Sandy M’s review of Shadow Bound (Shadow Series, Book 1) by Erin Kellison
Paranormal Romance published by Leisure Books 29 Jun 10

I just love it when I find a debut author who wows me. Erin Kellison has written a mind-blowing first novel, full of fae, death, darkness, wraiths, and, of course, love and romance that triumphs it over all

I have to be honest, when I read the prologue I thought this book might be a little too dark for me. I’m not one who likes death on every page and all that goes with it. And we meet death right off the bat, in the form of a handsome man, a form which Kathleen O’Brien has given to an otherwise unattractive being. He’s followed her for years, knowing he would one day come for her, watching over her in the meantime. She calls to him this time, asking to see him, they’ve been through so much together over the years. Knowing he shouldn’t, he goes to her. Kathleen proclaims him Shadowman and asks him for nine more months.

Twenty-six years later we meet the culmination of their night together, Talia. She has inherited her father’s ability to manipulate shadow, so dating is tricky, but she’s about to embark on her dream job so that’s where her her focus lies. But in the space of one drawn breath, her world is torn apart. Strangers come looking for Talia, and when they turn violent (which is an understatement for what these beings do), it’s Talia’s screams that bring her father to her from the shadows of twilight.

On the run from the monsters who killed her roommate, Talia has been hiding in the shadows for weeks. It’s Adam Thorne who rescues her, a man who is driven and determined…to kill his brother. Founder of Segue Institute, he is preparing for a war with the Wraith who are under the guidance of a demon intent on taking over the world. Jacob is a Wraith and in captivity at the institute until a way can be found to destroy once and for all the creature he’s become. Talia is Adam’s secret weapon.

However, she has other ideas. She’d rather be on her own than part of a war not of her making, but Adam knows which buttons to push to guarantee her cooperation. He’s been waiting for years for this, and it’s going to happen. What neither of them expect is their mutual attraction, even though they are somewhat distrustful of the other, but running for their lives when the institute is infiltrated brings them even closer together.

The pace is fast and furious once these Wraiths have Adam and Talia in their sights. They escape time and again by mere minutes or inches. I really enjoyed the way Ms. Kellison uses Talia’s shadow ability throughout the book. From hiding herself to allowing Adam to experience the phenomenon to letting it all go when they make love, it’s all done quite ingeniously.

Adam did slightly irritate me a couple of times with his single-mindedness in getting rid of his brother, but when his enlightenment comes, I realized what Ms. Kellison had done. Same situation with the friends Adam loses. I was especially unhappy with the last one, but all was forgiven when I found out what’s in store for Custo later.

Which reminds me, the second book in the series, Shadow Fall, is due out next month, and I am looking forward to it. Absolutely.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Death

Some people will do anything to avoid it. Even trade their immortal souls for endless existence.

Wraiths

Secretly, inexorably, they are infiltrating our world, sucking the essence out of unsuspecting victims with their hideous parody of a kiss.

Segue

Adam Thorne founded the Institute to study and destroy his monster of a brother, but the key to its success is held in the pale, slender hand of a woman on the run. There is something hauntingly different about Talia O’Brien, her unknowing sensuality, her uncanny way of slipping into Shadow.

Twilight

This is the place between life and what comes after – a dark forest of fantasy, filled with beauty, peril, mystery. And Talia is about to open the door.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: