Today we bring you a fun snippet. You’ve read a little bit of this before, but this is the whole chapter, so if you don’t want to reread, skip to the new bit. Hehehe.
“Is it haunted?”
Oh, for the love of… “No, Arabella.”
My sister squinted at the monstrosity of a house growing closer as the SUV sped up the gently climbing driveway. “It looks haunted.”
“It’s not,” Bern said.
“How do you know it’s not haunted?” Leon asked from the back.
Because ghosts didn’t exist. “Because Trudy is a nice person, I like her, and she wouldn’t sell us a haunted house.”
“Yes,” Arabella said, “But did you ask if it was?”
“I did, and Trudy said no.” Our poor, long-suffering realtor had answered more bizarre questions in the last couple of months than she had probably done during her whole career.
My little sister whipped out her phone and bent her blonde head over it.
“I heard realtors have to disclose if the house is haunted,” Leon said.
I looked at Mom in the driver seat. She gave me an amused smile. No help there.
“Apparently only four states require you to disclose paranormal activity,” Arabella reported. “Nine states require you to notify the buyer if a death occurred on the premises. And Texas does neither.”
“There were no deaths on the premises. Nobody died in the house, so it can’t possibly be haunted.”
“How do you know nobody died?” Leon asked.
“Because I checked the records,” Bern rumbled.
Clearly, there were two teams in this vehicle: Team Facts and Team Facts Be Damned.
“What if they hid it?” Leon asked.
Bern gave his younger brother a look. When it came to uncovering facts, Bern had no equal. If there was a record of something and that record was at any point entered into a computer connected to the internet, he would find it.
“What’s that building?” Mom asked.
She slowed as we passed a large stone and timber pavilion on our right.
“That’s a wedding pavilion. The beam work inside is really pretty. I thought that if we insulated it properly, we could use it as our office building.”
Leon frowned. “You mean like a separate office building? One where we could conduct business and then leave and not be at work? People have such things?”
I sighed.
“Leon,” Mom said. “She spent the last two weeks trying to get this place inspected. She barely slept and barely ate. As I recall, none of you helped except for Bern. How about you holster that razor-sharp wit and try to be less you for the next hour?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Leon set up straight and appeared to look serious. It wouldn’t last, but it was a good try. My younger cousin was twenty years old and he showed zero interest in changing his ways. And that was fine with me. I liked Leon just the way he was.
“It’s big,” Arabella offered, looking at the walls. “Looks a bit like a Spanish fort with all the towers.”
“That’s a hell of wall,” Mom said.
The ten-foot-high stone wall was positively medieval in its thickness. It ensured that all you could see were the top floor on the main house and some red roofs, so on the drive up, the 21,000 square foot “mansion” appeared neat and orderly. But as soon as you drove through its massive gates into the 16 acres that made up its inner grounds, you realized that it was all a giant scam.
The driveway brough us to the arched entrance that cut through the wall. The huge gates stood open, and Mom guided the armored Chevy Tahoe through them and into the front parking lot on the right side. Alessandro’s silver Alfa Romeo already waited in one of the parking spots.
Arabella and Leon got out.
Bern leaned forward and rumbled, “I like this house.” He paused to make sure his point sank in and followed the others out.
I knew exactly why my oldest cousin liked it. The reasons were many but could be summed up by a single word: privacy.
Mom squinted at the two-story rectangular building in front of us. “What’s that?”
“’Cuartel,’” I said. “According to the listing documents.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Barracks?”
“Yes. The lower level has a kitchen, a mess hall, infirmary, and an armory. The upper level has room for ten beds and a bathroom with four toilet stalls and three showers.”
“Hmmm.”
Normally interpreting Mom’s hmmms wasn’t a problem, but right now I had no idea what she was thinking.
We got out of the car. My cousins and Arabella had walked across the parking lot back to the main driveway. Mom and I joined them. The gate was directly behind us. The parking lot and the barracks were to the right, and the driveway stretched deeper into the estate, rolling between rows of old oaks to a paved forecourt and the two-story Mediterranean-inspired mansion beyond.
“Nice driveway,” Leon said.
“Enjoy it while you can. It’s the only straight road in the place.”
We started toward the mansion. The dense wall of hedges framed the oaks on both sides, hiding the rest of the grounds. The tree limbs reached to each other above our heads and walking down the driveway was like heading into a green tunnel.
“How many acres did you say this was?” Mom asked.
“Twenty-three point four,” Bern said ahead of us. “Sixteen are walled in, the rest is deer fenced.”
“I saw a metal gate retracted into the wall when we drove in,” Mom said. “How is it controlled?”
“There is a guard room built into the wall. The gate can be opened from there, from the office in the barracks, and from main house.”
“Question!” Arabella raised her hand. “If we buy this, can I get a golf cart?”
“You can buy the golf cart with your own money,” Mom said.
The driveway ended and we walked onto the forecourt.
“The main house is five thousand square feet,” I said. “The bottom floor is split into two wings. Each wing has a master. Four bedrooms upstairs, all en-suite.”
“Four bedrooms?” Arabella asked. “So, Mom and Grandma take the downstairs, and we take the upstairs?”
To say she sounded underwhelmed would be a criminally gross understatement.
“We could do that,” I said, “or we could live in auxiliary buildings.”
Arabella squinted at me. “What auxiliary buildings?”
I turned my back to the mansion and pointed with both hands to the sides.
The family turned around. On both sides of the driveway, separated by the hedges, lay a labyrinth of buildings and greenery. On the left rose a round tower three floors high. On the right, half hidden by landscaping, sat three two-story casitas, each sixteen hundred square feet, joined by a second-floor breezeway. Between them and us, lay gardens, benches, gazebos, and water features. Stone paths, designed by a drunken sailor, meandered through it all, trying to connect the buildings and mostly failing.
Leon spied the tower. His eyes took on a faraway look that usually meant he was thinking of flying ships, winged whales, and space pirates. “Mine.”
“It needs a bit of work.”
“I don’t care.”
Bern started off to the right.
“Where are you going?” Mom called.
“Home.”
She looked at me.
“He really likes the casitas,” I told her. “Runa likes them too.”
My oldest cousin and my best friend were slowly but surely moving towards marriage, and it was harder and harder to ignore Runa slinking to the bathroom across the hall out of Bern’s room in the morning.
I could relate. Both Alessandro and I wanted to stay together and both of us felt awkward about him moving into my room, so we settled for him staying in the side building and me keeping my window open. Him climbing in and out of the window was infinitely preferrable to having to run the gauntlet of my family just to get to my door.
“Where am I going to stay?” Arabella asked. “Am I going to stay in one of the casitas?”
“I think they’re spoken for,” Mom said, watching Bern double time it down the path.
“There’s a shack in the back,” I told Arabella.
She marched around the house. Mom and I followed her along a narrow path, flanked by Texas olive trees, esperanza shrubs, still carrying the last of its bright yellow flowers, and sprawling clusters of cast-iron plants with thick green leaves.
“So Bern and Leon get their picks and I get the leftovers,” Arabella called over her shoulder.
“Yep.” I nodded. “You’re the youngest.”
She mumbled something under her breath. Torturing her was delicious.
“What did you say this place was?” Mom asked.
“A failed bed and breakfast. The first owners built the main house, the Tower, and the bigger casita. Then they sold it to a man who decided to make it into an ultra-secure “rustic” hotel for the magic heavyweights. His website called it ‘a country retreat for the Houston elite.’”
Arabella snorted.
“He owned this place for about twelve years and turned into this, and when his business completely dried up, he sank the last of the money into that wedding pavilion we saw outside.”
“In for a penny, in for a pound?” Mom said.
“Yes.”
To add insult to injury, the owner or someone he employed thought he was handy and did a lot of the renovations and maintenance himself. According to our building inspector, his handiness was very much in doubt.
