Shadow Fire is the 7th Shadow Riders urban fantasy series novel by Christine Feehan. Released 26th April 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 416 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. Large print library edition due out in July.

This is .entirely. character driven and has a huge cast of continuing characters. This isn't (necessarily) a bad thing, but it is a definite feature. It's a series novel in a series whose purpose is chiefly continuing character development and mapping out their relationships and interactions. Readers will be frustrated and lost if they try to jump into the series with this book and I would strongly recommend picking up at least a few of the earlier books to get a feel for the world building and background scaffolding as well as helping keep the characters straight.

The writing is competent, if overwrought in places. For fans of paranormal romance erotica, this book will likely tick a lot of boxes. There's kink and exhibitionism, consensual BDSM, and explicit sexual content. There are also some potentially problematic/triggering contents including child abuse and human trafficking (on the part of the bad guys who are blissfully free of any redeeming qualities). I tend to roll my eyes whenever authors write the word "mate" with a straight face regarding human interactions, and that style of writing is prevalent here.

Four stars. I would recommend this one to fans of paranormal erotica who want more than a blind nod to plotting and story arcs; it really is well written (as the author's extensive sales attribute). It's not Anaïs Nin, but it's not bad - just not as a standalone, unless the reader only wants to flip through to find the NSFW bits. It could be problematic for school library acquisition, especially given the censorship problems in much of the world today, but shouldn't be an issue for most public libraries. For firm fans of the series/author, this is more of the same primarily featuring the character of bad boy (jerk) Elie Archambault.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This series is a terrific blend of dark and paranormal romance, and I really like the whole idea of the Shadow Riders. We also get a second chance romance, which is always a plus for me. Let's not forget that there's danger and tension, and steamy fun - can't forget the steam, in this case including some BDSM and Exhibitionism. The characters are interesting, and the couple has such good chemistry. And as much as I liked all of those things, my favorite element was the family feel. Blood or no, these characters are a family and protect each other as such. What they're trying to do doesn't hurt my opinion of them either. They may not be entirely above board in everything they do, but the people they're trying to take out of the picture are despicable. So, Shadow Fire gives me something I love to find - characters who aren't all perfect and good, but they have the kind of honor that makes me root for them. This is such an entertaining read, and I definitely want more of these characters.

Considering how Feehan loves creating extensive series, the Shadow Rider's series is still a "young" series, with Shadow Fire being the 7th in the series. This gives Feehan plenty of space to take the characters in different directions while still fitting into the world she has built. Up to this point the books have centered on the Ferraro siblings, however, Shadow Fire takes on Elie Archambault, a secondary (but important character) from previous books and Brielle a new character.
Elie is estranged from his family and know one knows why exactly until his mysterious arranged bride arrives at the church. Brielle is a long lost flame and he won't risk losing her again. Initially the conflict that separated them seemed like a typical misunderstanding that could have been solved by just talking which was a bit frustrating, but Feehan doesn't let the characters dwell on it and they actually move past it fairly quickly and in a healthy manner. The rest of the story revolves around a conspiracy to take out Elie and Brielle.
Brielle's unique abilities set her apart from that other female protagonists who are either skilled shadow riders or not able to ride at all. She is a strong woman, who is willing to take risks and open herself up to discovering her true desires. Elie is dominate but doesn't treat Brielle as though she was weak. His protectiveness comes from a deep love of her and not from a lack of belief in her intelligence or her ability.
As always, Feehan brings the steam and in this case some light BDSM. Overall, I really enjoyed Elie and Brielle's story. Considering how Feehan loves creating extensive series, the Shadow Rider's series is still a "young" series, with Shadow Fire being the 7th in the series. This gives Feehan plenty of space to take the characters in different directions while still fitting into the world she has built. Up to this point the books have centered on the Ferraro siblings, however, Shadow Fire takes on Elie Archambault, a secondary (but important character) from previous books.
Elie is estranged from his family and know one knows why exactly until his mysterious arranged bride arrives at the church. Brielle is a long lost flame and he won't risk losing her again. Initially the conflict that separated them seemed like a typical misunderstanding that could have been solved by just talking which was a bit frustrating, but Feehan doesn't let the characters dwell on it and they actually move past it fairly quickly and in a healthy manner. The rest of the story revolves around a conspiracy to take out Elie and Brielle.
Brielle's unique abilities set her apart from that other female protagonists who are either skilled shadow riders or not able to ride at all. She is a strong woman, who is willing to take risks and open herself up to discovering her true desires. Elie is dominate but doesn't treat Brielle as though she was weak. His protectiveness comes from a deep love of her and not from a lack of belief in her intelligence or her ability.
As always, Feehan brings the steam and in this case some light BDSM. Overall, I really enjoyed Elie and Brielle's story. It is a great read and a strong continuation to the series.

