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Hiatus Book Review-Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews

by | Aug 16, 2022 | Book Reviews | 5 comments

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

Atlanta was always a dangerous city. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival.

Eight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name—Aurelia Ryder—drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind. An ancient power is stalking her adopted mother, Kate Daniels, an enemy unlike any other, and a string of horrifying murders is its opening gambit.

If Aurelia’s true identity is discovered, those closest to her will die. So her plan is simple: get in, solve the murders, prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and get out without being recognized. She expected danger, but she never anticipated that the only man she’d ever loved could threaten everything.

One small misstep could lead to disaster. But for Aurelia, facing disaster is easy; it’s relationships that are hard.

My Review

Blood Heir is a story that showcases the second chance romance of a pairing we have all been waiting on since the beginning of the Kate Daniels series. I was joined in reading this with “Angie Elle” my buddy reader for this one.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this one here, and to be honest Julie isn’t a character I have always loved. I always suspected she and Derek would have their story written and was pleased to see that they are the romantic focus in the story although the book isn’t focused solely on their connection, the romance is slow building and does take a bit of a back seat to the story line (which is the norm for the book connected to this series) I was delighted to be able to grab this one in audio format, I just adore the narrator that this author duo team chooses, she is perfection is portraying the characters so well.

We are blessed in seeing so many of our old favorites and even though the circumstances aren’t the best with Julie having a new identity and hiding herself from all those that she considers family, we still get to see some of the characters we have missed since the ending of the Kate Daniels series. I really like the progression of the time frame that we find ourselves in. We have skipped ahead and I loved seeing Julie being so much more mature. She is similar to Kate in some respects, but she is definitely her own unique individual. I really loved seeing her growth and magic and her drive to save Kate.

The romance that we see between Derek and Julie (which is what I was looking forward to the most) was VERY SLOW but the chemistry was powerful. We see such a beautiful bond between these two. We don’t get a ton of interaction in their romance, because there is the world building plot that is the primary focus of the story. But we do see how much these two have a magical connection to each other. And in Derek we see many changes as well, I would love to see his story unfold in future books and see what brought about those changes in him. When we get the unveiling of secrets at the end there, WHEW, was I ever caught up in the moment there. Especially in realizing that Derek knew ALL along who she really was. But I wasn’t too surprised by it to be honest, I was so disappointed in Derek in not knowing who she truly was so it made me happy to see that he would stand by her even when she hurts him. All I will say is these two (just like Kate and Curran) seriously need to learn to honestly and openly communicate. Maybe they will learn faster than K&C.

I am very curious to see where this series will go and seeing the danger that Julie is in here, but also fascinated in the danger set up and the world building that this author team has done such a supreme job with.

Overall I found this book to be a stunning display of magical urban fantasy, a friends to lovers reconnecting after years of separation and a powerhouse of a read that will stun the reader with sensations of thrills and angst.

Title: Blood Heir

Author: Ilona Andrews

Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance

Format: eBook

Source: Library

Length: 359 Pages

Amazon| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club

Book Evaluation

Storytelling Quality: 5

Story Itself: 4.5

Character Development: 4

Writing Style: 4.5

World Building 5

Feels + The Romantic Heart 3.5

Pacing 4.25

Plot 5

Cover Art 5

Ending 5

Book Ratings

Overall Rating of the Book

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Steam Level

Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy

Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.

About The Author

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.

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5 Comments

  1. Carole

    I am so glad that you enjoyed this one! I cannot wait to get more stories about this fantastic pair.

    Reply
  2. Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer

    Lovely review. This is a top five author for me, and I devoured all of her series. I am hoping we see more of this spinoff.

    Reply
  3. Sophia Rose

    I confess to putting this one off because I’ve never been a Julie fan, but I will eventually read it b/c it is in the world of a series I loved. Appreciated your rundown of it.

    Reply
  4. Jen

    Great review. I really enjoyed this one, and now I want to reread. I hope they have more soon.

    Reply

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