Book Review: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1)
by Ilona Andrews
From Goodreads:

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile case. Nevada isn’t sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she’s kidnapped by Connor “Mad” Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run or surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan’s after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she’s getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

In general, I tend to read only paranormal romance and fantasy. So, when Head Wench Barbara received this book as an ARC, I was eager to read it.  In addition, I am a Kate Daniels series fan, so I figured that I would enjoy a book by the same authors. And while I do really enjoy the Kate Daniels series, I have to tell you, this book has already proven that it has the potential to blow the KD series out of the water. Keep reading to find out why!

(non-spoilery)

The world that Andrews creates is interesting. Before the Prologue, it's explained that back in 1863, scientists discovered the Osiris serum, which when administered, would bring out a person's magical talents. In time, they realized that this was a bad idea, so they stopped using the serum. However, those talents became part of their enhanced genetic make-up, so they were passed down the bloodlines. What's more, people started seeking out mates solely to create children that would have their combined magic talents. These families became dynasties, and they call themselves "Houses". Magic users are also classified by rank of power: Minor, Average, Notable, Signficant, and Prime, which is the highest. 

When we first met Nevada Baylor, I wasn't very impressed. She seemed insecure. She also didn't seem very powerful, and that was where her insecurity showed. She definitely thinks that she is nothing special. Her talent is that she can tell when someone is lying. Growing up, her father protected her by telling her that if she let her talent be known, then she would be forced to join the military and conduct interrogations. Nevada definitely values her freedom of choice, a recurring theme with her. Soon enough though, she finds out that she can do more than just tell if someone is lying; she can *make* someone tell her what she wants to know, even if they don't want to. In the book, she also takes advantage of an "upgrade" that helped boost her confidence that she could handle someone more powerful than her.  

Nevada also lives with: her mother, grandmother, her two sisters, Catalina (age 17) and Arabella (15), and cousins, Bern and Leon (15). The family really adds a lot of entertainment to the story. Nevada's mother, Sgt. Baylor, was a hotshot sniper for the military. Nevada's father died of cancer when she was a teen. Not much is said of her father's talents. Her Grandma Frida is a badass "mech-mage". She has a "magical connection to things of metal and moving parts". Since many of the Houses employ their own security forces, Grandma stays busy working on their armored vehicles, and this woman is hilarious too! Bern is the computer guru, and Leon is learning from him. I enjoyed the rapport between the family members. I could definitely see where some of these characters might have a spin-off novel one day!

Things REALLY get interesting when she meets Connor "Mad" Rogan. He is an ultra-powerful telekinetic, and a 4th generation Prime. Rogan has a special interest in Nevada's investigation; they both need to capture Adam Pierce, a pyrokinetic Prime. Pretty soon, Nevada can see that she needs to Mad Rogan's help just to stay alive, let alone find her target! That does annoy this independent woman, who usually works alone.

"Is that why you joined the military? To get away from your family?" And why did I ask that?
"I joined because they told me I could kill without being sent to prison and be rewarded for it."
True. Holy shit. I was trapped in a car with a homicidal maniac. Awesome.

The chemistry between Rogan and Nevada is fantastic too! The attraction is palpable. He also has a special *ahem* talent that reminds me a lot of Mencheres from the Night Huntress series. Rogan is one of the hottest alpha males I've read about in a long time, and you know I love a great alpha male! This man is extremely powerful, and he has no hesitation in letting it be known.

Mad Rogan smiled a big, wide, conciliatory grin and raised his hands. "Hey, hey. No need to get worked up. Look, no gun. I can see you're the man. You're in charge here."[snip]
"Now we know," Mad Rogan said, his voice cold. "I'm in charge. I'm in charge of you. I'm in charge of the guy next to you. I'm in charge of the ground you're standing on. When I'm gone, I don't care who is in charge. When I leave here, you can fight and kill each other over who is running things while I'm not here. But let's be clear: when I'm here, when you see me, I'm in charge."

Me: "You're in charge? OK!!!" 

I hesitate to say too much more about Rogan, and about Nevada and Rogan together. I highlighted so many quotes from the book, but the fun is in discovering their awesomeness. They are both so funny, alone and together! Rogan is really one of my favorite alpha males of all time already! He is hot, powerful, funny, protective of Nevada, takes care of his people, and yes, sometimes a total ass (which is also funny and oddly appealing!). I can't wait for more books in this series!

My rating: