I have been a long time fan of Christine Feehan from with her Carpathians, her shifters, her Drake Sisters and Sea Haven series but I have to admit I was straddling the fence when I started to read SHADOW RIDER. It is darker and a lot edgier which is fine but it seemed that the main character Stefano Ferraro is always angry and incapable of speaking a complete sentence without throwing out the F-bomb, sometime multiple ones.

Francesca Cappello, I liked right away. She was trying to put her life back together after a horrible tragedy and the manipulation of a wealthy man. The last thing she needs is a man like Stefano. His sudden appearance in her life while giving off vibes of a Mafioso scared her more than his angry demands. It didn't help that everyone in the neighborhood treated the Ferraro's with a kind of fearful respect.

I liked the action, it was interesting and varied from actual fighting to setting up the investigation. This family who uses shadows to complete their missions, I guess could be called mercenaries. They research each case well and the bad guys are horrible people that the law couldn't or wouldn't touch. This is the case from Francesca's past that the family helps solve.

I did like the family dynamic the brothers, sister and cousins were all very intriguing characters and not at all what Francesca expected. She becomes a part of them the minute Stefano laid his claim and that was heartwarming. It was sweet watching as they all banded together to help her and make her a part of this large family. As for his parents, their mother especially, I had no respect for even after she became friendlier with Francesca and more was learned about the woman. The father had little play in the book just a couple of mentions.

SHADOW RIDER is different in a number of ways from Ms. Feehan's other series but is as well written as any of her books. It is filled with a lot of good natured camaraderie between the family members that is a plus for me in any action book. I will also say that the steamy moments are vintage Feehan. Though Stefano did manage to tone down his language with the help of Francesca learning how to handle him, no one could accuse him of becoming a softy but the love he felt for Francesca was evident and heartwarming. Guess I will have to get my hands on the second book to decide if the series is a keeper for me, but I will admit that despite his language problem (not a prude by any means but it was a bit much at times) and his sometimes overly macho attitude Stefano grew on me. SHADOW RIDER is a dark, gritty, edgy but magical contemporary that will hold you spellbound.

Book Summary

The #1 New York Times bestselling “queen of paranormal romance”* is back with a sexy new series starring a Chicago crime family that hides a dark, mystical secret...

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 il 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...