Customer Reviews

Bound by Shadow (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Riana Dumain is the mortar of her triad, an earth controlling Sybil and leader of her group. Creed Lowell is a cop working in the Occult Crimes Unit. When a senator's son is murdered in a ritualistic fashion it falls on Creed and his partner Andy to figure out who killed Jacob Latch without actually being involved with the case. When Andy brings some evidence to her friend Riana for some help things get tricky.

Creed has always had something inside him, something not human, something other. It gives whole new meaning to the phrase 'personal demon'. Riana and her triad begin to suspect he is a member of the Legion, enemies of the Sybils who want to take over the world. As the two try to figure out what this 'other' that Creed becomes is and solve the case the two become attracted and fight their urges to be together.

I'll be honest... I couldn't give a better description of the story. Why? Because I think just about anything more would misrepresent the story. I wanted to like this book. Windsor can describe a scene well but she can't write passion and attraction at all. Riana is two-dimensional and has about as much personality as baking soda. Creed is attracted to Riana but we know so little about who he is that I couldn't see a reason he liked her. The general story of the Legion, the Sybils and the urban fantasy elements had potential but nothing was ever explained enough to make much sense. There were several inconsistancies as well. Supposedly Rianna could cause earthquakes but she doesn't when it would make sense and does when it serves no point to the story. The whole thing was sloppy. And Windsor needs a thesaurus. Her info says she writes erotica under another name yet she never refered to male genetalia with any other word than the standards 'cock' and 'erection'. It felt clinical and as many times as it was used in non-sexual situations it became annoying and silly.

I'm still undecided whether I will buy the rest of the series or not. I didn't enjoy this book much. Barely enough to give it three stars. There are many better PNR series out there one could spend their money on and really enjoy. If you like Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series this has some similar concepts you might enjoy.

Bound in Shadows is the beginning of an excellent new series-involving butt kicking women known as Sybils. There are three to a group and each of the women has an affinity for one of the four elements.

Things begin to get a little weird when a senator's son is killed in a `odd' way and a man named Creed Lowell, who works as a detective, comes to the Sybil's home. He has a split nature and isn't quite human, and quite dangerous.

The lead Sybil Riana and Creed have a physical connection, but she knows Creed has the power to hurt her and her family.

This book is action packed and very steamy. It personally took me a while to connect with Riana's character, though I fell for Creed immediately. This book would go into the dark urban paranormal category. I'm looking forward to the second book; I hope there are even more action and hot scenes. Definitely worth paperback price, add it to your collection.

First books in an paranormal romance series are tough, because in addition to developing the characters and their romance, the world has to be explained and then on top of all that the story has to be told. But Windsor manages to do a pretty good job with most of it. Her mythos of the Dark Crescent Sisterhood was interesting and well thought out, with Sybil (women of power) triads. The triad that is the focus of this first trilogy are: leader Riana with the power of Earth, and her 'sister' Sybils, Cynda with the power of Fire and Merrilee with the power of Air. The trio use their magic and battle skills as protectors of humanity in the fight against the evil power hungry demon-wielding 'Legion'.

Enter Creed Lowell, NYPD Occult Unit investigator and his partner tough smart Andy. When trying to get a handle on the supernatural ritualistic elements of a murder case they are working, Andy takes Creed to her friend 'psychic' Riana. But unknown to Andy, Creed has a secret - or at least he had one because as soon as he comes across Riana and her sisters they sense it immediately - Creed is not quite human. And as Riana is drawn to the mysterious, gorgeous and possibly dangerous Creed, her loyalties are soon divided between the 'man' with whom she finds an irressitable connection and her sisters' who are emphatic in their disapproval for the monster inside Creed who seems too much like their enemies.

Riana is fine as a heroine. She is strong but vulnerable, not only to her desire for Creed, but also in her lack of surety that she is a worthy leader to her group. But it is Creed who makes the story for me. Creed is a wonderful honorable hero struggling to keep his monster leashed, and needing to prove his worthiness to fight at Riana's side even as he respects her need to do the job for which she was trained. Also strong in the book, and another big plus for me, is Creed's partner Andy. Andy is sassy with an attitude that won't quit. Rianna's sisters are okay but don't really stand out in their limited screen time and the full dynamic of the trio isn't really explored either. But they have books of their own so, we're sure to get to know them better. And Creed's twin and the mysterious Jake have real potential, hopefully they will be as good as Creed when they get their turn in the limelight.

So the mythos and characters are good and there's a fair enough background plot with a decent amount of action packed battles - along with the discovery of just what Creed is and how he came to be that way - all weighing in on the plus side. The part that works less well for me was the way that the attraction between Creed and Riana is established. The actual love scenes themselves were pretty good, but my nit is that both Creed and Riana were so besotted with the other that they were constantly thinking about the aroused states of their bodies no matter what else was going on in the story at the time. I don't think I've ever read a book (even one of the few actual erotic ones that I've come across) that used the 'c'-word for the male anatomy so many times - and the majority of the usages weren't even in the context of the love scenes. Every time Creed thinks of Riana, or sees Riana, the paragraph has a reference to his aroused body part, and, making this doubly annoying, Rianna does the exact same thing (of course thinking about her appropriate female parts). Also since Creed spends a great deal of time naked (something is forever happening to his clothes) Rianna takes every opportunity to grab onto said aroused body part. Okay, I'll stop my rant now, the bottom line is that instead of upping the sensuality level of the romance for me, (and I do like a bit of steam in a romance) it was so heavy handed that it detracted and dropped my rating a star.

