Synopsis: Custo Santovari accepted pain, blood, even death, to save his best friend. But a man with all his sins just isn't cut out to be an angel. One moment he's fleeing Heaven; the next, he's waking up stark naked in Manhattan. In the middle of a war. Called there by a woman who's desperately afraid of the dark. The Shadowlands gathers around Annabella as she performs, filled with fantastic images of another world, bringing both a golden hero and a nightmare lover. The Wolf pursues her relentlessly, twisting her desires even as she gives herself to the man she loves. Because each of us has a wild side, and Annabella is about to unleash the beast.
This is the second book in the Shadow series (see my review of Shadow Bound here) with the same basic premise of fighting the wraith war. I like the Custo character - he's everything an alpha male should be - dark, hot and sexy. Annabella is fragile yet strong and the ballet that she dances is described beautifully. Both of them make for a hot, sexy read. Although I enjoyed reading this book, I will admit that the plot is somewhat convoluted. There is talk of Annabella needing to "master her magic" yet no one seems to know what the magic is that allows her into the Shadowlands, nor is there any plan on how she will accomplish the mastery. She has worked for 17 years to become the lead ballet dancer, yet she is willing to give it up without a struggle. This just doesn't track. The reasons for keeping Custo and Annabella apart in the first half of the book also seem a bit contrived. He thinks he is such a bad person that he couldn't possibly be with her. She runs hot and cold on whether she wants him to touch her. And then there's the "bad guy"- which in this case is a creature from the Shadowlands who is hunting Annabella. It's never fully explained if he is a shapeshifter or just possesses peoples bodies or both. Nor do we know how Annabellas magic will benefit him. And the way Custo disposes of the Wolf seems a bit too convenient.
The beautiful, moving prose that was part of the first book is gone in this one, but the writing itself is strong. The characters are fully developed and make you want to care about their problems. If you can read this without asking why the characters do what they do, it's a good book.
Michele, I really appreciate frank advice when reading a review, and this post is exactly that. It can be disappointing to a reader looking forward to a new release - especially when it is part of series - and it just does not live up to expectations. It is obvious that this book is worthy, but I think the reader can take away from your article that they should be aware that it may not be *quite* as good as the first one.
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