ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

You are here: Home / Blog / Tiny Snippet

Tiny Snippet

Blog, Catalina, Hidden Legacy POST A COMMENT by

No time for a blog post. :: Throws the snippet and runs away::

“It’s like talking to a wall,” Leon said.
Arabella turned her head and hit him with a death glare. “Did you even try to negotiate?”
“I did.”
“How did that go? Walk me through it.”
He shrugged. “I went in and met Michael. A somber looking dude. I told him that I was there on behalf of House Baylor to take care of the damages. He gave me a list. I looked at it. It seemed reasonable. I offered our apologies and told him we would handle it.”
“And what did he say?”
“Nothing. I think he might be mute.”
“He isn’t,” I said.
Arabella straightened. “I’m going to take that list, roll it into a tube, and shove it up Michael’s ass.”
“No!” Leon and I said at the same time.
“Yes.”
“Don’t do this,” I told her. “This is a direct order.”
“I don’t care.”
Oh my God. I leaned forward, trying to sink every drop of authority I had in me into my voice. “Arabella, if you try to fight with him, he will kill you. He scared the shit out of me. He’s death and darkness.”
She raised her chin. “Good. I could use the exercise.”

NEVER MISS A BOOK RELEASE

Join 30,000 Subscribers

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO
PUBLISHING NEWS

New book releases, give-aways, and appearances.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO
BLOG UPDATES

Free fiction, snippets, and funny stories.

Read our Privacy Policy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Why is everyone trying to ship Arabella with guys that are old enough to be her father or maybe almost grandfather?

        • Oooh. I don’t remember his age ever being mentioned.

          This is odd, bc…

          He would have been a teenager when he almost fried Victoria in book 3. Amiright?

            • Michael was in his mid 20’s in Wildfire. That would make him in his late 20’s in RF, right? (I don’t recall how the time line moved)

              • He was 19 in Wildfire, Nevada is overestimating his age because of his demeanour and dress style 🙂 . He still appears as mid 20s now, some people just look more mature and then stay like that.
                She does this with age in other instances if you pay close attention, first time she meets Matilda for example. I like to think it’s one side effect of having to mature very quickly herself ????

        • Thank you. Just from the way some of the male characters are written, so mature, so capable, I think of them as mature mid 30 to older men, with lots of war torn stories, haggarded from bitter life experiences and way too old for teen Arabella.

          • There’s also another Michael – Michael Latimer – who’s closer to Rogan’s age, so it’s an easy mistake to make.

            • Wait, what? I thought there was only one, the Michael Latimer that offered to help Nevada when he thought she was in a domestic abuse situation. What am I missing?

              • You are missing Michael from the Record Keeper Office, who is the Michael referenced here 🙂

                Michael Lattimer is a Prime Head of House, who is in his mid-30s, African American, and 6’4.

                By contrast, Record Keeper Michael:

                “A man emerged from a shadowy alcove in the side wall, moving silently across the floor. In his mid-twenties, he wore expensive shoes and a sharp black suit, with a white shirt that looked even whiter against his light bronze skin, and a black tie. Black and grey tattoos covered his hands and neck. His dark brown hair, cut short on the sides, but longer on top of his head and slicked back, defined a long handsome face, with intelligent eyes the color of whiskey. He looked dangerous and slightly mournful, like a Prohibition-era gangster at a funeral.

                “It’s not every day one gets to register an emerging House,” the Records Keeper continued. He leaned closer and smiled at me, as if sharing a secret. “Especially one with a truthseeker in it. I’m so very excited to meet you. Michael is also very excited, aren’t you, Michael?””

                Andrews, Ilona. Wildfire, Hidden Legacy 3. Avon Publishing, 2017. Kindle Edition, page 39.

                Guys, I know we are the Devouring Horde, but we must stop to chew sometimes hehehehehe 😀 . They are completely different characters. Latimer didn’t square off against Victoria Tremaine or moonlight as the assistant of the Record Keeper.

                • *Facepalm* In embarrassed. All this time, I’ve been thinking they’re the same person. And I’ve read the books thrice. Thank you Mod R, now I’m going back to read them a 4th time but with this knowledge in hand. We don’t know the last name of the a Record Keeper Michael, correct?

