We are supposed to be doing promotional thingies, but Gordon is writing Rogan POV and we’re both knee deep in Hugh’s book, so instead of a big promotional push, here is a big snippet of White Hot. Behold, the cover and buy links. Okays, love you, bye, have to write now.
Release date: May 30, 2017.
The Hidden Legacy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews continues as Nevada and Rogan navigate a world where magic is the norm…and their relationship burns hot
Nevada Baylor has a unique and secret skill—she knows when people are lying—and she’s used that magic (along with plain, hard work) to keep her colorful and close-knit family’s detective agency afloat. But her new case pits her against the shadowy forces that almost destroyed the city of Houston once before, bringing Nevada back into contact with Connor “Mad” Rogan.
Rogan is a billionaire Prime—the highest rank of magic user—and as unreadable as ever, despite Nevada’s “talent.” But there’s no hiding the sparks between them. Now that the stakes are even higher, both professionally and personally, and their foes are unimaginably powerful, Rogan and Nevada will find that nothing burns like ice …
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Excerpt
Elena de Trevino’s family lived in a huge house. The Nathers’ home was large by most people’s standards, and you could fit two of those into the de Trevino homestead. The building sat on half an acre, a huge dark red brick beast that mashed Colonial Revival with chunks of Tudor around the windows. A thick brick wall guarded the yard, with an arch allowing entrance to the inner driveway and the garages, and the chimney of the obligatory fireplace Texans used once in a blue moon mimicked the steeple of a church.
The difference magic made. Both Elena de Trevino and her husband, Antonio, were rated Average. I had found their LinkedIn profiles and they both listed AV in the powers section.
I parked on the street, and Rogan and I walked to the door.
A young Hispanic woman answered the door. “May I help you?”
Her gaze snagged on Rogan. I might as well have been invisible. Women looked at him wherever he went. In the age of magic, many men were handsome. Rogan wasn’t just attractive; he projected masculinity. It was in his posture, in the male roughness of his face, and in his eyes. When you saw him, you knew no matter what happened, he would handle it. Little did they know that he solved most of his problems by throwing money at them or trying to kill them. Sometimes at the same time.
I offered her my card. “I’ve been hired by House Harrison. I would like to speak with Mr. de Trevino.”
The woman dragged her gaze away from Rogan to the card. “Wait, please.”
She closed the door.
“House Harrison?” Rogan asked.
“Cornelius hasn’t been excised.”
Excision was the worst punishment a magical family could level on its member. They withdrew all emotional, financial, and social support, effectively kicking the offender out of the family. An excised member of the House became damaged goods: his former allies abandoned him for fear of angering his family, and his family’s enemies refused to help him because no excise could be trusted. Cornelius distanced himself from his House by his own choice, but he hadn’t left it.
“Look at this house.” I nodded at the door. “We wouldn’t even get a foot in the door unless we dropped some House’s name.”
Rogan smiled, a wicked sharp grin. “You should let me knock.”
Last time he “knocked” on my door, the entire warehouse vibrated. “Please don’t.”
The door opened, revealing an athletic man about forty years old. He wore grey dress pants and a light grey sweatshirt, the sleeves pulled halfway up his forearms. His face was pleasant: dark eyes under sloping dark eyebrows and a generous mouth. A dark, carefully trimmed beard hugged his jaw. His hair was also dark and cut very short. Antonio de Trevino. His resume said he worked as an investment analyst.
“Good afternoon.” He smiled, showing perfectly even white teeth. “Please, come in.” We stepped inside.
“I’m Antonio. This way. Sorry for the disarray. We’re kind of in the middle of things.”
He didn’t seem broken up about his wife’s death. Compared to Jeremy, he seemed downright cheerful.
Antonio led us into a vast living room, to plush beige chairs arranged on a red rug. The furnishings looked expensive, but it was the middle- class kind of expensive: new, probably in the latest style, and nice. The furniture in Rogan’s house had weight; it looked timeless. You couldn’t tell if it had been purchased by him, his parents, or his grandparents. Compared to that quality, these furnishings seemed superficial, almost cheap. Perspective was a funny thing.
The Hispanic woman hovered in the doorway.
“Coffee? Tea?” Antonio asked.
“No, thank you.” I took my seat.
Rogan shook his head and sat in the chair on my right.
Antonio took the small sofa and nodded at the woman.
“Thank you, Estelle. That will be all.” She vanished into the kitchen.
“So House Harrison is looking into this matter. Understandable, considering how little Forsberg is doing. How may I help you?”
“Would you mind answering a few questions?” I asked.
“Not at all.”
I took out my digital recorder, tagged the conversation, and set the recorder on the glass coffee table.
“Do you know why your wife was in that hotel room?”