His greatest failure wasn’t his eclectic taste or his haphazard home improvements, however. The previous owner simply didn’t understand the psychology of the magical elite. Weddings between Houses, the most powerful dynasties, served to cement their alliances. They didn’t want a neutral ground for their ceremonies. They wanted a public show of trust. And the visiting Primes didn’t trust third party security. They brought their own.
“How much does he want for this place?” Arabella asked.
“Twenty million.”
“Ha! Ha. Ha.”
“That’s out of our budget,” Mom said.
“It’s not if we get a loan from Connor.”
“We can afford to put half down,” Arabella said, “But this place isn’t worth it twenty mil. I mean I don’t even get a house I get a shack…”
We turned the corner and the path opened, the greenery falling behind. A huge stone patio spread in front of us, cradling a large Roman style pool. Past the luxuriously large pool, the patio narrowed into a long stone path that ran down to the four-acre man made pond. Between the pool and the pond, on the right-hand side, stood another three-story tower.
Where Leon’s tower looked like something plucked from a Norman castle, this one could have fit right into the seaside of Palm Beach. Slender, white, with covered balconies on the top two levels and a sun deck on the roof, it had a clear vacation vibe. A narrow breezeway connected its third-floor balcony to the main house. Of all the places on the property, it was the newest and required the least amount of work to be habitable.
“Your shack,” I told her.
Arabella took off across the patio.
Mom and I strolled down toward the pond past the giant pool. The coping and the plaster were in excellent shape, but the water had gone green from neglect. It almost looked like a quiet corner of the Pit. I shivered. I still had the nightmares. Except now when I woke up, Alessandro wrapped his arm around me, and I snuggled into him and went right back to sleep.
“Can we really afford it?” Mom asked.
“Yes. We will put 25% down. It will need a lot of repairs, and our bills will go up. We’ll need to invest in some livestock for the agricultural exemption. The place already has solar panels, so we’ll be saving some money there, but we will need a yard crew and probably a maid service of some sort.”
Mom bristled. “I never needed maids in my life. If you’re old enough to have your own space, you’re old enough to keep it clean.”
“I agree, but the main house is huge, and we have the barracks and the offices. We are all going to be really busy. There will be an army of people to supervise, renovation decisions to be made, and we still have our regular caseload and then there is the warden business…”
Mom hugged my shoulders. “We’ll handle it.”
“Does that mean you like the house?”
Mom sighed. “I haven’t seen the house yet.”
“It’s … interesting.”
“I thought so. We can put it to a vote.”
Arabella burst onto the third-floor balcony. “Do I like it? No. I love it!”
Mom grinned. “Well, you got her vote. Where are you and Alessandro staying?”
“Over there.” I pointed to the left, where a two-story house sat by the lake. “He’s probably over there right now.”
“Is he okay?”
Okay was a complicated concept. “Remember how I told you that his family wanted him to marry an heiress so they could pay off their debts? He’s really hung up on being a good provider. In his perfect world, he would’ve bought me a mansion by the sea without telling me and then dramatically carried me over the threshold.”
As an Artisan, Alessandro could take a job, disappear for a few weeks, and come home with a million in his bank account. But that would mean he had murdered someone. No matter how vile his target would be, murder was still murder. He had decided to leave that life behind. Instead, he hurled himself into Baylor Investigative Agency. He’s been working overtime clearing our cases to bring in “his share” of the money. Unfortunately, his understanding of “his share” involved an unreasonably high number. After he dosed off at the dinner table, I finally gave him an ultimatum and demanded that he sleep for at least seven hours every day or I would lock him out of my bedroom.
I needed to get over to our future house and see if he had fallen asleep somewhere. “Do you need me to walk through the main house with you?”
Mom waved me off. “I’ve got it. Go, go…”
I took the path that would bring me to the two-story house Alessandro and I had picked out for ourselves. It really was the cutest place. Well, it would be cute by the time we were done with it. It sat on the side of the property, facing the pond, and I liked most things about it. It was sturdy and large enough, it had a balcony and a little garden already laid out, and it was equipped with a big functional kitchen in dire need of new appliances and countertops. Best of all, it was far enough from everyone else to guarantee us some privacy. Like Bern, I’d come to value privacy very much over the past couple of months.
The front door stood ajar. I walked up the steps onto the covered porch and stepped into foyer. All the curtains had been stripped from the windows, and the house was full of light. My steps sent echoes scurrying over the travertine floor.
And that was a prime example of what went wrong with the property. The floor had cost a fortune and the money for it had clearly come from the kitchen. I walked into it and stopped. A dozen of blood red roses bloomed in a simple glass vase on the counter. Next to it a bottle of Giulio Ferrari Rose and two wine glasses waited on the counter. Alessandro was here somewhere.
He bought wine and roses for me.
I leaned against the pantry door and surveyed the kitchen. It was just so badly laid out. The dishwasher was next to the stove, the fridge was all the way on the other side, the lone sink was at the opposite wall, all of it separated by a non-functional giant island with a weird, raised shelf. It was too awkward to cook in here and that island would be the first thing to go. I’d replace it with one half its size, without a shelf but with a sink and an outlet…
A man I’d never seen before stepped out from behind the fridge. In the split second it took me to send a surge of magic toward him, Alessandro loomed behind him like a vengeful ghost, clamped his hand over the man’s mouth, and slid a knife into his side. It was a quick, precise stab, so fast I would have missed it if I wasn’t looking straight at them.
Alessandro twisted the knife. His face was calm and relaxed, his eyes focused, but not frightening. The man’s eyes rolled back, and he sagged slightly against Alessandro. The man I loved picked up his victim like a toddler and neatly placed him on the island, the knife still between his ribs.
A person just died in front of me without making a single sound. If we had been in a crowded train, Alessandro could have stabbed him like this, lowered him onto a seat or wedged him against the wall, and vanished without anyone noticing. It was both beautiful and bone-chilling.
Alessandro smiled at me, his whole face lighting up. “Angelo mio, here you are.”
Don’t you angelo mio me. You just killed a guy in our kitchen.
Alessandro picked the wine bottle off the counter with an elegant flourish and poured the sparkling liquid into both glasses.
“Why the island?”
He offered a glass to me. “You said you liked the floor.”
He put the corpse on the island so it wouldn’t bleed all over the travertine. “You’re so considerate.” I took the glass.
“A toast.” Alessandro raised his glass, looking almost impossibly handsome. “To our new house.”
We clinked our glasses and sipped the wine. It tasted of currant, red plum, and strawberry, at once fresh and delicious, not too sweet or too sour. Exactly the kind of wine I liked.
“Aren’t you going to retrieve your knife?”
Alessandro stared mournfully at the blade. “If I pull it out, he will bleed more. A shame. It’s one of my favorites. Thin enough to slip between the ribs and long enough to reach the heart.”
“I’ll tell Patricia to save it for you.”
Alessandro gave me a dazzling smile. “Thank you.”
“Are you going to tell me who he is?”
“An employee Arkan doesn’t particularly value. Not his top tier.”
Cold rolled down my spine. Arkan was the monster in the closet, the boogeyman under our bed. A former government agent from the Russian Imperium, he had set up shop in North America and built a cadre of assassins around himself. He was so dangerous, the Warden database gave him a black tag, usually reserved for dictators of small countries and heads of worldwide terrorist organizations.
I wanted to kill him because he had stolen a sample of the Osiris serum, the safeguarding of which was the primary duty of the wardens. Alessandro wanted to kill him because Arkan had murdered his father. We had clashed twice, and both times Alessandro and I won. Both victories came at a great price, but the fact remained – we had frustrated Arkan’s efforts and two months ago he let us know he was displeased and delivered a warning. Now the consequences rested on our kitchen island.
Alessandro set his glass aside and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to him. “Catalina, don’t let it worry you.” His voice was intimate and warm. “I’ve got this. This is nothing.”
