Happy Book Birthday!
New Novella From Hidden Legacy
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.
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This is a thread for you to discuss Diamond Fire and speculate about the future. I’m sorry, guys, we are still feeling badly, so we will be around but it may take us longer to get to all of your comments.
I loved it… But I wish I hadn’t figured out who had the gem right away.
+1
+1
That didn’t really bother me. There was enough other stuff going on to keep me thinking.
+1 there was more than enough to digest. Had to send my thanks for the wonderful novella. Shall await the 2019 Catalina novel, joy joy!
+1
It was never about the gem for me. I just liked the glimpse of Arabella.
+1
Same here, I basically realized who had the tiara right away, and then I felt like I needed a notebook to keep track of all the names of rogan family. I did like all the characters and Catalina and look forward to hidden legacy 4
All the thanks for this. I inhaled it on my break from working my township voting place.
Thank you, Ilona Andrews. I enjoyed Diamond Fire.
Unfortunately, I could not read the Ramirez family tree, on my kindle, that you thoughtfully provided so I made my own using dead tree. No it would not magnify. Probably operator error. Anyway, I could not figure out where Cousin Gracia and daughter Adrianna went from reading story. Still i throughly enjoyed the story and look forward to next story.
Good job. Hope you are feeling better. Loved the rapier “fight”. I am not sure why people are surprised in comments that Catalina is a dual talent. Nevada is. I am sure Arabella is too. I was surprised Alessandro gave up so easily or maybe he was making a tactical retreat. Well, looking forward to your next book. Thanks again.
In “White Hot” there is this moment, when Nevada fight Rynda’s mother and see everybody’s magic colours. Nevada and Catalina have got two colours and Arabella only one. So I think that Arabella is not dual.
(I am sorry for mistakes. English isn’t my first language)
Which is perfectly okay since she can turn into a forty-foot tall version of Bluto from Labyrinth…
Sorry, that should be Ludo. From the movie Labyrinth.
Catalina is absolutely dual- Ilona confirmed directly, and the second power is from her motner’s side.
+1
Thank you, Authorlords, for the wonderful story. I appreciated watching Catalina grow. Growing pains…
Also, thank you for the heads up about author Forthright.
Yes, the Forthright recommendation was spot on.
I read both Forthright books that are now available and loved them.
Have to reread Diamond Fire sloowwly since I went through waayyyyy too fast.
Me three.
I had the same problem with the family tree.
There’s a family tree? How? Where?
I was just trying to figure out the family connections and ages, so that would be sooo helpful… ☺
It is one page before the Prologue, location 18.
It’s missing at least a few characters, though.
It’s only of one side of the family (the ones hanging out in the west side).
You can expand it on your Kindle app on your phone 🙂
In so glad you mentioned the family tree. I rushed to the prologue to get a couple pages in while at work and completely missed it til reading these comments! Adriana is Miren’s granddaughter. Rogan says she and her daughter Gracia are women of impecable moral character (? I’ve forgotten exactly his words) and he trusts Gracia’s wife and daughter completely. I wished for a full family tree too, it’s such fun to look at for big families! & I’d love to hear of more quality second cousins like Raul & Adriana :). I’m so curious if Catalina’s dual is related to Grandma Frida & Bern’s pattern magic, it doesn’t feel quite like Nevada’s, except for it showing up when she had to defend herself, & maybe Leon’s instinctive understanding of where his bullets needed to be? So so so looking forward to more HL!
I was also wondering if Leon, Catalina and Bern’s magic comes from Grandma Frida rather than Grandpa Leon. I mean, Frida sais Bern takes after her, but when Nevada had her secondary power being gun-related and probalby from her grandpa like her mum, I thought maybe Leon’s powers came from the same branch. Or from his unknown dad maybe.
But now that Catalina also seems to be able to predict her opponents whereabouts, that seems quite close to Leon’s powers, especiall if you imagine Leon’s magic being a cool combo of patterning (like his brother), and physical shooting prowress, like his grandad, aunt and cousin. Maybe Catslina has the patterning-physical reaction shortcut too, but expressed a little differently. That would mean Leon got all his powers from his mothers side of the family, if he and Catalina share those traits…
What I don’t really get is how Bern could get patterning magic from Frida… She talks to machines, and his computer prowress comes from the same branch, but is that why he can see patterns? Because if it is not from Grandma Frida, then where does the nearly psycic pre-cog Leon and Catalina seems to be able to use for fighting come from? Maybe their magic isn’t related? Maybe it’s from Grandpa Leon???
