Shadow Rider (A Shadow Riders Novel Book 1)

I enjoyed reading this first book in the Shadow Rider series. It was about Stefano Ferraro, the head of the Chicago shadow riders, meeting his fated love, Francesca. Shadow riders can travel from place to place in the shadows and they were basically vigilantes, who dispensed justice to bad guys who the police/justice system couldn't touch. They used a system that made sure the targets really did do the awful things they were accused of before they were killed. Stefano had 4 brothers and 1 sister, all shadow riders. They didn't have the best upbringing because their parents were pieces of work, the mother's only interest in them was that they were shadow riders and although she claimed to love them, she never acted like she did, and the father never had any time for them. So Stefano basically raised his siblings.Stefano meets his fated love when he has a feeling that he should wait where he was instead of going to a job and then noticed two women walking towards him. One of the women's shadow reached for his, that's how he knew for sure she was the one for him. There's a lot going on after that their first meeting--what she thinks of him, how he wants to protect her from a bad guy who's looking for her (the bad guy killed Francesca's older sister & Francesca walked into the apartment right after she was killed & the guy was still there) because he fell in love with her right away and wants to make her his wife, his thoughts on how to tell her what he does, etc.I liked both main characters and the secondary ones--the siblings and Stefano's cousins. His mother, Eloisa, was a hot mess and not very likeable. I thought the story dragged a bit after Stefano & Francesca met because the author repeated some of both main characters' thoughts several times (which was redundant) but it got better towards the end. Francesca was very annoying at times. First she was very attracted to Stefano and realized she couldn't live without him, then she would go the other way when she thought he might be in the mafia. Then she thought that wouldn't matter, then she thought it might...back & forth, back & forth. She was also a little bit of a snob because Stefano was rich, plus she equated him with the bad guy, who was also rich. She was also annoying when she kept thinking he shouldn't see where she was living because it was in an unsafe area & was shabby and it would show how much she didn't have. Stefano was only concerned about her safety & protecting her at all costs, but did she ever consider this? Why no. When she finally finds out that Stefano is very protective over everyone in his neighborhood, she thought that's why Stefano was interested in her (even though he has said otherwise). Then she finally decided she'd stay with him no matter how rich he was or what he did for a living, then she ended up questioning him again about what he did for a living. Make up your mind already! Oh, she also got on my nerves when she was working at Pietro's deli and thought she saw one of the bad guy's (the guy who murdered her sister) henchmen outside the deli. She thought this meant that the bad guy had found her. So she decided to run & in order to do that, she texted Stefano to ask for money. Stefano told her to stay there, he was coming right over. Of course she tried to go out the back before he got there and was stopped by his cousins, Emilio & Enzo, who had been protecting her while she worked at the deli. When she & Stefano got back to his place, he asked her what happened to make her want to run. Did she tell him that she saw this guy? Why no, no she did not. She just said he, his siblings & cousins and Joanna (her friend) & her uncle Pietro could be hurt by the bad guy. She thought this guy, who just made a gesture of dragging his finger across his throat at her may not be a bad guy. When she thought that & didn't tell Stefano about the guy, I started to think that she was TSTL. It all finally works out in the end. I still thought it was a good book. I'll be reading the other books in the series.

The first story in anew series is always the defining factor as to if I’ll continue it. Doesn’t matter if the series is by a favorite author or a brand new to me one – if I cannot connect in some way to the story then I’m a one and done reader. Shadow Rider happens to be written by one of my go to, favorite authors And I got that same back of the neck tingle that I got when I first read Dark Prince, the beginning of the Dark Carpathians series. I was captured and now consider myself devoted to yet another series. (you may not “get” that neck tingle at a story that grabs your attention, but I do and I’ve learned to listen to it.)Stefano Ferraro hesitated, he was supposed to be heading to the airport for a job but some instinct held him here, on the street. He heard her voice first and it shivered along his nerve endings, then he saw the petite beauty for the first time and watched as their shadows reached out to each other and touched. At that moment he knew she was his. Another shadow rider, untrained, but still… from that moment on she was his.Francesca has lost absolutely everything that matters to the actions of an insane, arrogant, wealthy man who is powerful enough to either buy, bully or bury his actions and never face justice. Her beloved older sister, her home, her friends, her job, her reputation – all gone because of one man. She’s run to Chicago and her friend in the hopes of hiding here and maybe building a new life. She keeps her head down, wants as little attention paid to her as possible and she trusts no one. So why has this handsome, room silencing stranger taken her aside to give her his coat, money and a strong declaration to wait for him. And why was she compelled to listen to his arrogance laced with seduction. He openly claimed her, and went about his business.Shadow Rider takes us into a compelling new world where the shadows are alive and justice is served – when it cannot be found among the normal avenues of the law. the Ferraro family, brothers, sister, cousins and more are all part of a unique family of justice seeking vigilantes with the power to ride the shadows like a freeway or subway to their destinations without human eye ever seeing their passing. They are not white knights, more gray knights (and that is a play on clothing that you’ll get when you read the book) – they can and will kill, but only after going through a precise, detailed investigation of a situation by unique family members If justice is called for, it will be served.Francesca is caught up in the Ferraro family through Stefano. A shadow rider must marry another shadow rider in order to produce the next generation. There is no doubt, or exception made to this. But finding that mate, that other person who completes them on a loving, personal level is unusual as most end up with arranged loveless marriages. Stefano has found his love, his shadow rider. And it has been said as part of lore that when the first one arrives, others will follow. He strongly takes that as to show that there is hope for love and a satisfying life outside of the business they all tend to for his brothers, sister and cousins.Watching Francesca fall under Stefano’s loving spell is priceless. She’s so afraid, so tired of what life has handed her – but she is also afraid to believe in this man who is so certain of their future. Slowly she opens up to the man who loves her, giving him not only her trust and affection but the devotion to him that he craves. Of course her past will find her, but this is a completely different situation. Now she has a family surrounding her, protecting her and finally getting justice for her sister and herself.Shadow Rider does have the feel of a very dangerous mafia family – but this is no crime family, at least not in the traditional sense. Powerful, yes, respected, definitely. I would recommend this story to any Romantic Suspense reader, Paranormal Romance reader, yes, even Shifter romance because there is that becoming something else for a time. If you love Paranormal Romance, then you’ve already opened up your mind, your imagination to other possibilities – do that again with Shadow Rider and I think you’ll find another series to follow.

