We are treating you to a deleted scene from Ruby Fever. Mod R would like us to remind you that Fated Blades is released in print today.
Michael Latimer was a very large man.
It was an unfair description. There were other things one noted about him, things that were more concerning and carried greater weight. The way he sat, elegant, poised, relaxed, but conveying a coiled readiness. The way he held himself, with utter confidence. The razor-sharp intellect shining in his dark eyes. But the size was the first thing that made an impression.
He was six feet and five inches tall. His build matched his height, and the perfectly tailored suit in Argentinian blue expertly accentuated his wide shoulders, broad chest, and narrow waist. He wore a crisp navy shirt under it and the color combination flattered his dark brown skin. His curly black hair was cut short, and a stylish goatee beard and mustache defined his ridiculously square jaw. Our main conference room was large, and he had taken up most of it with his presence.
I was alone, sitting across the table. Just me and my tablet. The fewer people were involved, the better.
This was a long time coming.
“I’ll make it simple, Prime Baylor.” His voice was deep and measured. You knew that if this man screamed, the world was probably ending. “I know you have my cousin.”
Not “my cousin is here,” or “my cousin is your guest,” but you have my cousin, meaning his cousin was in my possession, and he was determined to break my hold on her at all costs.
“You will produce Regina. I will speak to her. And then, we will leave.”
I didn’t say anything.
“What are we waiting for?” he asked.
“It takes a while to walk from the workshop to the office,” I told him.
Michael gave me a sharp look.
I was beginning to think that Michaels were my Audrey. For various reasons, our family had problems with women named Audrey, and now Michaels were proving to be equally difficult. The Keeper’s Michael summoned death in the form of living darkness. Michael Latimer built constructs held together by magic and animated with his will. They were lethal and indestructible, and on a scale of dangerous Primes one shouldn’t let into her office, he was at the very top of the list.
A quiet clicking of metal on stone came through the open door. Cinder sauntered into the room, a slick black feline the size of a bull terrier made of steel and plastic. She sat by the door, curled her tail around her paws, and stared at us with glowing emerald eyes of pure magic.
Regina followed her cat. Her hair was loose today, and it floated around her head in a curly halo. Her skin tone matched Michael’s, the same rich brown with a golden undertone. She wore a wraparound blue sundress with tiny flowers on it and strappy sandals.
They had coincidentally chosen the exact same shade of blue.
Regina opened her arms, the glass bracelets on her wrist twinkling. Michael stood up, and she hugged him.
“You look well, Prime Latimer,” she told him.
“Are you alright?” he asked. “Are you being held here?”
She pointed to his chair. “Sit down. Let’s talk.”
He sat. She waved her fingers. Cinder shut the door with her paw and coiled in front of it. Regina took a chair.
Michael looked at me. “You can go now.”
Ha!
“She stays,” Regina said.
“Why?”
“Because it’s her office, Michael. And I want her to know the whole story. My wife and I didn’t tell her much, except that my family would become a problem, and she said that we’d deal with it when it happened. This is us dealing.”
Michael raised his hands. “Okay. Whatever you want.”
They sat.
“Three years, Regina. Not a word. No email, no texts. Not a single phone call. Your mother won’t talk to me. Your father cries every time your name is mentioned.” He leaned forward. “Why? What went wrong? How can we fix it?”
Regina turned to me. “This is a long story. Our fathers were brothers. My father, Ray Latimer, is the oldest, and Michael’s father, Reggie, was two years younger. They looked exactly the same. When they were little, people would ask my grandma if they were twins.”
Michael settled back into his chair. He clearly didn’t like discussing their family in front of me, but he must’ve decided that keeping Regina talking was more important.
“My father, I’m going to call him Ray from now on, Ray grew up thinking he would be the head of our family. We didn’t have any Primes in the bloodline, but each generation was a little stronger than the last, so our vector was pointing up. My grandfather made sure that both Ray and Reggie understood that Latimer name had to stand for something in Dallas and that one day our family would become a House.”
That wasn’t unusual. A lot of people took pride in their family name, and most bloodlines that consistently produced Significants hoped to become a House.
“Ray was healthy. Michael’s father had asthma. Uncle Reggie was big and strong, but he couldn’t run around and play like the other kids. Ray took care of Reggie. He wouldn’t let anyone bully him because nobody picked on Ray Latimer’s brother.”
“It wasn’t exactly like that,” Michael said.
“It was exactly like that,” she said. “Their roles were all set. Ray would run the family and get the lion’s share of the glory, and Reggie would be his helpful sidekick. Except Serenity Hamilton came along. She was a Prime from a small but gifted Animator House and her parents wanted to find her a husband who would join their family. Ray was in the running, but Reggie got the girl.”
“Ray didn’t like it?” I guessed.
Regina smiled. “Ray was livid. In his head, Reggie had stolen what should have been his. His younger, weaker brother, the burden he carried so nobly, had upstaged him. Serenity loved Reggie so much, that she even went against her parents’ wishes to marry him. She took his name and became a Latimer. None of aligned with the Hamiltons’ plans. Nobody was happy, except for Reggie and Serenity. They moved to Houston and then they had Michael.”
Michael rolled his eyes.
“He was the cutest baby ever.”
“I’m older than you,” the former cutest baby boomed. “You don’t remember.”
“I’ve seen pictures. The baby made the Hamiltons rethink things, and then Michael’s powers manifested. He is brilliant. Off the charts brilliant. Do you know that he animated his first functional construct when he was two years old?”
I looked at Michael. “Is that good?”
“Most of us begin building when we’re toddlers,” he said. “We try to animate bits and pieces. It’s a compulsion. We have to do it, but most people don’t put the whole process together into a functional construct until they are five or six. I just started early.”
“He is very modest.” Regina reached out and patted Michael’s arm. “The Hamiltons were so impressed, they dissolved their House and reformed under Latimer so he could have the protection he needed to grow. It nearly ended Ray. That should have been his beautiful wife, that should have been his talented son, and that should have been his House. He couldn’t deal with it. The man is full of bitter hatred. He runs on it like a car on gasoline.”
“He got over it,” Michael said.
Regina shook her head. “Not even close. Ray became preoccupied with getting his own House just like Reggie’s. He wasn’t a Prime, so making powerful kids had to be the answer. He just had to prove that his baby batter was even better than his brother’s.”
Baby batter…
Michael grimaced. “I wish you hadn’t said that.”
She winked at me and kept going. “Ray married my mother, another upper range Significant, and they had three children, and then Ray stepped out on Mama to have two more on the side. None of us panned out. Oh, we’re all strong, and smart, and talented, but that doesn’t matter. He kept trying for a Prime and we failed him.”
“Look, what is all of this about?” Michael asked.
“I’m getting there. My dad wanted nothing to do with his brother or his niece and nephew, but then Reggie died. His wife was attacked, and he sacrificed himself to protect her and the kids. Michael was thirteen. One of those fun House stories we all keep in our drawer.”
“I’m sorry,” I told Michael. It wasn’t a surprise, since I had done the full background check on him when we first considered hiring Patricia but knowing about it didn’t make it resonate any less. “My father died as well.”
“I know,” Michael said.
“Anyway, Ray saw his chance,” Regina said. “I remember it like it was yesterday. We had a grand family reunion. Ray rented the Dallas Oasis, this huge ten-acre estate with manicured lawns and waterfalls. I remember white tablecloths and pastel roses, pink and white. All the kids are running around the tables in our Sunday best, and here comes Cousin Mikey, skinny, quiet, and so sad. You were the saddest boy I’d ever seen. You looked like a ghost. And Ray comes over and gives him a big old hug and says… What did he say?”
Michael unlocked his jaw. “Welcome to the family.”
“What was that like for you?” I asked.
“It was wonderful.” He paused. “Ray looked just like him. It was like my dad was alive again.”
“Ray was the best uncle,” Regina’s voice dripped with bitterness. “He played his part just right. He told childhood stories about Reggie, and he treated Michael like the son he’d always wanted and deserved. His real sons, not so much. They didn’t get the special treatment.”
Michael’s expression went back to unreadable. “I didn’t ask for it.”
“I know,” she said. “None of this is your fault, Mike. You know I love you. All of us love you. But you should know that since that day our lives turned into community theater. We prepped for your visits. When you were over, everything had to be perfect. And none of us resented it. It was nice. Especially, because after a while you weren’t sad anymore and some of us thought it was helping.”
“I still was,” he said. “I learned to hide it better.”
Regina nodded. “I thought as much. There was a lot of hiding happening. Ray decided to divorce Mama and marry Serenity instead, so he could adopt Michael and finally get to be the Head of a House. He hedged his bets, of course. He didn’t start with the divorce, he started with proposal, and Aunt Serenity shut him down flat and then called my mother. It was almost too much for Mama.”
Regina’s voice turned soft.
“The way Mama was raised, you got married once before the Lord and you stayed married until death do you part. She almost left, but Ray worked on her and got her to stay. He’s good with crying on demand.”
She’d packed the world of meaning into that “worked on her.” Ray Latimer really was a slimeball.
A hint of suspicion flared in Michael’s eyes. Whatever he was thinking, he must have found it troubling.
Regina glanced at Michael. “Ray had to accept that the best he would get is telling people that he’s your uncle, so he turned his attention back to us, his children. Since none of us were Primes, he expected us to marry and start popping out Prime babies.”
“He sounds obsessed,” I said.
“That’s the perfect word for it,” Regina said.
Michael sighed.
“None of us went along with it,” Regina said. “Alex and Deon ran away to the military. Alisha married for love, and neither of her kids are Primes. Her father-in-law is a Senator, and Ray can’t mess with her. Besides, it appeals to his pride. Dayanara doesn’t want kids, so she paid for a fake medical assessment that said she was infertile. I was Ray’s last chance. I’m the youngest and the strongest.”
I got a sick feeling. The expression on Michael’s face told me he didn’t like where this was going either.
“Ray had big plans for me. You should have seen the freak out he had when I told him I was a lesbian. He told me I was a sinner and an abomination and that I was going to hell. Then he threatened to disown me.”
Michael drew back. “What?”
Regina laughed.
I didn’t know what to say.
“He brought in some crazy preacher to give me special counselling to get me ‘right with God.’ He had my grandma call me and cry on the phone. Every day was some new thing. If I refused, he’d lock me out of the workshop. You know what that does to our kind.”
The muscles along Michael’s jaw bulged.
“When Ray figured out that I wouldn’t bend, he told me it was okay for me to keep Patricia on the side as long as I got married. He had a House in mind. I said no. I wouldn’t do that to Patricia, to the man I was supposed to marry, and most importantly, to myself. I’m a person. I’m not a bargaining chip or a baby factory. He put me on house arrest.”
“He what?” Michael snarled.
“I had an ankle bracelet like a criminal. If I left the property, his security goons would come to get me. He was not losing his last chance, you see.”
Michael looked like he wanted to break something. “How long did it go on?”
“All together? About eight months. You were in France. You didn’t know. He might have broken me if I hadn’t met Patricia. Her love gave me strength. Without her I would’ve ended up in a psych ward.”
Michael reached for his pocket.
“Don’t touch that phone, Mike.” She shook her head. “I’m not finished. One night Ray and I had a heart to heart. He told me that he would let me go, and I could be with Patricia, and I didn’t have to marry someone I didn’t love, but he wanted me to have kids. He wanted me to have children and give the children to him to raise. I didn’t have to ever see them. He would have full custody. He told me to think about it, because the next step would be harvesting my eggs.”
“No.” It just came out of me.
“Oh yes. He left, and then Mama came to see me. She brought her spiders. She told me to take what I could carry, and she and I walked out of that house. They tried to stop us, but we hit them hard. Uncle Deon was waiting for us with a car. He and Mama took me straight to the airport, and when I got there, Patricia met me at the gate. The next morning, we landed in Poland, and Ray woke up to a divorce filed by the best lawyer Mama’s family could hire. Mama had been preparing for it for months.”
She leaned back, her tone light. “See, the problem wasn’t escaping. The problem was keeping Ray from chasing after us. Mama had his legal assets frozen, but he has plenty of money he hid over the years. Wherever we went, he made sure to screw things up for us. He ruined my wife’s reputation. Fraud, blackmail, nothing was off limits. By the time we came here, nobody would hire her. She is so good at what she does, Michael, and she loves it the way we love breathing life into things we make. He almost took it from her.”
Michael’s face was terrible. He was keeping a lid on it, but he was thinking murder. I could see it in his eyes.
“The only reason he hasn’t come after us full force is because Mama kept dragging the divorce out as long as she could. But it’s coming to an end now.”
Regina’s face turned hard. She’d been angry for so long, the anger had crystallized into armor.
“If I ever have children, they won’t know his face. He will never get his claws on them. Ever. He won’t be screwing up any of my babies with his bullshit. I’ll kill him first.
“Why didn’t you come to me?” Michael asked. His voice was gentle. “Do you not trust me? I could’ve helped you.”
“Of course, I trust you. And I care for you. But none of this is about you.”
“What does that mean?”
Regina leaned forward. “If I asked for your help, my father would submit. But he would do it because you asked him. Not because I told him to stop or because it was wrong. Not because he loved me. He would do it because it would threaten his relationship with you. It would change nothing, Michael. He still thinks he has done nothing wrong. He would find some other way to torment me, and I am done with his fucking bullshit. I’m better than him.”
She waved her hand encompassing the conference room. “See all this? There are no saviors here. House Baylor isn’t sheltering me or Patricia. They were desperate to hire her and yes, we were desperate for her to get hired, but this isn’t charity, it’s a business arrangement. They stay out of my business, and I stay out of theirs. They value my wife, because she is the best there is and they would be lost without her.”
“That’s true,” I said.
“I don’t need a rescue. Mama and I already rescued ourselves. I need to be acknowledged. I am a person, Michael. I’m a power, and that asshole will recognize me. He will respect me, and he will fear me. So no, I did not go to you for help. I don’t need you to stand up for me. I’m standing up for myself.”
She leaned forward and rested her hand on his. “I know what you have done. I know all about the abuse shelters and the charity and how important it is to you. If I came to you, you would’ve crushed him. Look at yourself. You can barely keep your hands away from your phone. At heart, you are a protector, Mike, and what I’ve told you made you very angry. I understand that, but I need you to stay out of my business. I must do this on my own.”
Silence fell.
We waited.
“Okay,” Michael said. “I won’t make calls. I won’t crush him. I really want to, but I won’t. Is there any way I can I help you?”
“Well, not bullying my wife’s employer would be a good start,” Regina said. “You brought a Class X construct inside the walls.”
I looked at her.
“His car,” she said. “It’s a murder machine. It’s alive and it transforms into a slaughter construct.”
I turned to Michael and spread my hands.
“I was told she was being held against her will.”
“They are involved in something heavy, and you were misled,” Regina said. “You are one more thing these people can throw at the Baylors. I’ve had months and months in a workshop building whatever I want. If I wanted to leave, they couldn’t stop me even if they tried, and they wouldn’t try. I love you, cousin. Thank you for coming to check on me, but I am fine.”
“So that’s it?” he asked.
“It would be really nice if you stayed for dinner,” she said. “I’d like you to meet Patricia.”
He pretended to consider it. “What did you make?”
“Italian. Roulade with bacon and basil, whole wheat pasta, and salad.”
“Well, I’m not the one to turn down bacon,” he said.
She smiled at him. “I’ll show you my army.”
“You have an army?” I asked.
