Bound by Shadow
4 Stars

Synopsis:
As a fully trained Sybil, Riana Dumain is a warrior priestess in the battle of good versus evil. When she becomes involved in a case involving the occult murder of a child, Riana suspects that NYPD detective Creed Lowell may possibly be a foot soldier for the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power. Why then does she find herself so attracted to him?

Review:
An intense and sexy romance with an excellent mythology centering on demons and the powers inherent to the four elements. The elemental magic and symbolism are unique (at least to me) and I found them particularly appealing.

The plot is action packed and absorbing but there are moments when it drags possibly due to the need to explain the complex mythology and consolidate the world building. The story is, however, well worth the effort of slogging through these areas.

Creed and Riana are an engaging couple and the development of their relationship is one of the book’s strong points. Creed is an interesting character because he is at odds with himself and must come to terms with his true nature before he can commit to someone else.

Riana originally comes across as physically and mentally strong but her insecurities are soon revealed and accentuate her conflicting emotions regarding Creed. Her inability to completely trust Creed despite everything he does for her is annoying but consistent with her characterization.

The secondary characters are also well developed. The other Sybils have distinct personalities and backgrounds, and it is great that they stand up for their principles. Some readers may find them obnoxious but I, for one, enjoy reading about strong willed, intelligent and powerful female characters. The villains are a little clichéd and it is not difficult to guess who they are, but the final showdown with them is exciting.

The book is well written and the next two installments are set up nicely within the storyline. I look forward to reading them.

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Bound by Shadow revolves around a group of women called Sybils. They are female warriors who battle an evil group called the Legion using the elements to aid them. I loved that the warriors in this book were female and not male. Many of the adult paranormal romance books are male warrior dominant and seeing women take the reins was very refreshing. Bound by Shadow focuses on Riana, she is an earth Sybil and the leader of her triad. She protects the other two women in her triad with everything she has and has no idea what to do with Creed when he comes into her life. She thinks she has everything figured out and finally has control over her life when Creed comes along and rocks her solid foundation to her core. She is determined to put her feelings for him on the back burner and lead her triad. It is not easy though with Creed doing everything possible to break her resistance towards him.

Creed was a bit of mystery. Even though the women in this novel are the bad asses, Creed is still all alpha male. He does however, have something inside of him that he has labeled as “other” that does not always let him get what he wants. For much of the book we are unsure about his origins and while I had my suspicions I was still eager to see what he really was and where he came from. Anna did a great job of keeping the mystery interesting and while I did have a couple of things riddled out there were still some surprises I did not see coming at all.

The romance in this book was h-o-t! There is a point where the girls have Creed restrained in a cell but Riana and him still come up with some creative ways to be together with the bars between them. While the physical attraction was instant it took time for Creed and Riana to form an emotional bond and it felt natural and was very tender. These two had so many obstacles to overcome, but they were determined to find happiness with one another. They were easy characters to fall in love with and really root for.

The action was a little slower in the beginnings of the book, but definitely picked up. The fight scenes were very well done and exciting. While they were jammed with information I did not feel overwhelmed or was confused at any point. I liked the way the girls fighting style and the way Anna described the events as they occurred.

Overall I loved this book and the world that Anna has created for us. It is something different in the paranormal romance world and had me glued to the pages until I read the book cover to cover. I have already downloaded the next book and will be starting as soon as possible. Any lover of paranormal romance should definitely check this book out! ( )

2 stars. Just not my cup of tea.

I admit that for the most part, everything about this book is pretty much what you'd expect and there is nothing wrong with that. It's the story of Rianna, and Sibyl with power over the element earth. She is the leader of her triad of Sibyls, and they basically protect their corner of the world from evil demons and the like. She meets Creed, who seems to be part demon. The attraction between them is instant and electric.

So really my complaints are: too many cliches (not enough originality in the plot or the romance), and sloppy world building. I found the plot predictable. I didn't love either main character, and I didn't feel like they developed much. Overall I was just bored. Usually what saves a series at that point is an interesting world/adversary/mystery. But by page 260 I felt like too much had happened without really giving us any clue as to what was really going on, who the villains were and what motivated them, or what the 'big picture' is for the Sibyls overall. So yeah, there was not enough to hold my attention.

To give credit where it's due, I thought the chemistry between Rianna and Creed was very good--and there are many very sexy moments. And while I found the Sibyls and there powers to be awfully cliched as mentioned, I really thought some of them had a lot of potential for future books. So I'd recommend trying the book for yourself for these reasons, because it has a few redeeming qualities. ( )

Yet another paranormal romance, maybe, but this series is nicely unique. It's also romantic, sexy, and fun. 'Bound by Shadow' is a strong opener to the series, focusing on an entertaining and dynamic couple while also introducing a larger world and cast of characters. After finishing the first book, I went right out and bought the next two. ( )

Loved this book. Haven't read the second yet but am looking forward to it. ( )