???
Deep thoughts…
I think about it like Engineers. There are bits and pieces of things that make people good Engineers. One of them might be that they understood machines (thus can talk to them like GF) another part might be that they understand the blueprints of how things work (pattern mages), at least that’s how I think of it.
Thanks MichelleD! ?
That was a REALLY good and logical explanation to how Patterning magic could be related to grandma Frida’s machine-magic! I love it ?
And untill the powers that be cannonises some other explanation for Bern, Leon and Catalina’s similar magical abilities I will favour this one ?
I really like this, and overall I agree.
I’m not sure this entirely maps to what many of us call systems-thinkers*. And it’s certainly not just an engineering discipline, nor, sadly, do all people who *train* in engineering possess it. (I used to keep an eye out from undergrads who were strong systems thinkers for a friend who was looking for training them to be hackers – in the entirely above the board security consulting sense – because she had trouble finding people with the mindset she wanted in industry, and knew I tended to like working with similar folks.)
I find the transition into the martial skills to be interesting. I mean, on the theoretical sense, the relationship is obvious – think about the math that goes into billiards, or firing artillery – this is just a scaled up, more extreme case. (Sword is both more complicated and yet has more constraints.) My experience with firearms is pretty limited, but for both sword (knife, stick) and open hands is that while you certainly don’t have to be good and analytical math for it, the whole spatial / mechanical awareness is pretty key. (Okay, at some level I’m seeing a bunch of potential space as vector / plane vector clouds? But that’s also just how much brain works. And it’s not like I notice it all the time.) In the general case, a lot of the stuff is handled by the cerebellum – it’s the part of your brain that handles fine tuning incredibly complicated mechanical operations like, say, throwing a rock to hit something that’s on the move. Which makes me wonder about cerebellar involvement in this whole family of magic, and how it would respond to cerebellar injury. (Okay, I’ll stop now. Actually, there’s a bunch of new cerebellar research out that I need to catch up on, which might settle some long standing bets I have with a couple of friends.)
* There are certainly ways of being a good engineer that is all about the minutiae and not thing of how the system works. I’ve even learned how to work with some of those folks.
Don’t forget that it’s likely Leon is Baranovski’s son (White Hot). If so, he has some foreseer tendencies too.
I am so sorry your family is sick, but I loved the Maud Chapter 17.1 and now this is remarkable. I like the development of characters, and I especially appreciate the little amusing touches: Maud starting to step aside when called Maven and remembering she *is* the Maven and takes charge. In Diamond Fire, I especially loved the canned whipped cream (We don’t judge.)
Oooh, “Archangel’s Prophecy” and “Diamond Fire” in the same week was such a treat! I’d gladly receive tips and suggestions to similar books and authors! I’m into mythology and mysteries, family dynamics and adventure; I’ve read Nalini Singh’s “Archangel” series, Anne Bishop’s “The Others” series, Charlaine Harris’s “Sookie Stackhouse” and “Aurora Teagarden” series, Beverly Connor’s “Diane Fallon” series and OF COURSE everythang Ilona Andrews <3 <3 <3 What to read next to feed the need for urban fantasy/mystery? Thanks in advance!
P.S. Sorry for the seemingly random comment… it was meant as a reply to another comment about AP and DF coming out close to one another 🙂
Try P.C. Hodgell
I love Hodgell (I read God Stalk and Dark of the Moon in the late ‘80s and have been following her ever since, which has been challenging), but I don’t think she’s similar to the listed authors.
Thanks Vonnie!
THE family Urban Fantasy series with interesting and unique critters is Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid. The family are cryptozoologists who study and protect magical creatures from murderous Order of St George. The first book is called Discount Armageddon. Each of the 3 siblings has 2 books and each finds the love of their life (6 out so far + plenty of short stories). They also have super cute speaking mouses who worship the family members as gods. And there are lots of references to earlier generations and each chapter starts with a quote from a past family member.
Seanan McGuire also has an awesome October Daye series which features fairies, has really cool world and lots of plotting and action. October is a half-faerie PI who in the first book has been turned into a fish for 14 years and has lost her human family because of that. The first book is called Rosemary and Rue and there are 12 books out and the series continues. October gathers around her a lovely chosen family over the series.
A mythological series that come to mind is Kendare Blake’s Goddess War series, starting with Antigoddess. It features Greek gods and is fairly grim. There is a divine apocalypse/war going on.
