Tags
5 stars, Book Review, Cecilia Dominic, lycanthropy, mystery, paranormal, romance, suspense, werewolves, wizards
Review by Riley
About Long Shadows
This time, being true to myself could be a deadly mistake.
I like to solve problems. The hard kind. A social worker by day, P.I. in my “spare time,” I’ve even figured out how to handle my little “werewolf problem.” After a dose of wolfsbane, my physical body stays safe in bed while my wolf goes spirit walking. If only she didn’t have a mind of her own…
After I overhear my sleazy boss plotting to turn my office into a trap, my instincts tell me to run. But not only do my problems stick like a bur in my fur, I find a whole new set.
Deep in the Appalachians, I learn a family secret that means I’m unique, even among werewolves, and I’m stuck on the dangerous border of a century-long war. Now I’m pursued by a rogue sorcerer with poisonous intentions, other wizards who’d like to throw me in a gilded prison, and a band of ghostly wolves thirsting for my blood.
Worse, there’s only one man who can protect me, and even he demands a price: my heart. Even though his own may be forever beyond my reach.
Warning: If you’re a carbophobe, detailed descriptions of Italian delicacies may wreck your will power. Also contains sexy situations, adult language, and brimming glasses of wine.
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Review of Long Shadows
Lonna Marconi was the friend I liked until she stormed out on her friend in the book 1. To be fair, she had gone through a pretty traumatic experience and her friend, Joanie who was the book one heroine, was having her own crisis, so communication between them was somewhat problematic.
Lonna is back and front and center in Long Shadows. Lonna is a social worker with a private investigators license. In this book, Lonna will be using her investigative abilities once again. This time, she is the target. Many times over. The first attack while she is in her wolf form, ends up with Lonna waking up with no sign of her inner wolf. This is devastating and leaves her vulnerable. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed wolf-Lonna until she disappeared from the story.
Luckily, Maximilian Fortuna (quite the name!) shows up. Max is a wizard. And technically, he is not supposed to help Lonna, only observe, but Max will find loopholes in order to worm his way into Lonna’s life in one way or another. It’s not just professional interest. There is definitely a spark between these two. The pair will flip/flop between flirting and keeping distance for a significant part of the story, but you know where it is headed, don’t you?
Why is Max supposed to observe Lonna? Well, there a many cryptic comments about Lonna being special. She thinks it is because she was turned to wolf by magic, not the virus that everyone else got. Beyond that, Lonna has no idea what those comments are about. There will be lot of information withholding from Lonna with comments like: “It’s too much to go into here, and we have to keep moving.” and “The explanation is too long to go into now.”. These comments will lead to Lonna making threats and Max responding with comments like: “Are all our conversations going to end up with you threatening me for answers? At least it’s not evisceration this time.”
If I was Lonna, I’d be frustrated too. As the reader, I was anxious to find out what all the secrets were. And there are quite a few. One that even involves Giancarlo, the man she was dating before she met Max. By the way, there is now a pattern in this series with the heroine having more than one love interest.
Max is kind of wishy-washy. He keeps withholding info from Lonna – saying he is not allowed to tell. Although, at the same time, he has already defied orders by making contact with Lonna. He needs to pick a team. And he will but I think it takes him too long since he waits until he is in as much trouble as Lonna. Am I being too harsh on Max? Maybe.
Lonna’s Aunt Alicia and her friend Gladis Ann are keys to Lonna’s past. But Aunt Alicia is near death when she first appears in the story and dies soon after, leaving Lonna frustrated and without answers. But Gladis Ann left her with a cryptic message which the private investigator in her can use to dig for answers. I liked it when Lonna got down to sleuthing – and as a result often got into trouble.
Despite all the extreme events and changes in her life, Lonna remains true to herself, right down to her cussing in dreams. I really like Lonna. She is a very approachable character, even as a wolf. Not that I am a cusser. But I do like her taste in cars. Lonna’s dream car is Maddie, a Mini Cooper convertible
If you caught Cecilia Dominic’s guest post back on September 1st explaining the metaphysical aspects of lycanthropy, you will appreciate that her research really comes through in Long Shadows.
Long Shadows is a great sequel to The Mountains’ Shadow. While it is a whole new story (and can be read as standalone), Long Shadows continues to develop and expand on the lycanthropy theme. The condition that is lycanthropy started as a complete mystery in book 1 and then expanded on its origin, science and philosophy. Long Shadows continues to add further historical and fictional details about lycanthropy and combines it with generous doses of mystery, suspense and romance. If you are looking for a unique take on werewolves, check out this series.
I received a copy of Long Shadows from the Ms. Dominic so that I could bring you this honest review.
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Links
Add Long Shadows to your Goodreads shelf:
The Mountain’s Shadow and A Million Shadows are both only 99 cents right now. Purchase these or any books in The Lycanthropy Files series:
This review is dedicated to Ozzie. 14 years ago, Ozzie the kitten, was found alone and hungry on a school bus on a Monday morning. He came to our home and befriended our other cat Maddie, who had been lonely. He slept in the Christmas tree the first year. He chased and retrieved balls just like a dog. He shared the Lazyboy with my hubby and the bed with both of us. He was always in the room, needing to be a part of everything that went on in his house. Ozzie enjoyed sitting by me while I was reading SciFi Romance. And he purred at the drop of a hat. He warmed our heart for all those years. Ozzie passed away on October 9, 2017. He is missed.
