Review: Diamond Fire

Author Ilona Andrews 

Format e-book 

Print Length 160 pages 

Publisher Avon Impulse 

Published Nov. 6, 2018 

Nevada Frida Baylor and Connor Ander Rogan cordially invite you to join their wedding celebration. Summoning, weather manipulation, and other magical activities strictly forbidden.

Catalina Baylor is looking forward to wearing her maid of honor dress and watching her older sister walk down the aisle. Then the wedding planner gets escorted off the premises, the bride’s priceless tiara disappears, and Rogan's extensive family overruns his mother’s home. Someone is cheating, someone is lying, and someone is plotting murder.

To make this wedding happen, Catalina will have to do the thing she fears most: use her magic. But she’s a Baylor and there’s nothing she wouldn't do for her sister's happiness. Nevada will have her fairy tale wedding, even if Catalina has to tear the mansion apart brick by brick to get it done. 

My Opinion 

Once you read this novella, you are going to believe one of two things- that Nevada was a bridezilla or that she was incredible naïve when it comes to planning a wedding for two Primes from two different houses. I am going with the second option here. I did not feel that she was a bridezilla more like a bride who wanted a wedding of her dreams not one of everyone else’s dreams. This is why in the end she went with her sisters Catalina (18) and Arabella (16) to plan the wedding. Everyone else was lying to her and lets be real if you knew when someone was lying to you every time they spoke would you really want them to help you plan your wedding? 

Mad Rogan’s momma (Aarosa) is from Spain and has a large Spanish family. Who are all invited to the wedding, of course. When a family heirloom goes missing it is up to Catalina to solve the mystery regardless of who gets hurt in the process. The only suspects are the family members staying at his momma’s house. Her family is already divided into two groups- those from her dad’s first marriage and those from his second.

This novella is suppose to serve as the ending of Nevada’s chapter and the beginning of Catalina’s. The loose ends of the first three Hidden Legacy books are all tied up nicely here and it does allow for the reader to get a feel of Catalina’s voice. Granted this is a voice that has yet to be trained on how to be a Prime of a House as well as a voice that has a little experience instead of Nevada who was strong and confident. I am pretty sure that when Sapphire Flames comes out we will see a stronger more confident main character. 

Catalina does grow and learn more about herself in this novella than most would. Her magic is way more than she thought and she will have to get a handle on it. Since she has always been the one to shy away from the limelight (for good reason) this does put her front and center. Her relationship with Leon and Arabella are also front and center. This allows us to see them interact on a different level than how Nevada viewed them. Their motivation for their actions make more sense now. 

This was a bridge novella. Where the fans get to say goodbye to a beloved voice and ship. It also serves to introduce us to a new refreshing voice which isn’t as hardened yet by life as the previous narrator. I can only hope that the next three years do not turn her too cynical. 

My Rating 5 out of 5 stars 

Favorite Quote “Family members don’t owe favors to each other.” 

Other People 

Arabella- Catalina and Nevada’s little sister 

Leon- cousin 

Runa Etterson- Prime Venenata (my secret hope is that she will become Catalina’s bff 

Arrosa Rogan- Mad Rogan’s momma 

Xavier- a distant cousin of Mad Rogan