Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan

Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full length (480 pages)
Other: BDSM, M/F
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

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…

Ms. Feehan is well known for her strong, alpha and commanding heroes but the bar is raised and boundaries pushed with her new Shadow Riders series. These guys are contemporary movers and shakers; they’re coarse, hard-hitting, hard playing and they have a few kinks that heroes in her other series don’t embrace. These men are as un-PC as you can get, and I loved every minute spent with them between the pages of Shadow Rider.
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The hardest part of starting a new series is the world-building; presenting the environment, backdrop, characters, history and specifics unique to the people on stage, without dumping or making it seem unnatural in the telling. Ms. Feehan has no problems in this area. I learned through the POV of Stefano Ferraro what his role is, how he’s connected to his neighbors and why he has such pride in being who and what he is. I also learned that as rich, powerful and respected as he is, there is a dark side and a despondent yearning hidden deep inside that has shades of the author’s Carpathian men from the Dark series – but that’s about all that is similar. This series stands on its own.

Stefano made me cringe in the beginning because he is extremely coarse. My reference is his propensity for dropping F-bombs like hail on a flower – it’s hard hitting, and at times, obnoxious. Not all flowers get pummeled into the ground and that’s how I see Francesca. The heroine is beaten down but her determination, drive and compassion lends her a strength that is more than a match for Stefano. The meeting between the two happens in the first chapter and the hook is set.

Another difference in this series from the others is the sexuality. There are a lot of detailed scenes and some of them without a doubt fall into the erotic category, especially since there is a distinctive dom/sub relationship between them – a little tying up, commands, a few spanks – but Francesca is definitely the submissive – in bed. Outside, well, she’s sassy, feisty and has a sense of humor – when she’s not in fear for her life. There are also very descriptive scenes of oral sex, which, on the whole usually don’t bother me but I’m not of fan of the…taking it all in stuff. That’s too much for me.

The drama, suspense, violence and justice delivered, came from dealing with some very evil, twisted and effective villains. The levels of intensity varied depending on the villain on stage but the writing was well done so I had no problem believing their badness.

The skillset of the shadow riders is unique to my reading experience. How the author even conceived of this paranormal aspect is fascinating and I’m pretty sure it’s never been done before. I like it when an author discovers a new angle.

There is a ton more details and scenes, descriptions and dialogue I could share because this novel is jam-packed with great dialogue, fascinating personalities, descriptions and plot. The main focus is on the romance and it’s a definite HEA that I’m happy with.

I enjoyed the journey and there were many times I was left biting my nails because of the suspense, but through it all, it kept my interest and totally had me sucked into their world. Shadow Rider is such a novel concept; it proves that Ms. Feehan has an indomitable imagination. We fans are so lucky to be the beneficiaries of such a talent. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.