He kissed me, hot and deep. For a second the world faded, and there was only Alessandro, tasting like rose wine.
And then I came to my senses. “How many?”
He pretended to not understand. “How many what?”
“How many people has Arkan sent?”
“Several.” He smiled again, subtly turning me away from the body. “But they’re not very good. He’s using me to do some light housekeeping.”
“If you fail too many times, you get sent after the Artisan?”
“Something like that.”
“What do you mean, something? Who is the target?”
“Mostly me. Sometimes it’s you. Sometimes it’s Arabella… No, no, don’t get upset. I’ve got this. You just came in two minutes too soon. If you had lingered, you would have never seen him, and everything would be normal.”
I pulled one arm out of his hug and pointed to the corpse.
“Yes,” Alessandro said, “a little bit upsetting, but again, this wasn’t a serious attempt. This was a tap on the shoulder. He’s letting me know that he’s keeping an eye on us. That’s all.”
I wiggled out of his arms. He let me go.
We had to kill Arkan. Until he was eliminated, we couldn’t be happy.
“We should have more wine.” Alessandro put a full glass in my hand.
“It upsets me when you hide things from me.”
“You’re busy. You have so much to worry about. This is just a minor inconvenience, and I’m taking care of it for you, like a good fiancé should.”
The last couple of words took a second to penetrate. “Fiancé?”
Alessandro’s expression darkened. “This didn’t quite go the way I wanted to.”
He went down on one knee.
What… Oh. The wine. The flowers. The new house. Oh.
A small box appeared in Alessandro’s fingers. He opened it. A gold ring rested on black velvet, crowned with a large oval ruby. The stone glittered like a star caught in a drop of blood.
My brain screeched to a halt.
“This is not an heirloom,” Alessandro said with grim sincerity. “I didn’t take it from my family. I designed it for you and had it made. Nobody else has ever worn it and if you say no, nobody ever will.”
I understood the words. I just couldn’t quite grasp the meaning.
“You know who I am. You know what I’ve done. There are better men out there, kinder men, cleaner, richer, but none of them will love you as much as I do.”
He fell silent, and I saw uncertainty flicker in his eyes. He didn’t know what my answer would be. All of my life and all of his life crystalized into this single fragile instant, and one word would change us forever. This was the part of the road where our two paths converged or parted. The moment was so deeply intimate that it almost hurt.
“It’s just the two of us,” Alessandro said, “and the body on an island in the kitchen of the house we don’t own. And if you say yes, our life together will be just like this.”
I put my hand over my eyes. “You were doing so well.”
“I’d rather be honest. When we are together, this is who we are. Will you marry me, Catalina?”
I took a deep breath. “Yes.”
He surged up to his feet, picked me up, and spun us around the kitchen, his face glowing, his magic swirling around us sparking with orange fire. I kissed him and for a few breaths we were one.
Ten minutes later we left the house, him with his arm around me and me wearing the engagement ring on my finger. The sunlight filled the stone, and it shone, just like Alessandro’s magic, deadly, complicated, but so beautiful.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
I would have liked it if it was a piece of coal wrapped in floral wire. “I love it.”
He smiled. He looked like I felt, perfectly happy.
I pulled out my phone to text Patricia about the body. Our chief of security would be thrilled.
There is a body in the two-story house by the pond. Please remove it from the kitchen and dispose of it. Please save Alessandro’s knife. Please don’t tell my mother.
The reply was almost instant. Remove corpse, save knife, don’t tell mom. Got it.
“Are you worried your mother won’t like the house because of the murder?” he asked.
“I want her to be objective. If she knows Arkan sent someone here to taunt us, she’ll want to buy the property just to spite him. She doesn’t react well to being threatened…” A horrible thought occurred to me. “Alessandro, not a word to Arabella. Please. You have to promise.”
“I wasn’t planning to tell her but why is it so important?”
“Because she thinks the place is haunted and I told her that it couldn’t be because nobody has died here. Do you know what my sister likes more than anything?”
“Shoes?”
A good guess. “No. She likes to be right. She lives to be right. If she knows somebody was murdered here, she’ll be insufferable. There will be no living with her, and I have a mountain of work to do if we decide to close on this place.”
He laughed.
I showed him my pretty ring. “You’re laughing, but you’re not just marrying me. You’re marrying into my family. It’s not too late to change your mind and take this back.”
He stopped and looked at me as if I had missed something simple and obvious. “Catalina, it’s been too late for that.”
“Since when?”
“Since that time you told me to stay in the car and look pretty.”
“When did I do that?”
“We were going to see Dennis Moody, who used to be Runa’s mother’s accountant. We knew it was a trap. You were so scared, you gripped the steering wheel until your hands went completely white. I told you to stay in the car. I was going to go in and get it done. And you told me to stay in the car and take pretty selfies, and then you got out and marched, in that way you do when you’re mad, to the building. That’s when I decided I would marry you.”
“It was the pretty that did it, wasn’t it?”
He grinned at me. “What can I say? I am a shallow, vain man.”
I wrapped my arm around his and we walked together to the main house following the excited voices of the family.
YAY. I have an Andrews addiction
Hi, Manda.
(That’s what you say in the addiction meetings when someone states their name and that they’re addicted, right?)
Totally! I want to one clink something Andrews RIGHT NOW!!!!
😂 This is going to get a lot of comments if we all introduce ourselves and admit our addictions. 😁
Hi! I’m Vicki. I’ve been a House Andrews addict since Audible. Fr suggested Iron and Magic. Then I obviously had to read all the KD to get Hugh’s backstory. And then I read the KD vs HL bonus so I read all of Nevada’s stuff. And since Dina hosted that bonus, I fell into the innkeeper rabbit hole. And that lead to the edge series and now I check the blog twice a day…
Yes!
This!
Me too. Hi my name is Simone and I am an Ilona Andrews addict. It started innocently enough reading Magic Bites when I laughed out loud when Kate bent down in the Unicorn Lane meeting place and said Here Kitty Kitty. I don’t normally lol when reading books and I was hooked. Since then I have gone on to purchase and enjoy all their books. Fortunately their writing is so good and their worlds and characters so interesting they can be reread multiple times between book releases. This chapter has whetted my appetite for Ruby Fever so I must now start rereading the HL series again. 📖😃
Hi I’m LauraR and I am an Andrews addict. I’m just going to Ditto Simone since she said everything I was going to say, and she said it better.
Thank you Authors for this snippet, it is a wonderful treat.
Hi Laura R! I am Amy H and I am a House Andrews addict as well. Simone – well said.
Cheers!
Hi, I’m Hazel and I am an Ilona Andrews addict, ditto Simone. I happily reread Magic Stars before Blood Heir. This snippet makes me want to reread Hidden Legacy but I am going to hold off and take a leisurely tour through KD again so that I can reread HL closer to the release date. Also with the lols – this: “It’s just the two of us,” Alessandro said, “and the body on an island in the kitchen of the house we don’t own. And if you say yes, our life together will be just like this.” I mean it’s just excellent 😂
MMe too.
Hi, my name is Judy and I’m a reading addict. It all started when I was a child but really stood out in school when they generally encouraged students to read more (but told me to stop reading so much). I live for well-written characters; Ilona Andrews feeds my addiction. I would happily give them my entire salary every month if it weren’t for inconvenient expenses such as food and rent.
I’m so happy to read the snippet today! I <3 the ring – the fact that it's ruby instead of diamond makes my day!
you said it very well and i agree
Hi, my name is Claudia C and I’m a House Andrews addict too!
I don’t want a cure or an intervention.
No other Authors give me the extreme pleasure I experience with this particular panacea.
Thank You For Sharing Your GENIUS with us.
Hi, my name is eXavier and ditto to what Simone said, “Here Kitty Kitty” and all! Thank you for the snippets.
