What a homerun! ‘White Hot’, the second book in the Hidden Legacies series is another stellar book and must read from the fabulous husband and wife team (Ilona and Gordon Andrews) who write under the pseudonym Ilona Andrews. It’s the type of book that completely draws you into the story line and won’t let go. I found myself reading into the small hours of the night just needing that ‘one more chapter’. The only reason I eventually got some sleep was due to smacking my face with the kindle one too many times whilst trying to stay awake.
‘White Hot’ is set in an alternative Earth where in 1863 European scientists discovered the Osiris serum. This serum manifested magical talents in people that ranged from being able to speak to animals to destroying cities. The serum spread across the globe until it was locked away when the consequences of giving ordinary people that much power was realised but it was too late. The serum had innately changed people with magic and they in turn passed along their magical ability to their children. This started dynasties of families with strong hereditary magic. Those with the strongest magic formed Houses and feuded with other Houses to gain more wealth, power and prestige.
‘It is a world where the more magic you have, the more powerful, the wealthier, and the more prominent you are. Some magic talents are destructive. Some are subtle. But no magic user should be taken lightly.’ Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy Book 1)
The story picks up two months after the events of Book 1, ‘Burn for Me’, and the aftermath of the events of Adam Pierce’s aborted attack on the city of Houston Texas. We find our main character, Nevada Baylor, about to do something monumentally stupid. She even acknowledges that she is being reckless, but a little girl has been kidnapped and her life is at stake so Nevada can’t stand idly by when she has the power to help. She makes a deal with Augustine Montgomery, the CEO of Montgomery International Investigations (MII), who also happens to own the mortgage on her business: Baylor Investigative Agency. He arranges for her to speak to the man responsible for the kidnapping in exchange for a favour. You see, Nevada is a Truthseeker, an extremely rare magical talent, if it got out that she possessed this talent her life as she knew it would end. The lives of her family would end. All from the pursuit of both Houses and Government Agencies that would want to get their hands on a one hundred percent accurate interrogator. Augustine helps to disguise Nevada and takes every precaution he can think of to keep her identity a secret whilst also gaining her entrance to the kidnapper.
This one act sets off the chain of events for this book. Augustine’s favour is for Nevada to meet with a potential client, since due to the machinations of Connor Rogan, he can no longer dictate what clients Nevada will assist. The client is Cornelius Harrison from the House Harrison who we met in Book 1. A stay-at-home father who is also an animal mage with a four-year-old daughter, Matilda. Cornelius wants Nevada to find the people responsible for killing his wife and three of her work colleagues. She was employed as an attorney for House Forsberg who owns and operated Forsberg Investigation Services. A firm that specialises in corporate espionage. House Forsberg is denying that anything happened in relation to her job and is a private matter. But Cornelius doesn’t believe them and so has come to Nevada hoping she can provide answers. Nevada empathises with Cornelius but knows her firm is just a small, family run operation that specializes in low-risk investigations and not qualified for something as large as a murder investigation that will delve into House politics. However, Cornelius beseeches Nevada to help him, and she realises that by denying his petition she wouldn’t be able to look her reflection in the eye. The third, and most important, rule of the firm.
Nevada starts investigating the events surrounding the murders and reconnects with Connor Rogan who she has seen or spoken to since the proposal he gave her at the end of ‘Burn for Me’. Connor has his own reasons for wanting to know the culprits and together they start shaking up the status quo of the privileged Houses in Houston. As the investigation heats up so does the relationship between Nevada and Connor and oh boy is it WHITE HOT! All I will say is ‘Tactile’. Once you read it you will understand.
As per ‘Burn for Me’, Nevada narrates the story, and we see more of her determination and resolve to uphold her moral and ethical standards. She is such a contrast to the wheeling and dealing House characters we meet, and I like that she stood her ground and never backed down on anything even if it would make it easier. She is feisty and knows her own mind and won’t let herself be bullied by the bigger players in Houston. We also see a compassionate and caring side of Nevada, she understands that the world is not just black and white but many shades of grey, but still she won’t be cowed or intimidated by it or lured into compromising positions on the false promises of others.
There is a lot more backstory for Connor Rogan. Also known as Mad Rogan, the Scourge of Mexico, the Butcher of Merida. I loved him in ‘Burn for Me’, but he made my heart ache in ‘White Hot’. We get a lot more information about the crucible that forged Connor and turned him into Mad Rogan. He is also not a black and white character even though he is wired to see enemy or innocent through his experiences. Nevada starts to slowly get more glimpses of what makes Connor – Mad Rogan. In return, he lets her judgement stand in several instances rather than just taking out any threats. Connor only narrates the Epilogue, similar to ‘Burn for Me’.
We also see a lot more of the secondary characters in ‘White Hot’, including Augustine Montgomery who grew on me as the book progressed. Even with Rogan trying to get rid of him, he persisted and showed up to be somewhat of a self-interested ally to Nevada and Rogan. Nevada’s family is also there. Her Mum, Sisters Catalina and Arabella, Cousins Bernard and Leon, and of course, my personal favourite, Grandma Frida. They all love and support one another unconditionally and you see more of their love and loyalty throughout the books, exploring further the lengths they each go to protect one another. It is a great family dynamic and there are lots of elements of humour in the book generated by their interactions.
Overall, ‘White Hot’ is another mind-blowing book by Ilona Andrews, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has read and liked their books previously or enjoys the Fantasy / Supernatural / Romance genre. This is an unputdownable book so don’t be like me and start it one evening otherwise you too might bear the bruises of a kindle. I cannot wait to read the next instalment, ‘Wild Fire’.
5 out of 5 stars!
NOTE:
Again, the only detractor I had to this book is the cover.
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To say I was thrilled when I opened the pages of White Hot is an understatement. My paperback is much loved and one of the few that have spine bends. Ilona Andrew's is one of my go to authors of all time!!In this installment we meet Nevada Baylor again and she is determined to use her new and burgeoning talents for good. She may save the day but the consequences are astronomical.She also teams up again with the billionaire hottie Mad Rogan to find the killer of her new client's wife and his men. This time her resolve is weakening and she allows herself to feel. Just a little.White Hot is just that! So so so so hot that it burns white. There are so few words that can express just how much I love this series. I love it as much as I love the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. Exceptional world building. Fantastic character development and just the right amount of magic.5 Stars, a tip of my Nerd Girl hat and a hand clap!!! Yippeeee! Can't wait until the next book in the trilogy.*This review was done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official.
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