Ilona Andrews continues to build on the series this time we get middle sister Catalina and Alexi as the focus but don't worry all the other characters we loved from the first 3 books also make appearances.

I have been a fan of Ilona Andrews from her Legacies series and for Cat to have her own book I JUMPED!
Catalina Baylor is now head of her house after her sister Nevada married Rogan and since you can't belong to two houses....Catalina has taken over the role of trying to keep her family afloat by taking on investigation cases, paying bills and keeping her sister in line when she is awoken at 3 am with a distress call to help a young victim off of a ledge of a roof. Cat has siren magic which means she can make anyone lover her so much they will eventually want pieces of her and she is terrified of, but the young victim on the roof is her friends brother and from there she learns that her friend's mother and sister were killed. Catalina want's badly to help her friend find out the mystery behind her friends family murders but when she has a run in with the one man whom she has crushed on for years, the Instagram hottie that everyone loves, and the one person who she can never have because of her magic, all things change.
Alessandro is known as a lot of things, playboy, Count, Instagram famous and hot but Catalina see's a different side that not many know about..Killer?

Through all the twist and turns of this story, It felt at times that Cat was in over her head and
Alessandro was there to pull her out. There was so much action and plot twist it kept me reading and trying to figure everything out before it was revealed(which I never did). The ending gutted me but it was a great segway into what I assume will be another(or two other) books.

Great world building and story for new and seasoned readers of Ilona's work!

I didn't read this immediately because I knew I would read through it quickly. This of course happened. I always love everything written by this author. I will not spoil it but must say you will enjoy this if you have liked anything else they have written.

I was highly anticipating this book and seeing what would happen between Alessandro and Catalina and how she would mature as a character. I really like how things turned out in the book and Alessandro is freaking awesome! My only disappointment is the ending and being like what the heck because it leaves off perfectly making you want more and then you have to wait. No fair! Great read.

Prepare to stay up past your bedtime - I could not put this book down, but now I'm sad that I finished it. Ilona Andrews has created a story with rich and fully-developed characters and a unique story line that I've not seen in other urban fantasy / paranormal romance books before. I don't have a single bad thing to say, except about how long I have to wait until the next installment.

Catalina is very different from Nevada - since this is the fourth book in the series, it would be easy for Ilona and Gordon to reuse old plots or muddle characters. But, impressively, each character in the novels has a distinct voice.

The Hidden Legacy universe is vast and Sapphire Flames sets the foundation for an awesome new perspective into the world. I'm very excited to see where this trilogy goes and I can't wait for the next book! Definitely purchasing for my library's collection!

5 stars. Biased? Possibly. Do I care? Hell no.
*Thank you, Avon & HarperCollins publishers for this baby two months early*
**I should have posted this weeks ago but grad school can be a smidge demanding**
Catalina Baylor: the middle sister, a siren, and currently under massive amounts of pressure as the official Head of her house. I adore her completely. In HL 1-3 I always appreciated Catalina for being the sweet middle sister but her desperation to keep her talents buried and Nevada's take charge personality always overshadowed Catalina's presence, with only a few glimmers here and there of her backbone. I can happily say that she's finally found her voice.
I was at first confused and a little frustrated that Nevada was no longer the Head of the House Baylor, given what she's sacrificed for her family and how strong of a person she is... but then I understood. And my girl definitely deserves to let that pressure go. She's been under it for too long and should absolutely be able to just enjoy her life with Rogan without all that worrying. The only problem with that scenario is that it'll be up to Catalina to deal with House Baylor's lack of grace period protection.
I needn't have worried though.
Without a lot of history to go on, no one really knows exactly the extent of Catalina's abilities. I'm not sure even Catalina knows. But the abilities she's obviously been practicing with... may actually be cooler than Nevada's. I like that she's obviously had more time in Sapphire Flames to practice and hone her talents than Nevada had in Burn for Me, as it gives us more opportunity to see how totally badass the Baylor ladies are.
Now I don't want to go into too much detail about the actual story because some elements surprised the nonsense out of me. Alessandro is (view spoiler) not at all what I expected from our few minutes with him at the trial. I ain't mad, tho.
I can't wait to see exactly how Arabella convinces people to pay their bills. I've missed that little sassmouth more than I expected. Also, the Warden element is quite... interesting. We'll have to wait and see how that unfolds.
Loving Catalina's story so far.

