Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

I first discovered books by Ilona Andrews a few years ago in my library’s digital catalog. I started with the Innkeeper series and thoroughly enjoyed that so I moved on to the Hidden Legacy series. The latest book is Sapphire Flames and it was a fast-paced, read with strong romance and paranormal elements.

Ilona Andrews is actually a pen name for a husband and wife team. From their website –

‘“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 bring that great sense of humor to their stories as well.

The Hidden Legacy books take place in a version of our world where families with magic skills are recognized as “Houses.” House warfare can be pretty violent.

When the series starts, the Baylor family is living a simple life as private investigators, hiding their abilities lest they become a target for other Houses. By Sapphire Flames, they have gained recognition as a House and are fully involved in the intrigue of House politics. Every member of the family is a unique and interesting character with their own special magical talents.

Catalina is now the head of the House Baylor and a Prime in her own right, which means her magic is extremely powerful, but she’s always been afraid of using that power.

The story begins when the Head of House Montgomery, Augustine, comes to the Baylors in the middle of the night for help because a teen boy, from another magic family, is standing on the roof of a hospital threatening to jump. They know Catalina can stop him. She tries to demur, afraid she could make matters worse.

Augustine’s composure cracked, and a human being looked back at me through his eyes. “He’s just a child Catalina. He already lost so much. He’s in the worst pain of his short life and he has no idea how to contain it. He just wants to stop hurting. Please try.”

How could anyone say no? She agrees and is drawn into a convoluted intrigue that involves a vast conspiracy and great dangers to her family and the city.

To complicate matters, enter Alessandro. In order to be recognized as a House, members of the family had to be tested by other magic users. The man Catalina was pitted against is Alessandro. She became a little bit obsessed with him and stalked his Instagram, until he followed her back. Now, he’s in town and involved in the whole sordid mess.

I highly recommend starting at the beginning of the series. You could read them out of order and enjoy them, but you’ll enjoy them a lot MORE if you start at the beginning. They are fast reads and if you like one, you will want more.