“No. I would imagine for professional reasons. I can tell you that the situation at work had been stressful in the day prior to her death. She seemed distracted at dinner.”
“Did she mention anything specific?”
“She said, ‘I can’t pick up John tomorrow. I’m sorry. There’s an issue at work. The entire office is in a state of emergency and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get home. Would you mind terribly taking him to his play? It’s at seven.”
He’d said it in his normal voice, but the intonation was unmistakably female.
“You’re a mnemonic,” Rogan said.
“Yes. We both are, actually. Elena was a predominantly visual mnemonic and I’m auditory. We both have near perfect short-term recall.” Antonio leaned back. “I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. I’m deeply saddened by Elena’s death. I lost a capable, caring partner, and our children lost their mother. She was a wonderful parent. The blow to their childhood is devastating.”
True.
“Our marriage was arranged. Our families had agreed that we had a high chance of producing a Significant, so we married and dutifully tried three times. We may have succeeded with Ava, our youngest. Only time will tell. We weren’t in love.”
He said it so matter-of-factly. “And you consented to this?”
Antonio smiled again. “I’m guessing you’re not magically capable. Producing a Significant would be an immense achievement. It would open doors and change our entire social standing. The price is worth it. We’re both reasonable people. We hardly suffer.”
He raised his arms, indicating his living room.
“We allowed ourselves to seek happiness elsewhere, provided we were discreet for the sake of the children. So, if you want the proverbial pillow talk, you’ll have to ask Gabriel Baranovsky. He and Elena had a relationship for the past three years. She went to see him the evening before she died. Perhaps he’ll talk to you. Personally, I doubt it. There are Houses and then there are Houses.”
He’d sunk extra gravitas into the last word just in case I failed to understand its full significance.
“Baranovsky belongs to one of the latter. Elena was very fortunate to have caught his eye, and we’ve benefited from that connection, which is now severed.”
How exactly did he benefit? Did he casually slip it into conversations during business deals? “By the way, my wife is banging Baranovsky. Your money is safe with me.” Ugh.
“It would take someone of equal social standing to get Baranovsky’s attention. House Harrison isn’t one of those families. I do apologize; I don’t mean to be rude. I simply want to make the matter as clear as possible. Primes aren’t like us.”
I glanced at Rogan. His face was stoic.
“They breathe the same air and drink the same water, but their power sets them firmly apart and that’s the way they like it. The gulf between them and a normal person is enormous. You’re an attractive woman, so perhaps with the right attire and a trip to the salon, you might get to his personal secretary. Personally I would go through Diana Harrison. Cornelius’ sister is a Prime, which does mean something even to the likes of Baranovsky, so he may condescend to a meeting. In any case, please let Cornelius and Diana know that I’ll be happy to assist House Harrison in any way possible.”
Five minutes later we made it outside. His wife was dead and all Antonio could think about was how it would affect his social standing. What a colossal asshole.
“The right attire and a trip to the salon?” I rolled my eyes, heading for the car. “I may have to break my piggy bank.”
“That right there is why I don’t socialize,” Rogan said.
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Thank you, that was wonderful. Already preordered on Amazon and will head over to MBTB to order a signed copy. Have fun storming the castle…I mean writing other books!
I, too, have pre-ordered at Amazon and MBTB
Thank you for the snippet. Though it was not necessary, the horde appreciates it as always. (Don’t we, ladies and gentlemen?)
Please pace yourselves. As much as we anticipate the next goodies, we would also like a steady supply. (The withdrawal symptoms are painful as we wait for you to recover.)
Don’t forget to have fun.
This member of the horde very much appreciates the snippet. 😀
Absolutely!
You are true
Please explain how the pre-order & signed copy works. Are you buying both electronic and paper versions?
Yes, please. I would like to know that too. Also, I haven’t got a clue what MBTB is though I realize it’s probably something I should know and I am just showing my ignorance.
MBTB = Murder by the Book, a Houston (Texas) bookstore that hosts a lot of author signing events. So some are getting pre-order on digital, plus supporting the bookstore/signing event by buying paperback copy from the store to be signed at the event.
Isn’t MBTB owned by Nora Roberts and her husband? Or is that another bookstore?
You’re thinking Turn the Page, maybe. Abbreviated as TTP. It’s located in Boonsboro, Maryland.
Murder by the Book is letting us order signed books to be sent out if you cannot make it to a signing event for White Hot. There is a link on the home page of this blog. I preordered the electronic version of White Hot ages ago and decided I should get treats for surviving life so I need to support authors I love so they keep producing books I can treat myself to, thus I shall order a signed copy also. Sorry yall, this probably makes no sense but I had a long day…
Very Appreciated!
Me too
That was delightful, and left me with so many questions! 🙂 This is going to be a painful month. Thank you for the snippet!