“Of course, I do. I’ve been working on them since before we moved. I am almost done.” Regina’s smile sharpened. “It’s my war, and when Ray comes sniffing around, I intend to fight it.”
Michael turned to me.
“You’re welcome to spend time in our home, Prime Latimer,” I said. “Take all the time you need.”
“Thank you,” he said.
Regina and he rose. Cinder stretched at the door, a perfect imitation of a real cat, and followed them out.
I listened to the receding sound of their steps and Cinder’s claws.
The office fell silent.
Well, that went better than expected.
PREORDER FROM ONE OF THESE FINE RETAILERS
Squeeeeee!!!!!!
If this is what’s deleted I can’t imagine how good the real book is.
I read it on Thursday (mod perks™) and have not stopped thinking about it since!
It’s TRULY epic!
So exciting! Congrats for you on getting to read it early!
Thinking really evil thoughts about Mod R and bragging….
You are such a tease!????
Another Terry says the same thing.
Wow. I really wish we could see all the things that ended up on the cutting room floor over the years. Is there any possibility of future “directors cut” expanded versions of the Andrew’s books? I would rebuy them all.
Omg yes to the director’s cut version of books. Super sad this didn’t make it into the book, really appreciate phenomenal writing with the diversity & representation!!!
+1000
+1: that’s full on fan!!!
+1000!!!
A big +1
I’m giddy with anticipation ????
Right?
+1
Exactly my thought. That, and what else are we missing because of the evil Word number limit???!
It wasn’t just word limit considerations, the editor from Avon didn’t find it absolutely necessary to the plot 🙂 .
Edits mean sacrifices, but we’re lucky to have it as a treat!
It would make a lovely short story tacked onto the end of a book … just sayin’ 🙂
I don’t know…there are a lot of things that aren’t “necessary” to a plot, that still add depth and richness and verisimilitude, and readers who love a story also love the things that add depth and richness and verisimilitude. The appendices to The Lord of the Rings come to mind. Not necessary to the plot, but readers love them anyway.
Here for more light shed into the edit decision ???? https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/muffins-trucks-and-deleted-scenes/
+1
Totally agree, particularly as it links back to several other Hidden Legacy books.
Speaking of which, at the Baranovsky Gala in White Hot, Michael Latimer describes Lady Azora as his aunt. I’m guessing that means she’s from the previously-House Hamilton side of the family? (ie his mother Serenity’s sister?)
Lady Azora is a Hamilton by maiden name and an actual Lady by marriage.
Hope this helps 🙂
Thanks for clarifying ModR, that makes sense. It’s a wonderful sub-plot and scene, I have to admit I now wish there was a novella on House Latimer!
Right? All these side characters that we fall in love with and then want more of and maybe a short story or or or ….
House Andrew’s are so talented that even side characters feel so full and real and we want to know everything. And there’s so many that seem to deserve their own stories. I don’t think I’ll ever have enough and I want more more MORE! (Gah. This reader will restrain her book devouring beast-self and humbly thinks you for these snippets for they are magnificent indeed)
Same – that was terrific!!!! and just what I needed this morning 🙂
I agree , what a fantastic scene ! I don’t understand why it was deleted either .
Also Mod R,lucky , lucky you!!! I don’t know how I’ll wait till August !
Hey Alice,
Today’s post might help with understanding the decision 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/muffins-trucks-and-deleted-scenes/#comment-561124
This!!!!! What a spectacular late valentine’s present. You guys love us…really, really love us.
And remember the Horde, the Prime readers, we love ya’ll.
Wait. That was delete? Get out of here. That was like perfection! It had me all in my feelings!
It is yours!
Indeed!
Double squeeeeee!
Wow. If that was a deleted scene, I can’t wait to read the final book! Thank you and Happy Valentine’s Day to HA.
Wow, that scene was epic!
If that didn’t make the cut, I can’t imagine how good the novel will be.
Except, now I am wondering when ML will meet his HEA and I’m not sure how much longer this world will be played in. 🙁
Wonderful! Am I first?
No, sorry 🙁
Oooo…Thank you soooooo much!!
OMGOSH!!! This was a DELETED scene!?? I can’t wait. . .
+1 ????
+1
+10000
Pity it was deleted. It is a fine piece of writing. Although I suppose it didn’t quite fit the direction the story ended up going.
????
Great !!! That’s why I love your books so much. Even the secondary characters have a powerful story. You are wonderful writers. Thank you for your work.
+1!
Exactly!!!
It was well written and interesting.
So many layers, I had suspicions that Michael Latimer was Caesar. But I decided no. But here, we have Patricia and Regina connected with an interesting secondary character. Just so good. I can’t wait for the book. Thank you as always for the total entertainment experience.
Ray Latimer might be Caeser adjacent.
Look, no bloddshed. That’s what we call progress here 😀
Growth 😀
So, Mod R, since you already read the book (you lucky b****™), did anything of the scene make it in or do they in any way mention that Regina and Michael talked? I’m just curious if it was mentioned somehow even without this section being included?
Well now that would be those whatchumacallthem…spoilers.
Is this the point where we idly ask if Gordon might happen to be around…? ????????
Gordon …Gordon… Anyone seen Gordon Andrews?
lol, too funny.
+1000
I’m almost breathless! That was awesome! When I first read Michael Latimer’s name I almost yelled out loud! So much family history! Now to see what wasn’t deleted! Thank you!
Daaaaaaamn!
+1
That was the best…. If the deleted scene was this good. I can’t wait to read the rest!
Now we know the Michael Latimer background and his relationship to Regina. Whoa! No wonder why everyone, including Rogan, tiptoes around him.
Thank you for this. I agree with the rest of the BDH. If this is a deleted scene (which is great), I wonder what the rest of the book will be like?
Squee! 😀
Oh yeah, the murderous car. Is that a nod to Stephen King’s Christine?
Transformers.
My thoughts exactly!
Oh, I do so love this series …..
Michael Latimer made himself a Transformer!!!! How could this have failed to make it into the book? How good is the book going to be?
It’s all the bee’s joints, not just the knees!
I was looking for this comment. He has a friggin transformer! Autobots roll out!
Is this the car that Arrabella stomps?
OMG that was amazing. I know not everything can be in the book, but I am so glad you chose to share this with us!
LOVE THIS! Thank you so much!
Thank you for the reminder ModR – I was indeed waiting to order my dead tree version ????
And this scene was cut and I am mourning its loss. ::headshake:: DAMN, even your cut scenes are SO GOOD, I love them!!! And I’m happy to understand more about Patricia and Regina’s past and Michael’s relationship to Regina. Thanks for sharing this with us since it couldn’t go into the book.
The day after my birthday can’t come soon enough!! =)
Oh, and…. ::googling Roulade:: I’m always open to new food ideas! =)
There is a German crock pot roast beef rouladen recipe on line that I’ve started making every few weeks. It has several variations including Oma’s flatladen. Rouladen comes in a number of nationalities and you could probably change the spices to make an Italian one. If you google Oma’s crockpot rouladen you can probably find it. Next time I make it I’m going to fry all the bacon first, brown the meat in the fat and put the crispy bacon pieces in. The recipe calls for putting raw bacon slices on top of the roast and it is really nasty looking when it is done cooking. The bacon falls apart and the fat is white and limp looking. I usually separate the meat off the fat on a plate and throw out the fat. Trial and error!
This isn’t the exact recipe, but something similiar (I asked Ilona! Cook to cook hehe). https://foodnetwork.co.uk/search/?q=tuscan-turkey-roulade-&utm_source=foodnetwork.com&utm_medium=domestic
Thank-you! New recipes are always welcome especially when dealing with turkey.
I officially want to know more about Michael.
Wow. Thank you for the gift.
Oooh wow. Thank you for making Monday a fun day with this tidbit. Hope you are having a great day!!