                • “Guys, I know we are the Devouring Horde, but we muts stop to chew sometimes”

                  Lololololololol. Beautifully stated.

    • +1
      She needs someone not afraid of her inner beast.

      Stephen would be too worried about the impact she and her genes would have on the perception of the Family.

      But I still want to see her work the field! I hope Arsbella’s story is self-published so there’s ultimate freedom to break tropes.

      • oooooo! +1
        Also Michael might be more free to join House Baylor rather than have commitments to his family…

  2. ::Catches snippet and reads it::

    Thanks for the snippet. Uh oh…Arabella’s on the rampage. 😀

  7. I miss these siblings. Are they going to make a glitter heart card/frame for Arabella and Michael too? The glitters better be black and somber. ????

    Thank you for sharing the snippet.

  8. UGH, I LOVE IT.

    I’ve been waiting for Michael + Arabella interaction since that scene in Wildfire where Nevada was bombarded by questions after applying to be a house and “Arabella wanted to know if Michael was cute.”

  10. LOL! Awesome!!!

    And no. I’m not shipping Michael and Arabella. But I can imagine them becoming friends.

  12. It’s still amazing to me that y’all’s tiny snippets are more satisfying than many fully published novels. Thank you!!!!
    So glad the writing is going better for you!

  13. It’s ridiculous how hard I’m shipping Arabella and Michael and they haven’t even had a conversation yet ????.

    Why am I like this?

    • Michael is just such a fascinating mystery. And Arabella needs a really strong, interesting match who can hold his own, and Michael feels like he has that potential.

        • In the immortal words of a friend: Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and bothersome as a hair acrost the butt.

          I shall never divulge the name of the child to whom she was referring; however I didn’t have any kids yet at that point.

  19. Greetings from the Pacific Northwest! Love the snippets! SO glad you solved your dilemma! Looking forward to ANYTHING you choose to share. Be well❤

  20. I am now a Pavlov trained BDH member. All it takes is the word “snippet ” and fireworks go off in my brain. Thank you both.

  26. YES – Michael and Arabella, YES – so happy the story is fun again! YES for another snippet! Just YES YES YES and thank you IA!

  27. I will happily accept your offering in place of a blog!

    Love the Baylor family so much. I’d read an Arabella or Leon series. Or bug

    • I have been thinking about that too! I know they mentioned a Leon book, and I really have loved seeing him grow more over the series. It would be so neat to see who he connects with!
      Arabella and Bug are also instant purchases too. But to be honest, every House Andrews book is. 😀
      But would read any of them over and over.

  30. Nowheres a fun possibility
    Arabella and Michael hooking up
    Hummm am I off track?
    We will see…..Arabella is not going to be going for a usual dude, And not every guy can fall fir The Creature of…

  31. Thank you for the snippet! I can’t wait to read the rest! I’m totally shipping Arabella and Michael for some reason…but even if he doesn’t show up as a love interest, I hope we get to see more of him!
    *Disclaimer, I stole the picture from another author’s page and I can’t read the mark to tell who to give credit to. *

  32. Gotta love some Arabella! Thank you for braving the BDH. (Visual in my imagination on “throws snippet and runs” is very Looney Tunes-esque.)

  37. ❤️ Thanks for snippet toss! The blog has really opened my eyes as a reader into the processes on the backend that go into writing a book, and a little bit of how an author might interact with their book during the process. Thank you for the opportunity to learn, and thank you for showing more of the human elements of the process!

      • Umh. Sorry, no, she was not. He was a douchebag who yelled at her. She was frozen and distressed. That was definitely not a romantic encounter.

        • Wasn’t that guy – the guy who hit her with his car – a plant from Arkan to try and get Arabella to go beast mode? Or am I misremembering that?

          • Yup. I just read that section again this morning. Though it is also possible the other Grandmother has something to do with it too? I honestly cannot remember, but Alessandro confirmed it sounded like Arkan.

  45. Oooooo I like!! I’ve been wanting more on Michael, seems so mysterious and he’s quiet. Really wanting to know his story. Thanks for the snippet!