Ditto – very painful month. These snippets are awesome. I have a sneaking suspicion the authorlords were crack dealers in another life. They are experts at getting you hooked and desperate for anything they put out!
Is it me or is the release date refusing to come? The rest of my life if flying by, but my White Hot pre-order still hasn’t loaded into my ereader. (Sighs)
But thank you for the snippet, fun as always.
I so agree with Rogan. Thanks for the snippet ?
Ahhhh this really made my day. A lovely ending to a busy day, thank you so much, Ilona.
Wahoo!
Can’t wait for May 30th! Thank you…
YAY!! So excited thanks so much! I’m going to preorder this now!
thanks so much – loved the linedIn reference 🙂
Thank you so much! Have a great weekend 🙂
Okay, granted that was all extremely distasteful.
But let’s pretend that Nevada did not have the connections she does, and was forced to scramble. Was he offering useful advice that would be useful – or was he offering advice merely because the chance to be condescending was too much to pass up? Because that was a lot of fairly detailed advice, even if it was obnoxious as fuck. (Obviously, faux advice as a put down is a thing, but this seemed to be potentially beyond that.)
If he truly thought she was magically inert he might not realize she knew all this already; he could be condescending and useful at the same time! lol
I thought he was trying to be genuinely helpful. It just gives us an insight into how awful the society that he’s bought into is. Not pretending there isn’t equivalents in our non-magical world of course.
It is making me reconsider how common magic is supposed to be in Nevada’s world – I thought a lot of the population might have a little and maybe that’s true if Minor magic is almost useless. But I’m now guessing primes are about as common as our billionaires and even more socially powerful because the are actually inherently different to normal people.
Oh how lovely. Rogan’s comment was the cherry on top.
So did the guy not recognize Rogan and realize he was a Prime?
Rogan is quite reclusive as we learned in the first book, and was reiterated here he doesn’t socialize much.
Dang it, still a month out.
So, first thing I noticed… Nevada saw Rogan’s furniture. She’s been inside his house!! Hehehe (I will let my imagination run away with that thought as I wait for the actual book to come out.)
Also, to my fellow Horde, there was a brief Hugh snippet on their Facebook page. You have to go back a few posts ago.
First – Tink thanks for the heads up on FB!!! and Squeeee another snippet!!! wait t-minus how many days til release date?!? >_<
Ok – back to re-reading Nevada snippets and Kate series 🙂
Sold! I love your version of promotional activity and I’m eagerly looking forward to Release Day. Thank you.
So good! I am really looking forward to this book!
Thank you so much! To me, this is the best promotion for the book that I could ever ask for! You have made my Friday morning sooooo much better:)
Wonderful little insight on the way people think and how to do a “you are even more pathetic than me – here are a few tips to make you worth possibly talking to.”
A month, a WHOLE month? Sigh…
But only THREE months until the 3rd book! It’s like a double-whammy of delight in short order! Woot!
Yay!!! Thank you so much! I’ve been a obsessively checking the blog for weeks waiting for POV Part 2. This will tide me over (for today). 🙂
I reread Burn for Me last week, and may have to read it a few more times before May 30th because nothing else feels like satisfactory reading right now. Cannot wait for White Hot!!!
Best birthday surprise. Thanks!
Nameday here 😀
Congratulations to b-day horde buddy!
As someone already mentioned – Nevada’s been in Rogan’s home! 😀
Thank you. Every bit of insight into this book is appreciated. And, with every snippet, I find myself surprised. It isn’t what I expected, not that I know what that is. May can not pass quickly enough. Sigh.
Whee. Love Rogan’s comment. That’s just SO him, LOL. And I think he knew the kind of reception Nevada was going to get. Now I’m wondering how Rogan’s going to get her introduced to Gabriel (and how jealous he’s going to be hee hee if Nevada flirts with him to get information…) Can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait! May please get here soon!!!
I love this book so much!
Lovely snippet, but what really caught my attention was the Rogan POV being worked on. Hopefully it is a continuation of the story earlier this year.
I preordered the audiobook recently, and decided I might as well pre-order the Kindle version. And Amazon says that I already did, on February 22, 2015! Over 2 years ago! No wonder I didn’t remember!
But then I looked more closely, and the order was cancelled. But now it is pre-ordered for sure.
I am so excited for the end of May! I’ve already pre-ordered White Hot and Wildfire both. I’ve told my husband to not expect any work to be done anywhere in my vicinity on release days hehehe.
I await Rogan POV.
Thank you!
Love these snippets!! Already pre-ordered as soon as it was available 🙂 So excited the release is almost here!! 🙂
I am in this same boat. Pre-order everything Andrews as soon as it is available. Now consumed by the idea of Rogan POV. Dang, and I have grading to do.