Second the Seanan McGuire rec. Also Ben Aaronovitch, the Rivers of London series: supernatural police procedurals with modern and ancient mythology and family dynamics. *So much* family dynamics, mainly fun but occasionally scary.
Wow! Thanks for the detailed recommendations Reetta R and jewelwing! I can’t wait to check all of this out! <3
This probably has nothing to do with anything, but I had a question: How is Catalina’s primary care doctor immune from her magic?
She is one of those rare people who completely commit to Hippocratic oath. She loves all of her patients and genuinely wants to help and that had given her a natural defense. If Catalina really concentrated, she could break through that, but it is enough to hold of a passive field.
Thanks. I was wondering about that too.
Me too, thanks Ilona! I hope you and Gordon feel better soon!
Oh great! Thanks for the answer!
Thanks! I had the same question.
Very cool!
+1
+1 more
I’m loving the way people (particularly Rogan and Bug) clearly ship Catalina/Alessandro. That’s one boat with some troubled waters to navigate.
Connor “Mad” Rogan, Butcher of Merida, el Huracan, Matchmaker Extraordinaire ??
His hate for the window made me laugh like a loon!! Love that he tried to help him!!!
Mad Rogan, El Hurracan, and frustrated shipper
Just call him “Yente”.
Rogan could tell him that renting a firetruck with ladder extensions would be more useful than flashy sports car. At least then he could get in some face to face time before she shuts him down.
I’m wondering if someone had a talk with Alessandro, advising him to give Catalina space for a few months and then try again? I hope we will see more of him.
Ca-ssandro forever! (It’s how I call the ship)
Totally here for this! May the good ship Cassandro sail into the sunset via an awesome trilogy (shameless begging for a trilogy :P)
Ooo, great shipping-name! ?
Now I have Abba’s “Fernando” in my head only switch out “Fernando” to “Cassandro”, and there is Catalina’s and Alessandro’s song. 😉
Oh nooooo, now you’ve made ME hear “Fernando” as an ear-worm in my head, with Cassandro switched out for the name! Grrr ??
Ohhhh CASSANDRO sounds cute and cool! Alright, Cassandro it is.
I read this in the morning and loved it! I am looking forward to more from the Baylor girls.
On my third reading today. My only problem now is waiting for the next one.
I had to bail from work early today as I was too sick to stay. After a 3 hour ‘nap’ it was a fantastic distraction to be able to get lost in Catalina’s world for a little bit. Thank you!!
I loved it. It gave a great glimpse in to how Catalina feels and acts, and I love that she’s naturally shy but so strong. And showed once more the close and devoted family bonds between the whole Baylor family. And now, I hope, Rogan’s mum too!! I loved her. She was entertaining. I really hope the end scene means we get more of her in Catalina’s books.
I was a little surprised, when Nevada was worried about meeting her prospective MIL, that Arabella didn’t mention staying with her; IIRC she hid out with Rogan’s mom after her first public appearance.
She does. Nevada asks her “Can’t you just tell me about her, you stayed with her” and Arabella says “I like watching you squirm”. It’s in the Prologue- make sure your Kindle doesn’t take you straight to Chapter 1!
OK, missed that somehow. I guess I will just have to reread! 😀
+1. Also so curious now to hear how Aunt Giselda screwed them over the time Catalina began to hate her too. I hope it’s not when she left the boys with Aunt Pen! I want them to have had unconditional love from Grandma Frida & Penelope’s family all their lives!
Ilona answered this somewhere else. Bern’s mom and her newest boyfriend came back after she’d left them with the family and threatened to take them back. Penelope, still in the throes of her war experience, tried to kill him for it. She lost her P.I. License when he sued her and although the charges were dropped or dismissed she didn’t get it back.
Bern should have requests coming out the yang since his line could now be considered a Rising Star Vector (Considered Significant and from what I could glean, his father and mother didn’t rate Significant) of Magisteria Examplara. I think I got that right. House Madero should be sending at least some sort of overtures to Arabella. Maybe have them have a black sheep of the family who is a geek but with the same powers. Just for the sheer amusement of that situation… (“What was that thing flying through the air just now?”, “Oh, that was just Peter Madero, he insulted his grandson in front of Arabella…”). Finally, I will sit back and say I loved the novella. Can’t wait to see what Rogan’s mother does with Catalina….
Arabella’s record is sealed. Nobody is supposed to know.
Maybe go the other way. Arabella be the one person in the family that sticks with the bloodline thing…
I think she might opt not to have kids. I don’t know if the Authorlords plan to give Arabella a book but in all seriousness that might be something that happens.
