Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Heat Rating: 3
Blurb
Companion to “Shadows Stir” from Dreams of the Oasis IV anthology and Beyond Shadows
Dovina Horne has arrived in Sleepy Hollow to study the legend of the horseman. She believes it’s only a myth until she’s threatened by a horse and rider while walking on a deserted trail in the woods. Only the sudden appearance of a warrior saves her from the horseman’s sword. She feels an instant connection, both sexual and emotional, to this protective stranger.
An immortal warrior of the Shadow Realm, Hadeon’s mission is to protect Dovina at all costs. He knows the horseman is not what he seems, but something more powerful and sinister in disguise. The longer Hadeon spends with Dovina, the more he wants her. He finds his way into her bed and her heart, but their relationship is doomed. He is an immortal from the shadows and she is a human filled with light. But when the final battle comes, they must use all that is between them if they hope to survive.
Claudette's Review
N.J. Walters writing is pure magic and her name on the cover of any book makes it an automatic must buy for me. Having read the other books in the Shadow series, this book surpassed my expectations and was a treat that ticked all the boxes.
Dovina Horne is an academic doing research on the legend of sleepy hollow for an article. On her first night in Sleepy Hollow she is warned that it’s not safe to be out in the Old Dutch churchyard alone. When she finds herself jumping at shadows, she just thinks that it’s the atmosphere getting to her but she’s not alone for long; first she is chased and threatened by a shadowy headless horseman and then rescued by a mysterious stranger wearing a long black duster and carrying a sword. Hadeon is an ancient warrior charged by the Shadow Lord to protect Dovina. What Hadeon hadn’t realised was that the redheaded academic would bring him to his knees.
What should be a simple task of watching over her is clouded by the fact that he can’t keep his hands off her and that the entity posing as the headless horseman is as much ‘other’ as he is. Worryingly this ‘horseman’ recognises him as a Shadow Ryder and mocks their leader the Shadow Lord.
Now Hadeon is faced with the puzzle of why this creature is determined to claim Dovina Horne and how to defeat an enemy who might be more powerful than he is. One of the many things I loved about the characters is that Hadeon from the beginning really sees Dovina. She is aware that men don’t generally tend to find her attractive, she’s too plump and her hair is curly and barely manageable. But when Hadeon looks at her he can’t get over how sexy she is to him and he sees her courage and that though she is an academic she is open minded enough to accept the supernatural. Even with the Shadow Ryder’s ability to hide in any shadow, Dovina is always aware when he is close by and watching over her.
Hadeon doesn’t think that he deserves the love of a woman like Dovina, he has never been a ‘good’ man and his time as a Shadow Ryder has been about making amends for his blood soaked past. Nevertheless he cherishes his time with Dovina because he’s aware of her worth, though he doesn’t think that someone as pure and perfect as her should have a future with someone like him.
I enjoyed the way that Hadeon clearly cherished Dovina, and the passion, pheww!
In this book we find out that the Shadow Lord himself isn’t all knowing. I have to admit, I cannot wait to see the woman who is paired up with the Shadow Lord. So far in the series they’ve all been strong, capable women who can hold their own with anyone. So how will a several thousand-year-old man cope with a modern woman when he used to his every word being obeyed without question?
5 Tea Cups!
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