Christine Feehan heats things up with SHADOW FIRE (Shadow Riders #7). In this story, Chicago Shadow Rider Elie Archambault, agrees to an arranged marriage with another Shadow Rider after foolishly losing the woman who was his other half. He accepts the marriage to have a partner and produce children. He does not expect to fall in love with his appointed bride.

Christine Feehan does an amazing job with this story. It was thrilling from start to finish. The story continued with the investigation and attempts to eliminate the human trafficking from the previous book, SHADOW STORM. I love how Brielle Couture fits into the story. She is an incredible character and excellent fit for Elie. Elie and Brielle have a scorching chemistry. They are both into kink and are the perfect fit for each other.

I appreciated that they got a second chance at happiness. Elie and Brielle came from toxic families. I think the timing was right for them to get together. They needed the love and acceptance of the Ferraro family. Followers of the Shadow Rider series will not want to miss this book. It was skillfully written and attention grabbing throughout. I recommend this series to people who enjoy paranormal romances with an element of crime. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

2.5 rounded up to 3
Shadow Fire is book seven in Christine Feehan’s Shadow Riders series and while I have enjoyed the other books, this one fell flat for me. I enjoyed the BDSM and the relationship between the main characters, Elie and Brielle, but the plot was slow, then fast to wrap up and there were a lot of characters to keep track of.

Elie is a Shadow Rider from a famous family in France and has moved to Chicago becoming part of the Ferraro family, from the previous books. In his early twenties, as an act of rebellion he says some really horrible hurtful things about Brielle when they are matched in an arranged marriage. Now, years later, they find themselves matched again and married. She has to forgive him, he has to earn her trust, all set to exploring their BDsM relationship and trying to discover who is out to kill them both.

I have been interested in Elie since we met him. I loved that he was accepted by the Ferraro family, his sibling like relationship with Emme and his Alpha, protective, dominant personality worked for me. They are both very open about what they want sexually which I appreciated. I didn’t have strong feelings for Brielle, she was treated badly by her family but Elie kept showing her his love and she couldn’t believe it, I got annoyed with that. I liked the appearance of Val, Emme, Dario, Ferraro family from past books.

The plot revolved around stopping a human trafficking ring that was discovered in the previous book whose leaders have put hits out on Elie, Brielle, Dario and Val, almost killing Brielle a few times. This was confusing and there were so many people to keep track of that I lost interest. It felt Brielle kept putting herself in danger trying to save people so that we could have a BDMS scene between her and Elie. I enjoyed those, these scenes were HOT and my favorite part of the book but then it was back to the complicated plot that I couldn’t get interested in.

Overall, if you are just entering the Shadow Rider world, I would suggest starting at the beginning. This series is gritty, dark, includes child abuse so it’s not for the faint of heart and while this book wasn’t my favorite I enjoy the world Feehan has created with the Ferraro family of Shadow Riders.

Elie and Brielle have known each other since they were teenagers (maybe younger), he knew she was meant for him he just didn't want to do what his family was dictating. Years later they get married as a result of an arranged marriage. Brielle tries to stop the wedding because of not only what Elie said when they were younger but because she remembered what her sister said to her about him, even though it was all lies. Brielle has a talent for finding information on people like no other.

