Shadow Warrior by Christine Feehan Pages: 430
Series: Shadow Riders #4
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Setting: Chicago, IL
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Also in this series: Shadow Keeper, Shadow Flight, Shadow Storm (Shadow Riders #6)
Also by this author: Judgment Road, Shadow Keeper, Dark Sentinel, Dark Challenge, Dark Magic , Vengeance Road, Toxic Game, Dark Illusion, Vendetta Road, Lethal Game, Shadow Flight, Desolation Road, Reckless Road, Shadow Storm (Shadow Riders #6), Murder at Sunrise Lake, Annihilation Road , Savage Road, Dark Whisper , Leopard's Scar , Recovery Road , Ghostly Game, Dark Memory , Betrayal Road
Goodreads
Danger inspires fierce passion when a serial killer threatens Chicago’s Ferraro crime family in this novel in Christine Feehan’s New York Times bestselling series.
Vittorio Ferraro is a man whose family loyalty knows no bounds. He would die for his siblings and the people they love, but what he really wants is to start a family of his own. Deep down, Vittorio has always known finding a woman who could ride shadows would be nearly impossible—let alone one who could accept his particular needs—and he never expected to find her in the middle of a kidnapping.…
Grace Murphy has always been drawn to Vittorio Ferraro—or at least to the billionaire’s public bad-boy persona. Now that she’s under his protection and the sole focus of his intense caring, she can’t help wanting to get as close to him as possible. But Grace knows her presence is putting the entire Ferraro family in danger. Her monster of a brother will never let her go, but Vittorio has no intention of losing the woman whose shadow matches his own.
Disciples, I am SO HAPPY to share an exclusive excerpt from Shadow Warrior!
Grace woke choking in the dark, fighting, pinned down, trying to kick her way free. Her legs were tangled in the sheets. Her body was drenched in sweat, so much so that her hair was clinging to her head in a damp mess. Her heart pounded wildly, and her lungs refused to work properly. She heard sobbing and knew she was the one crying, but she was so disconnected from it that she couldn’t find a way to stop.
“Grace, you’re okay. I’m right here.”
The voice came out of the darkness. Low. Gentle. Calm. She barely heard over the roar of her blood in her ears. Still, the sound caught at her and she clung to it like an anchor in a storm.
“Open your eyes for me, gattina. I’m right here with you. I’m going to put my hand on your shoulder. I want you to feel my touch, know it’s me.”
There was no mistaking Vittorio’s voice or his touch. His voice was like velvet, wiping away every bad memory. The sound filled those places inside her that were empty and frightened, a child cowering in her room, waiting for the demon to destroy her. It seemed as if Haydon had always been there, crouched like an evil entity, ready to rip her to pieces. Vittorio had found a way to push that relentless fear she’d been conditioned to feel into the background.
His hand moved lightly on her good shoulder, and at once she felt his calm spread through the panic gripping her. She fought the sensation of choking and struggled to take a breath, to allow his quiet composure to calm her. The pads of his fingers traced down her cheeks and then brushed at the tears there.
“He’s not here, Grace. I am. He can’t get to you.” He snapped on a low light, one that didn’t hurt her eyes, but allowed her to see around the room. “I want you to look at me, bella. Really see me. I don’t want you to have any illusions about who I am.”
Her gaze darted fearfully to every corner, then to the vents before coming to rest on Vittorio’s face. It was a strong face and it held masculine beauty, as if a sculptor had carved his finest work. She made herself really study his face, get past the beauty to see what was really Vittorio, the man. There was the stamp of ruthlessness. Danger. Power. He looked invincible. Implacable. So many things that could be negative. She could also see his protective streak. His caring. His sense of responsibility. Vittorio Ferraro was a man of mystery, but she was beginning to think of him as hers. She probably should have been afraid of him, but he brought her such a sense of well-being that fearing him was impossible.
“I’m going to get these sheets off of you and move you to the chair.”
He had a tone that indicated he was in complete charge and could be relied on to solve any problem. She knew, because in her business, that was the role she played—problem solver—and she was very good at it. She found it was especially tempting to be able to just not think, to let him do it for her. Her mind was in chaos and she just wanted to be wrapped up in his protection, just for a little while, until she gained her strength and will to fight back.
Vittorio pulled the sheets off her, unwinding them from her legs and stripping the top sheet from the bed. He slid her off the mattress, lifting her easily so that she was cradled against his chest.
“I need a shower.”
“You’re fine. We’ll take care of that tomorrow morning.”
“You’re not showering with me.” She was a little shocked at herself. The image of him naked in the shower with her was . . . intriguing.
His laughter was low and carried sensual undertones that seemed to slide under her skin to wreak havoc with her nerve endings.
Shadow Warrior continues the story of the Ferraro family and their shadow walking abilities. Vittorio was kind of the wild card brother (to me, anyway). I never quite got a good read on him-he is quite and subdued. That changed dramatically in Shadow Warrior!
Vittorio is a Dom. At first, he alludes to never being able to find a woman who would be willing to meet his needs. He said this multiple times and I was starting to get scared about what exactly he was into that was strange. But, as it unfolds, I think he is just very dominate. He isn’t into pain or anything like that, but he is controlling. However, its not BAD controlling and you recognize quickly that he would never do something his lover didn’t enjoy. For readers who are skep about Dom/Sub stuff, I think this is a great example of the practice used in a healthy relationship. Maybe I’m wrong (I don’t know much about it, and I haven’t really read much BDSM), but I thought Feehan’s approach to this aspect of Vittorio’s personality was well handled.
Grace is a woman who gives off the appearance of having her life together. She works for a very popular event planner and she is the person behind the scenes that makes everything run flawlessly. But her personal life has been hell since childhood. Her foster brother was truly terrifying and his presence added a layer of genuine fear to the story.
Finally, there is lots of allusions regarding Emmanuelle and I’m hoping her book is next. But, there is an allusion to Taviano and his true love as well. There is some drama with a local crime family that has been brewing for awhile now, and all this goes on while Vittorio and Grace are dealing with Haydon. Shadow Warrior was captivating from the start and it never let up with its blend of danger and sensuality.
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Triggers: View Spoiler »
- Series/Standalone: series (while Vittorio and Grace’s story stands alone, in order to understand all the people in the story, you should read the previous books
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
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authors like Nalini Singh, Kresley Cole, JR Ward, Rebecca Zanetti…then you will probably like Shadow Warrior!
Shadow Warrior
I liked the excerpt/sneak peek thank you for sharing 😀 these two characters sounded like they had a lot of chemistry and worked well together.
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