  47. So WOW!! I love Arabella, this sounds so good!! Now I’m excited for this book!! Thank you for this!!!

  53. She raised her chin. “Good. I could use the exercise.”

    This actually provoked a short, dark chuckle from me. I can’t wait to curl up with my very own copy of this one.

  54. Wow! Arabella has never failed at anything and is about to have a major life lesson. That’s gonna leave a mark…

    I love your character development. You guys are the best.

  57. Okay look, I *seriously* need someone to explain to me which Michael this is? He’s an assistant from the Keeper I know, but what’s his specialty? Where did we see him before? The trials?

    • This is Michael from the Record Keeper Office.

      We saw Michael before in Wildfire, when Nevada went to register House Baylor and at Takara, almost taking out La Tremaine before Nevada interceded on her behalf. He does also very briefly show up during the Trials scene, yes- he leads out Orlando Gonzales, the corrupt arbiter.

      We do not know what the name of his power is but we know it is badass:

      “I glanced over my shoulder. A darkness spread through the restaurant, expanding from the entrance, climbing over the walls, claiming the space. An ancient darkness that took me into its maw and made me still.

      Michael from the Office of Records walked into the restaurant. He still wore the sharp suit and a crisp shirt, blindingly white against his tattooed neck. His hands burned with blue fire.

      He didn’t look like a gangster at a funeral today. He looked like the twenty-first century Grim Reaper.

      “I didn’t break the rules,” Victoria squeezed out through her clenched teeth. Sweat broke out on her forehead. She strained, locking her teeth again.

      Nothing happened.

      I tried to grab hold of my magic. It flowed out of me. The darkness pounced and devoured it. It hurt. The pain ripped a gasp out of me. Oh, it hurt.

      Michael held up the phone. On it the Keeper of Records smiled. “But you have, twice indirectly and now in public. It is time for punishment, Victoria. So sorry.””

      Andrews, Ilona. Wildfire, Hidden Legacy 3. Avon Publishing 2017, Kindle Edition, page 358

      • I wonder if Michael’s powers were enhanced so he could take on that role of the Keeper’s henchman/bailiff. Otherwise other houses wouldn’t fear him if he just had regular powers.

      • Thank you for the refresher Mod R! I knew she feared him and that he took away Victoria, but I had forgotten what his powers were.

        They seem to fit well, but whether that is romantically, friendly, or antagonistically I have no idea. I will eagerly await the authors’ decisions, because I’m sure they will leave us guessing until the very end. ????

        It’s always nice for the boogie man to be “friends” with the beast that goes bump in the night. That way they can just relax and be themselves with each other and not have to worry about scaring the other person. I’d like that for Arabella to have outside of her family. (Not that they aren’t great and enough by themselves!) ????

  60. This is kinda random, but I was wondering if there is a post about favorite one-liners from HA books? It’s a cross-stitch thing.

    If not, could there be one? ????

  61. Woo hoo! A snippet – and I almost didn’t check the blog today! I adore Arabella. I sincerely hope we get three books for her too! In fact, if you want to put up a preorder for those – I’d be glad to buy!! lol.. have a great day and rest of the week!

  62. Honestly, I’m team Arabella. We don’t want Michael to get a big head over taking down Primes like Victoria. If she played with him like a cat toy for an hour or so, he might learn to do things, like hold conversations.

    • Imagine people being scared of Michael. He’s scary, mysterious and broody and here’s comes chaotic sunshine that is Arabella and Michael is the one scared of her coz she force him to make a conversation LOL!

  63. Didn’t Michael tell Catalina that it was a mistake to owe his Boss, the Book Guy (Keeper of the Book?) at one time? I’m still on the Keeper being Caesar and I have hope that Michael is working carefully against him.

    Love the Snippets.

    • He did say “A mistake” to Nevada in Wildfire. The only words he has uttered so far, it’s a wonder anyone else gets any screen time he’s so talkative :D. Fandom interpretations have vacillated over the years, whether it was a mistake to owe a favour to the Record Keeper or a mistake to spare Victoria :).

      • Well, it’s obvious what side I come down on, eh? (LOL)

        IMO, Catalina is becoming a stronger, better Prime and Head of House bc she has to deal with Victoria, the Big B. Don’t like it but there it is.