Elie's family is basically the family that rules over all the other Shadow Riders. He is faster and better at navigating the shadows. Other riders have admitted that they have gotten faster after training with him. Elie is a good guy, he will do whatever he can to make Brielle happy and keep her safe.

I will admit I came into this series, relatively late, late like this is my first book of the series. I am a fan of all of Christine Feehan's series I just had not given this one a try and boy do I wish I had. The Shadow Riders are something I have never seen before and they're awesome. I really enjoyed this book and finding out more about the Shadow Riders and am going back to read the rest of the series.

Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review

Elie has resigned himself to a marriage without love. His heart belongs to another but he is tired of trying to get her to listen. So when he finally meets his bride he is unsure how he got here but determined to protect her. But is the danger more than even the Ferraro's can control?
I loved that Ms. Feehan finally gave us Elie's story in Shadow Fire. He has become one of my favorites. He has been a friend who has become part of the family. I loved his support and friendship with Emme and wanted to know more about him and his past heartache. I loved that he gas grown and specifically grew for the love of a woman. I love that Ms. Feehan allowed us to see Elie's past through his eyes even as he struggled to accept and protect his future. The past is between them and I love that Ms. Feehan showed that both parties had a hand in the anger and pain. I adored seeing Elie grab hold of his future even as danger stalked not only him but his new wife. I loved this addition to Christine Feehan's Shadow Riders series and look forward to where she will take us next.

This book is following Elie and Brielle two shadowwalkers with a past relationship between them.. That did not end well. Now unbeknownst to them both they have entered into an arrianged marriage with each other.. This causes some problems.. Brielle want to immediatly annul the marriage when she finds out Elie is her groom, but Elie wants to prove to her that he is different, and the things that drove them apart in the past were a mistake, and some of it not even true.. So here starts their journey to getting to know each other as they are now, with some added complications of the Shadow Riding variety.. Hopefully they can over come their obstacles and make this marriage a happy one.

I loved Christine Feehans Drake Sisters and the the early books in the Ghostwalker series,( they are still favorites) but Ive been having a hard time getting into any of her books recently. All of the books seems to be following the same formula, 2 characters ridiculously attracted to each other, but definitely have lots and lots of thier own baggage, and sometimes not so great histories between each other... They enjoy some really hot and steamy sexy times.. with some books having more action than others. some dangerous happenings behind the scenes that could threaten what our characters love the most.. then they all live happily ever after..

I don't really like how the characters interact with each other in any way..and to me it seems like Ive read this exact story from Feehan before the only difference being the characters themselves and the powers they wield.. However this is absolutely a me problem not necessarily anything wrong with the books themselves. Which is why I'm giving it three stars.. Lots of other people are loving this story and this series.. So if you like a really steamy paranormal romance, and the summary sounds like something you would enjoy please don't let my feelings stop you... I think that this is just not the right time in my life to be reading hopefully that will change and I can enjoy one of my favorite authors again in the future.

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. If you like an alpha man, then Christine Feehan is an author for you. Although I really needed a family tree to get back into the series (there are soooo many Ferraros), Shadow Fire is a good addition to the series. Elie and Brielle have a lot of history to sort through, but it was somewhat resolved more quickly than I'd expected, and the majority of the book is the two of them settling into a relationship interspersed with battle scenes. This book is packed with action, has very high heat, and is definitely on the darker side of the romance spectrum.(As are most of her books.) It was compelling, but this is not a happy, fluffy read.

Elie had met Brielle years ago but she overheard the way he talked about her and how he didn't want her as a wife. After she left her family and Elie wasn't able to find her, he gave up ever being with the only woman he knew was for him. He's a shadow rider and it's his duty to marry and have kids to carry on the tradition of the shadow riders. So he enters into an arranged marriage with a woman he's never met or even seen. They sign the papers before ever even meeting so on the day of their ceremony they are both shocked to find the other standing there.

