I am in a rare form this morning. I used common instead of come on in a professional email. And then, after Pam Jaffee, our Harper Collins publicist, emailed this review, I accidentally replied Dear Pam to a reader instead of using her full name and had to apologize. It will be this kind of day.
But I have a great review to share.
From Kirkus
EMERALD BLAZE [STARRED REVIEW!]
Author: Ilona Andrews
Review Issue Date: July 15, 2020
Online Publish Date: July 1, 2020
Publisher:Avon/HarperCollins
Pages: 336
Price ( Hardcover ): $27.99
Publication Date: August 25, 2020
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-0-06-303547-8
Section: Fiction
Two powerful magic users forge an uneasy alliance while investigating a murder.
Catalina Baylor is no stranger to duty and responsibility, as we learned in Andrews’ first book about her, Sapphire Flames (2019). Even though she’s in her early 20s, she’s the capable manager of her family’s investigation business, the powerful head of her family’s emerging magical house, and the covert Deputy Warden for the state of Texas. After Catalina is attacked by a series of magically fueled monsters that crawled out of a nearby swamp, her boss, Linus Duncan, the Deputy of Texas, assigns her to investigate the murder of Felix Morton. The dangerous monsters she encountered are connected to the work Felix and a consortium of powerful houses were doing to reclaim a dangerous magic-rich swamp on prime Houston real estate. Catalina has no doubt she’s up to the task of investigating the murder; however, she’s furious when Linus insists she accept the protection of Alessandro Sagredo, a powerful assassin and the only man Catalina has ever loved. They worked together on a previous case, but she was humiliated and depressed when he left her just as she was about to reveal her feelings for him. This time, she’s determined to find the murderer without damaging her heart. Catalina and Alessandro’s discovery of an unsettling, sentient magical presence living in the swamp is frightening not only as an individual enemy, but also for what it reveals about how recklessly humans pursue power. The romance between Catalina and Alessandro is a thrilling match between equals, and both must share their past hurts and reveal their vulnerabilities on the path to love. Andrews has a gift for placing likable characters within complex and interesting mysteries in which small, seemingly inconsequential, clues weave together into a spectacular finish.
A winning romance that will thrill and satisfy fans while leaving them clamoring for the final book in the trilogy.
I am really stressed out for various reasons, and this is so nice. 🙂 I have a happy. Happy has been in short supply lately. I’m going to try to hold on to this feeling for a bit.
Yay for a happy! Now I REALLY want to read Emerald Blaze.
I’m happy the book isn’t coming out for little while soI can forget all this TMI!
While I’m thrilled that you got this extremely well deserved review, She should know better than to spill so much of the plot in the review. She could just give the regular sized book blurb and talk about what superb writers you are. Then give new readers a warning to plan when they start reading, like,”Don’t start this book just before going to bed, or just before you have to start supper for your family, etc., because once you start an Ilona Andrews book, you Simply Can’t Put It Down!”
Great review, and I’m glad you have a happy! 🙂
Hold on the happy. We all need happy ????
Congratulations! I’m very excited for the online release date! WOOHOO!
There is a hardback! Yea! When I went the only gave me an option for a paperback in August.
Take all praise like its your birthday! Celebrate every win – yeah you guys!
So happy for you on the review! Congrats! I know we’re all waiting with bated breath for the book tobe released.
Love Ryder!!!
See, the Kirkus review shows what the BDH already knew along…this book is going to be a great read. Grab that happy and don’t let it go. 😀
Not much longer to go. At least we have the Ryder snippets to read while we wait for Emerald Blaze.
I am so excited to read this book in August.
Congratulations! That’s superb and so well deserved. Hope the happiness gene remains reactivated for a while. Can’t wait for publication date. Feels like it has been on preorder forever… Well, in reality, since it became available. ????
Go House Andrews!
EB is the best book I have read this year. Y’all have the best words put together in the best way!
I’m practically salivating for Emerald Blaze to come out, even to the point where I want to be in August though it means school will be a thing again. I swear I’ve read every book in the series at least four times. Whenever I’m unhappy and don’t have something new to read, which are often coinciding states of mind, I get this irresistible temptation to reread Hidden Legacy and then I think, “I’ve read this so many times! How can I want to read it again? Shouldn’t I read something I haven’t read?” and then I’m like “no” and just read it again, dragging it out as long as possible for the anticipation and happiness. Thank you so much for that. You guys deserve all the good reviews in the world.
Excited to read it, and I am sure I will be looking forward to the third one in the future as well.
Congrats!! August is getting closer and closer. Big smile here.
You guys deserve ALL the happys!
Congratulations! Been busy here…but I will get to reading Catalina too!
You may be stressed about whether this book is good, but I’m not. Based on very consistent past performance, this book will keep me up till it’s over. I should pen it into my calendar now, so I don’t make plans to talk to people or be useful.