Pre-ordered too! I’ll get both the paperback and ebook versions! Not many books make it to my house in physical form anymore, but I’m slowly getting my physical Ilona Andrews collection up and running! I love the Hidden Legacy series and world!
Is there a release timeframe for the Hugh book? Everything you write is twisty and memorable, so I am almost looking forward to caring about him. 🙂
The talk of being excised reminded me of Meli. Nice to see how the Kinsmen Universe evolved.
Yay! Thank you for a lovely friday gift! May 30 is my birthday, so even though the wait has been excruciating, I’m so very excited for the delightful birthday present y’all made me!
Both White Hot and Wildfire are preordered, and I must say I squee-d with delight that the publishers convinced you to go with an open-ended HEA! Much like the publishers, I too hope for more.
Happy future birthday. It is awesome when birthdays coincide with favorite authors releasing a book.
This was kinda sad. I just realized how true it does happen. ?
Whee! May is going to be a long month, the only thing making the wait bearable is that the new Jane Yellowrock
comes out on Tuesday.
And Lisa Shearan and Eileen Wilkes.
Wait, this Tuesday? I read all those authors! Whoohoo!
Times like this I wish Amazon had a calendar view so you could see at a glance when books you pre-ordered will come out. Or some way to tie it into your Google calendar. Guess I’ll have to start adding release dates to my calendar myself so I know when to conveniently come down with a cold. 😛
Thanks for reminding me that Lisa Shearan and Eileen Wilkes have books coming out as well. Must go check order status. I preorder the e books so I can have them when they come out and when I travel and then
go buy the MMPBs sometime later in the week, to support the local bookstores.
What book by Eileen Wilks is coming out Tuesday? I couldn’t find anything coming out until December.
Sooooo happy this book will be out soon! 🙂 Fun snippet!
Ok, I have to get this out…..squeeeeeeeeeee! Sorry if I hurt anyone’s ears. I can relate to Rogan’s comment. I loved the knocking on the door part. No Rogan knocking on anyone else’s door if you want the house to stand.
I’ve pre-ordered both books. May 30th can’t come soon enough.
Don’t let Hugh run you guys down. Take lots of breaks since he is one complicated dude.
I can’t wait for the book! The best part is that it comes out May 30th, my 38th birthday. I confess, I’ll probably skippy any celebrations on the day so I can read the book. I can always celebrate another day. My not so inner nerd is much fonder of good books, especially by my favorite authors, than a party or even a bday dinner. So yay to May 30th!!!!
Maybe you could go out for your birthday dinner the night before, so you’re all fueled up and family obligations are met? Besides that, Mondays are usually slow in the restaurant business – you may get a deal.
I don’t know what I’m going to do until “White Hot” comes out next month. I’ve been really looking forward to it. Thank you SOOOO much for writing the second book. I so love these characters!! And I read all of Ilona Andrew books… I’m a total shameless fangirl. 🙂
I thought Gordon would be out buying a shotgun. After seeing your daughter’s photos I figured he’d need one to clean when “boyfriends” came calling.
That last line, “That right there is why I don’t socialize,” was perfect on every level. As if the entire story led up to, and was summed up in that one line. Thank you!
Just reminded myself it’s coming out at the end of May. I’ve got nothing to read right now, so I’m going to start my re-read of the previous books in the series so they’re fresh in my mind 🙂
My husband is leaving for a 3 month business trip and I am so bummed but the fact that the next 2 hidden legacy books will come out during that time makes it ok.Thanks so much!!!
Love it. Can’t wait for more!
Ohhh, how I would love to live in IA’s head. HEAVEN
And I don’t know for how long I would be able to not die waiting for this.
Good Reads has put together some good stuff for White Hot. Several “I’d rate it a 10” comments, enjoyed it. If May goes by as fast as April did definitely won’t need to worry about time dragging.
*cries silent tears* I want to read it, now. The wait will be painful but i will endure.
And then i will get another pearl from my favorite authorlords and it will
be a party. I will make myself as comfortable as possible, coffee, sweets, no doors to open,
no phone to answer. I, this book, my couch, my blanket.
It will be glorious!
“That right there is why I don’t socialize.” Perfect. Thank you for this! <3
Somehow 30th May seems even further away. I want it now!
Thank you.
I’m really looking forward to reading more about Nevada’s family history, and how it came to be that she’s a Prime. Does her family have a House? (And the talk of “excising” in this snippet makes me think that’s maybe what happened to Nevada’s father — he was excised by his House/family, possibly for marrying Nevada’s mother, since it’s clear they had a love match. If Nevada’s magic rank is made public in the course of this book, will her House — assuming she came from one — come after her and try to exploit or control her? And how would Rogan react to that, since we know from the first book that he’s pretty much staked a claim on her.)
I’m sooo ready for this book!
So agreed!
31 sleeps!