Elie might have been born an Archambault but the Ferraro family are his real family now and they feel the same way about him. His blood family treated him badly and he wants nothing more to do with them. Brielle's family treated her badly and she has nothing to do with them now either so she and Elie have that in common which was just heartbreaking.

Shadow riders are able to move very quickly through the tubes of the shadows. Essentially meaning they are able to turn into shadows and quickly move anywhere shadows are. The Ferraro family gets justice for people who have been hurt by child predators and human traffickers. They are a crime family but they find and kill child predators and human traffickers which makes them the good guys in my book.

After Elie and Brielle get over the shock of having married each other and Brielle realizes that there was a huge misunderstanding between them all those years ago, she accepts who she is married to. As they are getting to know one another, Brielle has to tell her new family that while she is a really experienced shadow rider, she gets sick in the tubes while she is riding. When the family and Elie find this out, she is told she won't be sent on missions but she is also extraordinary with computers. And while she is doing some research, she and parts of her new family are attacked which was a really bad idea for the people who did it. You don't mess with Elie or the Ferraro family, ever.

Now they have to figure out who is out to kill them and why. I liked that Elie was so understanding with her and gave her sometime to get used to them being together. But Brielle was very attracted to him and always had been so she was more than ready to steam up the windows with him. There's quite a bit of kink in their play times which was fine with me. I thought that they made a great couple. I have been loving this series and this book was another great addition.

Disclosure: I was given an eARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A good addition to Feehan’s “Shadow Riders” series, this one follows Elie Archambeau and his second chance romance with Brielle. Neither come from particularly loving families and both have plenty of insecurities, so figuring out how to make it as a couple will be a challenge- but its a challenge Elie always wanted a chance at. Brielle has had her heart crushed by the family that was supposed to support her and a young Elie did a good job of hurting her too. So, despite still having a massive infatuation with Elie s, she isnt so sure about handing him her heart. But neither are the people they were before, and maybe with age can come the confidence to risk discovering how vulnerable theyare to each other, and how strong they can be together.

There was a little less of the constant repetition I’ve come to expect in a Christine Feehan book in “Shadow Fire” and I liked how both Elie and Brielle learn from the Ferraros how to be both strong shadow riders and a loving, teasing family. Watching the, discover they deserve love was sweet, and especially watching Brielle gain the confidence she needed to sometimes ask for help from others made her, and the rest if the cast of characters willing to support her, stronger and more relatable. A good read, and not one you necessarily need to have read the others in the series to enjoy.

I received an Arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

3.5 STARS

Elie Archambault is a Shadow Rider capable of manipulating light and dark traveling at super speeds among the shadows to take out enemies and deliver the motto “justice is served.” Elie associates with known criminals in order to eradicate to worst of them including human traffickers. Shadow Riders are trained from childhood with many expectations including marrying others of their kind to fill out the ranks. While Elie has led a very privileged life, he has always felt himself merely a commodity to be used by his powerful family.

Elie has agreed to marry a woman sight unseen not even bothering to find out her name in a kind of Shadow Rider dating service that matches the men and woman based on the results of detailed questionnaires. Elie intends to be a faithful, dutiful husband but love is another matter. The woman Elie wanted slipped through his fingers after some major mistakes on his part.

When Elie discovers the woman he agreed to marry is someone he never thought to see again, he is quite stunned. Brielle Couture had been keeping on the down low in the Shadow Rider world especially after her family, and then Elie, made her feel worthless. She never intended to give Elie another chance and incredulously, never one realizes who they have signed up to marry until she is walking down the aisle. Because Brielle has been also trying to track down criminal families who traffic woman and children, she is put in the cross-hairs of those who want her taken out. The Shadow Riders are a type of ersatz police force riding the world of evil men and women so they are often targets themselves.

As Elie and Brielle come to terms with their past and present as husband and wife, they spend quite a bit of time in the land of kink that goes on for many pages. Ms. Feehan has that proclivity in her books these days of which I am not particularly a fan. She tells a good story however, and although at times repetitive and unnecessarily wordy, her stories are compelling, usually drawing me right in as this one did. This is book #7 in the Shadow Riders series and can be read as a standalone. I have not read the prior books, but did not feel lost as plenty of explanation about the Shadow Rider world are included.