        I just automatically assumed Michael meant his Boss.

        Either way, looking forward, like the Rest of the BDH, to how it all works out.

  64. Let’s not forget Heart and Penelope (because he cares so much!)(she remembered his name!). There are so many interesting characters in HL. I am greedy I want stories for them all!!

    Loving all the books! I happily read them, or listen to them when my hands need to be busy.

    I have been on disability leave for most of this year and having HA novels to fall onto was so helpful. Kept me from nose diving into depression. Now I will get to return to my professional life and read as enjoyment rather than medication!!!!

  65. Lol, Michael and Arabella, oh yeah seems to be on most of BDH minds…mine goes what damages, oh please don’t pick a fight, that could be so bad. Please he struck me as another dangerous person, could be a massive issue I so hoped he’d be a friend to the Baylors not an enemy, they make or have enough of those. Lol, Nevada brought Mad Rogan and his crew, and Cornelius family, so does that mean Catalina gets to snag Alessandro, her crew, and maybe the record keepers Michael (as new member for the business what happens later is later) …. regardless thanks for the snippet

  67. So I know this is like waaaaaay premature and I am definitely looking forward to Ruby Fire ….but I seriously can’t wait for arabella’s story!!!! Please please pretty please tell us that arabella will have her own story in future!!! ????????I can totally be patient. I just want to know it’s gonna be a thing. Pretty pretty please with chocolate on top?

  68. Well, there’s Arabella and the potential for Stephen from book 2, who was hella sexy and cool and reserved except secretly not, and Arabella and Michael, also hella sexy in a different way and über reserved and scary as hell, and… having remembered the “Bachelor” comment from HA sometime back… I’m now scouring the books for potential Bachelor #3 and that entire trilogy is going to be a hoot, because this has to exist. 😉

    Absolutely awesome snippet!

    • That’s what I was thinking, I’m not opposed to Arabella and Michael. He could be a very interesting character, we just don’t know enough about him yet. I dislike that he tried to cryptically warn Nevada. I took it as a sign that he’s trying to be on the side of the angels. I did always kinda associate him w/ Lurch because of the not speaking too much thing though.

      But mostly, I’m still interested in the possibility of Stephen Jiang or his brother Henry as Arabella’s love interest.

      Or maybe Augustine’s younger brother?

      Unfortunately, I don’t see anyone from either of those houses leaving their house for house Baylor. Maybe Henry since he’s the black sheep of the Jiang family but he seems too caught up in his acting career.

    • Trevor, Victoria’s henchman/aide. That’s my vote since the Cool Aunt. Because La Tremaine totally loves her granddaughters in her extreme tiger mom sort of way, and I could see her grooming a consort or butler for them.

  70. OMG!!! Michael (the Keeper’s Michael) and Arabella! Michaelbella for the win! 🙂
    (And thank you for the snippet!)

  72. Mmm hmm. That Michael. I think Arabella really needs somone she can’t simply trample underfoot. If the Prime of her house can’t control her, Houston-you have a problem.

  73. Is it Michael Latimer? Or a different Michael? I have been curious about him ever since he offered to protect Nevada from a presumed abusive partner

  76. Ah, we finally have the real reason Nevada finagled a way out of being Head of House. She didn’t want to be the one who had to ride herd on Bella.

  80. Oooooh…. ::rubs hands in anticipation::….

    Arabella vs Michael Round 1: who wins?! The Beast of Houston or darkness incarnate Michael….. Wait for Ruby Fever to drop to find out…..

  86. The 2 eldest Baylor sisters are so in control and level headed. Love that Arabella brings some chaos to the table 🙂

  87. Thank you SO MUCH for the snippet!!! And holy heck, go Arabella! (Now currently wondering if Keeper’s Office Michael’s power is similar to Antistasi, except drawing out magic, rather than warding off. Except Antistasi can do that sort of, at least in Emerald Blaze, at the end, hmmm, more thought needed… )(More sleep needed too!)

  88. Interesting that Leon, our resident danger junkie (well, one of them), even senses how dangerous Michael is just from that one interaction.

