Reviewer Comments: Wow! Christine Feehan blew me away with this latest book. Shadow Rider is the first book in a new series and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Ms. Feehan brings her unique paranormal perspective to the world of shadows and explores what can happen if people can use the shadows to travel. Stefano Ferraro is the head of his family. He, along with his four brothers, one sister and numerous cousins, make up the Ferraro empire. They run hotels, banks and other ventures. Some of their ventures are legitimate and some are not. Underlying all of Stefano’s decisions is the desire to protect those he cares about. People know that they are safe under the Ferraro protection—no matter how intimidating they may seem. Francesca Capello has demons in her past and has fled to Chicago. Her friend, Joanna Masci, lives in the Ferraro neighborhood and has offered to help her find a job. Francesca needs a place to hide out for a while and to get some money together so that she can permanently get away from the man hunting her. Francesca doesn’t know what she would have done without Joanna’s help. When Stefano sees Francesca, he recognizes her as something special and is immediately drawn toward her. He cannot let her out of his sight. She awakens all of his primal instincts and he must protect her. Francesca is an independent woman who is not used to relying on anyone and has been let down by so many others in her life. She doesn’t know what to do with Stefano’s attention. The interplay between these two characters is a treat to watch. They both have strong personalities and a desire to protect. Their issues with each other stem from secrets in their past. As these secrets are revealed, they have to figure out if they can live with the results. As a reviewer, I sometimes feel a little bit jaded by certain genres of romance and have trouble connecting to the characters. I worried that this book would just be another paranormal romance with little unique or interesting about it. I was so wrong. I loved every minute of this book and could not put it down until I knew how it would end. I had to see what happened between Stefano and Francesca—how would they put aside their differences and make a relationship work? What would happen next? In addition to the paranormal and romantic elements, this story also has a bit of suspense which adds intrigue to what is happening between Stefano and Francesca. Having a cast of characters such as the Ferraro family and the other people in the neighborhood adds a interesting setting to the romance happening between Stefano and Francesca. It also insures a long series as we find out who the other members of the Ferraro family fall in love with.
