Shadow Fire (Shadow Rider #7) by Christine Feehan
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: April 26, 2022
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: April 26, 2022
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Berkley
*Please note - this post contains affiliate links, from which we may earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase
Christine Feehan’s Shadow Fire is the seventh book in the Shadow Rider series, and the first book to feature someone other than the main Ferraro siblings. Elie Archambault is one of the fastest riders in the world, but after a mistake in his youth, he’s resigned himself to a life of service and duty (and no love). Fate has other plans though, as all of his carefully laid plans are about to go up in flames…
There is tons of chemistry between Brielle and Elie in this book, as one would expect from something Christine Feehan writes. However, I wasn’t as sold on it as I have been by previous books. It seemed like the plot suffered in the name of kink and repetitive steamy scenes. Said steamy scenes also seem to have lost some of the emotional intimacy that her earlier books had, and they gave off more of a choreographed feel rather than oozing a sensual vibe (the Dark/Carpathian series seems to have no issue with this, thankfully). I was also disappointed by how she seems to be re-using some of her base storylines, as the human trafficking plot has now appeared in three of her series and spanned multiple books (Torpedo Ink, Shadow Riders, and the Leopard series off the top of my head).
While the steamy scenes in Shadow Fire were meh, my favorite part of the book and the series is the family aspect. All of Christine Feehan’s books have some family aspect to them, but this one is the top of the top (I would rate Torpedo Ink second, the Dark Series/Carpathians third, and Ghostwalkers fourth out of what I’ve read). Stefano is the best damn patriarch out of all of Ms. Feehan’s books (Czar is a close second, but Prince Mikhail of the Carpathians is kind of meh in my opinion), and I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that Francesca is the heart of the group. The Ferraros are a mix of blood family and “found family”, but that doesn’t change how they treat those they care about. I love that! With this being one of Ms. Feehan’s shorter series at the time, it’s nice to be able to have cameos and appearances from almost all of the siblings (instead of the sporadic cameos you see in the Dark series now that it’s at 30+ books).
As a side note, I do like Jim Frangione’s narration of Christine Feehan’s books. I just wish that she would have a different narrator for each of her series instead of using the same one for all of them.
After finishing this book, I’m very curious about who will be the focus of the next one (it wasn’t clear while reading, and there are so many options). If I had to guess, I think it would be Dario. The others certainly gave him enough crap about being on a dating app in this book that he deserves his own happily ever after. I am hesitant about the romance aspect for future installments (as well as how the books seem to be getting darker and darker), but the overarching theme of the family will probably have me coming back. I would recommend this series to those who might enjoy a darker set of paranormal romance books that have a family at the heart of every story.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Human trafficking, child abuse, emotional abuse, graphic violence, explicit sex, bondage
About the Book
Journey deeper into the world of Chicago's most dangerous, alluring crime family in this incendiary installment of the Shadow Riders series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.
Shadow Rider Elie Archambault has been called many things: domineering, brash, loyal, but most of all fast. And there's nothing faster than choosing to marry a woman you've never met. All he has is a signed contract and a list of his new bride's expectations for their arranged marriage. He's not expecting love or some happy ever after, just a partner that knows exactly what she signed up for. He'll be faithful because he's a man of honor, but she'll never have his heart....
Elie knows who he is. A privileged member of the Archambault family. A skilled rider and fighter. A man who's always had things easy for all the wrong reasons. He's made his mistakes and lost his chance at real, true passion with his other half thanks to his own careless arrogance. Now he just wants to do his duty as a Shadow Rider and leave the past behind.
But Elie has no idea that his choice is about to spark a blaze that will burn all his carefully laid plans to the ground....
Shadow Rider Elie Archambault has been called many things: domineering, brash, loyal, but most of all fast. And there's nothing faster than choosing to marry a woman you've never met. All he has is a signed contract and a list of his new bride's expectations for their arranged marriage. He's not expecting love or some happy ever after, just a partner that knows exactly what she signed up for. He'll be faithful because he's a man of honor, but she'll never have his heart....
Elie knows who he is. A privileged member of the Archambault family. A skilled rider and fighter. A man who's always had things easy for all the wrong reasons. He's made his mistakes and lost his chance at real, true passion with his other half thanks to his own careless arrogance. Now he just wants to do his duty as a Shadow Rider and leave the past behind.
But Elie has no idea that his choice is about to spark a blaze that will burn all his carefully laid plans to the ground....
About the Author
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would love to hear your thoughts! Post your comments here.
Be sure to check back again later, as I do make an effort to reply to comments.