Do we know anything to speak of about Bern’s father? (I remember the references from the first book, but they don’t really say much about bloodlines. I’d tend to assume non-significant, but…)
Not really, but I would say since his DNA is now with Scroll, they would be able to do at least some sort of trace on his family tree if he is a bastard of a major house or his father was unknown. I would say, unknown would mean non-significant because Significants aren’t Primes, I would assume they are watched because of being a possible rising star vector
That should read, ‘While significants are not primes…’ Also, it would be an interesting little trail derailment to keep the multiple balls in the air that the A.L. are using in this book series. I like that it is somewhat controlled chaos, while inkeeper is almost completely controlled chaos and Daniels was almost completely uncontrolled chaos.
I wouldn’t expect him to be a significant, no. One gets the impression that outside of the Houses there are a lot of far less regulated average and notable talents floating around, many not registered in any way. (Hm – one suspects that the Houses would fight against any kind of mandatory testing pretty hard…)
Looked at one way, Bern’s pattern skills are kind of a generalization of the Leon’s talents… but he’s still a bit of the family outlier.
Right, it’s so interesting to hear Grandma Frida catalogue Bern’s talent as similar to hers, but Leon’s to be almost exclusively from their grandfather (I’ve forgotten his name, I think it was mentioned in wildfire)
Pssst… Leon is named after his Grandfather. 🙂
I ended up not being able to sleep (woke up at midnight and that was all she wrote), but I opened my kindle and got a wonderful surprise!! Loved the book. Loved the interactions with the other kids (girls and cousins).
PLEASE take care of yourselves!
Lurved it! Thank you so much for another amazing book!
Question list (yes, I need a list, I haven’t slept in 40 hours, the plague has made it to the U.K.):
1. Why is the blue-green colour special to the Ramírez/Rogan family?
2. When Catalina says nobody ever sees her wings and then says “I let him have a peak of feathers” and “I want to mesmerise Alessandro with my wing pattern” does that mean people who are under her active power directed at them see the wings?
3. Is Catalina’s second power like Penelope’s (hand eye coordination) or pattern observation like Bern? She sees the moves before they happen but also has natural moves.
4. The weird thought Catalina has when she turns and introduces herself to Runa – is it that they could be friends?
5. When Lina says “I want to fly away from here, but that won’t be happening for a while”- is that a figure of speech or can/could she actually fly?
Good questions!
2. I don’t think others see the wings. It’s more of a description of how much magic she is letting out – a peek would be just a trickle of magic and opening her wings fully would be full force.
I interpreted the weird thought as here is someone who has seen me. How would they react?
+1!!!
I’ve seen this video on FB and Twitter of a little corgi tip-tip-tapping his little pawsies in anticipation of a walk or treat. I saw the new book show up on my Kindle and my brain did that little corgi dance, overwhelming the practical side of my brain saying “Do NOT start this book. You’ll be up all night.” Snotty practical side was right. Finished at 5:30. (sigh) Loved it. Was worth the tired feeling all day. Kudos, Ilona and Gordon. Hope you and the whole fam feel better soonest!
+1
?? I loved Diamond Fire ?? Rogan’s mom was a pleasure to read about. I’m sure I am going to like Catalina as a narrator as much as Nevada. The glimpses I’ve read so far had me wishing this was already a book rather than a novella ? And the interactions between the Baylor’s family members remain my favourite scenes to read about in every book, novella, whatever you wish to publish about them.
In conclusion: Thank you for such a great novella ????
P.S: The wedding was moving, in fact it was the only part I wished to read from Nevada or Rogan’s pov again. If you ever create a pool to choose a fan-service scene that will be my option.
+1!
Fabulous! Fabulous! What a great transition from Nevada centric stories to those featuring other members of the family. I’m so sorry that you’re still sick on what should otherwise be a happy, exciting day. I hope that you all feel better soon! I’m absolutely looking forward to the next story featuring the Baylor family!
I loved this book so much! Thank you Ilona and Gordon for your consistently amazing work. You are truly gifted writers and I’m always grateful to read your work.
I read this….at work……during quarter close week……on my phone. I LOVED it and can’t wait for more!
Something similar for me! Read it all on my phone hiding in my office.
??
Loved it, a nice treat from my favorite series. Read it under my desk at work. 🙂
I loved this so much and now I am counting down the days until 2019 to read Catalina’s series… though I’d love more Nevada and Rogan! It would be so cool to see how they manage being married with her PI business.