Another great addition to the series! I love the characters, they're very engaging. The narrative is well-paced and fun!

This was my first Ilona Andrews and what have I been doing with my life?! This is also not my normal sub-genre so I wasn't sure what to expect but I was sucked in immediately to the story and the characters. It felt like a Paranormal version of Scandal and I was here for it. I can't wait for their story to continue in the next book!

As entertaining and fast-paced this new instalment is, it just doesn’t live up to the first three books in the series. My main problem with Sapphire Flames is that too many situations, scenes and passages read like carbon copies of the initial Hidden Legacy trilogy. I might not have minded, had the leads in this story been as charismatic as Nevada and Rogan, but that isn’t the case, unfortunately: Catalina is nothing but a pale copy of her sister, and Alessandro is exasperating in his childish smugness in a way Rogan never was. (Then again, there is a distinct lack of character development in this instalment as far as he is concerned, and a little complexity would probably go a long way towards turning him into a more interesting, likeable character.)

Admittedly, the fact that I am not a fan of stories with younger characters probably didn’t help here, and neither did the romance-heavy storyline. Catalina and Alessandro’s relationship is just too YA for me and feels somewhat off. The relationship seems to be nothing more than a teenage crush, and doesn’t feel real at all.

But it’s not all bad, and of course there are great things in this story: the ever-fascinating Hidden Legacy world, the awesome action scenes, and the wonderful array of delicious pets and creatures…And what will always drive me back to this series, no matter how I feel about its new leads: its secondary characters. Grandma Frida, Leon, Augustine, Runa, Bug, Matilda, Cornelius, Bern…The Andrews excel at creating the best, most irresistible casts and you would love nothing better than for Ilona and Gordon to come up with individual spin-off series for each and everyone one of them. Zeus included.

Yes, this is my least favorite instalment in this series so far, but does that mean I won’t continue with it? Nope nope nope. Why? Because whatever Ilona Andrews writes, I read. It’s as simple as that.

This was really delightful!! I loved seeing Catalina having come into her own and the subtle differences between her and Nevada, as well as the slow reveal of the main mystery. My one criticism was I feel a bit too much happened offscreen between Diamond Fire and here? For example I wish Catalina didn’t have such perfect control over her powers, given her struggle for control was such a big part of the prequel novella and last trilogy? Seeing the uncontrollable nature of her power vs Nevada’s more learnable magic or watching Catalina still learning to master her Siren magic would have added a nice edge. I also would’ve loved more insight into how Alessandro fell for her, given their limited prior interactions.

As Catalina might say, "I can't even..." This book is such an engaging and fun addition to the Hidden Legacy series, that I almost don't have words to say how awesome it is. The story moves quickly without losing the character development and moments that make it worth following and Catalina is definitely not a wimpy sequel character with a wimpy sequel story.

I was really looking forward to Sapphire Flames, because the glimpses we got in the previous trilogy of Catalina's powers intrigued me. I felt like the pacing was excellent--I finished the book in a day and a half, because everything moved very quickly. But the plot confused me a little (Catalina is investigating the murder of Ruta's mother, but then it's a kidnapping, but then it's illegal magical tampering from a stolen sample of the virus and there's more stolen samples still to track down? What is happening??), and the ending was a bit abrupt. I could see that there were only two or three chapters left on my Kindle, but wasn't sure how everything could conclude in time. Would there be a cliffhanger? (Rats, of course, there was a cliffhanger.)

I think my main issue was that the use of first person narration meant that for most of the book, Catalina's voice felt very similar to Nevada's. By the end, she seemed like a completely distinct character from her older sister, but for probably the first half or two-thirds I felt like I was reading Nevada 2.0. (It's strange, but I've never had this problem with Arabella.)

I liked her rapport and rather tumultuous relationship with Alessandro, and I also felt just as irritated as Catalina with all his mysterious crap. So I guess the final verdict was fast-paced, a little confusing, took a bit for Catalina's voice to come into its own, but I'm pretty excited for book 2!

