cover image White Hot

White Hot

Ilona Andrews. Avon, $7.99 mass market (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-228925-4

Andrews sets fully realized characters, killer action scenes, and a hot and sweet romance against a dynastic world of mages. It’s been two months since the explosive concluding events of Burn for Me devastated Nevada Baylor, a Houston PI and psychic truthseeker (able to tell when people are lying). She hasn’t heard from mage Connor Rogan since then, which is just as well, because she’s fighting strong feelings for him that go against every one of her instincts. When Cornelius Harrison, an animal mage, asks for her help after his wife is murdered, she takes the case, but her investigation leads her back into Connor’s orbit and the stakes become even higher. Nevada’s eclectic family is a delight: Mom is a sniper, Grandma specializes in armored vehicles, and her teen sisters and cousins aren’t to be trifled with either. Nevada herself is a deeply compassionate person who discovers that Connor isn’t as cold and calculating as she first thought—especially when it comes to romancing her. Andrews does a fantastic job of catching up new readers while enchanting existing fans. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary. (May)