Hi, my name is Jessie and I’m an Ilona Andrews addict. It started when I lived in Japan and a fellow expat lent me Magic Bites. Now I re-read Andrews’ entire oeuvre every year or so but still need more.
Hehe
Hello my name is sivi, I’ve never been to one of this addiction groups, so I’m not sure if the protocol. But it’s nice to be amongst fellow IA addicts who know the highs (all writing) and lows(end of books) of our particular addiction
+1
That’s great! I really needed this today.
Wow! You’ve been busy! I love it! ❤️
Squee!
Exactly!!
I love it. It is simple and elegant and it shows off all the family and their personalities.
Then we get, reality. Life and death.
For the Baylor family and what that means .
Plus a ruby ring.
Thank you
I love it soo much! Thank u! This is just so them 😂
Wonderful! Thank you.
I am a little disturbed by how easily these people kill other people though. I get that it’s fantasy and all but killing someone, even in self defence, would never be casual unless you’re completely psychotic. That being said, I still love the stories you guys tell. (Just had to get it off my chest. No offence)
Hee hee. I’m gonna love this book.
Thanks for the snippet.
+1 😊
Oh my! How wonderfully awesome! Thank you so much! I had read the Facebook post that stated that “tomorrow” would be when we get a snippet, then I scrolled farther and found that “tomorrow” had became “today”. 🥳 Yippee
Yippee love 💕 it. Thanks Thanks!
I can’t squeal with joy as loudly as I normally would because I’m at work and people would ask questions, so let me just say SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
I love this. Thank you
LOVE IT.
I don’t know how you do it but I’m equally excited for each book from each series you write. Thanks for sharing.
*runs around squeeing madly*
This! This is just what I needed today!
Thank you so much for sharing this. It’s so perfect.
You know what I realized as I was reading Blood Heir? Why I love your books so much? It’s the interaction between the people involved. It does all the things it’s supposed to do: make me laugh, make me cry, make me smile, make my heart burst with joy… It brightens every day that I’m allowed to read something you wrote. <3
Thank you.
I keep trying to press the *like* button when I read a comment that says exactly what I was thinking as well. Since it is nowhere to be found, I just have to say, you nailed it, Simone!
+1 what you said!
I try to avoid snippets but I am glad to read this one today. I needed it and kind of did the “le sigh” thing at the end.
Can’t wait to read the book. Thank you for the snippets 💐
Wow, thanks for this. Can’t wait, but will 🤣
**Happy clap like a goof!!!** 😁😁
OMG, this is amazing. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to see what happens next
D’awwww! What a beautiful snippet! It fits so well with all of them.
Thank you!
I love it!!! I’m still excited! And I love Arabella even more!
I meant *so* excited…
Awww Alessandro is so sweet. ❤️
❤😍💕💖🎁🎉!
YUM. Thanks.
Thanks for the complete chapter. Love ❤️ 💕 💗 it
Looking forward to reading ruby fever
Awww… My husband proposed to me on the dance floor at my cousin’s wedding by saying “So are you ready to have more kids?”
It was lovely. (And yes, it’s an inside thing… Not a joke, but a couple funny)
This makes me so happy! I’ve spent my morning doing cost-benefit analysis for our interim CTO of one my proposals for saving the company money. A cost-benefit that I included in the original proposal that he obviously didn’t bother to read. This was a much needed bit of SQUEE, I love Catalina and Alessandro so much and I can’t wait for Ruby Fever! Is it available for pre-order yet. 😉
It was so cute!!
Happy sigh. Thank you for this. Besides the joy from seeing the Baylors again, it brings back lovely memories of my husband proposing equally romantically so many years ago, and the ruby ring he gave me at Christmas 20 years later, because we couldn’t afford it when we became engaged.
I can’t wait loved this
Yesssssss!!!!!!!!! Thank you so so much…. like a warm hug! I know hidden legacies are harder fir you both but bloody hell they are worth it!!
Love qnd light from Oxfordshire UK
Lovely. Thank you.
Alesandro is really going to have to learn not to be so secretive and over protective.
This was a much needed treat – just finished dealing with an insurance adjustor over the damage from a leaky pipe which brought down a bathroom ceiling. Could be worse – the floor didn’t have to be replacdd.
I just finished reading the snippet. I cannot stop smiling. I love this family so much. And House Andrews for creating this fabulous world. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Yes!!! Happy ending, Prime style. I love the house(s). It’s like you’ve taken all the weird houses you’ve seen on Zillow and turned them into this really cool complex. Just awesome! Thanks for the snippet.
Omg I loved everything about this can’t wait.
Oooh! Darn, I can’t wait!
Thank you for the snippet. As always, this is going to be the *best* book.
I know you folks will tell us when we can preorder and that time is “not yet” –
Take my money, please…
Love it 💕
Thank you for this little teaser!A dead body and a ruby ring, I love it!! I so have an addiction to everything you 2 write!! I can’t wait to read the book now! I hope that wait won’t be too long lol…thank you for being so wonderful to your fans!!
Thank you. Love it!
💐🎉 THANK YOU 💐🎉
‘so we would have a separate building to work from?’ ‘people do that?’
I sniggered so hard I got a funny look from the dog!
Love it. Can’t wait for the rest 🥰
That’s exactly what I did too. My hubs gives me “the look” and I then laughed out loud and had to explain!
I wasn’t expecting this kind of surprise but YEAH!! Love it!!
Wonderful!
OMG I can’t wait for this book! I’m so happy right now.
Oh this has made me so very happy!! Thank you oh wonderful authors!
Hurrah! This Ruby snippet is a wonderful surprise for me. Alessandro is refreshing and mannerly. Haha about the kitchen floor.
Like some of the other fans, I’m wondering if there’s a preorder button ready for me to click on? Btw, not rushing you two, just want to ensure I don’t miss out on my happy reads. It’s the knowing that I’ve got all my good books ready to be consumed once they are released. Dislike scrambling to order.
I just have to say that nobody writes like Ilona Andrews. It makes it very difficult to find new reading material from other authors (because I’ve read EVERYTHING in your oeuvre). I tell myself every time you send a snippet that I won’t read it…I will wait for the book. And I never do.
Thank you for hours (and probably days or months) of reading pleasure. You guys rock!
i just went through the entire Nalini Singh Archangel series (13 books) in two weeks. it was a very good read. Fortunately my library has a libby app and i got them both audio and ebooks, plus the most current was an actual book as they are now doing curbside pickup.
That was wonderful !!!!!
Thank you for a cathartic moment in a really rotten day.
A perfect snippet, all will be well.
Thank you so much for this! I really love Catalina and am so glad to see her again.
Love this and can’t wait! 😂😂😂
Awwwww! I love opals! Great choice.
Oh its a ruby. Like the book name,facepalm lol. Please remind the BDH if there is a tentative publishing date?
Hello Sarah,
For the most up to date official news on release dates and plans, please see the Release Schedule page https://ilona-andrews.com/release-schedule/
I hope this helps 🙂
OMGGG
YES YES YESSS
This just brightened my day! Love the snapshots of each personality in the family.
Gasp. 🤯😍
This just made my day. Thank you for sharing.
cant wait for the book
It’s just so Catalina and Alessandro! Classy and deadly!
This is so good! Now thinking of questions for the Ruby Fever Zoom, if it happens. Thank you for making our days and our lives brighter!
Omg…I can’t wait!
Thanks!!!!
This is so wonderful! Thank you for this happy chapter!
Oh joy! Wonderful. I have had such a day fighting rogue invoices and trying not to spit curses at the perpetrators…they’d end up as frogs and I wouldn’t be able to turn them back!
I love this, nobody builds worlds, community and characters like the two of you. Thanks for the snippet…PS I just re-read the Innkeeper series and I love the way you two put George, Jack and the edge world into it. Thanks again!
A national celebration with a great snippet on new beginnings on top : hooray! & Thanks
This was a classic, the scene w Alkesandro is too much, he is so Italian it isn’t funny ( being of Italian descent I know). Just the way he dismissed having killed the guy is it….