Oh so wonderful! Once again, House Baylor gains an unexpected ally by simply being kind and decent human beings!
Thank you for sharing!
Wow, if that’s deleted, I can’t wait to see what the rest is like!
Amen!!!
Holy Carp.
Gods and Goddesses bless House Andrews. May the struggle of the RF birth be a far distant memory ASAP. Because like others, if this is what hit the edit room floor, its going to be a phenomenal continuation of a phenomenal series. I do not want any PTSD from this book to slow ya’ll down. 🙂
Thank you guys for the yummies. And thank you for Mod R for keeping the BDH somewhat between the lines.
We love all of you. And not like a parasite. More like a symobiote?
Oh, my!!!
Just want to say that I loved the scene and can’t wait to read the book!!!
Wonderful! ????????
Thank you!
I love this! And wish it could have been kept in the published book. Also, REALLY can’t wait for August now. Thank you so much for putting this on the blog. And feel free to post any other deleted bits. We will gobble them up like the devouring horde we are.
Clapping in joy. That was lovely.
What a wonderful scene. Even if it isn’t in the final book, it does give the reader interesting background on Regina, Patricia and Michael Latimer. I hope Regina gets to use her “army” in the book. Thanks for the story. It’s hard to wait until August for the whole book. I ordered my copy. I’m really enjoying the weekly Innkeeper chapters. What an extraordinary gift HA has for creating different worlds and people. Thanks.
I love it!
Just wow. And this scene was one worth cutting ??!??!!!
Wow, love the back story! Cinder makes me smile. So depressing, only one major book release each month through September that are auto buys for me. Definitely looking forward to this book!
Thank you. That was fantastic.
Writing question: I know you don’t let fans dictate what you write for obvious reasons, but, with a character like Michael Latimer, do you start with a sense that readers are going to be intrigued by a character and always plan to follow their stories? Or is it a surprise which at first minor characters really spark with people?
Actually, readers have absolutely no impact on which characters get screen time. We may refer to some character as a fan favorite, but for us to write about them, they have to be our favorite and that’s not always the case.
Good. That’s what makes books work.
That makes sense! Thank you so much for taking time to answer 🙂
Just a thought. ML got lucky. His warcar probably can’t act faster than Catalina can zap him. Then either he powers it down (and shows it if off to impress her) or it kills her and he then will be suicidal.
Or Arabella stomps on it.
*snort* ????
(Now to clean coffee my monitor)
A beautiful Valentine’s gift! Thanks HA ????
Wow! That was amazing. I remember the first part of this scene when you posted it as a snippet, and it’s an incredible look at Regina’s backstory. Too bad it didn’t make the cut, but thank you very much for sharing it with us!
Wonderful Valentine’s Day gift. House Andrews luuuuuuuvs us.
Ooooh! Go Regina!!
I can see why that scene was cuttable, with such a high percentage of story-optional exposition.
That said, I enjoyed it and would not have been sorry to see it “padding the word count.”
Thank you for letting us see it!
The torture, if this is a deleted scene that is soo good . What is in the book will be marvelous as usual.
sigh, this Michael isn’t so bad….and neither is the first one…they’re just firm in their principles….
Wow. What a backstory. Thank you. Intrigue, family drama, House politics, bloodlines, power plays, love, jealousy, all the drama.
OMG I love this and it was a deleted scene the book is going to be awesome!!! Thank you so much I can’t wait to read this book !
Also yay for a Transformer!!
Wow, think I need to have a bowl of ice cream and watch cartoons after that. Something involving happy animals in primary colors. What a harrowing tale. Kids have so little power as it is. When somebody leans on them like that, they’re just so stuck.
Fan girl down!! Thank you, thank you, what a lovely valentines gift to the BDH!
!!! What an absolute gift!!! Thank you for the snippet and knowing Fated Blades is available in paper now!
Loved it! Thanks so much for sharing. Can’t wait for Ruby Fever to come out!
*FLAILS* Damn, August is so far away lol. I cannot WAIT to read it. I’ll stay up til midnight for it to appear on my kindle. That was superb.
Hmmm … maybe we can cut months out of the calendar, like scenes out of a book? Just our calendars, HA gets to have whatever calendar they want 🙂
Oh gosh. That got deleted??? I loved it
LOVE this snippet – thank youuuuu!
I am so glad you wrote it, because I have been really confused over who Michael is and what exactly he does, beyond overall dark badassery.
You’ve been very good to the BDH this week. I’m so glad Michael is one of the good Michael’s. I’ve wondered about him ever since he approached Nevada. Is it August yet?
Okay yay! Thank you for the excellent cut scene, we got to keep it anyway! I am going to use this as another sign to keep at my resolution to not reading innkeeper till it is fully baked. Why? Because like Ruby Fever, this innkeeper looks like it is heading toward boss battle time, and I just got my mom hooked on House Andrews’ books & I would like to feel the same joy of discovery she gets to feel with each new work she comes across. Woot woot!
A TRANSFORMER?!?!?!?!?
Hehe
More than meets the eye…
A really powerful scene. Thank you for sharing. Can’t wait for this book but don’t want to wish my life away as the year seems to have already started at a gallop.
I hope you both got to do all the things you like since RF was completed.
Oh, this was wonderful! Hooray and happy Monday!!
Thank you for the Valentine Day’s present. The BDH feels the luuuuuuuuv!
The first line of text when you click on Amazon’s Ruby Fever is..
“ An escaped spider”
Hmmmm.
Als, FYI when Innkeeper series began as a serial, I sometimes waited a few weeks to read next installment, then as it got longer I went to chapter one and re-read each chapter until the latest, new one, to stretch it out, catch things, just enjoy.
Grateful bdh member
Amazing! Thank you ????
What an ABSOLUTE TREAT. ????❤️ I can’t wait for this book!!
Thank you!!! So awesome to learn more about the Lattimers.
????????. I hope she publicly crushes him when the time comes and we get to read about it! Ugh I have tears because I had a manipulative father as well. Not that bad but very similar in that the public believed he was a saint but treated us terribly at home.
Thank you for sharing even though its been deleted.
And I completely forgot I preordered Fated Blades. I saw the Amazon charge, checked and did a happy dance!
*hugs*
+1
????????????????????
If this was a deleted section I can hardly wait for the finished book,wow! One thing I love in this story is how people who are kind of out of of the norm,magic or not, find their place, that rocks. Only thing wrong with the construct being a cat was it should have looked at the people, yawned , with a look like ‘you are beneath my looking’ and then curl up *lol*.
????????????????????????????????????
This a deleted scene, but gods I will pay for a short story of all this.
Wow
????????????????????????????????????????????
+1
Yes. Me too. A novella , short story. Something
Hooray for fabulous deleted scenes and for finding out about Regina.
Is it August yet?
Thank you!
6 months will fly by!
Epic gift of a truly amazing backstory- thank you. If Ray is going to feature in the book I surely hope it is to have his ass kicked by Regina and her army.
And am waiting for the Michael- moments that lead to the ‘and now Michaels were proving to be equally difficult.’ and will surely be interesting.
Thank you and Happy Valentine’s Day to House Andrews and the BDH!
What a lovely gift (also, great scene)
Excellent way to perk up my gray snowy day.
Thank you.
If this is a deleted scene, why oh why did it get deleted? Also, I’m going to repeatedly refresh my e-reader the night before release hoping I can get the book Ruby Fever exactly at midnight.
Also I’d read a book with Michael Latimer as the main character.
I’d be very happy to read a Roman book. Does he have other funny pajamas or just Eyore?
Love!!! The back story for one of the Michaels and my favourite minor character Does it get better than this? As magically wonderful for sure, but never better.
Whhhyyyyyy? Why did it get deleted?
I’m sure it was for the best because you’re awesome and we all trust you, but it is so so good!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome. Thanks!
