ARC Review: White Hot by Ilona Andrews

Series:	Hidden Legacy #2
Pub. Date:	May 30, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	416 pages
Source:	Edelweiss

Well this book certainly grabbed me and wouldn't let go... until about 3am when I got to the final page. So I have Ilona and Gordon to blame for the deep dark circles under my eyes today. White Hot is an action-packed magical fantasy that sees our favorite couple heating up while battling a cold-hearted villain. 

To briefly recap, this is an urban fantasy series set in an urban environment where a portion of the society are magic users. The magic capabilities are measured by Prime (highest), Significant, Average, etc. In Burn for Me, we met our heroine, Nevada Baylor, who is a private investigator, running the Baylor Investigative Agency as a means to provide for her family (siblings, cousins, mother and grandmother). As a rare truthseeker, Nevada is on the cusp of discovering her true powers which include detecting lies and pulling info out of people's heads. One of her investigations puts her in the path of Connor "Mad" Rogan, a billionaire Prime, whom terrifies the rest of the magical community. But Rogan is a hero after my own heart... broody, dangerous, and just a little bit broken. While there wasn't any heat in the first installment, the sexual tension between Nevada and Rogan was definitely building to combustible levels.

White Hot picks up not long after the conclusion of Burn for Me. Nevada has picked up a new client, Cornelius Harrison, whose wife has been brutally murdered. The case will take her into the middle of House politics, and again put her in the path of Mad Rogan. Once the investigation begins, the danger amps up and people are trying to kill Nevada left and right. Pretty soon. there is an all out House War that looks to be a power coup by our villains. Luckily, Rogan is there to help keep them alive, and distract Nevada in the best way possible. That's right, all that tension from the first book has finally ignited and solidified the relationship between these two. I absolutely love this couple together, and I can't wait to see the bonding that occurs now that our relationship has taken that first step.

We learned much more about all of our characters in this installment, both past and present. Nevada seems to be emerging as a Prime, and it is getting very hard to keep that talent under wraps. We discover the past that made Rogan the misunderstood man, and it only made me fall a little more in love with him. Then we saw Nevada's siblings pitching in to help with the fight and displaying some of their powers (and potential power), which was interesting and unexpected. Catalina's special power was particularly surprising, and I think she would make an interesting character for a spinoff series.

This book foreshadows where we will go in the next installment, and it is going to be GOOD! The whole family will have to bravely step into the limelight and band together to battle the next foe. I am a little sad that this is only a trilogy... but I know Ilona and Gordon will continue producing quality entertainment in one series or another.

It's been a couple years since Burn for Me was published, but the authors did a good job dropping hints about what happened in that book so I didn't feel like I needed to go back and read it before starting this one. I don't recommend reading this story as a standalone, or out of order, because you will want the introduction to the world building and characters from the first book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon. 

Hidden Legacy