  90. Wait! I think I might ship Michael and Arabella now! I’m so excited to see how all of that goes together! What a wonderful snippet!

  91. Arabella and Michael meeting on this issue would be very interesting. Scary too possibly. Looking forward to it.

  93. Arabella very much takes The Hammer approach to anything. I wonder if she can or will have to learn to be subtle, I am sure it will be a shock to her system. He He He….

  94. I am sitting with my husband who is hospitalized with covid pneumonia and this actually made me laugh out loud. Thank you so much! ❤️

  96. :: Throws the snippet and runs away::

    There is a fun British tv series “Ghosts” where a young couple inherit a big rambling mansion filled with ghosts only the wife can see. In a tiny room in their basement are ghosts who all died of the plague. When I read Ilona’s comment, I giggled and pictured the BDH as that gaggle of ghosts waiting for…something.

    I am a total Arabella-Michael shipper but didn’t House Andrews say that Arabella would have several competing love interests before she settled on one? Did I imagine that? But I guess we should get through Ruby Fever and let HA rest before we start panting for Arabella’s trilogy ????

  97. You go girl. But also, having a sibling like this would make me lose my hair. My 6 year old is already showing signs.

  100. Thank you for the snippet. Will Arabella take her birthday club and drag Michael back to her cave? (heeheee) Can’t wait to see the possible partners for her.

  101. Snippet day! Woo hoo! I know you guys are having issues with the book but have seriously loved each snippet. I am selfish enough to enjoy the book even as I wish you were enjoying the process.

  102. Thank you so much for the snippet! I would love to read how that meeting goes. Thank you for making my Wednesday just a little brighter!

  103. I love all your books, but I have a question though.

    Being that in the innkeeper series, there is proof of multiple world, is there a possibility of writing a novel where the world’s meet?

    I would like to see the different magic interacting together as a result of George’s activities.

  105. This picture Reminds me of how I visualize Roman in the Kate Daniels world.
    The snippet was awesome- can’t wait for RF!!

  109. Honestly, the dopamine hits I get off these snippets… It’s probably illegal in 30 countries. My brain goes OMG OMG OMG…ahhhh that was so good…read it again, read it again… OMG OMG OMG (repeat etc)

  110. So looking forward to reading the new book when it comes out:) Glad to hear you & Gordon figured out how to make writing it fun again!

  111. I never really cared for Arabella at first but she has grown and changed over the several books. I think now that she could just about be the most interesting of the sisters. Her abilities are much more then just growing and growling. It will be interesting and fun to see what comes into her life. I also look forward to seeing Nevada and Connor’s child. All of your characters are so real and interesting.

  112. I’m gleefully looking forward to this fight more than any Rousey, McGregor, or any other UFC championship. Go, badass! ::gets the popcorn::

  115. I am so here for this!!! Michella 4eva (even if it never actually comes to fruition, the what if will keep me going)

  117. Thank you. It’s been an absolute garbage week and you just reminded me why I put up with this crap.

  119. Sadly, I constantly forget who Micheal is lol….. keeper of records?? or something like that?? Also forgot what the keeper of records even does. Maybe I should re-read

  120. Thanks for the snippet!

    Had to laugh at all the shipping comments – didn’t figure it would go overboard quite so fast (see what I did there? ????). Should have known better – this is the BDH after all! ????

  122. I was concerned something was wrong with me because my initial reaction to an adversarial meeting is “they’re going to fall in luuuv” (middle school voice included). Imagine how happy I was to look at the comments and realize I was not alone.

  123. Okay, so I just want to know where you get all of your graphics that head each post. They are all so gorgeous!

  125. Was it mentioned what powers Michael has?
    which book did he confront victoria…
    gods my memory’s failing me

  127. I had a friend at university – big blue eyes, perfectly styled blond hair – who made a sport out of playing the “pretty little thing”. We’d meet some big ego’d jock, or self important law major or something of that ilk and she’d play the dumb blond just long enough to have them convinced that they were in control – before giving them the verbal knockdown of their lives.

    Arabella reminds me of her.

