An intriguing twist on paranormal powers dimmed by thin characters and a predictable plot.
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.Pub Date: June 28, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-515-15613-3
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Jove/Penguin
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
A lively contemporary romance with touches of suspense.
Returning to the Texas town where she and her sister bought a historic music hall, a singer learns she now co-owns the venue with her old flame.
Coming off a cruise-ship gig, Fern Bryant is ready to settle back into the small Texas town where she and her sister moved after they bought a historic dance hall from a cousin. She’s excited to raise the profile of the hall by bringing in bigger acts as well as local talent. However, when she gets back, she discovers Craig Thorne in her cabin. Craig is the area rancher, volunteer firefighter, and musician who captured her heart when she moved to town, though things fell apart when she ducked her feelings and took the cruise job. Turns out her sister sold her share in the dance hall to Craig without telling Fern, so now they're partners. At first determined to keep Craig at arm’s length, she’s back in his arms soon enough and refinds her footing in the community, which is chock full of interesting characters, including two town matriarchs who convince Fern and Craig to co-chair the annual Wild West Days festival. As things look up for Fern and Craig, an obsessive fan of Fern’s emerges to threaten their happiness. The latest title in Redford's Smokin’ Hot Cowboys series revisits Wildcat Bluff County and its quirky community; fans will especially enjoy Fernando the Wonder Bull’s heroic efforts. While Fern and Craig’s reconciliation is sizzling, the conflict sputters out pretty early, replaced by the shadowy villain’s menacing actions. At times, some of the characters' responses feel unrealistic (for example, Fern never confronts her sister for selling her share of the dance hall to Craig without saying anything), but it’s generally an entertaining, sexy read. Cowboy romance fans will find a lot to love, including the buildup to the next book.
A lively contemporary romance with touches of suspense.Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-9502-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Very engaging, somewhat disquieting.
After he buys his best friend’s family’s Texas farm to help them out when their father falls ill, billionaire Rhett Braddock is surprised by the resentful push back from their daughter Julianna, the woman with whom he recently shared a searing, secretive one-night stand.
Rhett was on track to attend a prestigious East Coast boarding school on full scholarship when his parents died, and his eldest brother sent him anyway, loath for him to miss the opportunity. The experience was horrible and also made him feel alienated from his family and his hometown, though his best friend, Grady Holt, was always there for him, even in the darkest days. So when Grady’s father is diagnosed with cancer, Rhett agrees to buy the Holt family's farm so the illness won’t threaten them with financial ruin. Grady’s sister Julianna is currently managing the farm, and they protect her job as part of the agreement. What they don’t do is consult her in any way before the sale happens, making her feel disrespected and angry. Especially since she and Rhett had spent a scorching night together in Dallas only a few weeks earlier, which he had immediately regretted because of Grady: “There was no explaining to Grady, who’d kill him if he ever found out.” But now that Rhett is finally returning to Silverlake, he’ll have to deal with his own family’s long-standing misunderstandings as well as Julianna’s valid hurt and bitterness and a wealth of complications from their Dallas encounter. The Silverlake Ranch series continues with another sweet, sexy Braddock romance, more complicated family issues, and, once again, a lot to love. However, there’s an uncomfortable amount of reactive paternalism and toxic masculinity that gets joked about by the women of Silverlake but is never actually addressed in any meaningful way.
Very engaging, somewhat disquieting.Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09802-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Jove/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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