Review by Booklist Review
This husband-and-wife writing duo have created some of the most exciting and memorable stories in urban fantasy, and the fifth book in the Hidden Legacy series (starting with Burn for Me, 2014) solidifies their reputation. The previous book in the series, Sapphire Flames (2019) started the Catalina Baylor arc, which continues here as Catalina starts to come into her own as a powerful Prime and Head of House Baylor. Her new position as the Deputy to the Warden of Texas gets her involved in an investigation with Alessandro, the man who broke her heart. There is plenty of action and mystery, but what really drives the story is Catalina's character development. While she must now be a tough leader, she's still a vulnerable introvert who has to balance her natural tendencies with the need to protect her family from their grandmother. Andrews weaves the two sides of Catalina's personality together brilliantly while keeping the story going full steam ahead. Readers new to the series will want to start at the beginning, but regular fans will enjoy this latest installment.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Andrew's whirlwind fifth Hidden Legacy romance (after Sapphire Flames) opens with a bang and maintains a breakneck pace, dealing in magic that rouses and entertains. After Felix Morton, the heir to House Morton, one of several dynastic magical families, is found dead, prime mage Catalina Baylor takes the case. The Head of House Baylor, Catalina recently (and reluctantly) became Deputy to the Warden of Texas and hopes this position within magical law enforcement will protect her and her sisters from their scheming grandmother. Catalina suspects Felix's murderer to be one of four representatives of the other magical Houses that Felix was working with on a reclamation project, but before she can question them, her investigation is derailed by prime mage Alessandro Sagredo, the man who broke her heart. The alluring Alessandro just happens to be working the same case and the pair must find a way to work together to catch the murderer while fending off attacks from magically powered mechanical monsters. Andrew's worldbuilding is world-class, and the banter between Catalina and Alessandro sings. New readers will have no trouble jumping in with this installment and series fans will not be disappointed. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two powerful magic users forge an uneasy alliance while investigating a murder. Catalina Baylor is no stranger to duty and responsibility, as we learned in Andrews' first book about her, Sapphire Flames (2019). Even though she's in her early 20s, she's the capable manager of her family's investigation business, the powerful head of her family's emerging magical house, and the covert Deputy Warden for the state of Texas. After Catalina is attacked by a series of magically fueled monsters that crawled out of a nearby swamp, her boss, Linus Duncan, the Deputy of Texas, assigns her to investigate the murder of Felix Morton. The dangerous monsters she encountered are connected to the work Felix and a consortium of powerful houses were doing to reclaim a dangerous magic-rich swamp on prime Houston real estate. Catalina has no doubt she's up to the task of investigating the murder; however, she's furious when Linus insists she accept the protection of Alessandro Sagredo, a powerful assassin and the only man Catalina has ever loved. They worked together on a previous case, but she was humiliated and depressed when he left her just as she was about to reveal her feelings for him. This time, she's determined to find the murderer without damaging her heart. Catalina and Alessandro's discovery of an unsettling, sentient magical presence living in the swamp is frightening not only as an individual enemy, but also for what it reveals about how recklessly humans pursue power. The romance between Catalina and Alessandro is a thrilling match between equals, and both must share their past hurts and reveal their vulnerabilities on the path to love. Andrews has a gift for placing likable characters within complex and interesting mysteries in which small, seemingly inconsequential, clues weave together into a spectacular finish. A winning romance that will thrill and satisfy fans while leaving them clamoring for the final book in the trilogy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.