What can I say? Ilona and Gordon just knock it out of the park (or Pit) every damn time. Emerald Blaze is truly no exception to the rule. 

Frankly, I can't imagine that anyone has ever finished an Ilona Andrews book without immediately craving the sequel, but the Hidden Legacies series in particular really brings out the 'gimme' mentally in me. It doesn't help that each book seems to end with an Epilogue that ensures I'm already online and ready to pre-order the sequel by the time I've finished the last page. Maybe the issue is that we're dealing with authors with supernatural abilities, and we all need an antistasi boyfriend to resist their charm. Or maybe they're just that good? I guess we'll never know.

What I do know is that Emerald Blaze is a must have for everyone. Okay, I say almost hear some of you getting ready to inform me that you 'hate' urban fantasy and 'would never under any circumstances' enjoy anything resembling a paranormal romance. For your own sake, hear me out and pick up a copy of this book. You can thank me later. Although to save yourself the confusion, at least pick up Sapphire Flames first. And really you should be reading the entire Hidden Legacies series for the full effect... Plus it would be rude to not read the other series by these brilliant authors, you know, to see how their writing evolves. Basically, go buy their entire published works. I still promise you'll thank me later.

Whilst you await your order, let me give you the lowdown on their most recent work, and why you should be excited about it. To say that things between Catalina and Alessandro were on the rocks at the end of Sapphire Flames would be an understatement. Emerald Blaze drops you right into the busy life of Catalina Baylor six months later, as she wraps up a case of a missing monkey. But this is post-Osiris serum Houston, so she runs into her next case pretty quickly. Or rather, it runs at her. This chapter had been released as a preview a while back, and if this was any other author, that would mean skip skip skip to all the new juicy stuff. But honestly, anyone other fans of Ilona Andrews will tell you that when you get your hands on a new release, you savour every word of it. And boy does this opening grip you.

I really love this structure at play here, taking an action packed start to draw you back into the story, and then catching you back up after the fact. It works so much better than the standard 'here's what you missed' catch up that so many authors cram into the start of the first chapter, and the story feels all the more organic for it. What you get instead is a reminder of how badass Catalina is, and how much you love her family and friends. 

And can we please talk secondary characters? No one does them better! I realise that this review should just be called '20 reasons I love Ilona Andrews', but honestly can you blame me? Although we live in and age where spin off, prequels and sagas are at the height of popularity, its not often that you feel so very invested in the characters that you're hoping that every single one gets their own series. I can tell you for a fact that I would read a trilogy centred around any member of the Baylor family, their friends, scary Tremaine grandmother, sapphic security chief, possible suspects and more. Each one of them is fleshed out and interesting to the reader. 

And that is not to say that the protagonists aren't interesting themselves, because they are. Since the last book, Catalina has grown into her still relatively new role as Head of House, as well as now also toting the role of Deputy Warden of the State of Texas. She's grown into herself all the more for it, while regressing a little in her willingness to open up. She's been burned one time too many and had come back stronger, but more closed off. Being abandoned as you're about to confess your love will do that to you. 

I liked the dynamic between her and Alessandro in this instalment. They're both changed from when we saw them last, and in a sense the tables have turned. Alessandro isn't exactly an open book, but compared to the uber secretive Italian she faced a mere six months ago, his willingness to answer any question is as close as you'll get. Now Catalina need only trust him enough to ask. Meanwhile Alessandro isn't the only one vying for her attention. He has competition, ranging from Prime this and Abyss that. 

"The wolf was coming." (Prologue)

"Be careful, Catalina. The night is dark, and the wolves have vicious teeth. Guard yourself." (Chapter 3)

With each instalment the stakes are higher, the characters even more developed and diverse, and the world even ore fleshed out in history. This plot is my favourite yet in this series. one that I found truly original and gripping from start to finish. 

This is the series that keeps setting the standard for the genre, as far as I am concerned. 

Now to face the only downside about Ilona Andrews: figuring out what the hell to read next that won't flop by comparison. 

PS: How could you leave us with that ending???