An excellent continuation of Andrew's Hidden Legacy series! Fans of the first trilogy will be excited to revisit this world, and will find a lot to enjoy. I enjoyed getting more into Catalina's story, as she was an interesting character from the original series. However, new readers to the series will want to start with the original Burn for Me to better understand Andrew's world building.

This gets 5 stars from me.
Disclaimer: I am biased. I love Ilona Andrews. I think their writing style and characters are great. Now to the real review.

Sapphire Flames brings us back to world where Baylors do things their own way. Catalina has now stepped forward as the head of the house and her family. Somebody who has helped her in the past, now needs her help. Everyone has turned away from Runa after the deaths of her mother and sister, but the Baylors do not operate that way. They take on the case. Of course Catalina's teen crush, Alessandro, shows up throwing Catalina's plans out of whack. They will have to work together to solve the case.

This was a fun easy read that stuck with me. I read this when I first was granted the right to read it and I devoured it, I am writing this 2+ weeks later and I can easily recall this book and plot. The series originally followed the older sister Nevada but the authors made sure that this book was from Catalina's view and about her struggles, not Nevada. I think they did a wonderful transition of letting Nevada grow away from the family. There are growing pains but the family is growing. Sometimes authors wrap it up as easy and Ilona Andrews definitely showed that it is hard to have family dynamics change. Thank you for that. This book brought a smile to my face and I would definitely recommend this book. For that matter, I would recommend the series and other books by the authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC. This is an honest review.

This was the first book I read by Ilona Andrews, but it won't be the last. I couldn't put this book down. All the characters were interesting and three-dimensional. The plot was fast-moving and captivating.

When it comes to Ilona Andrews, you're either a fan who keeps a new release calendar or you haven't read any of their books yet.

This is the fourth installment in a series, but the first novel with this protagonist. Catalina is the younger sister of Nevada, the heroine of books 1-3, and she has taken over the management of House Baylor from Nevada after the stress of managing it becomes too much.

Catalina is immediately likable, and the banter between her and the obvious-love-interest Alessandro is reminiscent of the early Kate Daniels books. It was an exciting action adventure. and fans of Ilona Andrews won't want to miss it.

Another strong book for the Andrews team!

Thankfully, I like Catalina and Allesandro in different ways from how I like Kate and Curran or Nevada and Rogan. While strong and competent people, they are recognizably different people with different motivations, actions, and voices. Some authors that do PNR/UF don't make the voices or characters of their MCs different enough and it really makes their work a chore after a while. This was NOT an issue here. It was good to see practical strong action from an Andrews female character who wasn't as experienced or trained as Kate or Nevada are. Catalina overcame her insecurities and I really felt her inexperience as well as her growth. The pain of some of her growth really stung me as a reader.

Another strong thing in this series is the world itself. I haven't seen a magical/urban fantasy world handled in this fashion before -- but then, world building is one of the Andrews' strengths and long time readers have come to know they're in good hands with this duo.

Now, my one niggle that was happily subverted! After all the Kate books, and the Edge, and the Innkeeper series, I've gotten, well, tired of one of Ilona's major tropes -- The female MC finds the male MC attractive but fights that attraction viciously. As if admitting it will mean she's got to hand in her "strong woman" card or give up her soul or something! In the end none of her women roll over and brainlessly submit or become less than themselves, so I don't understand all the fighting. Catalina, however, has good reasons for fighting her interest in Alessandro. The main one is the realistic and decent concern that what makes her a Prime may make him her emotional puppet, forcing him to "love" her whether he actually does or not. Secondarily, she witnesses him performing his hidden profession (and recognizes his incredible skill at it), and realizes he isn't who she thought he was -- and he could very well be a true monster! (Not that I believed that for a second!)

This was a great read! If only life hadn't been hectic, I absolutely would have plowed through this in one sitting!

While I don't enjoy Catalina as a main character as much as I enjoy Nevada who headed the previous novels, this series continues to grow in complexity and it is a joy to watch the characters grow with it as they meet each new challenge. The Baylors are a family worth following.

