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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantasy-Action-Adventure-Story--and an example of Paranormal Romance at its finest!, July 1, 2008
INTO THE SHADOW is the fabulously exciting 3rd book in Christina Dodd's--Oh-So-Thrilling!--The Darkness Chosen paranormal romance series.
The story first takes place in the Himalayan Mountains, somewhere on the border between Tibet and Nepal, high on top of Mt. Anaya; a place that area natives believe is cursed. Twenty-eight year old Karen Sonnet is on the mountain to oversea the building of a "boutique hotel" for trekkers and climbers looking for the ultimate challenge. She is the on site supervisor representing her extremely wealthy--extremely difficult and demanding--father, Jackson Sonnet. He's the owner of a chain of resort hotels that specialized in extreme adventure vacations, and though Mt. Anaya had a reputation for being "un-climbable" Mr. Sonnet felt that was what made it a very attractive area to build.
After three months of working on the mountain Karen has encountered many frustrating problems during construction; some because she's a woman doing what's considered a man's job. And others because the workers are afraid--they say she seeks to build the hotel on the "Heart of Evil"--and they believe the mountain will destroy anyone who tries to conquer it because it hides the "Evil One's" treasure.
Karen's not happy with the situation, but she's a brave, tough, and disciplined workaholic that won't run from a challenge so easily, or worse, be chased away by local superstitions... even though she's starting to believe them herself. So by day Karen fears the mountain she works on, and now also, the nights that are plagued by the mysterious "midnight lover" who haunts her sleep...
Unfortunately, she's not sure which she should fear more.
***
This story was extraordinary--I highly recommend it! If asked, I'd describe INTO THE SHADOW as a fantasy-action-adventure-story--and an example of paranormal romance at its finest.
I was completely captivated by the fast pace and wildly intense atmosphere; every action-packed, suspenseful, and deeply emotional twist and turn the author took me on, coupled with the considerable degree of steamy sensuality and--blazing--sexual tension between the characters... left me feeling breathless. The chemistry and passion between Warlord and Karen was extraordinary, and their wickedly sensual loves scenes practically burned up the pages.
And I felt the story worked so well because it was a paranormal romance and that really allowed Ms. Dodd to explore far darker, far edgier subject matter--with a much darker, grittier hero. A hero who takes the term "HOT-blooded" to a whole new level, and was in dire need of redemption--which honestly is something I might not have accepted in a straight contemporary or historical romance.
Yes, Adrik Wilder -aka- "Warlord" was killer-for-hire mercenary fighter and basically a "demon" because his ancestor made a deal with the devil a thousand years ago. And, like all the males in his family, he has the ability to shapeshift at will and turn into a sleek, powerful--and predatory--panther. And yes, he was a truly dark, domineering, possessive and unrepentantly alpha character, who had done many terrible things, and yet I came to care for him a lot--and shed more than a few tears for all he had gone through. I could readily accept all his faults and his extremely passionate--and lusciously so--wild side for what it undeniably was--the inner demon and the predatory male beast in him trying to break free. (Hey, it's my fantasy and I like cats! <G>) I liked him, though I'll admit there were times I was thinking he was just another bossy, controlling jerk of a man in need of a serious smackdown--from Karen.
But by accepting his demon and animal nature, it made his internal struggle--the battle between being/doing Good vs. being/doing Evil--completely understandable. I could sympathize with his plight because I think it would be quite thrilling to be able to turn into a panther or any animal, and after all, it wasn't Adrik that had made the bargain with the Devil in the first place. He was just a bi-product. Also, I felt Adrik tried to change for the better during the course of the story. I really came to love his character, and I believed his love for Karen was sincere. She was his light; and it was his love for her that pulled him back from of falling into the deepest, darkest pit of despair--and the brink of hell. It's her love that gives him courage to fight the evil in himself--and change--swearing to live the rest of his life as a virtuous man.
And truly, I'm in love with the whole Wilder family. Ms. Dodd did a fantastic job creating these engaging, lovable and realistic characters... they're loud, affectionately teasing, warm, caring, loving and so welcoming--exactly the way a happy close-knit family should be. They're "good" people; you can't help but want them to succeed in breaking the pack their ancestors made with the Devil. I want Konstantine to live a long happy life with his love, Zorana, and his family by his side--and I don't even care that they're half demon shapeshifters--I want them to adopt me!
Christina Dodd is indisputably a talented writer and a gifted storyteller; with INTO THE SHADOW she's confirmed once again that she has the ability, expertise and creativity necessary to write first-rate stories in ANY genre that piques her imagination... and also explains why her readers enthusiastically clamor for ANY book with her name on it. I've been a long time fan of Ms. Dodd's historical romances, and though I genuinely miss them and hope she'll write in that genre again, I have to say I heartily loved The Darkness Chosen series. And, needless to say, I can hardly wait to read the fourth installment of this terrific series--Into the Flame (Darkness Chosen, Book 4)--to be released on August 5, 08.
Also recommended - Ms. Dodd's Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Book 1) and Touch of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Book 2)
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wickedly delicious!, August 21, 2008
Christina Dodd's characters are strong, stubborn, interesting, and fun. Some romances have rather cardboard male leads, but hers, thankfully, do not.
The background plot regarding the Varinski and Wilder families, the pact with the devil, and the prophecy to redeem the Wilder branch of the family is wonderfully conceived and executed. It's a fresh and fascinating take on things, and is used well to create a fast-paced and suspenseful plot that doesn't rely entirely on romance to keep it moving. I've never been entirely fond of books that rely wholly on the relationship struggles to keep things interesting---they almost always have to ratchet up the personality conflict artificially to keep things going. In this case, the Varinski mercenaries do a fine job of keeping things tense and dangerous as they seek to keep the Wilders from ending the pact.
Dodd conveys a tremendous sense of place. It's easy to see, taste, and feel each location in the book, from the mountains of Tibet to the luxurious gardens of a spa resort or the snowy cliff of a mountain. Her battles are well-drawn, and her sex scenes are hot, sexy, and moderately explicit. My only warning is that while Adrik is still in the grip of his darker side, he's rather domineering, and that includes the bedroom scenes---something that won't appeal to all audiences. This is definitely a romance, though, and one in which Karen wholly holds up her side of the struggle for survival.
All in all a gorgeous book, and I'm definitely reading the follow-on next.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best one in this series so far!!!!!!!!!!, July 16, 2008
I haven't been that excited about this series even though I love Christina Dodd, b/c I didn't think the first 2 books in it were that great. Good, but not great. Into the Shadow however, was the best book I've read in a long time! I read it completely in one day and now am greatly anticipating the next/last one in the series, Into the Flame. If you haven't read the first 2 yet, it'd be good to, just to get the back story on the family and b/c they were good reads, but I'd do it just to get to this one, b/c it's worth the wait! It was almost like a historical and comtemporary/paranormal wrapped up in one with Adrick. He's the most perfect blend of infuriating Alpha male and modernized sophisticated male that I've come across. Yummy!
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