The only thing that made me sad was how easily the conspiracy seemed to be wrapped up 🙁 after the other books it seemed like it should have taken way more.
Cause it’s a novella. It required less complicated story to unravel. I think ?
Tbh I read the tiara/family subplot as an intentional farce. A parody of a telenovela/camp British murder mystery that would serve as a fun background for the POV change and the closure on Kelly (which makes a full circle with the prologue of Burn for Me). It’s not the time of the Catalina Era.
And you still had Linus Duncan dancing with Victoria Tremaine, so the vast Caesar led conspiracy might have been stopped in its tracks, but that’s only for now…
I would hope that in the future it takes on a different form. I woudn’t want to see the same villains newly released from prison pursuing the same goals.
The tiara/Ramirez plot is definitely a farce rather than an intense dramatic mystery. It’s like the stealing of the emerald from Sweep in Peace. Couki and Mia Rose are birds of a feather.
It’s kind of a MacGuffin.
Yes. It’s a wedding novella. It wasn’t meant to have serious drama. 🙂
*Now. It’s now the time of the Catalina era
Yes!! I absolutely love that this priceless jewel had to be on a pretty jewel princess pony 😉 with elmer’s Purple glue no less! Talk about our AL weeping from hysterical laughter as they wrote!
Really enjoyed Diamond Fire and cannot wait for the rest of the series to come out!
Quick question… saw your little interview on HEA, and you said you were working on the first of the 3 Catalina novellas. Was that supposed to be novels, or is Catalina’s series all novellas? I can’t remember what the original announcement said regarding the length of the books.
Sounds like full novels. This was just a ‘bridge’ story between the two trilogies: https://ilona-andrews.com/diamond-fire-clarification/
It’s novels. I did the interview while having a fever.
Figured that was it.
So the medicine doesn’t make you loopy? Bummer. I bet you’d be hilarious when doped up. 😉
Loved it. I finished it with a big smile on my face and a happy sigh.
Thank you.
I thoroughly enjoyed this! I really love the idea that she is a duel and that she’s going to get to kick some butt (kind of reminds me a bit of Kate Daniels fighting style) This is a wonderful novella to transition between Nevada’s story and Catalina story. I cannot wait for the next installment!
A dual duelist…
I’m at work and haven’t had a chance to read all the comments. Loved it.
One question. Thought gavin was on army service instead of jail. Here he is on jail release. Did I miss something?
Gavin is serving 6 months until he turns 18 and then shipping out to the military.
Related to that, I thought in the prologue of BURN FOR ME, Kelly told Connor that Gavin’s brother and sister deserve to know that he isn’t a monster, but they are never mentioned again. Not when the father was sedated at the end of the book, and not in this novella as wedding guests. Are they off at school somewhere or something?
If you were their father, how involved would you want them to be with Rogan’s family?
Thank you for clearing that up, Ilona. Even though those kids are not real, you’ve made me emotionally invested in what happens to them.
This was an amazing story, a wonderful bridge between Nevada’s series and Catalina’s. Despite its length, it was so very satisfying and allows us to see inside Catalina’s head as she takes a couple of very major steps toward adulthood and the full realization of her potential.
Plus, it was great to see the interactions between the Baylors from another perspective besides Nevada’s. Thank you!!!
Thank you! I did miss that. Appreciate the clarification.
Found it.
I hadn’t interpreted boot camp facility as jail. But it makes sense in a juvenile detention facility way.
From White hot
“A year in a juvenile boot-camp facility, until he turns eighteen, followed by a ten-year commitment to the military in exchange for his testimony against Adam Pierce. If he fails, he’ll serve ten years in prison.”
I loved Diamond Fire!! Mrs. Rogan was a delight and pleasure to read about. I’m glad she will take Catalina under her wing (figuratively of course). Maybe Leon should have been allowed to do something to Xavier except there probably wouldn’t have been anything left of Xavier. *LOL* Now off to read it again and see what I missed. *L*
I liked that they didn’t leave Rogan’s mom as just some cripple who can’t do anything. That scene is where you see her turn into the inspiration of Mad Rogan.
That was not meant to be offensive. Some authors tend to write disabled people as broken completely. That is what I meant by cripple even though it may still be taken offensively.
Sorry.
Some people write disabled people as helpless and put emphasis on what they can’t do rather than what they can do. It happens.
I get the impression both Mrs Rogan & Catalina’s wings are pretty literal 🙂 Siren & Dragon. But also taking Catalina under her figurative wing is excellent :).
