely want to start there. It’s a fan-freaking-tastic read as well and is still, two-and-a-half years later, one of the highest scoring reviews on GraveTells. Check out my review here. White Hot buy links below!

Or snag your copy of Burn For Me on Amazon* here:

This review copy was provided by the Publisher. No compensation was received for this review.

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The Hidden Legacy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews continues as Nevada and Rogan navigate a world where magic is the norm…and their relationship burns hot
 
Nevada Baylor has a unique and secret skill—she knows when people are lying—and she's used that magic (along with plain, hard work) to keep her colorful and close-knit family's detective agency afloat. But her new case pits her against the shadowy forces that almost destroyed the city of Houston once before, bringing Nevada back into contact with Connor "Mad" Rogan.
 
Rogan is a billionaire Prime—the highest rank of magic user—and as unreadable as ever, despite Nevada’s “talent.” But there’s no hiding the sparks between them. Now that the stakes are even higher, both professionally and personally, and their foes are unimaginably powerful, Rogan and Nevada will find that nothing burns like ice …
 
An Avon Romance

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