Shadow Fire is a wildly exhilarating and wickedly passionate masterpiece that explores the healing and transformative power of love while highlighting the deep need for unconditional acceptance and intentional understanding. There is nothing easy about this story, but it is wholly and completely exquisite in its execution and unquestionably brilliant in its setup and development. The journey my heart took with these wonderful characters is one that I will not soon forget. Love imprints on our very soul in ways that are both lasting and fierce. We don't know the depth or magnitude that it will affect us or those we extend it to, but we do know its supreme importance in our history, our present, and our future.

Brielle is living life on her own terms until the unthinkable happens. Faced with a handsome ghost from her past, she fears losing her heart if she lets her guard down. A semi-blind arrangement seemed to be a good idea until it wasn't. However, in allowing him to touch her body, she can't stop her defenses from crumbling around her heart. He knows she is hiding more then just her past hurt from him, and he is relentless in uncovering all of her secrets. Elie needs the own the heart of the woman who is his whole world, but how can he show her that he is hers as much as she is his without scaring her off or reinforcing her already steel defenses? Time may heal some wounds, but it also allows doubts and fears to flourish and take over the mind and the heart.

Brielle and Elie share a similar past which completely broke my heart and made my soul hurt. I can't believe how terrible people can be towards their own children. It's truly unthinkable in my mind! Thankfully, Elie does everything and anything he can to bring healing and love to Brielle's broken and abused heart. He wants to shower her with enough understanding and encouragement to grow and flourish into the remarkable woman that he knows she is. In turn, Brielle does her best to show Elie that he is not alone, and she is the home that he has longed for for so long. What an extraordinary and beautiful couple these two make! I loved seeing how tender and loving they were to each other. No matter what they showed compassion and encouragement to the other under any and every circumstance.

Christine Feehan has left me utterly speechless and eager for more from this amazing series that just keeps getting better. I can't help my surprise and delight at the magnificent characters that she continues to create with each of her brilliant stories. She makes them so easy to relate to which makes me love them even more. The wonderful and fascinating worlds that come from the brilliant mind of Christine Feehan never fail to entertain and transform my heart with each journey I take with her. She is truly a master storyteller gifted with an otherworldly imagination and remarkable heart.

I've been an avid fan of Christine Feehan for years and this book does not disappoint! It was refreshing to hear Ellie's story and the instant chemistry between characters. I really liked how the main characters built their relationship on communication and trust, and that they pushed the boundaries on exhibition and involved another character with consent. The action scenes were expertly done, and I appreciated Ellie's vulnerability and but also the female character's courage and determination to protect those she loves. Overall, very well done and cannot wait for the next book.

Elie Archambault has agreed to an arranged marriage because the woman he loves has rejected him. To save himself the heartbreak he decides to marry a stranger and move on with his life. Little does he know he might get what he wants after all.

Elie has been in love with Brielle Couture since she was a teen and he told himself she was off-limit to him but when she comes back into his life he vows to not let her get away this time.

There was just the right amount of build-up in their relationship and I really enjoyed how much they valued open and honest communication in the relationship. I hate when authors use that to create conflict that does not need to be there so I found that refreshing to not see it being used that way.

This book is number seven in a series but in all honesty, can be read as a standalone. Christine gives you enough background to understand what is going on in the story as a newcomer and you never feel lost. Sometimes things are repeated too much for my liking but I understand that she is trying to get everyone up to speed if they did not read the other books.

