Book Rec

Happy Book Birthday to Emerald Blaze!

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews is out today! I got to read an early copy of this book back in April and it broke me out of the pandemic reading slump I was in at the time. We’d been in lockdown for over a month at that point, and I thought it felt like forever. (Hahahahahahasob)

But then Ilona graciously offered me an early copy of EB (full disclosure: we’re friends! I’m biased!), and I tore through it in a few days after not finishing anything for weeks.

It is so good. It’s I should clearly give up this writing thing and go live in a cave in the woods because I can never hope to write this well good. I’m jealous of all of you who get to read it for the very first time.

As a reminder, this is the fifth book in the Hidden Legacy series, and the second book in Catalina’s trilogy. You’ll definitely want to at least read Sapphire Flames before this one. And if you have somehow missed Ilona Andrews’s previous books, then you have a whole host of awesome awaiting you.

More info on EB:

Emerald Blaze Cover. A dark-haired white woman in a long green dress holding a sword next to a dark-haired white man in a white shirt with an open color and rolled up sleeves holding a pistol.

Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author, continues her spellbinding series set in the Hidden Legacy world where magic controls everything…except the hearts of those who wield it.

As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart. 

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won’t rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that’s tearing their world apart.

Happy Reading!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play | Kobo | IndieBound

Happy Book Birthday to Deal with the Devil!

Today is the day! Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha is out today! Those of you who’ve been around for a while have heard me rave about this book before, way back in April of last year (which, let’s be honest, feels like twenty years ago). We did a virtual back alley trade of Aurora Blazing for Deal with the Devil.

Best. Trade. Ever.

Do you like squads of badass women with superpowers? Do you like teams of badass, morally conflicted supersoldiers? Do you like road trips that smoosh the two groups together, with all of the delicious tension that brings?

OF COURSE YOU DO! 😍

Full disclosure: Bree and Donna (the duo behind Kit Rocha) and I are friends and we share an agent. But their book is incredible and you should definitely check out a sample at the very least. I mean, here’s the first line:

Nina had broken the cardinal rule, and now she had to kill someone.

That is a killer first line (pun absolutely intended).

I officially blurbed the book with my rave from so many moons ago: “Nina is everything I love in a heroine―smart and badass, but with a core of hope and kindness. And Knox is jaded, honorable, and so very conflicted. I loved it!”

Here’s more info:

Deal with the Devil: A Mercenary Librarians Novel by Kit Rocha Cover

Deal with the Devil is Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengersby USA Today and New York Times bestselling author duo Kit Rocha.

Nina is an information broker with a mission—she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.

Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he’s fighting to survive.

They’re on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process…

Or they could do the impossible: team up.

This is the first book in a near-future science fiction series with elements of romance.


Happy Reading!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Google Play | Kobo | Indiebound

Diamond Fire

Happy book birthday to Ilona Andrews! Diamond Fire is out today! It showed up on my Kindle last night just as I was planning to sleep, so I started it, because of course, and let me tell you, it was sooooo hard putting it down.

Diamond Fire

Nevada Frida Baylor and Connor Ander Rogan cordially invite you to join their wedding celebration. Summoning, weather manipulation, and other magical activities strictly forbidden.

Catalina Baylor is looking forward to wearing her maid of honor dress and watching her older sister walk down the aisle. Then the wedding planner gets escorted off the premises, the bride’s priceless tiara disappears, and Rogan’s extensive family overruns his mother’s home. Someone is cheating, someone is lying, and someone is plotting murder.

To make this wedding happen, Catalina will have to do the thing she fears most: use her magic. But she’s a Baylor and there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her sister’s happiness. Nevada will have her fairy tale wedding, even if Catalina has to tear the mansion apart brick by brick to get it done.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo

 
And if you are in the USA, don’t forget to VOTE today! You can read Diamond Fire while you wait in line! Win win! :)

Books Out Today: Magic Triumphs and The Governess Game

I’m peeking out of the deadline cave to let you know about two new books out today!

Magic Triumphs Cover

First up is Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews.

It’s the final Kate Daniels book and it brings everything: cute baby antics, huge battles, and the humor that Kate is famous for.

Here’s one of my favorite Kate lines from the book: “Besides, if you can’t trust an ice giant driving a creeper van with a dead body inside, who can you trust?” —From Magic Triumphs, page 111.

Fair warning, I’m friends with Ilona and Gordon, so I’m biased, but this book is incredible. I loved every page!


The Governess Game Cover

The second book I’m recommending on the my love for the author alone, because I haven’t read it yet (it’s on my Kindle and I’m desperate to start). Edit: Read it in one sitting. Loved it!

Tessa Dare is one of my favorite historical romance authors and the snippets I’ve read of this story indicate it will be no exception.

We first met Alexandra in The Duchess Deal (another favorite and a steal at $1.99 right now!) and I can’t wait to read her story.

If you want a larger preview, chapter one is available!


As always, books are very subjective, so read a sample before buying to see if it’s right for you.

Also, DO NOT POST SPOILERS for Magic Triumphs. If you must chat with someone, Ilona has a spoilers thread on her blog. Knock yourself out over there. :)

Book Recs and a Snippet of The Queen’s Gambit

I’m still buried writing book two, but thanks to a long flight, I had the opportunity to read a couple books from other people this week. Both were excellent and if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen me talking about them.

The first is Wicked and the Wallflower, by Sarah MacLean. This is a delicious historical romance with a scoundrel hero and a lock-picking heroine. The banter in this book is incredible and these two are perfect for each other. I can’t wait for the next book in the series! You can read an except from chapter one on Sarah’s site.

The second is Iron and Magic, by Ilona Andrews. Fair warning, we’re friends, so I could be considered biased, but their books are awesome by any measure. I know a lot of readers of the Kate books didn’t think Hugh could be redeemed, but I’m here to tell you, you’re wrong. Hugh may be my new favorite character (shh… don’t tell any of my other favorite characters). And Elara is the perfect foil for him. You can read the first three chapters over on Ilona’s site, but once you get going, you’re not going to want to put it down.

Finally, did you know that The Queen’s Gambit comes out in less than two weeks? Aaahhh! You can get your hands on all the sweet, sweet preorder links right here. And, as before, print on demand books are coming but they can’t be setup for preorder, so they’ll be available to buy from Amazon on release day.

Here’s a little snippet to tide you over for the next couple weeks. :) …