I know the books are wonderful because of your deft touch but I really appreciate you sharing the bits that don’t make it in.
Thank you!
Wow. Just wow.
Now I want a transformer car that is a class x construct but maybe a pickup.
That was awesome
????
Loved it. Too bad it didn’t make it in the book. It’s an excellent scene, it’s both empowering, and heart warming.
Wow! Just wow wow wow!
No wonder you are both exhausted after editing Ruby Fever. To have to cut such a beautifully written,powerful scene must have been mentally excruciating. If that’s what ended up on the cutting room floor the finished product must be wonderful! Lucky Mod R to have read it already. Roll on August 23.
I hope the audiobook is already in train and the narrator is outstanding.
It occurs to me that an Author’s Cut of deleted scenes from the 7 Hidden Legacy books, Rogan POVs, Alessandro POVs ( come on Gordon you know you want to) , Arabella’s short stories, and any other bits and pieces ( Bern Runa snippets and / or POVs,Leon snippets, Grandma Frida or Penelope POVs) would very popular with the BDH as it would complement the 6 novels. Please consider.
Edits on the book are not even close to done heh. The audio recording has not started yet 🙂
Narrator has been confirmed as Emily Ranking however 🙂 . She will do her usual awesome work on it, I’m sure!
Wow, how many waves of edits are there? I imagine the publisher has an editor go over the book, then back to the author to deal with the suggested edits. Now it goes back to the publisher and their editor looks again… Then what?
Here for more on the editing process ???? https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/edits-and-more-edits/
Hope this helps.
I remember reading that. I didn’t take into account the various types of editing… =)
wow. I can’t believe that’s what got cut! The rest is going to be awesome!
Thks, just Thks 😀
We love you!!!
You always give me the best birthday gifts
Happy Birthday!
I’ve adored Michael Latimer since the first time we met him. I’m happy to see him again.
Mod R, there will be 7 Hidden Legacy books not 6 ( I overlooked the novella which I love ). Can you correct my mistake and delete this? Sorry for being a nuisance.
I can edit it, no problem. But there are 6 full length books with a transition novella, it’s nothing to worry about 🙂
Oh heck, this is just going to be so frickin’ good. Question: Why was this scene discarded? It’s so informative, ties up some loose ends.
I don’t know how I’m ever going to last until August.????????
The editor didn’t think it was necessary for the main plot. Sacrifices have to be made during the editing process, but it’s how we get deleted scenes and gems like The Cool Aunt!
Oh man… Is the release date still in AUGUST? (Whine) that’s such a LONG TIME…
Ok ok. I can wait. I’m really looking forward to it.
I see on your coming soon page for Ruby Fever you tease ” Beware the siren Prime who’s wings turn black” does that mean that Catalina and we find out what she can do with the black wings?
Did you also expand the excerpt? It seems to have more information?
The excerpt is the new edit of the beginning of RF, yes 🙂
I’m a professional non-fiction writer and I understand the tyranny of the word count but it KILLS me that you had to cut that.
Love!
OMG you deleted THIS!!!!! It was just awesome. I can’t wait till the final story comes out. So excited. Thank you so much.
Wow; just wow.
If that didn’t make the cut (and was deleted), what was left just be amazing.
Thank you.
Looking forward to August – and hope you have some time to relax.
Thank you!!
That was so good. Why was it cut Ohio I get it the book will be even better. Come on August ????????????????
So cool! I’d wondered why they were hiding.
Awesome. You always post something good when I need it most. To brighten my day
Thank you for this. Was having a pretty crappy day, and this made me feel better. I love reading your stories, however short they may be. I don’t see this as a deleted scene, I just see it as one more valuable read from you guys and it makes me happy like everything else you guys write. When I read Ruby Fever, I’ll remember this part of it, and in my mind it wouldn’t be deleted 🙂 So, thank you, again.
Wowwwwwww! Thank you for the fabulous Valentine’s Day present! ????
Seems a shame to work hard on a scene, and then not have it in the book.
I really enjoyed this.
Thank you that was awesome, if that’s a deleted scene the book is going to be awesome. Shame it had to be cut it was brilliant ???? ????????
Keep it in! Keep it in! Oh Darn too late.
This was great. Hopefully some part of it is still in the book.
Sigh. This really is too good to leave out. Thank you so much for sharing this!
I put in an advance order for Fated Blades buy Amazon says it won’t arrive until tomorrow. Sucks that I have to wait one whole day more. I shall cope — somehow
Very very very cool!!
Well that was an unexpectedly amazing treat for a really shitty day
AGH!!!!
AGGGGGGGGGGGH!!!!
DYING HERE.
OMG. DYING.
Unrelated: so that Amazon box that arrived late last night must be my paper copy of Fated Blades.
That was so cool that I’m stunned that it was deleted. Looking forward to reading the book! August can’t come soon enough! I love how the Baylors make allies with people of strong character and principles. It’s such a pleasure to read.
Hope you are having a wonderful day. Thanks!
Wow! How did I miss this? I just found it and it was wonderful!
It was just published today ????
O this is gonna be great!!!! Thanks for the treat
ok, that was an amazing scene, and can absolutely be shifted to apply to real life situations. im so glad you put it up for people to see. its not about escaping people like that. its about being strong enough to build a happy, loving life for yourself, and being able to stand up for it, with the people that love you. not letting those types of people win, by living your life scared, and alone. people reading austan, bronte, dickens, and the like, may look down on novelists like yourselves, for being ‘fantasy’ but you pull real life situations into your books, and word them so amazingly, you help people see them in a different light. not victim’s. not even just survivors. but people who are strong enough to stand up for what’s right. (of course, im nowhere near as articulate as yourselves, with getting my words across, lol) magic, doesn’t stop the bad things in life from happening. your books aren’t fantasy, so much as life, with a bit extra. love you all. x
Agree with everything you said Joanna and you said it perfectly ????
Love it! I cannot wait for this book if this is what got deleted from it. 🙂
I know the actual Cinderblock cat! My vet’s office, Northshore Veterinary Hospital (they’re awesome) rescued her when her owner could no longer care for her. She was ultimately adopted by a staff member and lives the good life. I’ve met her many times, loved on her and heard her purr.
For those who need a reminder, Cinder is an Animator construct, we met her first in Emerald Blaze 🙂
“A feline creature padded out from behind the counter. Sleek and long, made of black steel and plastic, she moved on rubber-coated paws, bound together with magic into the shape of a house cat. Nobody would mistake her for one though. She was the size of a border collie.
The cat construct sat in front of me, blocking my way, flicked her tail, and smiled. Her mouth bristled with inch-long steel fangs.
“Hi, Cinder.”
The construct stared at me with glowing green eyes.
“Place,” Regina said, still studying the circle.
Cinder rose off her haunches. Wicked metal claws shot out of her paws, a little warning in case I decided to try anything. She turned around and padded to a rocking chair in the corner. She leaped into it, curled up, and closed her eyes.”
Andrews, Ilona. Emerald Blaze, Hidden Legacy 5. Avon Harpercollins, 2020. Kindle Edition, Chapter 11.
This explains so much. Thank you ????
I love your secondary characters and how their lives are entwined and enhance your primary characters.
You both are such brilliant wordsmiths and you create magic ❤❤❤
I’m so excited! Thank you for the snippet!
Wow!!! I agree with other commenters. If this is a deleted scene, I can’t wait until the new book comes out. Brilliant!
Oh my gawd.
What a lovely unexpected treat for today. Thanks! I hope at some point we get to see Regina’s army crush Ray!
Fun scene, but I think I understand why you cut it. Thanks for sharing, though. Good writing deserves to be read!
Thanks for this goodie. Is there a release date announced for Ruby Fever?
