ARC Book Review-Shadow Fires by Christine Feehan

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

About The Book

Journey deeper into the world of Chicago’s most dangerous, alluring crime family in this incendiary installment of the Shadow Riders series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Shadow Rider Elie Archambault has been called many things: domineering, brash, loyal, but most of all fast. And there’s nothing faster than choosing to marry a woman you’ve never met. All he has is a signed contract and a list of his new bride’s expectations for their arranged marriage. He’s not expecting love or some happy ever after, just a partner that knows exactly what she signed up for. He’ll be faithful because he’s a man of honor, but she’ll never have his heart…. 

Elie knows who he is. A privileged member of the Archambault family. A skilled rider and fighter. A man who’s always had things easy for all the wrong reasons. He’s made his mistakes and lost his chance at real, true passion with his other half thanks to his own careless arrogance. Now he just wants to do his duty as a Shadow Rider and leave the past behind.

But Elie has no idea that his choice is about to spark a blaze that will burn all his carefully laid plans to the ground….

My Review

First Impressions

Shadow Fire is the latest installment of the Shadow Riders series and I had a blast with this book so dearly and it contains one of my favorite tropes of all time. I was so stoked to read this book because well I just have adored what this author has done with this series and how family-focused it is. I was thrilled to see that she was expanding these books to members outside of the primary Ferraro family so we can get their stories as well. This story focuses on a second chance romance that builds on a foundation of an arranged marriage. I absolutely adored how Feehan handled this trope for this story. It’s so rare to see this trope anywhere but historical romance. Although on occasion I will see it in dark romance if you are dealing with mafia romance. Feehan has blended the dark and paranormal sub-genres so well in this series but especially in this book and tossed in some thrilling suspense elements that worked so well.

Summary

Our story begins with our hero, Elie Archambault, who has decided to enter into an arranged marriage. He has been known to rush into things so why would his marriage be any different. Elie is good at what he does and is one of the fastest and most efficient shadow riders in the business. The family he is connected to has been pushing for him to get married and why not. There is no one he can see matching up in his life and even though those he calls family believes he is out of his mind for entering into a marriage with a complete stranger, he knows it is the path for him. What he doesn’t expect is that the woman he once hurt years ago, a woman who could have held his heart, is the very woman that he will be marrying but she despises him and wants out of their marriage. Through the connections of working with a mediator, they come to an agreement and find the truth of their past and connect in a way they don’t expect. Both Elie and Brielle find common ground and work through the misunderstandings in their past, and share a bond with each other that will only strengthen a marriage that was originally just business and obligation to their families. But as the enemy draws close to them, will they be able to overcome the challenges ahead?

What I Loved

There was such beauty in this book and I couldn’t put this one down at all. It’s one of my favorites of the series although in honesty I have adored every single book in this series. I had such a blast seeing Elie and Brielle come together in this one. I will say fair warning in the beginning though because you will see them confront the painful past that has linked them for years. My heart just broke for the heroine who has been taken advantage of by her family so horribly and seeing her hurt because of Elie was a challenge but as we dig deeper to the truth, you only respect these two people that need something sweet and beautiful like the love they learn to embrace. They are both so capable with their individual talents and seeing these being expounded on throughout the buildup of the plot was quite interesting and delivers depths that only Feehan can deliver. We see that while they are different, they click in the ways that matter. I was so intrigued with seeing this pairing together, because they just become so united so quickly, despite their past and the way that Elie just fights for Brielle and will encourage her but also set boundaries in the relationship was a delight. Christine Feehan definitely knows how to write her alpha males and I was entranced by the intensity of devotion he has for Brielle. Brielle on her end of the relationship was all in for Elie. She was just as invested in the relationship but also has certain aspects to her personality where she makes her share of mistakes but also grows in learning to live and work with a man like Elie. There was such realism to the relationship that just connects the reader on a deeper level to the various layers of intimacy that is built within this story. We also get some plentiful aspects to the story of side characters that become involved in the story. I truly couldn’t get enough of the Ferraro family in this one, and seeing them take such an active role was such a catnip for this reader. We also get hints that Dario may be the next one to have a story ( I really want to because I have a feeling he will fall so hard when he falls in love). If you are a fan of this author and especially this series, then you will adore what Feehan delivers with Shadow Fire.

What I Struggled With

Honestly, I loved this book in every way, there wasn’t anything I really struggled with at all.

Overall View

Shadow Fire is a thrilling, angst-filled romance that will tear you to pieices in the most beautiful of ways. Its a story of struggle, layers of intimacy that can be found in a relationship, and a side plot of suspense that will keep you on edge. AN EDGY WORK OF ART THAT WILL MAKE YOU SPEECHLESS

Title: Shadow Fire

Author: Christine Feehan

Genre: Paranormal Contemporary Dark Romance

Format: eARC

Source: Berkley Publishing Group

Length: 432 Pages

Book Links

Amazon| Barnes and Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club

Series Order

Shadow Riders

Shadow Rider-Pub 2016 #1 in the Series

Shadow Reaper-Pub 2017 #2 in the Series

Shadow Keeper-Pub 2018 #3 in the Series

Shadow Warrior-Pub 2019 #4 in the Series

Shadow Flight-Pub 2020 #5 in the Series

Shadow Storm-Pub 2021 #6 in the Series

Shadow Fire-Pub 2020 #7 in the Series