This is going to be another gem of a book, you can see it from this snippet.
Though I wonder,does writing about mayhem like this,the stabbings,etc act as surrogate for things the Andrews want to do in real life? *Lol*
“…gem of a book …” — Pun intended?
So great!! I cant wait for this to come out. Thank you for the chapter 😁
Getting proposed to next to a dead body is one of a kind proposal 💍
Lovely; thank you for this gift!
Thank you!
He he he.
I love how Alessandro goes: “Oh, the corpse, no, just ignore it. I ruined my knife though, what a shame.”
This is what I needed today. Thank you! I am very excited about this novel!
Reading this made my morning and I have the biggest smile. Thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to read the next book!
“I feel pretty, oh so pretty!” Happiness.
Not until 2022? ARGH!!!!!!!
Outstanding – thank you.
I love you. This is such a perfect gift to accompany a long awaited day. Thank you.
This and a much better president, what a great day
+1
my new years resolution: buy more books. specifically, fill in the gaps in my collections. started with Ilona Andrews, then 3 bookcases (because they deserve better than the floor) then p.c cast. next Mari v Snyder, and robin hobb. of course, new releases are also on the list…. i cant wait for the next book.. dont even matter the series! lol
AWWWWWW 💝💝
This made me very, very happy. Thank you.
Thank you! Thank you! I love this family! Can’t wait to read the rest of the book and read all about the remodels and renovations planned. I am also doing some major work on the house this year. Two bathrooms from the 1970s, new chimney, roof, and a remodel of a bedroom or two. Forever home make-over.
Is this available for pre-order yet? Am I just missing it?
Hello Frances
Ruby Fever is not available for preorder at the moment, it does not have an official release date yet. For the most up to date official news on release dates and plans, please see the Release Schedule page https://ilona-andrews.com/release-schedule/
I hope this helps 🙂
Dear Moderator R,
Thank you for all you do for the BDH and Ilona and Gordon. We really appreciate it!
Another gem from you (I had to say that) and so soon after Blood Heir!
Thank you so so much. I cannot put into words how much your writing and the little pieces of normalcy you give us mean to me.
I love your stories and the people you create. I can’t wait what happens next.
Take care of you and yours.
Aww thank you. That was lovely. And so Catalina ..”just you,me and the dead body…marry me”
But not in a “oh we survived and are hyped up on adrenaline standing by the corpses of our enemies” way. The cold, calm, mostly bloodless, but not emotionless, “there that’s handled, on to more important stuff” approach was just so fitting.
This was great! Thanks so much.
So glad you’re working on this! I hate that it takes so long to write them but just a day to read them. Thank you for all your hard work!
Thank you! This, the inauguration (have you seen the amazing poem by Amanda Gorman), and the 1st shot of the vaccine have made this a wonderful day!
Kelly, Congratulations on getting a vaccine shot. Still waiting here in Virginia (and will be for quite awhile due to age and availability). Yes, Amanda Gorman’s poem was astounding and she’s only 22!! It will be so exciting to see all that she becomes as a force in the world!
Hhhhmmmmm so good!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…. you get the gist!
As always, you are a light on my dark days. Thank you so much. <3
That was wonderful! I stopped working and just soaked it all in. Leon had always been my favorite and he’d be right pissed if he knew Alessandro was taking his spot. Best not to tell him.
Thank you ❣️
Loved it! This was so them. Thank you
So good and on such a good day to turn a new leaf!!!! Thank you
Thank you!!! 😭
What series is this from? Interesting introduction to several characters plus obviously a society that is somewhat fluid.
Have read Blood Heir 3 times now. Am sorry that Julie and Derek have so many unresolved issues. Will Julie have business in Alaska in the next story?
Hello David,
Ruby Fever will be the 6th book in the Hidden Legacy series and the finale to Catalina Baylor’s trilogy within it https://ilona-andrews.com/hidden-legacy/
I hope this helps 🙂
Love it! I can’t wait to hit that pre purchase button! Do you know how soon we can see a button to press?
BH comment
I just want to say to you both. Thank you! I honestly needed to be able to melt into Atlanta and let the TV sit off while I let myself escape into your worlds. In the time it took me to read it 4 times (once to flash read gobble up the words, second to count the times she felt Derek watching. Next to see the hidden stuff from the boudas and them throwing Ascanio at Jim . Last to put it all together and read it as you wanted us to see.)
My world is back on track and I have a lot less stress. I turned the TV off and have music playing. I had my own magic wave in reading your book.
I want to live in your Atlanta!
Thanks for this 🙂
OMG I am dying for this book….. 😀
Ahhhhhh!!!!!!
So awesome.
Thank you!!!!!!
<3
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just wanted to say thank you! I always tell myself not to read snippets since it makes the wait for release even worse. I usually succumb to temptation about an hour later though. I’ve no will power 🙁
WOW!!!
Thank you so much for this! I am so excited to read the rest!
Gosh, I don’t just want a map of KDW Atlanta, I want a map of this new Baylor Family property!
IKR?
Thank you!
Thank you!
All I can say is this was beyond wonderful. So, so wonderful. Thank you for allowing us a peek at what’s to come. Hugs.
Am I screaming on the inside and smiling like a joyful idiot? YES I AM.
Oh, heck yes! Excellent!
Just another fantastic snippet making me crazy waiting for the book! Thank you so much for the preview!
Just when I was about to start cleaning up around the house, I check my email. Well cleaning up went right out the window. Sat on down and gleefully raced through this chapter. Then decided what the heck and picked up kindle and decided to read some more of current book 🤪.
Oh well mess will be there later or tomorrow.
Thanks for that!!!
you have a very happy fan in mid-Michigan. I save Blood Heir for the weekend and now mid-week a snippet of the Hidden Legacy domain. It makes up for much of the BS I have been enduring this month..
Oh, this is going to be a helluva book. Can’t wait. Have to wait.Probably will not wait patiently. Must keep reminding myself that anticipation is half the fun. Yeah, right. Sure.
I can’t wait for all of it !!
Fun! Thanks so much for the snippet, loved it! 🙂
Thank you so much for this! It really brightened my day.
I love everything, but I love the mention of the Giulio Ferrari Rosé *more*.
Whoever your consultants for All Things Italian (or All Things Fine & Delicious ?) are they did splendidly.
Love…love …love it
Thank you !!!!
Woooooooo! I just finished my re-read of HL so to read this was incredible, thank you 😍
Oh my goodness! Wine, murder and a proposal? What could be better! I love you guys!
Thank you so much, I really liked it. I love the house complex, it sounds amazing. It was great to know that Catalina and Allessandro have their own place, and I quite see her problems with the kitchen! I am currently reading the Kate Daniels series as slowly as possible to last me until Ruby Fever comes out. This snippet was just what I needed! Lots of love from Bristol, England
Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! 🤩🥰😄
Thank you!!!
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the snippet.
Omg, I loved this. I was already looking forward to the book and now it’s moved into the “it really can’t come fast enough, I’m not sure I’ll survive the wait” stage. Thanks so much!!
Thank you! I must say I love the description of the whole new compound. We have always joked about getting a family compound but with space so that we don’t irritate each other too much 😁
“The reply was almost instant. Remove corpse, save knife, don’t tell mom. Got it.”
**Ow** I snorfled decaf right up my nose when I read that. LOL
Awesome snippet! Can’t wait for the whole book.
Oh my god!! This was amazing! Thank You for these little snippets, unfortunately it makes waiting for the whole book so much harder! Love the characters and the world building – each series so unique. I have read them all multiple times.
I do have a question, I was wondering why the books are limited to certain page lengths or number of words, would love to have longer richer character interactions – is it a publishing restriction? What about self published books? Just a question not a criticism. Thanks.
You made a great day even better!
^.^
Thank you for the snippet!