Inhaled today. Wonderful wonderful Catalina!!
Please rest and get better!!!
Bought it. Read it. LOVED IT! Thank you so much for writing such an awesome novella that really draws you in to the characters. Wishing you all a speedy recovery (I am on day 14 of being sick with super cold and finally think I am going to survive).
What an absolutely great transition from Nevada to Catalina 🙂
While we go thru the changeover from, Nevada point of view to Catalina’s. We also transition from our beloved narrator Ms. Raudman to the welcomed new voice of Ms. Rankin. This story was a refreshing way to tie up the old story line and move forward with a new leading charater and a new narrator. While Catalina’s powers and back story will bring me back for the next book. I can only hope Ms. Rogan is there to help Catalina along the way. I already love Rogan’s mother, and the little bedazzler. Team: Alessandro
I must however comment that Ms.Raudman’s voice has a smoky, textured feel that sound like no other and it just brings a charater to life. So many of the new narrators voices have the same octaves and cadence. They start sounding like each other and other charaters they have narrated in other books.
Jacqueline, how well you have summed up the special quality that makes Renee Raudman such a great narrator!
I too appreciated the segue from Nevada’s POV stories to Catalina’s POV stories via the transition in narrators. I enjoyed the new narrator but I hope Renee Raudman continues to narrate other Ilona Andrews’ stories eg Innkeeper.
I am really looking forward to reading, and listening to, the completed version of Sweep of the Blade.
Loved it! Thank you for all your hard work.
Hope you feel better very soon.
Quick question – have I missed a specific description of what Arbella turns in to? Actual animal? “Monster”? Thanks, again
It’s a very big deal at the end of white hot. She turns into a monster, 50-ft tall with flat horns.
I still want to know if Arabella can vary the size of the monster she turns into. Otherwise, I don’t know how she fit into the testing room when Nevada, Bern, Catalina, and Arabella were testing to become House Baylor.
At one point, Ilona answered this question (or it might have been a similar question) with, “Not yet.”
In Whitehot, the dimensions of the testing arena are told…like 200 feet long etc… So I think room for transformation….
Thank-you(I do keep saying this to you), I love the Maud post and this story. Of course, I love all of your stories and please don’t ask me to choose a favorite. I hope that you and your family are feeling much better soon.
Thanks for a lovely story, it’s a great transition between Nevada and Catalina’s pov’s that really whets the appetite for the next HL book. I got such a chuckle out of Conner and Nevada celebrating closing the case by getting pizza from Domino’s! I’m so glad that Catalina will be mentored by Connor’s mom and has a possible new bff ?.
Strength, health and happiness, feel better soon!
Yay! I just finished Diamond Fire and can’t for the next installment!
For once my insomnia was useful. I had the whole thing read by 2:30 and now I’m ready for a re-read. I’m intrigued by Leon. He’s shaping up to be a great guy.
Loved it.
But I’m sorry to hear that your all still feeling lousy. Do take care.
I started working at 6 o clock in the morning so I could go home early and read this book, and it was soooo worth it!
But I have a few questions/musings I hope you the community can help with (or that I can share with you, making you ??? with me, muwhaaa?)
The first thing is, as I wrote out the family connections, I realized Zorion must be a “sladd-barn” (is there a term for that in english? A younger sibling who is more than 8 years younger than its older full sibling?)…
According to my calculations Markel and Ane, his closest siblings (also his full siblings) must be more than 14 years older than him…
And since Connor’s mum was 10 when her mum died, she is at least that much older than Markel and Anne (probably a bit more, counting in a mourning period before re-marriage and gestation of new sibling).
Which makes her at least 64 if you take into acount that Markel and Ane’s children Mikel, June and Iker must be at least 36 (since they have teenage children and I assume they were at least 18 when they had said children), which would make Markel and Ane at least 54 (again assuming parents must be 18 years older than their child)… So since Connor is 30, his mother would have been around 34 when she had Connor.
Maybe Arrosa was in her late twenties when she met Will (Connor’s dad). Or do you think it took them a while to get Connor? She didn’t mention fertility problems when talking grandchildren with Nevada, so fingers crossed that isn’t an issue on Connor’s side too. Victoria Tremaine’s jab about fertility to Nevada in book three made me a bit nervous for her. But Penelope has three daughters, and her mother has two, so maybe her kids won’t inherit the Tremaine problem…
Ok, now I need to go to bed, see you guys tomorrow ?