    She uses her looks and her shear brute power as a smokescreen to hide just how clever, subtle, and, yes, sly she can be.
    She is after all one of only two people not directly in the know, to figure out who the girls’ grandfather is…
    (queue evil chuckle he he he he)

  129. Love that we get to see the children literally grow in each of these books. From dealing with school and teenager problems to being an active member of a Prime House and adulting 🙂

  130. OMG, this has been such a crappy week and this put the hugest smile on my face. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

  133. Just daydreaming won’t it be fun if Roman, George, Jiang(sp?), and Michael were all trying to date Arabella, or be at a charity event and all trying to get a dance from her. That would be so much fun.

  137. I like Arabella’s no nonsense approach. We really know little about her. She had to accept the monster within at an early age, she enjoys her powers which are much more than metamorphosis. I like her independence and I would like to see her play the field. The contrast between Catalina the siren who started out insecure, fearful and understated and Arabella the monster who revels in her powers has always been so fun. Catalina hid, Arabella flaunts her beauty. She is completely different from her sisters and her journey will be unique.

  138. My question: Do the other House know about the BoC appearance in Houston being tied to House Baylor or is this information at still a close secret to a select few? Or do you think the witnesses during the House Baylor trials leaked the information out and that’s why Arkan was trying to set Arabella off during that fender bender in Emerald Blaze?

  139. Thanks. While I understand that Amazon and others like it provide services for authors, I REALLY dislike them. I want to know how much of the price for a book goes to the author, without them there would be no book.

  143. I always thought Michael Latimer was older than Mod R says, but I believe her. I am interested in learning more details about Michael’s magic, as I didn’t differentiate between what the Record Keeper did and what Michael did.

    So if Bern and Ruta marry, does he join her House or does she join his? And does she do any House business anyway? If Ruta leaves hers, is Halley old enough to take over? What about Ragnar, does he have any say?

    Finally, if Alessandro has been cast off by his grandfather, has he joined House Baylor and after the wedding will it be a hyphenated house? I know Victoria made certain demands, but I’m not sure Alessandro goes with Baylor. Two different sensibilities, imo.

    • This is not Michael Latimer 🙂 . Michael Latimer does not work for the Record Keeper Office. He did not square off against Victoria at Takara. Michael, the assistant of the Record Keeper, is a young man in his mid 20s, with eyes the colour of whiskey, tan skin, mournful visage, who wears suits, has hands and neck tattoos and is quiet and deadly.

      Michael Latimer is the Head of a wealthy and powerful Houston House, in his 30s, respected by Primes the calibre of Mad Rogan and Augustine Montgomery. He is 6’4 and African American.

      Different characters, different roles, different jobs, different races, different communication styles 🙂

  144. I love you guys! I have missed, due to personal issues, a lot of snippets. I have been playing catch-up in reading past posts. I am so looking forward to RF now. I truly appreciate your humor, and straight forwardness. Thank you for sharing your family life with us fans. ????

  146. I love Leon. Brothers and sisters (I had 6) remind us that real life has comedy and tragedy and HEAs all mixed together. We have gotten to know Leon only in small snippets and I WANT MORE. He is authentic and rewarding and funny. How about a gender-bending romance with Leon as the main character? His love could be anyone!!!! Leon is always a bastion of support, and any team he forms would make a weapon so sharp that their opponents would not feel the knife until Leon et al were gone.

    eSmiles, Mary

    P.S. I love Bern too (character I would most like to hug). mlh

  147. This is wonderful! We now have a possible love interest for Arabella, and it makes sense because someone with her powers needs someone that is equally just as terrifying. I was think Jiang but someone mentioned he was too wrapped up in familial duties, and that family would stroke out over Arabella’s power. Now I am desperate to know Michael’s backstory! Thank you so much House Andrews!

  148. I love it..michael n arabella..tq house andrews..bdw already preordered fated blades tru amazon. Cant wait..

  149. I’ve been trying to find the sequel to the 5th novel in Hidden Legacy, called The Cool Aunt. I can’t find it anywhere. Not a book or an ebook. Could you tell me where I can find it to purchase?

  150. SQUUUEEEEEE!!!!! Am I a weirdo for being fascinated with Michael? I am? Ok… I am… SQUUUUEEEEEE!!!!!

Skip to content