Adore that count down. Now just need to schedule two naps a day.
The theory about Nevada’s father being “exciced” works only if he was Average or Significant. I doubt any family would relinquish it’s influence on a prime.
More likely her grandfather was a prime
Grandmother. All that Burn For Me mentions about Nevada’s father’s family is: ‘He once told me that his mother was a terrible person and he didn’t want anything to do with her’.
I’m thinking it’s the paternal grandmama who is a prime who Nevada’s dad said “was a terrible person and he didn’t want anything to do with her. ” He may have been excised and perfectly happy about it. I don’t recall any references to Nev’s father’s magic talent or level.
I wonder if excision is even guaranteed? I mean, maybe if grandmother is spiteful enough of if the bad blood runs deep enough… but it sounds like there might have been room for a lesser severing, or more one way severing – he left, and had a life and raised a family out of contact. If he himself wasn’t a Prime, this might not have been such a big deal.
(It does seem clear that both Penelope and Frida have experience with Prime level power. It might be from dealing with Nevada’s father’s family – I’m now imagining a fight to keep him, and giggling madly – or it might be that he was a Prime, and decided to keep a low profile. Or it might be from something entirely different, but one expects some Primes in the family tree…)
I think you are on to something! I am really looking forward to reading the book at the end of this month.
I can’t wait! I pre-ordered both audiobooks, and I just know, no matter how I try to restrain myself, that as soon as it flips from “pre-order” to “in my library”, I’m going to start listening. At midnight.
I so know the feeling! I’ll be joining you in that audio fest but frustratingly enough Audible’s release time is usually 2am -really 3am. So even though the ebook may arrive at midnight I usually defer reading until the audio can be downloaded ?.
Oh, I’m really looking forward to this. Thanks!
I went to preorder, and was reminded I already HAD preordered ? Looking forward to it!!
I’ve done that before. I’m glad that the company is willing to tell me, rather than just selling me another copy.
I’ve done that before.
Oh! Thank you for this snippet!
I need the end of May to be here ASAP. Between now and the book drop, I have about 135 meetings scheduled. And no, that is not an exaggeration. I figure this book will be my prize if I manage to get through all of the meetings without throttling someone. Looking forward to the book!
I have 2 neurobiology tests to take, so yes, a few books, that are coming out, will be my prize!
^^^^ I have an organic chemistry final and a histology final next week. The thought of this book coming out is getting me through life right now.
I’m so glad other people are suffering in the interim with me! I am finishing my last quarter of a master’s program and this book will DEFINITELY be my reward for being a good little student and not failing my last classes before graduation. 🙂
Right there with you! Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Microbiology final.
I have four weeks of sick leave. Time will pass so incredibly slow… 🙁
Arrrrrrrrrrr . I can not wait !
Book… Book… Boookkkkk… do we really have to wait another month??? Whahhhhhh!
On a side note… (Ilona, not for you,cause you know) do you think Nevada finds out she’s a prime in this book? is she a prime?
Hmmmmm
and does she and Rogan do the horizontal tango?
I’ve been going back and forth as to whether she’s a Prime or a Significant. I don’t think she’s Average, because when she got those shockers put in her arm, the effect she had on the test subject and the resulting caution from the guy who installed the shockers said not to use them on anyone less than a Significant. So I think she’s at least a Significant.
All of Rogans comments about irony would be at their most ironic if she were a Prime. So.
if you read the descriptions of the different types of magic, it is pretty apparent she is a Prime
I had not before you mentioned this, but suspect for Rogan’s inquiry about how frequently she failed to detected lies, and his surprise that she had not when using only her passive field that this was pretty definitional for being Prime. …along with her more showy tricks.
Hi. I’m personally convinced she’s a prime. Some ppl here have already mentioned Rogan’s irony comment + the shockers incident. My contribution is Augustine’s comment right before she breaks the hexadecimal on the old secret keeper that he was hexed by so-and-so and it would take a BREAKER PRIME to break it. Voila!
Hexadecimal lol. Hex*
Autocorrect at its best
Wouldn’t you like to know? I am not ruining one of the most poignant scenes in the book for you. 🙂
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
And that, kids, is what we call a rhetorical question. 😉
Yep, it sure is. 😀
I think she’s definitely a prime. Remember when she complained to Rohan about Primes and he laughed and said the irony was delicious. Or something like that. But her words were very ironic to him. He knows. Plus other big clues, like when she dug the truth out of the old secret keeper over the magical artifacts location. And when she held Rohan in place and yanked the truth out of him over the garage fire. She is so a Prime.