Final thoughts - This book has some VERY steamy scenes and if you like that you will love this book. The only reason I gave this a 4 and not 5 is that some of the setup seemed long-winded.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

TW: Human trafficking, child abuse, consensual BDSM, exhibitionism, and physical abuse

I received an electronic ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley.
The Shadow Riders series continues with a switch in focus from Ferraro to Archambault as Feehan shares Elie's story. Readers learn of his arranged marriage on page one and also see his memories of the young woman he rejected for the wrong reasons. It's only a small surprise for readers and a shock to Elie to discover that the unknown bride is actually this woman, Brielle Couture. She is equally stunned to be married to Elie. From here, the story unfolds as they learn more about each other and work to overcome damage done by their childhoods. Each is in love but neither recognizes this nor wants to admit it. Their romance progresses as expected though wrapped around the interwoven plotline that lifts the suspense level significantly.
Hits have been placed on Brielle, Elie, Valentino and Dario. This is revealed after a bomb is found on Elie's doorstep. The entire Ferraro family becomes involved as this is connected to the human trafficking investigation both Val and Dario have been working on in the States, at the same time Brielle had investigated this particular ring in Spain. Following this plot unfold is more interesting to me than portions of the relationship deepening between Elie and Brielle.
There are some triggers to be aware of - human trafficking, violence against women, bondage and other kink.
Feehan writes suspense well and weaves relationships - friendship, romance - through the main plot points. Some of her intimate descriptions are a bit more than I prefer but stay true to the characters she develops. Her two main characters are broken people who have learned to survive and know what they need to do so.
It will be interesting to see which of her people find a mate in the next book.

Shadow Fire by Christine Feehan is the 7th book in her fantastic Shadow Riders series. Elie Archambault is the hero in this story, as we met him in a few previous books, being best friends with Emme, as well as part of the Ferraro Shadow Rider family. Elie is set to marry a woman her never met, being an arranged marriage, and he is shocked to see the woman he loved from a distance is his new bride.

Brielle Couture, our heroine, is equally as shocked, when she discovers that Elie is the man she is marrying. We learn that a number of years ago, Elie was being pushed to marry Brielle by his Archambault family, and when he refused, he said some terrible things about her; unfortunately, Brielle overheard what he said, and has never forgotten. Elie did try to explain that he did not mean what he said to his uncle at that time, but Brielle wanted nothing to do with him. Brielle left her family and learned how to make herself a shadow rider, not to mention she was an amazing computer hacker.

When Brielle tries to back away from marrying Elie, she learns some truths about her family, who lied to her, and with help from Stefano, she agrees to through with the marriage. Privately, Brielle always had feelings for Elie, as he did her; but Elie will need to convince Brielle that she has always been the one for him. Over a short period of time, their Elie and Brielle relationship will heat up, and their sizzling chemistry was off the wall. Brielle’s life is in danger, as someone is targeting her; with Elie and the Ferraro/Saldi family trying to protect her, as well as find out why. We learn how good Brielle is in her computer hacking skills, which is part of the reason someone is trying to eliminate her; she becomes a very big asset to the family, with her ability to go beyond discovering hidden secrets.

Shadow Fire was an exciting, tense, heart pounding, nonstop edge of your seat action, from start to finish. Their romance was very steamy and I did love Elie and Brielle together. I loved seeing all the Ferraro family again, as they all played a big part in this story line. I did get a kick out of Dario, who has become a fantastic addition; it should be fun to see if he finds a woman that could handle him.

Christine Feehan once again gives us a fabulous story, which was a great read, and very well written. I will note there were a lots of sex scenes. If you have not read this series, you need to start with the first book. If you have read them all, you will love this one.

Page turner for so many different reasons. The Shadow Riders deliver justice. Eli is one of the fastest and signs an arranged marriage. The depth between Eli and Brielle working out their relationship, the honesty and integrity each brought to it really spoke to me. Both Eli and Brielle grew up with out real family connection and watching them become a family with the Ferraros and the Saldis was flat out heart moving. Watching them become a family unit on their own was beautiful. The other page turner was because BSDM, Kink etc does nothing for me and I had a hard time with those sections, but if it is your thing, you know Christine will bring it with class. Even with the dark background, the trafficking, the child abuse, there were moments of goodness, family and humor to help carry you through. So like the real world, there is darkness, there is light. I so want Dario to have a happy ending but I don't know if I will be strong enough for it :( Thank you for the arc, I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions.