Yes! The pre-order is live, we have a cover and there’s even a nice, generous excerpt for us https://ilona-andrews.com/featured-release/
23 of August 2022 is when it comes out 🙂
Each snippet makes me more eager for the final product; thank you!
“Michaels were my Audrey”. Too funny.
Love the background on Regina! So looking forward to Ruby Fever…..
I was so happy to read this scene. I can’t wait for the rest of the book when this is what ends up on the cutting room floor.
Thank you for sharing the deleted scene.
It’s refreshing to see a character with my name that is strong, determined, and competent. It’s also nice that she’s in a stable loving relationship.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
WOW! *this* was deleted??! O_O can’t wait for release day!!
I’m still snorting over “baby batter”…
Big brother’s better baby batter.
Say it five times really fast.
Oh my gosh, this was so frikkin’ good. And it’s a deleted scene? Wowza.
Regina’s father is such a douchebag, but I had to laugh at Michael’s murder machine.
Adore!!! I love love love it!! It’s a great scene! I enjoyed reading it so much I can only assume it somehow didn’t fit perfectly?
If you ever find yourself with a pile of deleted scenes I would be happy to take them off your hands! and devour them!!
That was great! I’m so sorry it had to be deleted and so happy you shared it with us. I’ve always wanted to know more about Michael Latimer and his family. Can’t wait to hear more about Regina’s army!
This was cut?!?! It is soooo good! I’m so happy you let us see it!
Thank you HA!
OH WOW!!! If that was a deleted scene, then “RUBY” is probably better than you think. It can’t be published fast enough for me!
Wow…. Thank you for sharing. As always, after reading a marvelous deleted scene, I wonder what wonderful, imaginative scenes made it into the book. What twists? What new characters? What new plots? What background on previous characters, will be revealed. So exciting. It leaves me smiling. Thank you. Hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day.
This was very POWERFUL and gripping. I am amazed this is a cut piece. I’m so glad you shared it. I’ve been wondering about Regina and Patricia since they made their appearance. I hope we get to see more of this family. I hope we’ll see more of Michael Latimer. Thank you!
It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch put for. Her wife is a weapon. But she’s an army. Go Regina go! I do hope there wilk be a shot that shows her conquering her dad.
We are all part of the Blood Devouring Horde as well as the Book Devouring Horde, eh? Agree with you re: Stupid Dad.
Oh… Oh… Oh… thank you so much!
Awesome scene, thanks for sharing with us
The teasing is insane! Insane! Is this turning into some crazy form of literary edge play?!! Will we be given papercuts next? If we lie and say we didn’t pre-order will we be given a whole chapter? ????????
Oh. My. Goodness. Squee squared!
Fantastic! Thank you. ????????????????
Oh, my gosh, I loved this snippet. It really was amazing and thank you so much for letting us see it. I wondered what was going on with Patricia and Regina. This is world building on an epic scale and it’s too bad it won’t be in the book. Thanks for sharing it!
????????????Thank you!
sooo gooood! If that’s an outtake, can’t fathom how good the book will be! thank you for sharing!!!
and that is a deleted scene ?????? I love it
ooh ooh ooh — if that is an example of what you cut … I can hardly wait to see what you kept, when the book is published, Come-on August …
Can’t wait
My name is Cheryl, and I am a book-a-holic. I read a lot (as is true for most peeps in this comment section). Books have many hooks, some are plot driven, some are prose, romance, mystery, or history driven. But I love character driven books. In truth, IA books are all of the above, but my favorite series is Hidden Legacy. The family warmth of the HL hoovered me in immediately(possibly because I did not experience that), but this series is my favorite because of the amazing richness of the secondary characters as exemplified by this deleted scene. Thank you.
Hi Cheryl!
Oh my, sooooo good
Yesterday was a total SH!T day. And I mean that in the most literal way. Last night was worse. Why is it that all emergency room trips happen in the middle of the night on a Sunday? Or is that just my luck? Well, another ambulance bill to be paid but all is, if not exactly well at least OK for now. I hope you realize that you make the really sucky times in life so much better just by giving people a better place to be for a while. I don’t know what I would have done without your books and blog the last few years. You are my go to any time I need to get away from life. A most sincere thank you.
My extreme sympathies, as an NHS loving Brit it just weirds me right out seeing that you have to pay for an ambulance so I hope everything is OK/resolved after your hospital visit and that it didn’t cost you too much money.
Here’s to good health and great wealth in life ????
(plus love, books and chocolate)
(also dogs)
(maybe fried chicken too…)
Thank you for your concern. It was actually my Mom that got the ride in the big red truck this time. I really need to not post when I am tired and stressed. Too late now!
Oh well, obviously due for a re-read because I can’t for the life of me keep these different Micheal’s straight. Was this the guy who offered Nevada help at that party when he thought she might be a victim of domestic abuse?
Yes, the African American, in his 30s, head of House Latimer, Animator Prime. He also approached Nevada and Rogan during their restaurant dinner.
The other Michael is mid-20s, tattooed, caucasian and works for the Record Keeper’s office.
That was so good, and I hate that you had to cut it. And it’s just fine. Really. As long as Ray Latimer gets a crotch-rotting, face-disfiguring, excruciatingly painful disease before the book is over.
*sniff* HA is too, too good to us..but please don’t stop. Such an amazing scene, thank you. I’ve been curious about Regina for so long.
Barnes & Noble has print and audio editions of Fated Blades, but not a Nook version. Are there any plans to make Fated Blades available for Nook? Thank you.
Hi Courtenay,
Fated Blades is an Amazon exclusive, and it was published through their Montlake print. The ebook format will only be available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
Thank you.
Oh. My. Freaking. Godesses.
That’s it. That’s the comment.
This is a deleted scene? I really loved it. Thank you for sharing it.
This would do really well as an ‘aside’ short story. Just a little vignette of something that happened when everything else was going on – an explanation of some tossed aside mention, so to speak.
(but don’t take this seriously…I’m totally burned out from work, writing, and family things! ^_^)
Delicious drama! I hope we get to see Ray get crushed.
Wow.. And that’s a deleted scene…Thank you. Happy Valentines.
Happy Valentines Day to you both too! ???? Thank you for the gift of this amazing scene! Sorry it got deleted but so happy we got to read it!
I know it’s been hell on you both to write, but I can’t wait for the book to release.
So good! And happy Valentines day.
Oh wow!!! That was awesome. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Yikes! And that is a *deleted* scene? I can’t wait to see how all this stuff is conveyed to us in the final version. Even your deleted scenes are golden.
You guys really rock. I’ve found it so hard to read new things, or listen to the news, or even get out and do things in the last two years (nothing like a pandemic to stir up anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia). But your stories take me somewhere I like to be. I know I’m safe there, and I trust you as storytellers.
So thank you for sharing even things we won’t see in your books. <3
Ahh that was so good. If that’s a scene that didn’t make it into the book I can’t imagine how great the scenes are that made it.
Is gleeful hyperventilating a thing? Because I did it the full three times I read this deleted scene. Can it please be August tomorrow?
This was deleted? Wow! I can’t wait for this book.
Excellent. Love, love, love it.
Oh yes … thoroughly enjoyed that read, thank you. ????
So good!! Thank you!!
This is a deleted scene??? I am dying to get my hands on this book! (And who’s Patricia. What does she do? Argh!!! I have to wait months before I can find out!)
You do not, I’m happy to report! Patricia Taft is the Head of Security for House Baylor and has already been a character since Emerald Blaze. Sgt Heart mentions them as far back as Sapphire Flames when he says he can recommend someone to take over, after the Baylor’s previous security team fails spectacularly.
Hope this helps ????
Regina also gave Catalina a primer on constructs in that book.
How many have I missed?
Please publish the unpublished snippets. Given how many books you have written I believe that we have been deprived of at least 2 collections.
For you this makes financial sense for the BDH it just makes us happy. Publish please, we will buy them.