I think so, too. All the clues you pointed out, plus…remember the scene at her home office, when Augustine and Rogan were fighting and breaking her house, and she yelled at them to cut it out and Augustine was shocked that she could see them. Meanwhile, her mother was on the other side of the door and all she saw was Nevada yelling at nothing, until Nevada snapped at Augustine to drop the glamour…at which point he and Rogan became visible to Nevada’s mom. So… I suppose it could be a quirk of her truth-telling magic that allowed her to see through the glamour when her mother and grandmother couldn’t. OR, she could see through the glamour because her magic level matches theirs. (Or maybe some combination of the two.) Anyway, I’m definitely thinking she’s a Prime. (And I will find out for sure in 4.5 weeks! Yay!)
I think she’s a prime b/c remember when her grandmother’s friend comes to put shockers in Nevada and after she tests out her shocker on his grandson and zaps him pretty hard, he has a big talk with grandma off to the side and then the whole conversation about who she can and cannot shock b/c if its anyone less than significant she could kill him or something to that effect. Plus all the Rogan scene re: irony when she’s criticizing Primes.
I think that Nevada’s parents knew she was a prime and protected her from childhood. How can one go up against Mad and not be a Prime, shockers notwithstanding.
P. S. I think Rogan knows she’s a prime too.
I thought it was pretty much established that she’s a prime breaker? No? Am I confused?
Mad Rogan declared her a Truthseeker, which I guess, is enough like a Breaker for a few questions to be answered.
I think you’re correct, although it was more implied than explicitly stated. It’s the scene when she’s trying to break the spell on Mr. Emmens to find out where the rest of the artifact is located. Augustine says that it will take a “Breaker Prime” to break the hex on Emmens. “There are two of them in the country and they’re both on the West Coast.” And yet she DOES break the hex. Ergo, she must be a Prime.
I would just like to point out that, well, in my opinion and from what I understood she didn’t break the spell she bypassed it. So not a breaker prime but a truthseeker?
I wonder if there is such a person as a poly-Prime. I’m wondering if Nevada has multiple Prime attributes.
Huh, I liked him. He seems a reasonable guy who approached his life in a reasonable way that had a high chance of making everyone happy and didn’t hurt anyone. He seems to have been super helpful. I’m a fan of pragmatic non “Ugh! I hit you. I threaten to hit everyone! Because I’m so powerful!” male characters. Which makes it a little funny that I enjoy novels with Curran and Rogan but I read them for the female characters 🙂 and the overall writing.
So far I actually *like* Rogan, despite the bit of kidnap and torture. (Curran took a lot longer, though he is no longer filed under “Kate’s inexplicable boy-toy”.) I just could do without the rhapsodizing about way they radiate masculinity and authority …and I could maybe handle the authority, though as a matter of daily convenience, you’d think they might learn to put a rheostat on it.
I think the radiate authority is understandable. Rogan is a military man. As someone in the military I v’e seen military officers. Usually upper enlisted. They walk like they have a stick up there ass and heaven forbid you cross them even when there in a good mood. They will chew you out. IT is something you can see.
Upper enlisted would be NCOs, and they radiate authority because enlisted do dumb shit like call them in the middle of the night and say,” Sergeant, I’m drunk and they left me here and I have no money. Can you come get me.”
“Where are you?”
“At a gas station.”
Click. True story.
I’m all “Oho! That reminds me of a great story about a late night call from some of my Navy friends -” …and then it occurs to me that, technically, it was about an aborted suicide attempt. (Everything was handled really well, he changed his mind, good community. Darkly hilarious.)
*sigh* Do you think anyone sells after market senses of humor on ebay?
At one time I was the GM of a Domino’s Pizza store. My asst manager was being promoted to GM of his own store and on his last night he called and woke me up after 1 am to ask me how many quarters were in a cup in the safe. I told him “count them” /click
I have no problem with the concept of people radiating authority, or for that matter, it being palpable to other people. Personally, I question doing so 24/7 as a lifestyle choice – especially in a civilian context! – but that’s aesthetics.
It’s the bit where the female lead is observing male lead and thinking “Such power! Such masculinity! Such authority! See how everyone else scurries before them…!”
…and suddenly I am all “Such genre conventions! Such strange primate troupe dynamics!” Hey, I’m sure everyone has their pet peeves. For me it tends to portray the male lead more as a symbol than as a person, and I’d rather get to see into their head more. Or at least, see them as an individual rather than a generic power symbol. Also, there’s this whole mode of female attraction there that… kind of loses me. And don’t get me wrong – after my pretty boy musician phase (so, so over…) I am in no position to throw stones at anyone’s preferences. And clearly a lot of folks groove on this – heck, if anything, it tends to be way toned down in these books as compared to many other urban fantasies I’ve read.
Yes, women look at men and recognize masculinity. Harrison Ford has it. Bruce Willis has it. Dog the Bounty Hunter, despite being massive and overly built, doesn’t. So it’s not a function of size. Some men have a masculine presence, some don’t.