Today is a glorious day for so many reasons and this is a wonderful one! Wow!!!!
Wow can’t wait !
Iam french and I began reading in english because of you (and Kate). Now I speek a quite well english and I’m still totally fan 😉
Lucie,
What a great way to learn English!
House Andrews is fantastic in any language.
Of course it is !!! But it’s very long to wait the french translation (Catalina’s book aren’t in french yet), so impatient readers like me had to switch to reading in english which is a great reason to do it 😉
Ahhh. Oh, so wonderful! So much will change in this book, in this family. I like it. No, I love it. Thank you so very much!
Love it! It’s going to be so hard to wait. Loved Blood Heir, too, but I wasn’t on the Zoom call and so wanted to see all of it on You Tube. Will the rest (the spoilery) ever be added there?
Thank you! A wonderful surprise in a not too fun week!
😀 Love it! Thanks.
I’ll let you finish enjoying the success of Blood Heir (Congratulation on that!) before I start asking when we can have more Ruby Fever.
THANK YOU FOR THE SNIPPET!
…is there a map of this property please?
Awww. So nice!
Thanks for sharing!
questions: where is Grandma?where will her motorpool be located?
Same.
You are such a tease. Love it. Can’t wait. Hurry.
OMG. I’m hyperventilating right now.
“Pretty selfies” OMG ROTFL dead
I can’t wait for this book. Oh, how amazing it will be.
Thank you so much!
Thank you ^_^
I can’t wait till the book releases.
I can’t wait for Ruby Fever. And I just finished Blood Heir. I am greedy. I admit it.
Also, Arabella’s series. I really hope we get Arabella’s series. She cracks me up.
El hecho de que puedan tranformar un momento que muchas veces otros hacen ver solemne y cursi, y logren descontracturarlo, es una de las cosas que más amo de su forma de escribir! Siempre logran que me ría en los momentos menos esperados, muchisimas gracias por este regalo!
“My steps sent echoes scurrying over the travertine floor.”
Absolutely beautiful imagery. Thank you so much.
Feels like Valentine’s Day!
Wahoo! Thank you for the lovely snippet into full chapter.
Thank you!!! Squee!!!
You guys are the best. Thanks so much!
Alessandro was born to be a Baylor. Love it, and thank you! What a great day. <3
Absolutely!
That was lovely.
When did you say Ruby Fever was coming out? LOL
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
😄🙂
Thank you.
That was so good.
I’m looking forward to when I can read the whole book.
…..
In the meanwhile, more snippets??😊
Love it! Thank you for sharing this snippet.
That is one of the things I love most about their books…the imagery.
And duh of course the stories themselves. Only it is the imagery that really brings the books to life.
I loved it all, ☺️ Thank you
❤️💕❤️🌹
This is fantastic. Love the new digs. Love love love.
Just no words except Thank You!!!
Now there will he two assassins in the Baylor family. Leon and Alessandro. Oh boy!
Where’s Grandma Frida? I wonder if she is working on something. 🤔
Thank you for the snippet.
Thank you so much. I needed this so much. We just found out mom has ovarian cancer and this gave me a bright spot I needed.
So sorry to hear that. ‘ I’m sending prayers and good or your family.
Prayers and good thoughts -not sure what happened to the typing
Catalina is an excellent Head of House!
When showing the house to the family, first she made it clear that living and office area were going to be separated, and they ALL loved that idea. She already knew where she wanted everyone and knew what they wanted that would them happy. Then she expertly showed the home in order to ensure no one would change their mind just because. She understood all her family wanted privacy and still be close together. Not living in the main house together as Arabella, Leon and Bern first thought they were going to have to.
She surprised first Leon and Bern with what would be perfect for them, then teased Arabella with the “shack” building right up until they walked around the house and Arabella took off running to it.
Mom already know that Catalina and Alessandro would also not be in the house because she flat out asked where their house was.
That puts the family matriarchs in the main house and still allows for the teams to be set up between the barracks and main house as Patricia would advice.
Yes like she said before, paperwork and planning are definitely were Catalina shines.
😌
❤️
“ Do you know what my sister likes more than anything?”
“Shoes?”
This. This is what has spoiled me for all other authors.
Love it, looking forward to having something new to love after BH
Thank you IA
I love the Baylor family and Alessandro fits right in! Thank you for this fab snippet. Can’t wait to read RF so will be wishing another year of my life away. 🌞
Still flowing on the energy of Blood Heir and keep dipping back in.
LOVE!!!
Thank you so much!!
Ahhh! I can’t wait! Thank you! That was a perfect snippet to make my day amaze!!!!
So so awesome. So so much to unpack. So so much to look forward to!
So will you be getting the Baylors a flock of Naked Neck chickens for part of that agricultural exemption? I can see Arabella getting them a coupe shaped like a castle.
This is so perfect, thank you! You made a great day even better!
I want one of the towers! (and Alessandro!)
thank you so much, this is my favourite series of yours – appreciate the snippet – curious if this is the beginning of the book or middle of the book?
Hi Nickole,
My understanding from Ilona was that this is the beginning. However, the book is still being written!
I love you guys!
Thank you!
💕❤️
Oh.
I love it. It makes my heart feel happy.
Thank you for sharing this snippit.
Aw, love this! Thanks!
I love it!
Thank you! You are so generous with your work here. I really appreciate it.
I watched the video of the post book release chat and love your vibe. You both come across as authentic and caring. Thank you thank you.
Wow another great book to read. 😃
Heh heh heh This is going to be soooo good! Thank you for the treat!!
Thank you very much for sharing this! That’s such fabulous chapter, and this proposal scene is just perfect. Perfect for this couple, I mean. Made me grin. Thank you! You are incredible writers and I love reading your blog so much. Спасибо!
Thank you for the second half snippet on the potential new family compound — I had been thinking about it quite a bit since the first half snippet came out. Loved it … must be my addiction to the home buying and renovation shows. (This could lead to HL world shows like “Magic Mansion in a Hurry”, “Love it or Lift It”, Harmonizing with Harper”, ?)
So many great lines in the chapter (“winged whales”, “shoes?”) but no one mentioned my favorite:
“… Team Facts and Team Facts-Be-Damned…”
Hope writing continues to go well, and you all continue to get some rest and enjoyment out of life.
Love it 😍 – thank you for the snippet 🥰
Hey, Gordon. A bed and breakfast that was supposed to be secure for Houston elite and it doesn’t have a moat? You still have a chance to add one. (To the new Baylor homestead, not to your house. I am not in any way advocating for a moat, Ilona. [wink wink])
Shhhh! Don’t give Gordon any ideas. However, that could have been discussed but out voted. 🤫😁
I just had this flash through my mind. If the property had a most, I can picture Alessandro trying to serenade Catalina in a boat while everyone else shouting advice to him from the windows. 😂😂😂😂😂
I’m picturing family remote-controlled boat races in between family computer game night.
Um. Proposal next to dead body?? O.o
Glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who went a bit 😱 at the corpse-side proposal.
I get that Alessandro is long past feeling any remorse about killing, but I didn’t expect Catalina to have already reached the point where it didn’t even bother her, even if the guy was sent by Arkan.
Then again, maybe that’s why she’ll make a better Warden than any of her sisters.
Amazing! Thank you 😁.
So marvelous! I can’t wait to read the book. It’s another wonderful world y’all have created. Thank you both for all the entertainment and escape from this world.
Ooh. Love this!!
Best line: Team Facts and Team Facts Be Damned. 🤣
I have been in these discussions. Now I know what to call the teams!
Thanks for this!
Snippet! Yay! Thanks!
Just looked at NY Times best seller list….your book is #5! Congratulations and Thank you for being so great at writing your books.
Thank you for this! I’m beyond excited for this book! Everything you all do is so high quality and entertaining. I will, as always, semi-patiently wait for it to come out.
