Sapphire Flames: A Hidden Legacy Novel (Hidden Legacy, #4)

by Ilona Andrews

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society…

In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery.

But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame.

To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.

 

• ISBN10: 0062878344
• ISBN13: 9780062878342
• Publish Date: 5 September 2019 (first published 27 August 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 6 July 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[llamareads]

Wow. I had some predictions going in to the book (based on Nevada's trilogy and the three chapter sample), and while some were correct, Grandma Frida drove one of her tanks over the rest of my expectations. The last chunk of the book had me biting my nails, and there's new plot threads that I cannot wait to see where they lead. That's pretty much all I can really say without going into mad spoilers!

As for the characters, Catalina is AMAZING, Alessandro is a badass, and Grandma Frida continues to rock. Lots of cameos from old friends (including one "close family friend"

[MurderByDeath]

Straight up, I thoroughly enjoyed this book; for fans of the series it's absolutely worth every minute and every page.   BUT, it doesn't quite meet the high bar the Andrews team has set for itself.  Couple that with my own inability to shift my perceptions, and the book, for me, doesn't match the quality of the first three, or anything in the Kate Daniels or Innkeeper series.   The first stumbling block is all mine:  I had a hard time seeing Catalina, the MC of this book, as an adult.  Even though Andrews has this story taking place 3 years after the events of book #3, she remained a teenager in my head, no matter how hard I tried to let her grow up.  That failure on my part made any romantic tension between Catalina and Alessandro fizzle; it lacked the edginess I expect from Andrews and I found Alessandro's god-like perfection unbelievable.  I like him, and I like Catalina, and I like the idea of them together, but it's all too fairy-tale princess for me in this story.   The second stumbling block was the predictability of more than a couple parts of the story.  Typically Andrews is anything but predictable, so it's disappointing to see an old, worn out trope or two being bandied about here.  Catalina's self-sacrifice is hard to admire as it and its future consequences are just too obvious.   Less of an issue, as it's a not infrequent theme in all her books, was the over-blown fight scene on the freeway.  The Andrews team really does like unleashing ridiculous over-the-top monsters into the middle of Houston interstate traffic.  I always feel like these scenes go too far and tip into silliness, but eh - they're a few pages and who hasn't fantasied about picking up an 18 wheeler and swinging through 5 lanes of traffic?   As I said at the start, it's a good story and well worth the read; it's just not a great story, and I actually enjoyed Sweep of the Blade more - and it takes place in space.  Even so, I'm really pissed I have to wait for who knows how long until the next book comes out.  I want to find out what happens next.

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Ilona Andrews writing team ever since I read Magic Bites back in 2010. Their writing style full of action and snark has been right up my alley and is a great go-to for when I need something to lift my spirits. I’ve had fun with every series that I’ve read from them including Kate Daniels (and spinoffs of Kate stories), The Edge, The Innkeeper’s Chornicles, The Kinsmen and of course, Hidden Legacy. They always write characters that I would love to sit down and have a drink with (but would never want to trade places with them).

With Sapphire Flames, the Hidden Legacy series changes course (which shouldn’t surprise anyone who read the novella, Diamond Fire). Instead of time with Nevada and Mad Rogan, we are now following Nevada’s little sister Catalina who has taken over the family business. This story takes place quite a bit after that novella. Nevada has decided to join House Rogan, which means that she must let her family make it on their own as a House. Catalina is now head of House Baylor and it is something that she takes very seriously.

They are struggling for money and take a case that they probably shouldn’t take. But I think there is also some emotion in this gester too, as a friends’ mother and sister are killed and her brother is ready to kill himself rather than deal with things. Things get much worse as the people who killed the mother, want to see the entire line gone.

There are some things that I noticed when I was listening to this story. I’m not sure if it was because I was in a bit of a bad mood when I was listening, so I picked this story apart more than I normally would, but there are an awful lot of similarities between Nevada and Catalina. Both have extremely strong powers that they are trying to hide from the rest of the world. They both have crazy stalker guys following them. And they are both struggling to run the family business. This felt a little bit like a rehash of the same story, but yet different. All that being said, I still had a great time with this story and I’m still very excited for the next part of Catalina’s story.

Narration
I got my first listen to Emily Rankin when she narrated most of Diamond Fire novella. I like Rankin, but not as much as I like Renee Raudman. I guess I’m just still a little upset at the change of narrator. I thought that Andrews/Raudman team was just great and I’m sad that it appears that it might be over. Did I mention that I’ve been in a bit of bitchy mood? That is probably where some of that is coming from. Again, that being said. Rankin does a great job. I really enjoyed her narration of this story. I’m sure I will continue to enjoy her narration. Her voices are perfect for the personalities in this story. I would listen to her read other stories in the future.

**I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Oh my, this book was an absolute delight. I went in with high expectations and it did not disappoint. Putting this book down proved a difficult task. It was exciting, suspenseful, action packed and magical. If you are looking for a story that will transport you into a world where the impossible becomes possible, then Sapphire Flames is the book for you.

Sapphire Flames is the fourth book in the Hidden Legacy series and part one of the Catalina Baylor Trilogy. I first met Catalina in the previous Installments and I found her to be an intriguing character. After reading Diamond Fire, I wanted to see more of her in action. So learning that this would be her story was a treat.

Strong, independent, selfless, determined and brave. She epitomized all these traits, which were fitting being that she was head of the House of Baylor. She handled herself well and proved to be a worthy adversary. Catalina showed significant growth since her appearance Wildfire.