Enjoyed the book immensely, both times! 🙂
I have some past and future questions (and hopes):
1) Augustine’s siblings — would love to meet them
2) More Latimer — and what’s his power?
3) Linus Duncan: I have a bunch of (confirmed enough for me at this moment) theories around him. This would be a big clue around which I can develop more theories: Some times his eyes are hazel, sometimes dark. Do the AL’s consider hazel eyes to be dark?
4) why on earth ISN’T aunt Gisele coming around with her hand out? Her relatives just became a House. She sounds like EXACTLY the kind of relative who would show up now and be all “gimme”. Restraining orders do expire eventually.
I loved Leon here. Knowing his magic has obviously really helped him come into his own, confidence-wise, and yet still be so gentle with Catalina. And hilarious. “Your face is turning purple…”
I also loved Rogan’s guys genuinely caring for Catalina, with Bug and Rivera being all protective. And Mrs. Rogan is amazing. I hope Rogan at least ends up liking Catalina and Arabella for their own sakes, if he doesn’t already.
See, I got up at 6am here to read it, got in 3 reads, then bounced over to Gail Carriger’s new one that came out… yesterday? Last week? Amazon sucks at pre-order info — if I’m following an author, I should know the moment a book goes on pre-order for that author, not a week after it comes out. I have to sign up for Ms. Carriger’s newsletter.
But I digress. The point is that I will probably be back with more questions after her book, when I give DF a round 4.
Also, are you ever going to confirm that the Aframs’ have the uptick gene? As Bern & Leon’s magic is stronger than their grandparents’, Nevada is stronger than Victoria, and Arabella stronger than Misha Marcotte?
One of my favorite lines, btw, is when Catalina & Arabella show up at Rogan’s and Troy answers the door with “I am authorized to inform you that there is sushi in the kitchen.” I laughed out loud at that phrasing.
And lastly — get. better. Rest. Do as little as you can. We can wait.
It sounds to me like we are missing a chunk of the Gisele story. I’m making snacks, myself.
(I have a special fondness for messed up family stories, what can I say?)
If you look at the menu, under books —> Hidden Legacy —> Hidden Legacy Extras, and scroll down about halfway, there’s a bunch of stuff including how Gisele “ruined their lives”.
Excellent!!! Thanks for sharing. I missed it!
I can answer the hazel eye question ?
There are several types of hazel eyes, blue hazel and brown hazel. I have brown hazel eyes and depending on what I wear they can change colour from medium olive green to dark brown. Especially when you look at them from a distance.
Thanks for pointing out the way clothing changes eye color. I am very familiar with this, and it seems like most people have no idea.
My eyes change from very bright blue to almost-but-not-really green depending on what I’m wearing. I ALMOST got the blue-hazel my younger brother has, but not quite.
I’m following a theory that Linus Duncan that IS is not Linus Duncan that WAS. Nevada always describes him as Eastern Mediterranean ([not exact quote] “looks like someone’s uncle who owns a villa in Italy/Greece” (they do throw Spain in there once)). But Grandma Frida asks if he still has that [again not exact quote, I’m typing & walking] “hot dark eyed Scottish thing going on”. Also, there are variations even in brown hazel (my 5 brothers manage to encompass the blue-to-light-brown-to-dark-brown-hazel spectrum, while I got stuck with plain blue). So I asked whether the AL’s are considering hazel as light or dark, because it might matter. Especially since I’m 100% sure Duncan’s original name is “changed-from-Molpe” and he’s Victoria’s sperm donor. A lot of money and — well, I need to double check whether it was influence or blackmail in his case. I’m pretty sure it was influence for Grandpa, blackmail for Marcotte.
So. Please, AL’s, after you get better, say whether you consider Duncan’s hazel eyes dark?
OMG, will you guys stop obsessing over every single thing? 🙂 I mean honestly, reading the comments is like, “On page 345 you put an extra comma. On the basis of this I believe that the first novel of the new trilogy will explode.” O_o
He has hazel eyes. Sometimes they look brown. Sometimes they look lighter. No, Linus Duncan is not a doppelganger. Sometimes a horse is just a horse and not a zebra.
I’m sorry? I mean, I feel bad that I caused you such exasperation. I won’t post my extended theories again.
But it’s a mystery! With stuff to be revealed! And the cause isn’t dead. So we sorta are supposed to wonder about this kind of thing. Isn’t that half the fun?
So I’m genuinely sorry I posted it here. But I don’t think I can apologize for how I read.