Christine Feehan continues to take on human-trafficking rings through her shadow riders and her latest couple Elie and Brielle.

Shadow Fire brings a lot of heat in the forms of battle, death, and sex. There are many attempts on Brielle’s life and therefore many battles to prevent, save, and avenge said actions. It makes for a very thrilling read.

Feehan is exploring the world of kink even further by adding further more to her toy chest and actually brings a piece I’ve seen in videos, but have not actually used. Plus she utilizes a contraption that I can’t quite picture no matter how many times I read that section, but it seems to work beautifully on Brielle.

As much excitement and steam that there is, I felt that Feehan was laying a lot of ground for Dario’s story. I get that author’s do this to entice readers to want to read the next book, but I would rather have had more focus on Elie and Brielle. Like it would have been nice (spoiler alert) for something to have been done about Brielle’s family and the consequences of their actions against Brielle and Elie.

This is not to say that I did not thoroughly enjoy Shadow Fire. Hello! It’s a Feehan book. Of course, I enjoyed it. (chuckle). Necks broken, justice served, and sex on a table. It doesn’t get better than that…until Feehan publishes another book.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

Be sure to check your triggers before reading!!

Have you ever read a book that wasn't bad, it just wasn't for you?

This is how I have to describe this book. There were certain things that lessened the enjoyment factor for me that mainly took place within the romance, but as far as the plot goes, I loved it.

My biggest issue was the writing style. Maybe it's just another thing that wasn't for me, but I found the story hard to follow at times and at first I attributed it to not having read the previous books in the series. (I'm not sure if these are able to be read as stand - alones. I would say they are because necessary background information was given in order to understand the events in this book), but I had an issue with the way in which they were presented or how they were given. It's very difficult to put this into words, but essentially as I continued reading, I felt that it lent itself to more of a writing style issue than lack of information issue for me. That being said, I did personally have a hard time keeping up with some of the character names involved in the story from previous books, so regardless, having not read the previous books is still a big factor in my review so take that into account. Outside of that, some things did also feel really repetitive as well.

This book features BDSM/Exhibitionism/Kink, etc. and it's also something that's not my preference. My only real experience with BDSM relationships is 50 shades which definitely seems more like child's play compared to this. This definitely has it on a larger scale in my opinion and it just wasn't for me because my preferences lie in heroines that aren't submissive. I also prefer male characters that don't assert their dominance over women simply because they're big/strong manly men and while there are definitely exceptions to this, it all depends on the author and the way it was written. Here, even though Brielle does have a submissive side in the bedroom, outside of the bedroom she's independent, strong, and capable of taking care of herself and I LOVED that, but it felt like the men were trying to take that away from her. Even though it was something Eli secretly liked, he didn't really voice it. Don't get me wrong, it came from a good place, but again, not my preference.

I won't lie and say I didn't like some instances of Eli's dominance, but what I whole heartedly loved the most was his unabashed honesty. Their relationship as a whole when it comes to honesty is something to be admired. They demanded honesty from one another and they gave it even if it was difficult to do so. With Eli, I also loved how much he's worked on himself and how much he continued to do so. I like the representation it gives and we get to see Brielle start her own journey.

Now like I said, the plot, while slow building, was my favorite aspect of the book. I love the concept of shadow riders and how far they went to not only protect Brielle, but end a ring of international human trafficking. The last few chapters of the book were some of my favorites in seeing it all come to fruition.

Lastly, I truly loved the banter between all the characters. You really do see the family connection and I felt like Emmanuelle was at the heart of that. Two books I would be very interested in reading is her book with Valentino and Dario whenever he (hopefully) finds someone. I loved Emmanuelle's spirit, defiance, and strength. I also loved her teasing relationship with Dario. As serious as Dario is, he's hilarious. It provided from some great comedic aspects.

All in all, check this book out for yourself! However, I would probably recommend starting from the beginning and not from the last book like I did. :)

Rating: 3.5