And yes, people do scurry before Mad Rogan, because he is mad and powerful and they have no idea what he’s going to do. This series is about scary powerful people. That’s kind of the deal.
” I’d rather get to see into their head more. ”
Then I suggest you wait until the book is published. As of now, this comment thread is verging on criticism of a book that has yet to come out. Also, a gentle reminder: if you would like to call our work generic and conventional and liken the romance in it to primate troupe dynamics, please do it elsewhere. We receive enough criticism as is and you have many other forums available to you. Thank you for your understanding.
I am really sorry. I’ve been thinking about the tropes in the abstract recently, and this is not the place. FWIW, I love your male characters, which are some of the best developed in the genre. (Rogan, in particular, tickles me, and I know he’s not everyone’s fav.)
I think it’s pretty clear that my trip ups are my own points of divergence with the culture. I run into to them a lot less with you than with all but a few others.
Thank you !!!
I just cracked up : “It would take someone of equal social standing to get Baranovsky’s attention. […] I do apologize; I don’t mean to be rude. […] I glanced at Rogan. His face was stoic”
Wouldn’t that snob just lee himself if he realized he was speaking to “Mad” Rogan??? Hilarious.
Pee not lee. Stupid autocorrect.
xDD That’s why I never use autocorrect *laughing*
Yeah lol ! Considering just Cornelius’ reaction, this snob’s reaction is bound to be EPIC XD ! I hope we’ll get to see him discover Rogan’s identity ~ (just so we could see him be a disappointed pathetic hypocrite with a grovelling attitude :3 )
Wow! There really isn’t anything else to say.
I think you guys should do another countdown widget?
Argh! So close and yet so far away! Thank you for the snippet!
Pre-ordered FOREVER ago! Am still giddy as a school girl over this. AND it’s the day of my 8th grade’s field trip AND the day before a final dress rehearsal of a musical I am putting on and I DO NOT CARE. I AM READING!
A perfect start for my weekend! Thank you, and this is certainly promotional! Thank you!!
*sigh* I had been planning to hold off on listening to white hot until Wildfire was out…there goes that plan 😛
Promotion achievement unlocked.
Thank you.
Lol! ?
I told myself not to read the snippet, cos nnnng. Now all I want to do is read the book and there is a whole month to wait. Well done me. Can’t follow basic orders.
On the other hand, I’m all heart-eyes and grins. This lukewarm fella is just asking to be shaken up by something, anything. Maybe when he realises later who Nevada and Rogan are, he’ll freak out. Or use it as dinner party conversation.
And the little exchanges between my potentially new favourite alpha-couple are tiny but I’m pouring over them for meaning.
Excellent, awesome and amazing as always.
I am really looking forward to this book :).
Off-topic, but I saw on Twitter, Ilona, that you wanted a cool name for your newsletter. Not having a Twitter account, I thought I’d put my suggestions here so other Luddites Horders (ie, those not on Twitter or FB) could chime in.
– Hordebit (like tidbit, but for the Horde)
– Hordebait (to suck us in, not that it’s very hard to do)
– The Horde Times or The Horde Post
– News from the Edge
Anyone else?
What about the Hidden Letter? Or The Prime Newsletter? These would be in honor of the two new books coming out.
Ooh, Hidden Letter- they could write it in white font on a white background! 😛
You would need to highlight the letters to read it. Hmmmmmmm
Ah yes – appreciate the post. I’m not on twitter or FB either so thanks for highlighting it 🙂
Loved can hardly wait until it comes out! Good luck with all your other obligations
Yipee! Thanks for the snippet. Can’t wait for the next Rogan POV. And of course White Hot. May is going to take forever.
This will be so worth the vacation day. Waiting up to read as soon as it appears on my tablet. Then sleeping and reading again.
I have read the snippet 4 times…..wondering what that says about me. So ready for this book!
?
Write write write fast… Am all excited and waiting…
Great ending to a horrible week of school testing! Thanks!
Yessss! Love that scene, that whole chapter. SO GOOD. Buy it, people. It’s awesome.
Love, love, love these snipets!!!! Cannot wait for this book!!! So excited! ❤?
Can hardly wait!! Thanks!!!
One more month….one more…
I am forever waiting for another rogan pov..
Thank you Ilona. That was wonderful. I do miss our every week snippets ,(one fell sweep).
Awesome! Thanks so much for all that you guys do for us.
Nevada is absolutely a Prime. No way she could have done what she’s done without being at that level.
Loving my Friday, thank you.
Terrific! Thanks.
Thank you, I love it. And please do write. Write, write, write…I’ve got these pre-ordered.
The Hugh story is going to be interesting, too…
Awesomesauce! I’m very excited!