And this didn’t make the cut? WOW! Thanks for sharing it. Adds great background!
And this was a deleted scene? Cannot wait for August!
“the former cutest baby boomed”. Baby batter. Bwahahaha! Too good!
Please feel free to gift us with all of your deleted scenes, whenever you feel like it!
Love it. I need to reread Hidden Legacy from the beginning before Ruby comes out! I know this isn’t in there, but it is still so good. Thank you for sharing and I hope you have an awesome day!
Oh wow!!!! And that’s a deleted scene!!! I can’t wait for this book. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
OMG
Thank you!
No wonder edits were so tough when you had to cut great material like this
Oh wow!! And this is a deleted scene!! So looking forward to August!!
I can’t wait to read more! Thank you!
OK. I’m pre-ordering immediately.
Six months… six months… AUGH.
Wow, Thank You
I love it! And thank you to House Andrews for giving Regina’s backstory as a Valentine. I adore her and Patricia. That competent women are the norm and not the main character exception is one of the many reasons you are my favorite authors.
+1
Wow! This was amazing. The family dynamics were so well written. I could see and feel all the mixed emotions of everyone involved.
Holy Crow! That’s an example of a deleted scene? Can’t even imagine what the content that made it into the book will be like.
I can’t believe this is deleted scene T.T
But I’m so happy to have more backstory for Regina and Michael Latimer (both characters I adore)
Thank you! Awesome way to start the week! So glad to know more about these people.
Wonderful! And that was deleted???
This was deleted?!
I’m so glad you were able to share this with us. It’s such an interesting scene. Thank you!
Oh! Happy heart wiggle dance. I was worried about the relationship between Michael Larimer and the Baylor family.
WOW
If that’s the “deleted” scene, my oh my, I can barely wait for the “rest of the story!”
For those too young, that is a reference from Paul Harvey.
*** breathes out a heavy sigh ***
Oofta, that was a great snippet and Regina is someone to watch.
I am now hungry and Italian sounds really good for dinner.
Wow. Thanks for this. So happy to finally learn some of the history about Regina and Patricia and also that of Michael Latimer and the probable reasons behind why he and his mother are such strong supporters of charities and shelters for victims of domestic abuse. Separately, it will be really interesting to see what did make the final cut in Ruby Fever when such an amazing scene was removed. Anyone have a time turner I could borrow?
That was lovely! I hope we get to see her army!
Oooooh so good. Every time I get a snippet it just reminds me why I’m crazy for IA books! I’m like “which series did I reread least recently… or should I just reread all of them?”
I swear to you there was a disturbance in the force and I looked around, “that can’t be right, it’s not Friday”, but I just knew there was a snippet waiting! Maybe because I know the post edit cycle by now 🙂
I will take any deleted scenes, any snippets, anything you want to throw our way! All of it is good, good, good. Thank you!
Beyond grateful! This us wonderful and explains so much!
I love it!!!!!!!!
I like Mike as a character and Regina too
This is a nice short story format so quite enjoyable about interesting characters.
Its often these back stories that makes books more appealing, it gives life to the whole.
Such a lovely setup for what I hope will be a Michael Latimer story set in the Hidden Legacy world. Thank you for sharing this!
LOVED IT!!!!! Can’t wait for my copy of Ruby Fever!!!!
I started out at a reasonable distance from my screen and ended up with my nose almost touching it. I am so excited now. I can’t wait for the book to be released!!!!
Thank you for posting this scene. It will make the part of the book Mike’s in be more meaningful because I now know and adore him.
Awesome!
So damn good, I’m licking my fingers.
I love this!???? I’m so grateful we got to read it. Perfect wonderful little Tuesday treat.
a bright spark in a dreary time. I really needed this, thank you!
and where can I get a Cinder…?
*So* brilliant on *many* levels.
Thank you!
Pardon me while I happily gibber in the corner with glee at getting this scene. <3 Beautifully executed.
Argh, why cut? I love finally learning Patricia’s deal, and to have it also explain Michael is very nice. But at least we get to hear it here! Thank you!
Gosh, if a deleted scene was that enjoyable, I can’t wait for the book!
Learning about Regina and Michael Latimer has been a treat. Thank you!
This was great. I have always loved Michael’s character since he offered to help at the party. I wish you could put it back, so that every time I reread the book; and now I am sure I will reread many times, I would get treated to this. Can he get a novella? Please?
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m sad this needed to be cut.
This is so juicy! We get to know Regina and Michael’s backstory early which is such a treat – thank you! The anticipation is palpable and August can’t come soon enough. 🙂
Wow!
Two questions – is Michael’s Kitt a Class ‘ex’ or Class 10? (Which begs the question if Cinder is also a Class X)
And secondly – we had a Saito Construct in Emerald Blaze – would that be massively higher than a Class X or are they just a few categories above?
Sorry – scientific mind means always questions!
This is indeed a treat, and it’s just freaking awesome to know what baggage Patricia came with (I say Patricia because that’s whom the Baylors hired).
That was too good to delete… Are you sure you aren’t saving Michael and Regina (and her army) for some future collaboration with the Baylor Bunch?
Thank you so much for the snippet. I’m sorry it was cut from the book but glad we got to enjoy it here.
Wow! That was intense! Too bad it didn’t make the cut. Makes me really wonder how awesome this book is going to be if that scene was cut!
Sqeee! Also.
I was expecting my print copy of Fated Blades to arrive today. Imagine my surprise when the doorbell rang around 8:30 pm and there was an Amazon package on my porch. Now I have a copy to loan to people. That is why I have both digital and print. I can have the book in hand and say READ THIS!
This was awesome! Your deleted scenes are better than published scenes from other authors….thank you for sharing! ????
I was wondering what Regina her story was, I am very happy to have found out. So glad you shared this for us to enjoy
Oh my word, I didn’t want that to end. And that’s a deleted scene! I’m in awe. Thank you.
Should have kept this scene. Great background. Gives a nice feel for characters.
Thank you so much! this snippet was awesome, I was very curious about Regina and Patricia and this is good.
I am so sad that this wonderful scene got deleted, but I look forward to all the better ‘made the cut’ scenes!
Thank you so much for this snippet!
I am so looking forward to the book. I’ve already pre-order the Kindle and the book. And they both will get a lot of reading time in the future.
This is a great story, and I can only imagine all the stories that have been cut from your books over the years. Thanks for sharing. Regina is a very interesting character, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from her in the future. Hopefully.
OK, this is so UNFAIR! You guys have the bud for an entire (great) story here AND IT IS A THROWAWAY! Darn, you guys are too talented. It is not fair!
Thank you. It’s so awesome.
Holy MACARONI!!!!!!! THIS WAS AMAZING????????????????!!!
Take my money and give me more deleted scenes!!!!
What a wonderful scene. I cannot imagine how something so great can be written and then not being able to use it.
SUPER SQUEEEEEEEE!!!
Eeeeeekkkkkk I’m too excited. Please feel free to throw more deleted scenes at us cos that was amazing ????❤
Thank you for this. It was well done and appreciated. I love the characters the two of you have created. I am grateful to be able to be a neighbor to all of them (the nosey one that watches everything)
I loved Michael Latimer since I first met him in the second Nevada book. I have always wondered about him and I am glad he makes a reappearance even if only in a deleted scene. I have always thought your supporting cast were as compelling as your leads. Looks like House Baylor is becoming the refuge/home of smaller houses and those who have had just enough of the house b******t that they can stand. That may make them a target but it also makes them stronger
Hot damn, I can’t wait to read this book!
Lovely, generous, and kind – thank you!
Thanks!
Wow. Just wow. House Andrews magic. This is amazing.
I went to pre-order Ruby Fever and turns out I pre-ordered it months ago! ????
Thank you!
Oh, my! If that’s a deleted scene, I can’t wait to read what made the cut!