Nunca li nada tão ruim! Não existem palavras para descrever o quanto esse livro é ruim e o quanto sua leitura, e consequente finalização, foi forçada. Um homem que conhece uma mulher, diz que ela "pertence" a ele, a mulher que aceita e se sujeita quando um homem exuberante e rico a trata como um objeto, dizendo que tem que protegê-la e blábláblá. Nada nesse livro tem pé nem cabeça, li o livro rindo para não chorar de arrependimento por tê-lo comprado.Depois que Stefano "conquista" a Francesca, ou seja, a declara como sendo uma propriedade dele (isso mesmo, sem tirar nem por), o livro acaba na página 200 mais ou menos, as cenas de sexo nada a ver permeiam as páginas e tudo vira pura encheção, simplesmente um gancho para o próximo livro da série, que obviamente não comprarei e indico que não o façam.

I used to love this author but found then a bit the same after about ten books...this had some similar themes of strong men who controlled the lobe interest but still enjoyed it....I feel in love with this genre through this author so even though I've missed some of her latest books works always consider her worth a read.

Shadow Riders are unlikely heroes. They are a family that originated in Sicily and have since spread all over the world. They are a tightly knit but large and sprawling extended family. They are tightly knit for a reason, because they have a unique ability to produce rare children that can travel through shadows. There are other gifts given to the members of the family, but the one that is the most dangerous and most prized is the ability to travel the shadows, because that ability allows them to carry out their mission, ensuring the family survives.Stefano is the eldest brother of the five Ferraro siblings and they are all shadow riders. He is hard and ruthless and will do anything to protect those in his care. His parents were cold and distant and he thought that was the kind of marriage he had to look forward to, one arranged to carry on his skills. Then he saw Francesca, walking through his neighbourhood, shivering in the Chicago winter without a coat and knew she was a shadow rider and that he could love her.The problem is that Francesca doesn’t know she’s a shadow rider or that they exist and Stefano isn’t allowed to tell her unless they get married. She’s lonely, on the run and has no money and she certainly doesn’t trust the scary, hot, rich guy who wraps her in his coat and drops money in her pocket before declaring her to be given the job she’s applying for and disappearing.This is an interesting paranormal romance. It’s different and intriguing. However, other than the world-building the plot is quite predictable. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions and there were lots of fun sexy times but there weren’t any surprises, which at the moment is no bad thing.Stefano is a typical controlling alpha male hero who has to know what’s going on at all times and makes sure everyone is safe all the time. He wants to shelter everyone from getting hurt, even if they don’t want that protection.Francesca is quite happy to be looked after. She shows a little bit of a spine occasionally, but usually backs down because she ‘knows it’s because he wants her safe’. She’s a really sweet person and gets walked over a bit. She the sort of friend you need to talk to all the time to get them to believe in themselves a little bit.Stefano and Francesca seem to be ideally suited to one another, but I wouldn’t want to be a relationship with either of them! Despite that, I enjoyed the read and will definitely continue with the series.

In this brand new series we meet the Ferraro family of Chicago. The gorgeous, perfect people of the rich and famous and the paparazzi's wet dream. Stefano Ferraro is the eldest sibling and head of the family. He leads the legitimate businesses with an iron fist...and the not so legal one with ice in his veins. He, along with some of his family, is a shadow rider. A being who merges within the shadows and rides them unseen. They're trained from infancy in weapons, martial arts and languages. Basically they're vigilantes. Hunters and killers, to serve their brand of justice to the scum of the world. Francesca Capello, is a troubled, penniless young woman who's running from her old life in California. When he sees her their shadows connect and entwine, and although his playboy lifestyle has led him to bed countless actresses, models and pop stars, he uneeringly knows...she is ' the one!' A rare, compatible female to end his gnawing loneliness and give hope to the rest of his family. The storyline was good, albeit a few iffy and jumpy bits in places, and 'different', as expected from this author. It was very dark, with hatred, violence, humiliation, abuse, rape and murder. Renown for her sexy, sensual love scenes, I found Ms. Feehan stepped way over the Fifty Shades border, leaving the equality of the relationship lacking. What remained was a dominant and a submissive 'Yes' woman. Thereby, I didn't particularly like the two main characters. She was meekly innocent, weak, naive and gullible. She was portrayed as loving, lovable and protective but fell short for me. And HE, Mr. Gorgeous Hot Body, was bossy, foul mouthed, arrogant, intimidating, angry, ill tempered and aggressive. There was no 'love' or 'love-making' just hard, caveman, animal sex. The immediate family consists of 4 brothers and 1 sister. There's aunts and uncles and like a gazillion cousins across the country all with psychic abilities. With enemies aplenty and a century old feud with a Sicilian crime family, one can expect a very long running series. All that said, it was an inventive piece of writing. Perhaps not as on-par to her earlier works but a definite improvement to her books of late. Unfortunately, seen as one particular brother in this book has a penchant for threesomes and the erotic art of tying rope, I fear, the bdsm genre, which as been written to death, will raise its ugly head even higher. Please don't go there Ms. Feehan, keep your female characters independent, strong and kick ass.

Great to receive.