OK, I am just the tiniest bit peeved…White Hot comes out on the 30th of May, the very day that I am having heart surgery. HOW did I get this lucky?
This means I will also miss the book signing at Powell’s [yes, I live in Portland]!!
RRGHHH!!
Aside: when I finished the previous rant, three words appeared as suggestions in my keyboard’s wordline….’I’, ‘Damietta’, and ‘karma’.
Spooky.
Sigh. Thank you both so much. This made my day.
Every time a snippet comes out I pre-order. Or try to, and Amazon very helpfully reminds me I’ve already done that. This makes the third time. gah.
Also – I just realized I have that whole week off, through a serendipitous chain of events! Yayyyyyyy. I can re-read till my eyes pop out. My sympathies to those of you whose life didn’t cooperate this time. My own copy won’t arrive for another month as I’ve also pre-ordered MAGIC BINDS in paperback, but I’m first on the library’s list.
So excited!!
So my reading eyes stuck on “Rogan’s POV” and “Hugh’s book” and my brain began to happy dance around the room!!!! Only after much happy dancing was I able to convince the eyes to continue. So much goodness headed our way!! This is going to be a frabujous year.
May 30th cannot come soon enough for me! I want it now!
Thank you! Last week I picked up a string of badly-written books, the kind that get tossed aside halfway through the first chapter. Yech! I was beginning to think that writing and editing were lost arts. You have restored my faith in humanity.
So exciting. The anticipation is building!
After drowning for weeks under the pressure of work, school, and personal disasters, I have surfaced to find that – I have missed the Horde! It was wonderful today, reading through the snippet and comments. I enjoy reading the Horde’s comments almost, very nearly as much as, the snippets. While there are no other Authorlords, there are one or two mere authors; however, their blogs and sites are barely Average, not even close to Significant. Yours, my dear Authorlords, is Prime all the way. Counting the days!
Tease. Love it! The dates on my calander, I will be listening to the book!!!
Thank you very much! Plus always fun to read the comments, most of them mirror my feelings ?
Hi Ilona!
Longtime reader and fan here. I’ve never commented before, but I had a small comment to add to this snippet.
First off, thank you so much for posting this snippet! I loved it and can’t wait for the book to be released (only a few more weeks left!).
Secondly, I work in the investment banking/finance industry and noticed that Antonio is working as an “investment analyst.” The context of the snippet portrays Antonio as being rather established in his career (old enough to have kids, making enough money to have a nice house). However, I noticed that he’s an “investment analyst.” Coming from someone in the industry, a person of his status wouldn’t be an analyst, but rather a managing director or at least a VP. An analyst is the starting position in the finance industry, mainly for people fresh out of college.
An article you might find useful:
http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-hierarchy/
Once again, just adding my two cents! I know you aren’t likely to change anything in the story. I hope you aren’t offended by this comment, have a wonderful week!
Jacqueline
Jacqueline, where were you 3 months ago? 🙂 Now I can’t fix it.
Maybe he’s still only an analyst because he’s such a pretentious jerk…it would explain why he’s so helpful…
Or because he’s not a Prime. Maybe they only allow the Primes to have the big titles. The Significant and less may get the bucks to compensate, but not the corresponding title.
Thank you for the snippet. I’m so excited for this book to come out.
Is there a title for Hugh’s book? I’ll watch for it to show up for pre-order.
This book is going to blow my mind! I just know it. These tiny snippets have my so pumped and anxiously excited for the book. And to think we’ll be getting Wild Fire soon afterward. I’m just going to be reading these two books in a loop.
This is like a drug. Every snippet makes me crave the book more, and I wait for a little crumb of it every day! Now I’m on sick leave for four long weeks due to being burned out, and time will pass so slowly I might never get to the end of may. (I’m having a pity party) but keep up the good work guys, you worked hard on this and I’m SURE it will be worth the wait in the end.
Glory to the authorlords!
My sentiments exactly!
I’m so excited, it drops this month. Worth it though.
I love Rogan’s comment. The perfect way to end the snippet 🙂
I am so excited about this book release this month! I am already pre-ordered and ready to go!
Me too – originally ordered it back in 2015, now the waiting is down to weeks… SO CLOSE **yet so far away**
I need the Rohan POV like woah.
Yea, I’m addicted to these teasers. I can’t wait. When’s the release again? I have both on pre-order.
Is yea (meaning yes, not hurray) spelt with or without an ‘h’?
It is spelled yeah. Yea and ya are just shorthand versions of it.
Buy links? Pshaw! I’ve had it on preorder since March 26, 2015. 🙂
Ditto.
What. a. GREAT. last line.
Nevada and Rogan ????
End of May is taking forever to get here.
I have an alarm set for midnight the morning of May 30 so I can be ready for download! I was at my parents house when I found this snippet and had to explain why it was so important!