If you’re worried about how Catalina’s series will be after getting so used to Nevada’s point of view, don’t be! The transition between the series was really well done. I would definitely recommend reading the novella in between, Diamond Fire, as characters from that book return and you might be confused otherwise. This was a wonderful follow-up with so many of the things that made us fall in love with the first part of the series (while still being new and exciting in its own right), including the family dynamic and the humor, which has always felt so genuine. I love them all, and Grandma Frida had some small but hilarious moments. The love and affection they have with each other as well as the way they tease and exasperate each other is always so well written. The authors were smart here because Nevada was mentioned, it would be weird if she wasn’t since she’s an important part of the family and Catalina’s life, but was also away so that Catalia could shine on her own.

As always, Ilona Andrews delivers by having a fun action-packed book that is funny, involves a creative magic system, and a nice romantic tension.

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!! This was a can't put it down awake all night great read!! A fantastic continuation of a great series by one of a kind writers!!! Read this book!!!!

brief summary
Three years following the events of Wildfire, Catalina Baylor is forced to come into her own as Head of House when she takes on an investigation which begins with arson and murder, then escalates, while at the same time dealing with the unexpected and not-quite-unwelcome arrival of her teenage crush, Alessandro Sagredo, who turns out to be more than just a devastatingly pretty face.

full review
Returning to the Hidden Legacy world, Ilona Andrews' focus shifts to the second Baylor daughter, Catalina, now head of House Baylor and running the family investigation business in her sister's absence. Catalina's role in the first three books was fairly subdued, likely due to her age, personality, and the nature of her abilities, but in the novella Diamond Fire readers were first introduced to Catalina's point of view, and she was shown to be delightful. Thus, it was wonderful to learn that Sapphire Flames would be told from her perspective.

The book opens up just as House Baylor's three-year grace period is about to expire and Catalina is dealing with many responsibilities as Head of House and acting head of their investigation business, already raising some questions for readers of the series regarding her older sister's whereabouts, but never fear - Nevada is just in Spain with her husband. The authors' deft handling of her older sister and her husband give Catalina a plausible reason to shift into the spotlight, and later on we learn about how Catalina ended up as the head of House Baylor, but this information is dealt out in measured doses, always built into the story in a very organic way, and never in a cumbersome info-dump. At any rate, Nevada is temporarily out of the picture and Catalina gets a new case.

Predictably, the case escalates, proving part of a larger scheme that places everyone who touches it in life-threatening peril. Catalina demonstrates that she has grown and matured in the intervening three years, but her approach and her manner is still rooted in the fact that she is a very young, if powerful, woman, and just about out of her depth as she must protect her family and their client. Catalina's voice reads Millennial, and many Millennial interests and favorites are name-checked in this book. Everything from Sailor Moon to Instagram. These familiar references make this magical world seem more believable and grounded in reality, and make Catalina read as a more enjoyable, believable protagonist.

The action flows seamlessly, with well-timed breathing spaces for readers to catch up and follow the characters' thoughts and emotions. Andrews' thorough research shines, as always, conjuring not only a real-as-real version of Houston, but giving it a history that almost makes the setting its own character. It is easy to see their research in the recipes their characters use, their equipment, their clothes, and all the little details that form a complete and true picture, and yet these details are never overwhelming, and never seem like the result of a quick Google search. The writers' attention to detail is also what makes the ever-expanding cast of characters so much fun to read about and worth making the effort to remember. In learning more about the setting and the supporting characters, readers are given the treat of entering a magical world that is more than a backdrop for fantastic adventure and romance.

As this is technically a romance novel, I feel it's important to mention that although there is no actual sex, there is some steamy foreplay-like goings-on, but Ilona Andrews' books are stellar examples of the slow burn romance. The physical attraction between our leads is heady, and their interactions give them opportunities to be brave and vulnerable and funny and short-tempered, and that, even more than the scintillating build-up of romantic tension between them, is part of what makes Ilona Andrews' writing so addictive. Earlier books in the series have hinted at Alessandro Sagredo's sex appeal, but Ilona Andrews' prose makes it clear how extreme his polished good looks are, and it is easy to understand Catalina's reaction to him, and to admire her for denying it in order to behave as a responsible adult and Head of House. She deserves so many chocolatey rewards for her restraint.

As an unrelated aside, I am vastly amused that the main characters keep acquiring more clothing in the cover art as the series progresses.