Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: Shadow Rider
Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Shadow, #1
Pages: 480
Publisher: Jove
Date: June 28, 2016
Summary:
Whether it’s fast cars or fast women, Stefano Ferraro gets what he wants. When he’s not fodder for the paparazzi, he commands Ferraro family businesses—both legitimate and illegitimate.
While their criminal activity is simply a rumor yet to be proven, no one knows the real truth. The Ferraros are a family of shadow riders capable of manipulating light and dark, an ability Stefano thought ran in his family alone—until now…
With little left to her name, Francesca Cappello has come to Chicago in hopes of a new life. She wasn’t expecting to attract the attention of a man with primal hunger in his eyes, driven to claim her as his to protect and to please. And if he discovers her secret, it could ruin her…
Review:
Any fan of Christine Feehan knows she does not write “light” books. Her most famous (to me) series is even called Dark, although I always think of it as The Carpathians. Her Ghostwalker series is even more intense and even the Drake sisters is more dark than happy.
The new Shadow series is no exception. It definitely leans (and sometimes falls over) to the dark side . . . and I love it.
I have to admit it started out slow. I understand that any new series is going to have some world building, but I swear I was a third of the way through the book before I figured out where it was going. That is the reason I only gave it three stars. It was well worth the time though.
Stefano takes the whole alpha male/protector personality to an extreme . . . sometimes too much for me and definitely too much for Francesca. He could be hard to like. After his family background is explained, he becomes, if not more likeable, definitely more understandable.
SPOILERS — SPOILERS — SPOILERS — SPOILERS — SPOILERS — SPOILERS
I did not like the fact that the Shadow Riders could only mate/breed with someone who has Shadow Rider blood. There is only one actually mate for a Rider, although they can breed with another with the right bloodline. The one mate thing was not really the problem (Carpathians, anyone?); it was the fact that they also had to be of the Shadow Rider line as well.
I guess that leaves me out.
The other thing that bothered me was not with the book itself, but with this blurb which is on Goodreads.
The #1 New York Times bestselling “queen of paranormal romance”* is back with a sexy new series starring a Chicago crime family that hides a dark, mystical secret…
The Shadow Riders are NOT criminals. They are assassins, and yes, in my world there is a difference. They only go after the bad guys that the law can’t touch.
I think this is a great beginning to a new series and I can’t wait for the next one. Hopefully, since the author is so prolific it won’t be long in coming.
This book was sent to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
View all my reviews
Elaine Reads . . . constantly! 