PS. Is it time yet? 😉
I am hooked already. You all work so hard and I thank you. I am in love with all the families you have created.
OMG WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!?! I smiled so hard while reading :’)
Blood Heir has climbed to the number 5 spot on NY book list. Congratulations! IA
Yay! Thank you. I am looking forward to reading the book when it comes out.
Thank you!
The perfect cherry on a wonderful day. Thank you!
Several responses: 1) Love, love, love, love, love; 2) Is there a tentative publishing date yet? 3) “Torturing her was delicious” – so great! 4) I am prepared to fight Leon for the Norman castle.
This made me smile and maybe tear up a little when I think about them getting to be each other’s family. Thank you for making a kind of crappy day a bit better. In fact, all the stories you tell do that for me, so thank you. Sincerely.
Where will grandma frida work?
Ahhhhhhh!!!!!
Thank you for this. Was not expecting. So looking forward to the release, though my reread of KD is keeping me occupied for now. They are the cutest. :3 I love House Baylor so much. The family dynamics are just <3
Well. That was much loved and needed!!
Dear Andrews,
Thank you for the snippet. It brought the first real smile to my face in a couple of days. Thank you sincerely.
Of course now I need more of your writing but that’s me being greedy.
Cheers xoxo
Wow, this is the best! Loved it and looking forward to the book!
+1
This has been a rough week (bad health news) and it’s only Wednesday. I’ve been rereading Kate Daniels to distract myself and now this. Thank you for the joy your books bring and for sharing little bits of them with us. I can’t express how much it helps.
Elise, hoping your days to come only get better and better. I know I love reading all of Ilonia Andrews books (and the blogs!), they always manage to take me away from my own stress. Just wanted to send you a little note to let you know others are thinking of you.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart❤️😊
I’m a nerd and at the description of the “positively medieval” stone wall, I couldn’t help but think of Pride and prejudice movie. I love the descriptor and now plan to say it at an opportune inappropriate time! (The bit from the movie is where Caroline says “My goodness, did you see her hem? Six inches deep in mud. She looked positively mediaeval”.)
I picked that up too!
Love P&P
Thank you IA for the snippet-its made my day
Thank you. Ontario just announced that we would not be re-opening all the schools on Monday as planned. We are to continue “learning” from home for an indefinitely longer time. As a teacher, it is very disappointing. I really needed this. Just like I really needed to binge-read Blood Heir on the weekend. Your work and blog make me smile. Thank you.
https://youtu.be/Zy_y9yOrgxk
In case you haven’t seen this, how another teacher is dealing with the pandemic. I literally laughed out loud.
Loved it!
😍🥰😍
Thank you so much for the snippet! You knew I was going into withdrawal after finishing Blood Heir, thinking how long it would be before the next Ilona Andrews book. Thanks again! House Andrews is the BEST
I really needed this today. Thank you!!
What proposal doesn’t need an assassination attempt? 🤣
If I didn’t already know Alessandro was the one for Catalina, his detailed description of her telling him to stay in the car and look pretty would’ve convinced me.
Thank you – made my day.
Love every word you put out.
Thanks for the snippet! Hope you are having a wonderful day, since you made mine! 🤗 Stay safe and be well.
Hello, I’m Ray and I’m an IA Addict.. My first hit was a little book I picked up after reading the cover in a bookstore oh-so-long ago (Borders if you a-know, b-remember and c-care) and picked up “On the Edge” and I’ve been hooked ever since and have read every little thing they’ve written. These days I jones my way through my days clicking on the blog several times a day, drinking tea and re-reading all my books. Sometimes in order, other times it depends what I feel like reading.
So Thank You to the Author Lords for writing so very well and being so devoted to their craft.
Welcome, Ray. 😁
*swoon*
I shouldn’t be this bloodthirsty, but the proposal right after murdering an assassin in their new kitchen is just so perfectly THEM.
This scene gave my homebody heart all the warm fuzzies before, but now? Absolute happiness overload. This is why you are my favorite authors and I pre-order every book you write the moment they’re available.
Divine!
Looking forward to taking another THRILLING adventure with you both.
You can get a roll-on with MSM, arnica, Boswellia and ilex. It is used for arthritis, muscle sprains and cramps. I like the roll-on version because it stays where you place it, unlike the spray, which is good because I have a low back injury from a car accident in addition to other injuries. Acupuncture also helps. I hope that you are feeling better.
Oh thank you. This made my day. I got a flat tire, then it started raining while I was changing it. I came home and the dogs had dragged the litter box from the cat’s room into the living room. And apparently my vacuum needs a new battery because it didn’t charge. So after sweeping and mopping and having a drink, I got to read this snippet. It capped off the evening on a high note.
Love love love it
Thank you for the snippet looking forward to the book release 🤗😆
Awww yay! New house and impending nuptials, huzzah! 🎉🎉
Thank you for this lovely snippet!
Thank you for the snippet, it made my day. I am so looking forward to this coming out! I’m starting to go a little stir crazy…
Thank you. It’s going to be wonderful!
I’m looking forward to the book! Thanks for teaser, heh.
He-he-he-he-he!So gooooooood!
It’s been a wonderful day, this adds to the good. Thank you.
Awww! They are sweet. Deadly, but sweet.
A sweet treat!
Thank you!
I really love it. I can’t wait for the book to come out in 2022–I hope really early in the year. Is there someone who can draw a map and picture of the house?? It’s such an interesting house for a quirky eccentric family, that a map and pic would help with the visuals in my head. And, it would be fun.
I want individual pictures of each building, and a map indicating how they connect, and a close up on the ring, and a scene where Arabella finds out that she is targeted – does she transform or not? My guess is only if the assassin is present. And a picture of Arabella transformed with an inset of her petite self beforehand. I wish I were an artist. House Andrews are artists with words, I love that and also yearn for a really good visual. Someday movies and series (series are better – more screen time) will be based on these books. I can’t wait!
I know it has been said before but this really did just make my day, thank you!!!
Loooooooove! Your writing helps all the things that are weird right now❤️
Soo good loved the extra bit I can tell I will love this book
Thank you! You are so good to us 👻👻👻👻👻
absolutely wonderful 🙂 just makes you smile
But.. i wonder what Alessandro’s family (grandpa) will think about this.
We already know his sister (and probably mother) will rejoice but i think granddad might have an issue.
Now that they have all this room his mother and Sisters could join the Family. I Wonder what their Powers are.
I cannot wait for this book! 😀 thank you for the snippet 🙂
Thank you so much for the snippet. This was the cherry on my day.
Awwww I loved it. It was so sweet 😀
You guys are the best! House Andrews rocks! Thank you for providing us with such an amazing haven of refuge and relief during these dark days.
Wonderful! Thank you. Missing Grandma…is she working on a tank? I love the progression of the family. Such wonderful snippets are never late.
Made my day and made me smile,thanks
Tc
Thank you
Awww, Catalina and Alessandro’s domestic life is going to be such fun! They need a special body-disposal-unit added to their house somewhere maybe?
Always loved the Baylor Warehouse, and this property is going to be real cool with all the possible scenery…..
Thank you for the lovely snippet.
I love it, thank you so much! From the description, it seems like somewhere where I would like to live too. Well, minus that assassin.
Loooooove this. That was one proposal. Hahaha
Valioooo 🥰
Thank you
Thank You!!!!
First of all, I was today years all when I learned what travertine was, and that I want a wall in my bathroom to be made of it…
Second of all, hot damn, what a way to propose. It gave me a smile all throughout my coffee break. Thank you for making my day better 🙂
Oh my gosh. Reading new material from you guys is like taking a breath of fresh air. Thank-you so much for the snippet <3
Adult me: Wow, this is great. I can be very patient, waiting quietly until next year.
Non-adult me: Now, now, now! Gimme, gimme now. I want the Book Now!! Pretty please with anything you want on top. Uh wait a sec, the book still has not downloaded to my Kindle acct. Ok, who do I hv to kill to get this book yesterday?!!
