#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews is back with the newest book in the exciting Hidden Legacy series—the thrilling conclusion to her trilogy featuring fierce and beautiful Prime magic user Catalina Baylor.
An escaped spider, the unexpected arrival of an Imperial Russian Prince, the senseless assassination of a powerful figure, a shocking attack on the supposedly invincible Warden of Texas, Catalina’s boss... And it’s only Monday.
Within hours, the fate of Houston—not to mention the House of Baylor—now rests on Catalina, who will have to harness her powers as never before. But even with her fellow Prime and fiancé Alessandro Sagredo by her side, she may not be able to expose who’s responsible before all hell really breaks loose.
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This is it! It's the conclusion of Catalina's story arc. I cannot put into words how desperately I wanted this book. I just have to know what sort of chaos and drama are packed into Ruby Fever. The book starts off with a concise summary of past events, while the Baylors are looking to purchase a new home/base of operations. With Runa and Bern going steady and the kids are mostly grown adults, everybody needs their own space. The story kicks off with a normal work day for Baylor Investigations. Unfortunately, one of their cases involves an expensive and smuggled spider, who escapes into the air vents after a botched hand-over. This becomes a humorous side quest for the kiddo consultants (Ragnor and Matilda). And then the sh*t hits the proverbial fan with a murder and an attack on the Warden of Texas. This sets off a chain of clashes and skirmishes between House Baylor and Arkan's organization. This book was packed. As in action-packed. Full of drama, love, and badassery. In the previous two books, Catalina comes into her own as a Prime Siren and Head of House Baylor. In this final book for Catalina, we delve into another facet of Catalina's Siren abilities. There were several plotlines that were neatly dealt with and some new ones were merely hinted at. We've seen in previous books that Cornelius may be more powerful than his Significant designation and in Ruby Fever, it's pretty clear that Cornelius is not only a strong animal mage but also a very observant and loyal friend. We also get a hint that Matilda may also be a Prime in her own right.
And then there is the whole Caesar subplot that was woven throughout the Hidden Legacies series, was revisited and we "finally" know the identity of Caesar. I had my suspicions for some time, but it was nice to get confirmation. Let's just say there are a lot of obvious details alluding to the identity of Caesar and the identity of their Grandfather (read the 'The Cool Aunt' deleted scene for clues). I did feel that Arabella was put on the back burner for a good chunk of the book. Since this pseudo-trilogy focuses on Catalina, it makes sense. Realistically, Arabella's powers should be kept secret, and involving her in a fight willy-nilly would not be in the best interest of the House. But on the same side, the epilogue kind of throws secrecy out the window (hint hint wink wink). I sincerely appreciate the fact that Ilona and Gordon hinted at a possible love interest for Arabella. If the writing duo ends up writing Arabella's story arc, they have some leeway and a place to start. With the arrival of an Imperial Russian Prince, Catalina and Alessandro's relationship is tested. The prologue included a lovely proposal with a ruby ring, but the engagement was hardly mentioned throughout the book. I found it a little odd, but given all of the action going on, it's understandable that some details would fall into the cracks. Overall, this book was the perfect conclusion to Catalina's story arc. And spoiler alert: there's a wedding to look forward to.
5 stars
About the Authors
ILONA ANDREWS is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.) They have co-authored two New York Times and USA Today bestselling series—the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and the romantic urban fantasy of The Edge. They live in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.
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