Thank you. Thank you. Prime Larimer is one of my favorite characters. I’m sick as a dog. This made my day.
Thank you! I really wouldn’t mind a whole book on Michael Latimer. Some day.
Darn you iPad auto incorrect! Ya’ll know who I mean.
Fixed it for you 🙂
WOW if this is what you had to leave out. I can’t wait to get my hands on the book !!
One half of a year of waiting remains. It seems like forever. I’m glad we have the Regina – Lattimer relationship answered. Then there is the army Regina constructed. Is that from where the missing spider came from? We had a Lord or Baron Spider in the Edge series, who may have finally died, a spider clutch used in the Inn and now recurring spiders in the Legacy. No fictional scorpions yet, but there are real ones in the Andrews’ house.
Spider from the Edge series definitely died, see the intro to Sweep in Peace ????.
You can learn more about the missing spider in the generous teaser excerpt from Ruby Fever that House Andrews shared with the BDH here https://ilona-andrews.com/featured-release/
No, she is not one of Regina’s ????
Oooh! Everyone as the hero/ine of their own tale! Love it!
Well then….if THIS was a deleted scene…I can’t wait for the rest of the story !!! Holy carp
Can’t believe THAT’s not in the book! SO glad I got to read it 🙂
And you deleted this?????????? Hells Bells, can’t wait to see what you kept .
Ohhhh this is so good. Love it. Thank you.
I so want this to be a book now! Omg!
Why, was this cut out? It seems too good to loose from the story.????
I love bug.
I just wanted to share that ☺️
???? :happy sigh: ????
Thanks for sharing ????
Brilliant! I only wish it wasn’t a short. You never fail to delight me with your writing.
That was awesome!
Thank you!
If this is what you deleted, I am all really excited to see what is still in.
I’ve been waiting to find out what was going on with Patricia and Regina! So good!
Ohh what a treat! Any time you feel like throwing deleted scenes at us, go for it.
Love reading your “rejected” stories!
Wonderful writing from you both, I love it! It would crush me to have to delete something that must have taken you time to write. Appreciate the sharing of it. Thank you so much.
OMG that was awesome. I can’t believe it is a deleted scene!!
Thank you. I’m sorry this got cut, but I’m happy you shared it with us.
Can we get a bunch of the cut scenes to still be “in the canon”? There are a number of them that are awesome and it makes sense to keep them and we’ll, the BDH doesn’t get indigestion so keep feeding us please.
Awesome! That was a long scene. Sorry you had to cut it.
Loved hearing Regina’s story!
You are awesome writers!
OMG, I can’t wait for it to come out! Thanks for sharing this!
That’s a _deleted_ scene?!?
And you deleted it? Wow. I can’t imagine what the rest is like, if you deleted this.
I don’t know why it was deleted, but I’m glad you decided to give us tis chapter. I like it.
Hey Ruud,
The more recent post explains it 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/muffins-trucks-and-deleted-scenes/
This is fantastic! Can’t wait to read the book.
I think I am very sorry that this scene was deleted. It is pretty awesome so thank you for sharing it with us.
Fabulous snippet, thank you so much for sharing! #teamLattimore! I can’t wait to read Ruby Fever!
There’s a horde demand to please feed us the deleted scenes.. scenes from your “trunk”…. Please ..we promise to cherish each and everyone of them .. please feed us more..
????????
Also your each and every written word that I have read has been enjoyable including this above one.❤️♥️
…. so please feed us your scraps ..????????
Thank you so much for that! It really helps to have that background
Wow, thank you so much. Thank scene is heartrendering and glorious! I love Michael Latimer, I wish there were a million of him in the world. This could be the core of a whole book. I love Regina and her wife … I’m fairly heartbroken this won’t be in Ruby Fever, it was deeply moving to learn this about Michael and Regina’s families. I so admire and appreciate the depth of personalities you create and manifest for your characters. Thank you so much for sharing this precious excerpt … it’s always a good day when we get to read about good hearted men who want to eliminate abusers.
Sweet!
I love all the kick ass women in IA’s worlds !
When I taught … I played
The princess that saved herself… for the students and let them illustrate the song ????
All the women in IA can save themselves and if they are mad their men know to step back
And the women know their men or women have their backs
????congratulations on the first place book award !!!
Great snippet! Hope you can keep it and turn it into a novella or something as really enjoyed it
I f-ing loved this!
House Andrews has always sprinkled in bits of inclusion and this is a great scene. I’ve been doing a re-listen of the Hidden Legacy series and Michael Latimer’s character stood out and nearly demanded his own story after his appearances in the series so far. This scene cinches that feeling. The Latimer family story runs deep and I hope it is shared one day.
Thanks so much for the treat!
Wow. Love it. Everything you write is scrumptious.
I can’t believe you had to cut this. Now I’m dying to get my hands on the rest of the book. *sigh*
Loved the insight into Michael’s history and would love some side novellas about Michael, Augustine, even Nevada/Catalina etc’s parents backstory… the world is so well crafted and characters so interesting!
EEEEKKKK, it’s fantastic. If I hadn’t already preordered I would now.
Wonderful!
Just wanted to add my “love this” to the many others already posted. You write so very, very well!
Cinder is a cat construct. Is she also a familiar?
No, despite what Amazon rankings want us to believe, there are no witches and vampires in Hidden Legacy.
Cinders is an Animator’s construct only ????.
Wow! What a segment. It explains things we don’t know, but whets our appetite for more. Utterly fascinating. I’d like to read this book.
This scene is sooo good!! Why was it deleted?
The most recent post explains it 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/muffins-trucks-and-deleted-scenes/
I really liked Michael in white Hot and Wildfire. I liked his aunt. He seemed debonair offering help for the bruises on Nevada neck and handing her a card with his initials. The family intrigued me and was hoping he had a spin-off. To learn he is an animator is intriguing. I hope he is in Ruby Fever more or gets his own book.
Omg, I love it! I understand editing and the need to delete pieces so thank you for sharing!
Well… that was just absolutely awesome. Thanks. I loved it.
So interesting. Love your multicultural characters. Love your outtakes as much as the ones that get published.
Deleted?? Heck, that just whet my appetite!
Maybe you should call it “Behind the scenes at the Baylors”
by popular demand
with editors comments for why things got tossed
side stores like this one and the cool aunt etc
I would surely buy it
The book just got better by you letting us in on this back story.
thank you! thank you! thank you!
Thats aaaaaawesome ! ???????????? I love learning more about the character ????
Finally able to sit up after having the flu. This was tonic. Thank you.
Every snippet I read from this book has me salivating. I am sooo glad that mystery was answered and look forward to even more!
oh oh oh. I would buy a book just of deleted scenes.
No. Don’t delete it. Its a perfect scene 🙂
Wow!
Wooaaahhhh!!!!
This gave me goosebumps. I’m not well and the new book feels like it will be a breath of fresh air, polished and exciting. I have loved watching the way your craft has grown over the years and every book grips us by our heart strings. Big hugs from the land down under.
Get well soon, Monica!
I loved this! Would love to see it in a different book!
How did I miss this post!???! So glad I followed the follow up post;)
That’s a great scene! And I LOVE knowing how the sausage is made! Please use in a future Latimer novel???
Thank you for this deleted scene.
Thank you for motivating faster migraine recovery! Sweep of the Heart, Ruby Fever, and Kinsmen delivered to my door. Perfect timing. Thank you for your worlds, your characters, and your plot lines. Never gets boring! Hope your writing energizes you as much as it energizes your readers.
WoW!
Just reading this made me see a full story in my minds’ eye.
You writing style is really visual for me. That is probably why I love it so much, even the “not good enough” stuff!
Just read this! Made my day.
Thank you do much! He has always been one of my favorites, and this was a lovely gift.
This was awesome, thank you!