So overall, Bound by Shadow is pretty good and likely the next two books Bound by Flame (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood) (Cynda and Creed's twin Nick) and Bound by Light (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood)(Merrilee and Creed & Nick's blood-brother Jake) will be even better as Windsor already has a head start on developing her cast and her world, but even though I already have the next books on my TBR pile, and I will read them, Bound by Shadow didn't inspire me to dive into the next one right away.

The son of a senator has been murdered and now Detective Creed Lowell and his partner, Andrea Myles, find themselves caught in the middle of a supernatural war....

Creed knows he's always been different. Despite being an active member of the NYPD's Occult Crimes Unit, he's carefully avoided anyone who might be remotely sensitive to supernatural energies. His carefully guarded secret is about to be revealed, along with all the burning questions he has once he meets Riana Dumain. Riana is part of a specially trained triad, a group of Sibyls who are locked in a battle against a nefarious group called the Legion. Riana is attracted to Creed instantly, but is he an Asmodai, one of the very demons they are battling?

Wow, what a phenomenal start to what looks to be a great new series! Anna Windsor does a marvelous job at building her world and making it work for her in BOUND BY SHADOW. The concepts of the Sibyls, Asmodai, and elemental powers have a strong basis in legends but Ms. Windsor puts her own sexy and sassy spin on them. It's hard not to get wrapped up in the sheer beauty and power of the world she has created, with the various aspects of good and evil creating a very potent storyline.

BOUND BY SHADOW is more plot driven than character driven but this isn't to say the characters are weak by any means! Rather, Anna Windsor's characters evoke deep emotions from the reader as they make sacrifices in their quests to ultimately "do the right thing". Creed is a unique hero, a man who literally is at war with himself. His struggle is an emotional one and one that still leaves me impressed by the strength of his inner convictions. Riana is quite a contrast, a woman in a position of power but unsure of her leadership skills. The clash between these two is an interesting one as the heart wars with what the head says. BOUND BY SHADOW is a very complex but satisfying story. Highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I thought this book was boring. Lacked plot and character development. I thought Creed was a dork. Riana got on my nerves from page one till the last page. The entire story line was plain old corny.

I gave it 130 pages and gave up. It was boring. The sex in the holding cell was not worth $6.99 and why agree to go into the holding cell.
A plot, a plot, a kingdom for a plot. Books two and three are not on my list.

Considering the paranormal offerings out there, this is a good read. Not brilliant, not original, but okay good. What is a bit scary and mysterious though, is why the publishing house did not proof it. With all the thank yous to mothers and agents and teachers and librarians and all the pets the authors have owned in their lives, you would think that SOMEONE would have read the book attentively and pointed out the glaring mistakes.
When writing something passionately and looking at the manuscript over and over again, authors often do not have the ability to see clearly what is on the page because it is hard to step back and look at it objectively after a certain point. That is when the friendly people whom the author has allegedly entrusted the draft to should give the author a hand, OR the publishing house that has a modicum of respect for the readers who support them, after all, comes in with a professional who is paid to catch the mistakes the author hasn't. Oh well. Just enjoy the light reading without letting this get in your way, I guess.

Reviewed 6/15/2010

Creed Lowell, a detective in NYPD's low-profile Occult Crimes Unit is far more than he seems, as he, and his twin brother, have always had another side to them. Riana, who controls earth magic, and her triad sisters, first meet Creed after the murder of a US Senator's son. The boy's murder was committed in a ritualistic manner, and has few leads. Creed and his partner, Andy, seek out Riana for help in solving the crime, but when the two meet, sparks fly. Creed is determined to find out why he feels so much for someone he's just met. However, Creed is soon in over his head, in more mystical mess than he ever thought possible, and Riana has to discover Creed's other side, in order to be sure he's on their team. The Legion is getting bolder in their attack of the Sisterhood, and if Creed is with the Legion, then she'll have to kill him, even if she wants to keep him.

Despite the extensive references to occult religion and explanations of the processes of magic, this was a pretty good story. The characters were loveable and "real" but there wasn't much depth to the personalities, very little background. I can't say this was my favorite story, because as I said, there was a lot of exposition, and not as much action and dialogue. In fact, one of the characters' only means of communication seemed to be by facial expression. The end, where the main characters are showing a depth of emotion, is touching, but that's seemed to be the only time I couldn't put this book down. This is the first Anna Windsor book I've read, and I would probably read another, but so far liking it, not loving it.

This book was so good I ended up buying the other 2 in the trilogy.

I admit that for the most part, everything about this book is pretty much what you'd expect and there is nothing wrong with that. It's the story of Rianna, and Sibyl with power over the element earth. She is the leader of her triad of Sibyls, and they basically protect their corner of the world from evil demons and the like. She meets Creed, who seems to be part demon. The attraction between them is instant and electric.

So really my complaints are: too many cliches (not enough originality in the plot or the romance), and sloppy world building. I found the plot predictable. I didn't love either main character, and I didn't feel like they developed much. Overall I was just bored. Usually what saves a series at that point is an interesting world/adversary/mystery. But by page 260 I felt like too much had happened without really giving us any clue as to what was really going on, who the villains were and what motivated them, or what the 'big picture' is for the Sibyls overall. So yeah, there was not enough to hold my attention.

To give credit where it's due, I thought the chemistry between Rianna and Creed was very good--and there are many very sexy moments. And while I found the Sibyls and there powers to be awfully cliched as mentioned, I really thought some of them had a lot of potential for future books. So I'd recommend trying the book for yourself for these reasons, because it has a few redeeming qualities.