Review: Burn for Me

Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Hidden Legacy, #1
Published: October 28th 2014
Publisher: Avon
Length: 400 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire…

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world. 

After the brilliant Magic Breaks, Burn for Me further proves that Ilona and Gordon can do whatever the hell they want and it will always be gloriously entertaining!

Only three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and good UF from Ilona Andrews. There aren’t many authors who can be counted upon to always deliver the best, but Ilona and Gordon are among them. Burn for Me is just another in a long string of successes for this husband-and-wife writing team.

Please don’t let the cover and the title mislead you. Burn for Me is not paranormal romance. In fact, it’s urban fantasy in its purest form, with only a hint of romantic development to keep things even more entertaining. Ilona and Gordon once again did what they do best – they created a compelling world and filled it with fascinating characters and plenty of danger and action.

Nevada Baylor is a heroine with a backbone of steel, just the way I like them. She carries some heavy burdens and makes some hard decisions along the way, but she’s never indecisive or weak. Her family is also very colorful, starting with her grandma Frida and ending with her young cousin with a man-crush on Mad Rogan.

And then there’s Mad Rogan himself (and yes, he actually answers to that name). He has the looks, the money and the unimaginable power. In short, he has everything but Nevada Baylor’s trust, and he’s determined to get it (and consequently her) at any cost. Their relationship starts with a kidnapping, involves things like snipers and duct tape, and ends with a juicy promise and lots of pent-up passion. Lots and lots of pent-up heat and unfulfilled desires. Their interactions are hilarious, the dialogue witty and quick, Ilona-Andrews-style, and the promise of things to come is more than enough to keep us fully invested and desperate for the next installment.

The worldbuilding is considerably different from their other series, and it’s where this fabulous duo shines. I loved their version of Houston, and the quality of their writing made the short world-establishing prologue almost unnecessary. They have a way of including just enough information for the story to function smoothly, never overwhelming the reader, never creating confusion and never ever info-dumping.

I don’t give five stars often, nor do I do it lightly, but this book deserves more praise than I can possibly give. All I can say after this is ‘more, please’.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.