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Book Talk With Mel and Sue - Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews Review & Giveaway!

9/9/2020

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Welcome to our very first "Book Talk".  In posts like this Melanie (From Melanie's Muses - just in case there was any doubt) and author Susan Harris will both read the same book and then post their thoughts.  Make sure you scroll to the end for your chance to win a paperback copy Emerald Blaze!
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** Disclosure**
​Any Links To Buy On Amazon Is My Amazon Affiliate Link.
​(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases - Which helps provide for the giveaways!)
Emerald Blaze Official Blurb
As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart. 
The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won't rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that's tearing their world apart. 




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Standalone or series?
Melanie  - The publicity director says it can be read as a Standalone, so that's what I did!
Susan - Series- although please ignore Melanie when she says you can read this book without reading books 1-4 and the novella. You just can’t get a feel for why the characters are the way they are unless you’ve dived in from book 1. 
Melanie - I managed just fine! 
Susan - but you would have had to manage if you had read the books from the start...it's like jumping into a show on season 2! 


How did we get this book?
Publisher sent it to Melanie. Susan purchased via Book Depository

Why did we choose to read  this book:  Susan was already a fan of Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniel’s series and of the other books in the Hidden Legacy series… and had been trying to convince Melanie to start it - Melanie decided to just start here as the Publisher sent her 2 copies of this one and insisted it would work much to Susan's disapproval!

And Now To The Review!

First Impressions:
Susan - As a continuation of the series, it’s your typical middle book- fast paced and engaging. Catalina has changed a lot since the last book, even more so from the quiet and fearful girl she was because her family kept her protected. Now, she’s a Prime in charge of the family business trying to crumble under the weight of it all.  
Melanie -  Susan assured me there would be no wolves.  On the first page there were wolves! OK so it turns out they weren't ACTUALLY wolves but when I have a magical book,  and it says "Wolf in man's clothing" how was I supposed to know that this was code for "Assassin"? Why not just say Assassin? *rolls eyes*
Susan -It is perfectly acceptable to describe a predator or assasin as a wolf- you just have this "Thing" about wolves...le sigh


General Review
Susan -For me, I’ve always loved the family dynamics in the Hidden Legacy series. You can tell that the characters love each other deeply and would do anything to protect one another. Now that Nevada has gotten married and almost ready to pop with her and Rogan’s first child, Catalina has taken over the role of being the breadwinner and defacto stalwart of the family. Dealing with a broken heart while trying to find her feet as the head of a newly formed House, for someone like Catalina, it can be lonely and heavy to bear the burden. When Alessandro comes back into the picture, Catalina has to deal with the consequences of the deal she made with her grandmother, Victoria Tremaine, one that means Catalina may never have the happily ever after her sister has.
I did however find that the “Villain” of the book and the outcome was easy for me to predict, but maybe that’s because I could see the plot. I think when you had a villain like Adam Pierce from Nevada’s series…unless you have a bigger more bad-ass evil Prime then I feel kinda cheated.
Highlight of the book, with all the books, has to be Bug…I bloody love that foul mouth little git and would 100% sign up to read a book based on him

Melanie  - OK, so obviously I didn't have any of that background info and to be honest it didn't really make that much difference to me.  The magic set up is pretty standard (except the damn wolves thing), and you have Primes at the top in various houses and with their own specialties, and even rules that were unique to this story/world were easy enough for an experienced reader to follow.  So I guess the question is, would I have enjoyed it more had I known the families and their history before? Personally I don't think so.  The highlight of the book for me was by far a random statement about how artificial
consciousness  works, which I will admit was random but it was so good that it bumped the star rating up for me. I don't think any prior knowledge would have changed my thoughts, although not having read any with a true "big bad" maybe I didn't notice so much that it was missing? So maybe that worked in my favor!

Final Thoughts
Susan - Emerald Blaze is another fantastic read from the husband and wife duo, Ilona Andrews. I look forward to the final book in the series to see just what happens between Catalina and Alessandro and if her grandmother gets her own way. I’m mostly excited to see who may be the next member of the Baylor family to get a spin off of their own…
Melanie  - Emerald As my introduction to what I now know is a husband and wife duo, Ilona Andrews, I will say it improved as it went on.  I don't think I will be rushing out to read any more, but I certainly didn't hate it.


Rating:
Susan – 4 Stars
Melanie - 4 Stars (but only just) .

Be sure to let us know in the comments below if you liked our "double take" on the same book and if you have a book you would like us to read just let us know!

via GIPHY

 GIVEAWAY DETAILS & HOW TO ENTER!

Melanie's Muses will be giving away a paperback copy of Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews.

For your chance to win- leave a comment ON THIS POST ON THE WEBSITE (comments left on shares around other social media WILL NOT COUNT) - Telling us if you have read any of Ilona's books before.

The winner will be picked randomly from qualifying comments.  Having read the books does not increase your chances of winning. 

Winner will be announced during the Live show on September 20th (and then posted here on the blog as well on the 21st).  Full Rules Below!

   Good luck everyone! 

Rules

  • Only comments posted on THIS original website post will be considered.
  • This is open internationally.  If you win and you cannot accept mail due to Covid issues we will hold the prize until such time as you can.  Some exceptions may apply based on Post Office Regulations.  Melanie's Muses takes no responsibility for rules beyond her control.  Void Where Prohibited.
  • Sharing is always appreciated but is not required for entry.  
  • Winner Will Be Picked At Random.
  • Void where prohibited.  Prize is provided via Melanie's Muses and will be mailed by her.
  • Winner will be announced during the live on Sunday September 20th  2020 AND posted on this post on Monday September 21st. Winner will have 48 hours to claim by messaging their address to
    ​ - https://www.facebook.com/MelaniesMuses/ Or prize is considered forfeit.
  • Any questions please contact Melanie on the Facebook page.




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