This will probably get me booed but I’ve read Emerald Blaze (sorry folks) and you have nothing to worry about. It’s great. I will further say that, as a librarian, I shoved Magic Bites into a lot of hands and, unlike some of my other choices, I never had anyone complain about your work. Believe your fans when we say that you do good work. 🙂
Congratulations! Kirkus can be a tough nut but they loved EB — and with good reason. So happy for you — I hope you float on happy all day!
You should bask :), congratulations. It’s well deserved. You’re an amazing team.
If I could send a gif, I would send a gif of happy dancing.
But I know not how.
(I only just noticed today, three years into using WhatsApp, the gif feature – I’m on a roll – gimme 18 months top and I’ll be posting gifs here like crazy)
“IMAGINE A HAPPY DANCING GIF OF YOUR PREFERRED CHOICE” dancey, dancey dance
Congrats!
Only two more months, with Peace Talks, a new Steven Brust, and Mills Vane’s second barbarian novel in between.
A book awaited for YEARS, a fabulous author who doesn’t publish annually, and a new love in between, and it’s Emerald Blaze that I want nownownow.
Don’t get me wrong — the others will DEFINITELY distract me from the nownownow. And there are many other, smaller excitements on my pre-order list.
But I still wish it was August.
Any good review is nice, but a Kirkus Starred Review is excellent!!!! Those aren’t easy to come by. Congratulations.
I forgot when this was coming out, so this was a great reminder. Now I’m super excited for next week!
Wishing you many smiles :). You give me and other readers many smiles and I’m glad you got one back. I’m sure you deserved this review and many more like it 😀
I was lucky and got an ARC of this book. No spoilers…loved it and can’t wait for the next one!
I’m so happy for you. You deserve it. I’m sorry happy has been in short supply. You both deserve better
You deserve a happy! We are happy for your happy.
Yes!!!
This is going to be so awesome.
Congratulations on this excellent review!!! Can’t wait to read this one!!
Whoohoo! Congratulations. Can’t wait to read it.
That is so wonderful for you. So nice to have a happy to balance the issues from stress. 😀
I do hope you get more happies soon.
I’m glad you got a great review, as, of course, you should! Always good to have a happy moment when not having an overall good time of things.
Yea!
Congrats! I am so excited for August for book 2. Just finished re-reading book 1. I don’t want to cause you stress by clamoring for book 3 but I know I will pre-order the day it becomes available.
The first KD book I read was Iron & Magic & then Magic Triumphs. (I know). So needless to say I read all the books in the KD series in one giant gulp. Same with the edge series. Same with Nevada’s books. So waiting for the next post, the next book is teaching me patience, which I don’t have. So thanks for that too.
Wishing I could send you a fraction of the happy your writing brings to me.
I just cannot wait!! It’s going to be so amazing
I can’t wait! I love this series and am rereading the earlier books in advance of this one being published. Great entertainment in difficult times. Thanks for the excellent imaginative escapism!
I’m sending my ???? happy energy now. Poof I hope it helps. Thanks for all House Andrew does for your fans.
I adore all of your work. I’m especially happy to immerse into Ryder’s world.
“Andrews has a gift for placing likable characters within complex and interesting mysteries in which small, seemingly inconsequential, clues weave together into a spectacular finish.”
100% agree. I love reading your work for very much this reason (among others!).
I am so excited for this book!! I stare at my pre-order and will the days to go faster. LOL
Thank you both for giving us such amazing worlds and rich characters to explore them with. ♥️
Stressed is desserts spelled backwards. I suggest chocolate with caramel.
Whoo hooo!!!! This makes me even more excited for the book! You can find me at 12:01 a.m. the day of the release haunting amazon until they release the Kindle version! Wishing everyone especially the authorlords LOTS and LOTS of HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So happy for your well-deserved great review! Like everyone else in this thread I am salivating for the release of EB! The only thing keeping me hanging on are the wonderful Ryder snippets you bless us with. I scour my emails every day in hopes of another treat – thank you – thank you – thank you!
I loved the first two chapters you posted – amazing! Pam and I were roommates in college and sorority sisters. She’s awesome. And she used to proof read my term papers because I was not known for my proper grammar and punctuation. If only she could edit some of my business emails – auto-correct has sent out some doozies recently! It just makes me happy that You, my favorite authors, work with her. ????
I really hope you can hang onto your happy. Sometimes, it’s really hard. I love your writing.
I can barely wait for the book. It great you had a happy, each one is a treasure.
Adding my congratulations and continuing happiness to you and yours.
You deserve all the happy, ever (to paraphrase Catalina re. Nevada’s lilacs).
I mostly lurk, but want you to know, I think your writing is superb. I have perhaps 6 writers whom I follow religiously. You are at the top of my list, with Patricia Briggs. I follow no one else, I don’t do blogs anywhere else. Your combination of excellent writing, coupled with truly enjoyable characters; plus tight plot lines that don’t ever just disintegrate, make you all the top of the mountain.
Thank you!
So glad you have a ‘happy’ this far in advance. May many, many more come to you before release day.
The review is pain inducing. As in causing us to want more. NOW!