Editor’s Note: On Monday, we ran Kaetrin’s review of Burn for Me. Kaetrin is a longtime Andrews audio fan as are several of us here at AudioGals. We thought it would be interesting to hear as well from a romance listener who has never read Ilona Andrews work or listened to Renee Raudman. 

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Although I’m a longtime paranormal/urban fantasy romance listener, I had not had the pleasure of experiencing one of Ilona Andrews’ works. So when I saw she was releasing a new series, I jumped at the chance to listen to Burn for Me.

Wow, what a complex and intricate world she has woven! I loved that this series was so original and different from the other titles I have read or listened to in this genre. I will warn you though, that given this complexity, it definitely took a while for me to warm up to this title, as there is quite a bit of necessary world-building before the real action begins. In that regard, I will note as well that the romance also does not really commence until at least mid-way through the book, and even then, it takes a backseat to the action and suspenseful plot. All that said, it’s definitely worth the wait, and I have a feeling we have only seen a fraction of the heat and intensity that is sure to come from this series.

In Burn for Me, a person’s magical strength is paramount, and the world is ruled by Houses, composed of the most magically powerful families. The most gifted magic users are called Primes. With great power comes great responsibility thus the top Houses and their Primes are tasked with maintaining order in society.

Nevada Baylor, a twenty-five-year-old small-time detective, and the primary financial caretaker of her family now that her father has passed away, is in for the case of a lifetime. Blackmailed by the House that holds the mortgage to her business, she is given little choice but to hunt down Adam Pierce, a member of this House, who has gone rogue. Pierce is a Prime and is able to set things on fire by just touching them, making him extremely dangerous, and nearly impossible to forcibly capture. Nevada’s powers, at least those that she would dare share with others, are nowhere near as powerful, and she doesn’t come from a well-to-do Prime family, so she knows she has her work cut out for her. Moreover, her mission is to bring him home unharmed.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, for her, Connor “Mad” Rogan, a billionaire who is one of the most powerful Primes in the world, a man who can actually move, or blow-up physical objects, even extremely large ones (like buildings) and who is feared by many, is also after Adam, albeit for a different reason. Nevada can’t afford for Mad Rogan to harm Adam, but she also knows she may need his help to reel him in. Unsure of whether to runaway from Mad Rogan or to actually work hand in hand with him, Nevada ultimately settles upon working together. But can Nevada trust Mad Rogan, a man who she considers a sociopath? Moreover, as their joint mission leads to undeniable attraction, will trusting him with her mission be enough, or will Mad Rogan demand that she surrender herself as well?

One of the features that endeared me the most to this listen was Nevada’s great strength. I love it when a heroine is sharp as a whip and can hold her own with an alpha hero. Moreover, the constant witty banter between this dynamic duo, as Nevada fought hard to maintain the balance, was fantastic and, at times, not just kept me enthralled but also in stitches. I also loved the seemingly unconventional, but nonetheless sage and realistic, wisdom that her grandmother imparts to Nevada as Nevada is trying to figure out the maze towards capturing her target and, at the same time, not being swallowed up by the force that is Mad Rogan.

Further enhancing this entertaining, thought provoking listen is the greatly talented narration by Renee Raudman which brings this magical realm to life. This was also my first experience with Ms. Raudman, and I have to say, I was very impressed with her great range and ability to deliver highly differentiated voices for each character. Each character had its own unique sound making it very easy to distinguish the speaker. To me, this is one of the essential hallmarks of a highly skilled narrator.

I also loved how adeptly Ms. Raudman delivered the plentiful humorous lines, perhaps the most memorable of which are part of the heroine’s internal dialogue. It would be so easy to get lost between the actual dialogue and that going on in Nevada’s head. Ms. Raudman, however, varies her intonation just enough to make it absolutely clear when Nevada was contemplating versus speaking, and moreover does it in such a way that she perfectly times the comical nature of many of these internal sarcastic monologues.

My only observation, as it relates to the narration, is that, at least initially, it struck me that both the heroine and hero sounded older than I would have expected. Possibly it is a result of their life experiences making them wise beyond their years, but it is an effect that I noticed. All that said, Nevada’s mother and grandmother both sounded appropriately older. Additionally, as it relates to Rogan, in particular, his unique characterization may have been more a side effect of conveying his mental (“Mad”) detachment from humanity, which Ms. Raudman does an admirable job of doing. It couldn’t have been easy to find just the right sound for an alpha hero who is supposed to be both sexy and, at least at the beginning before Nevada starts affecting him, a total sociopath with no ability to empathize, and yet Ms. Raudman proves her great skill by doing just that. I definitely look forward to listening to more of Ms. Raudman’s works in the future!

All in all, Burn for Me was an impressive start to a new magical, romantic fantasy series. I can’t wait to see how Rogan and Nevada’s relationship evolves, and how the mystery surrounding the real agent behind Adam Pierce’s actions begin to be solved, in Book 2 of Hidden Legacy.

BJ

Narration:  B+

Book Content:  B+

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Fighting

Genre:  Urban Fantasy Romance

Publisher:  Harper Audio

Burn for Me was provided to AudioGals by Harper Audio for review.