Shadow Rider

April 25, 2016
Feehan (Dark Promises) inflicts an aggressively sexist hero on her hapless heroine in this poorly rendered contemporary paranormal series opener. Set in an utterly generic and implausible rendering of Chicago, the story centers on Francesca Capello, a woman fleeing her tragic past, and Stefano Ferraro, the scion of a wealthy family with a secret—they can travel through shadows. Stefano recognizes that Francesca is also a shadow rider and proceeds to take control of her life. Frequently using the excuse that his control is for her safety, Stefano steamrolls Francesca’s weak protests and at one point goes so far as to kidnap her from her apartment and force her to move into his penthouse. The plot’s attempts to justify Stefano’s actions are flimsy, reverting to cartoonish violence so repetitive that the characters comment on it themselves. Even readers interested in an extreme fantasy rendering of a domination/submission relationship are likely to struggle with the unrelenting misogyny thinly cloaked as chivalry. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency.

May 15, 2016
Paranormal romance writer Feehan (Fire Bound, 2016, etc.) returns with a Chicago-set series about a family of "shadow riders." Stefano Ferraro is the head of a wealthy and powerful family whose members protect innocents and execute criminals using their secret powers. As shadow riders, the Ferraros can connect with shadows and ride them like an expressway, invisibly infiltrating enemy territory. When Francesca arrives in Chicago after a violent encounter, Stefano takes one look at the new employee in the neighborhood deli and decides she's his. The novel moves predictably through Francesca's speedy transition from reluctant recipient of Stefano's aggressive attentions to humble supplicant of his family's protection. With little in the way of relationship development or plot, the novel is filled with repetitive descriptions of Stefano's alpha-male personality. Francesca's character serves mainly to reflect uncritical appreciation of Stefano's protectiveness and power. An intriguing twist on paranormal powers dimmed by thin characters and a predictable plot.

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June 15, 2016

On the run from the powerful man who killed her sister in Los Angeles, Francesca Capello heads to Chicago with her best friend, hoping to fly under the radar and make a new life for herself. There, she ends up attracting the attention of Stefano Ferraro, whose high-profile, somewhat mysterious family controls and protects the area where she now lives. She is swept into an unfamiliar life and claimed by a ruthless assassin with a fierce sense of responsibility who rewrites the definition of alpha male hero. VERDICT Edgy, inventive, and steamy, this deliciously dark, often grim story featuring deadly and graceful characters who literally slip through the shadows is a standout for the creative Feehan and launches another well-conceived series. Feehan (Fire Bound) lives in Northern California.

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