Alessandro, an Italian count and a Prime who had an air of mystery around him. The man is fine, so I understood why Catalina was smitten with him. I loved how the authors highlighted both his fun and serious sides. He may have appeared conceited, but this was not the case. There are so many layers to him and I cannot wait to peel each one away.

The chemistry between them sizzled. They made a great team professionally and romantically. Although there was a hint of romance, it was not an integral part of the plot. The focus was on solving a crime and putting an end to a network of assassins.

I enjoyed the banter and snark between the characters. There were a few scenes, that had me laughing aloud, at some rather inconvenient times, but I was having too much fun to care.

Conclusion/Recommendation
I was sad to see Sapphire Flamesend, as I am eager to know what is in store for this awesome couple.  I recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy. It can work as a standalone as the authors provides sufficient background information to allow readers new to the series to understand the world and the intricacies of the Baylor family. However, I would recommend starting from the beginning as the series is downright amazing.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Catalina is Prime and now the head of Baylor House since her sister’s nuptials. They are just ending their first year as a house and are no longer safe from threats by other houses. Security issues and finances aren’t their only problems. I loved Catalina and her take charge attitude.

When another house seeks her help to stop a young boy from plunging off a rooftop, Catalina soon finds herself taking on a risky and dangerous case. When she finds herself in danger, Alessandro Sagredo, swoops in to save the day. I loved the back-and-forth banter, snark and sparks that ensued.

Eep! From page one Andrews hooked me and the story just kept getting better. Hell yes! From the double-murder to the freaky assassins who want Catalina dead I was all in. The world-building is stellar, and I loved the surprises from secret societies to learning more about our Italian Prince. Even I have a crush on Alessandro.

[EBookObsessed]

Little sister Catalina comes out swinging in her spinoff story. Sapphire Flames is full of excitement, action and plenty of magic and most of all, it leaves us desperate for more.

Catalina was noted as a Prime when House Baylor underwent the trials to be declared a House and her designation was noted as a Siren.  Simply, Catalina can draw anyone in under her spell. It is dangerous to her because those she draws in become obsessed with her to the point that they would tear her apart to have a piece of her. Catalina has spend the majority of her life trying to bury that part of her and keep it from leaking out. As a child, adults and children alike were obsessively drawn to her.

Sapphire Flames takes place three years after the trials which declared them, House Baylor. A lot has changed in three years, Nevada is no longer head of House Baylor (and that will be be explained in the story) and Catalina at 21 is now head of the House.   Three years is also how long a new, emerging House is protected so they have time to built itself before other House can attack. This is especially noted when the insurance company cancels all their policies as their deadline comes closer. Everyone is waiting to see what comes next now that House Baylor is no longer under the protection of emerging Houses.

We saw a glimpse of grown-up Catalina in the novella Diamond Fire. Now in Sapphire Flames, after years of hiding away to protect herself, Catalina, with the guidance of Connor Rogan's mother, has learned how to control her Siren abilities. She has also learned what it means to be Head of a House.

Augustine Montgomery needs Catalina's help and then tries to coerce her into becoming a vassal House to House Montgomery. This is the same thing he tried with Nevada and failed, and now he is trying it with Catalina. She turns him down flat and she also finds out that he turned away Runa Etterson, the Prime Venenata who removed the poison from her sister's wedding cake. Runa's mother and sister have been killed, and no one believes it is an accident. It is House warfare and Montgomery won't help. Catalina considers Runa a friend and without her help, everyone at Nevada's wedding would have died so she offers the help of Baylor Investigations.

With their probation period over and God knows what about to descend on them, now isn't a good time for House Baylor to step in the middle of someone else's House War, but Catalina can't just walk away. What she didn't expect was that Alessandro Segredo would also be involved somehow.

Alessandro had been brought in for Catalina's trial because he is able to negate other magics. Alessandro was also rich, handsome and the subject of Catalina's teenage crush. Nothing makes sense in this case, so why not another mystery why the Alessandro turns out to be more of an assassin than playboy. We also learn that Alessandro's powers are way more than just negating the magic of others and this throws a crazy new element that we haven't seen before.

As Catalina and Alessandro dig deeper, they begin to unearth someone's very dirty little secret, one they are very willing to kill to keep in the dark.   

I was spoiled as I was a late comer to the Hidden Legacy series and the entire trilogy was already released. This means I binged on the audiobook version for approximately 40 hours straight. Now I am left with just an introduction into Catalina's story arc and she has caught me in her siren song. I want more Catalina!!

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See more at EBookObsessed.com

[Quirky Cat]

Review to follow (check back close to the release date).

This novel was everything I had hoped it would be, and so much more! I can't wait to talk about it with other fans!

[Linda]

*I received a free copy of Sapphire Flames from Avon via Edelweiss. This has in no way influenced my review which is honest and unbiased.*

The action was totally off the charts in Sapphire Flames, and Catalina continues to prove she can be a strong leader! Of course, a certain someone showing up made me happy - even if not everything went the way I wanted it to.
There was a lot of intrigue, and real detective work was needed to figure everything out. Catalina's analytical mind was an important part of the plot - and made me love her even more than before!
There is a slight romance, but the main plot and story point is finding someone and finding out who is behind something - and it was so very well done!
The Andrews' keep writing extraordinary books about extraordinary characters!