:waves paws: I am not mad. I just find it hilarious. “He sneezed on page 5, what does that mean?!” Sometimes it’s just means his nose was itchy.
In that case, I’ll come back with: but you’re always the one telling us to read more carefully!!
Hahaha! Touche!
+1
Siobhan,
Just so you know, I love reading your, and the rest of the BDH’s theories. The Al’s books are so good it’s more fun to speculate and think about them than to read other things!
Thank you! I’m really terrible about clue-seeking. During Kelley Armstrong’s Cainsville series, in one book I had over 150 notes with different theories. Only half of them were totally wrong! That’s pretty good, I’d say.
Thanks for a little delicious canape of a book. I gobbled it down in one bite! Looking forward to the next installment as much as I used to look forward to a new Kate book.
Finished the novella in record time, lurved it☺️
Just wanted to let you know that I love the book!
Thank you for sharing writing!
I just finished the book, and I loved it! Unlike others, I didn’t figure out who took the gem until a little before the story ended. 🙁
Question: how did Aunt Giselle ruin or attempt to ruin their lives? I know she wasn’t there for her children, but it seemed like something specific happened (I must’ve missed something in the past books, or maybe it will be specified in future books?)
Also, what was Catalina’s ‘thought’ regarding Runa? Time for a re-read!
It hasn’t been updated in a long time (no need to), but the Hidden Legacy extras page answers a lot of these questions (scroll down about halfway, the good stuff is after the ads):?https://hiddenlegacy.ilona-andrews.com/
Thank you!
Thank you for another fabulous book! I hope you are feeling better.
Okay some things take longer to rise in my thoughts. Kia Rosa asked for the Bedazzler in the first chapter. She and her unicorn hangs around with Mrs Rogen including in the study. Mrs Rogen doesn’t report the missing tiara until after Mia Rosa has received the Bedazzler.
I think Mrs Rogen caught Mia Rosa taking the gem and probably sent her out with the idea of asking for the Bedazzler. Only when nobody asked Mia Rosa what gems she wanted to put on the unicorn did she report it missing. Mia Rosa wasn’t going to leave the premises and would scream if anyone took the unicorn so it wasn’t in danger.
Missed the first autocorrupt.
No. Your timeline is off. Mia takes the jewel, realizes she has no way to attach it and asks Catalina for the bedazzler. Catalina walks to speak with Nevada and directly after Arrosa asks her to find the jewel. The bedazzler isn’t delivered until the next day. 🙂
Back to more rereading for me. You must be feeling better to be replying to so many comments.
I think the “wings” are a metaphor for How Catalina feels about her magic. I am on the fence about Alessandro… (kind of a spoiler)… after I read the first chapter of the next book… I am kind of thinking TEAMAugustine??? Best man… Maid of Honor??
I love Mrs. Rogan. I loved the whole story. When I saw it was a novella, I thought it was going to be super short. It was a well developed story with a lot of great details.
Am I the only one who did’t figure out where the gem went? Totes adorbs!!! Bedazzled my eye! ??? ?. Thanks to both of you for continuing to tell us amazing stories! Feel better soon!
I am not saying Augustine can’t get his shit together or than that wouldn’t make an interesting story. But with Catalina?
?♀️??
Let us talk age gap, and life experience gap, and oh, ew, no.
As previously stated a number of times, Augustine is not a love interest for any of the Baylors.
Does the possibility of Augustine getting his own side-novella with love interest exist? Like Raphael & Andrea or Jim & Dali.
I don’t think the wings are a metaphor. I think they’re real, invisible wings.
OMG. I *SO* hope Alessandro can see them. Catalina loves her wings and hates the power that comes from spreading them. If he could SEE them, he would both be able to avoid them (anti-stasi Prime) and be able to also find them beautiful. Especially if he is the ONLY one who can see her beautiful wings.
Loved this! Thank you.
Hoping / suspecting that Alessandro will be back.
Love the mental image of Mrs. Rogan as a dragon.
Smiled at the little girl who wanted something nice for her toy.
Wishing you all the best and healthy very soon now
Loved it! Read it first thing this morning while standing in line at the polling place. The “We hated you before it was cool!” thing brought back sooooo many memories. I have sisters. Younger sisters. I love that Catalina’s secondary talent appears to be combat related. And her urge to unleash her full Siren talent on Alessandro so she could keep him… Bravo for refusing.
I loved Diamond fire! the bakery scene really stands out to me! You write powerful women so very well! Really enjoyed the story and insight into Catalina.
Feel better soon, ????