Laughing because you hit it on the head perfectly! Well said!
Thank you! This was sweet.
just thank you. thank you for writing, and continuing to write, books that i love to read. 🥰
Loved it! Thank you both very much for treating us with a snippet.
Thank you again for an awesome snippet!
I am also an addict for anything HA writes and have zero interest in getting over it.
Magic Bites was my gateway book about 12 years ago. 😉
Thank you so much!!! This was really awesome to read.
I’m very grateful, have a great day!
Thanks so much for the snippet. Can’t wait to see how Grandma Victoria reacts to the news of the engagement. Not to mention Alessandro’s family. Heh.
Delightful as always.
Thanks!
Would be real fun if in the book Alesandro and Catalina pretend to be angaged just for the money.Like Alesandro is a golddigger (or she is -dont remember who is more wealthy in the public eye).
Thank you for your continuous generosity. Your books are already making my year better.
I wonder if you really thought some of us would skip to the new part. I can’t imagine anyone doing that.
My only question is where will Grandma do her work?
I hate that it will be so long before we know how this book goes. I try to imagine it, but it never is any good when it’s what I thought about. I absolutely love the way Allesandro told her the ring was only for her, no one else.
I did read Blood Heir, and it was good. It’s listed as the first in a series, if you care. You have said many times that if it doesn’t sell well, you won’t write more. Well, I think the audience has decided that an encore is necessary.
All of which means … deep breath … 4 more Hidden Legacy, at least one more Innkeeper so we can find Klaus and the parents, and however many Ryder books.
I look forward to many hours of enjoying your many many hours of work in the future. Stay strong.
This is beautiful. I look forward to this beautiful and exciting story!
This put the biggest smile on my face. Hell YES!
OMG.
You guys never, ever fail.
Thank you! It is an excellent snippet. It’s been a trying couple of weeks and you gave my brain a mental pause. It is greatly appreciated.
So good! Thank you. 🙂
OMG! Reading your work makes me so giddy! I cannot wait!!!!!
Today started with tears and sadness and now I have laughter. I know you hear this from the BDH often, but your blog keeps us going. I can’t find the words to thank you. ROFL and upset the cat sleeping on my lap.
Thank you so very much for this lovely snippet. A reminder that life is good even when bad things (like the body in the kitchen and an Arkan looming in the background, or Covid) are happening. We can still choose love and happiness!
Love it. Thanks for the snippet…cackling….just can’t wait to read what grandma says. Hehe she is the best…
Love love love it!
As always, I can hardly stand it, waiting for your next book. I have never been disappointed, and never expect to be. I love your story telling.
Loved it. Thank you.
After I read this my inner bookworm squealed and started doing cartwheels. The marriage, the proposal, the ring, I just love it (though the dead body was a bit concerning). This was a fantastic snippet! Thank you.
I just finished Blood Heir then stumbled upon this. As many others have said, it’s great to have these wonderful stories. Visiting with characters we’ve all come to know and love. Thanks so much. Looking forward to the next adventure.
Thank you! this makes me very happy.
Patricia’s text made me laugh so hard. Love it!
Love love love this snippet!
May the Almighty bless you and your hearts that grace us with these delicious bites of words and worlds.. tyvvvm!
Oh my Lord,hurry up, 2022
Wonderful stuff
Carol xx
I loved this snippet! I love Catalina and Alessandro so much! And of course the whole family! I can’t wait for Ruby Fever!
And I’m excited to read Blood Heir! I pre-ordered it but waiting to read it until my daughter spends the night at my parents so I have no interruptions. Otherwise she complains I don’t pay attention to her lol.
i had been reading some other series and trying to figure out which one i wanted to contiue first, when one of your books came out. Suddenly i no longer cared about the others.
Reading one of yours is like watching the super bowl after you had just gotten used to thinking one high school team or another was really pretty good.
Aww, I love it!
Awesome I cant wait to read this book! like all the others I will need a paper and audio copy. cant wait
Trank you. It is amazing.
Love it! So looking forward to the new novel!
Perfect just perfect
Thanks for the snippet!
Absolutely loved it
🥰
Oh my god, that scene was so perfect, there are literally no words to describe its perfection. I can totally see that happening! I would love to see one of those poor unfortunate souls go after Arabella, that would be something to see! Also, does Alessandro know what Arabella is? I mean, probably, since she changed in the first book when they rescued Alessandro, but it was never specified. Thank you so much for the snippet House Andrews, you guys are amazing!
I. Will. Wait. For. This. Book. I will not whine. I will not pout. I will pre-order when available. I will try to resist reading snippets by rereading another series written by Gordon and Ilona, so I don’t skip over any parts—who am I kidding? I love the snippets and the teasers, and I love.
I. Will. Wait. For. This. Book.
Omg omg love!!!
Thank you very much! I really needed to smile today! 😁
Thank you for the mental break, I’m helping a good friend go thru hospice as her main caregiver. Thank you for the laughter, it has been in short supply lately.
Thank you for the snippet! Love it! Re-reading HL so it’s nice to be in the midst of the Baylors again.
Whee! Thank you so much for sharing this! <3
Thanks so very much for posting this!
Also, everytime I read ” Ruby Fever,” I keep hearing the song “Boogie Fever” playing in my head.
I was only seven when that song came out, so I have no idea why that pops into my brain, but it makes me laugh everytime. I can totally picture Arabella rockin’ some groovy disco wear just to irritate Catalina!
Love it, love it, love it!!! So when is the book out………;)
Thank you for brightening my day with your story. Must have missed the bit where Catalina’s wicked grandmother becomes a null factor or Alessandro agrees to become a Baylor instead of a Sagredo. Look forward to catching up with that little wrinkle. Don’t stop writing.
Love it! Looking forward to the book release.
So, despite the fact that I adore the Innkeeper books, I have managed not to get entangled in the Hidden Legacy series** Now, however, I must read it. I like these people. I love that house.
** Nothing personal, it’s just that my TBR pile is well past overwhelming.
What a treat, always hungry for more. Thank you for the snippet, I’ve binge read all of Kates titles and have Blood Heir edition, trying to make it last. Like a nibble of a good chocolate!!!
I can’t decide whether this is cool or cruel because now i really want to build a time machine and get the book right NOW. i couldn’t be more hyped for it than now
[*happy sigh*]
Thank you.
It took me meant rereads to realize the Dennis Moody scene is in the FIRST BOOK. As in before he left, he had already decided he was gonna come back for her. That makes my heart happy
Hi,
Thank you! This will help the wait. 🙂
And what a silly thing to think that we would not read it again the first part.
It is almost as if you thought we were newbies and not professional fans. Hah!
Thanks for this gift. Just wanted you to know that I started reading your books on december and already got through all hidden legacy and Kate Daniels books. Thanks for such good stories they help me keep my sanity during difficult times
As much as I love this, and I really really love this…….I’m still dying to know who Sebastian North is, and where are Dina’s parents?!? The suspense is killing me! I really want Dina, Maude, and Klaus to get their happy ending ( not to mention that Klaus is an ARBITRATOR!!! ).
Of all your books I love the HL the most. I think as it’s because all of the family (not just the girls) grow as the series progresses. From fearful to fearless, from meek to militant and from unskilled and unprepared to a force to behold. Catalina has grown the most so far but I think that is because Nevada had alot of responsibility earlier in life (and before the books started). I can’t wait for the finish of Catalina’s story, she is so steadfast and considered now. I REALLY can’t wait for Arabella’s story to start…she has wit, style and now matter what situation she finds herself in; she has confidence that she’s the biggest monster in the room. Her book will funny, action-packed and unapologetic. It will be good to see how Grandma Tremaine is dealt with and who Grandpa is (I have a hunch but am not saying). Bring on Ruby Fever!!