Melissa‘s review of Into the Shadow (Darkness Chosen, Book 3) by Christina Dodd.
For the ability to transform into a heartless predator, a brutal warrior promised his soul-and the souls of his descendants-to the devil. Now, one thousand years later, the Wilder brothers battle the darkness inside them.
Blessed – or cursed – with the ability to change into a sleek, cruel panther, and driven by a dark soul he’s accepted as his fate, powerful Adrik Wilder abandons his family and his honor to pursue a life of wickedness. He excels at every vice, o he doesn’t think twice about kidnapping strong-willed Karen Sonnet to sue for his selfish purposes. But Karen’s spirit and passion make him question the force of his family’s curse, for she could be the key to their survival. And when a new evil emerges, Adrik must choose whether to enact revenge on his enemies and redeem his soul, or save Karen from a fate worse than death….
I love it! This book has a lot of great features: an ancient legend, strong woman, shape shifters, action and scary bad guys!
Karen is a strong willed workaholic who is always trying to impress Daddy. Her latest job takes her to the wilderness of the Himalayas. Adrik, also known as Warlord, is a cursed mercenary. He decides he has got to have Karen. So he takes her. When Adrik’s, camp is attacked, the crap hits the fan! Adrik fights, Karen runs.
They meet up again two years later, both changed after the past. But instead of a happy reunion, the bad guys have once again found them. So, once again, they are fighting to survive. Adrik contacts his estranged family to enlist their aid in defeating the evil ones, if it is not too late.
I really really enjoyed this book. Christina Dodd has put together the perfect mix of action, suspense and romance. One of the things that I love about this book is all the wilderness. Trekking through different parts of the world, the harshness of mother nature and the drive the characters have. I can’t wait for the fourth book, Into the Flame, to come out (August 5th).
Grade: 4.5
This book is available from Signet. You can buy it here or here in e-book format.
Thanks for the review, Melissa! I just pulled this book off the stack to start reading it today. I’m looking forward to it.
I must say, though, that I am disappointed that the model on the cover to the next book, Into the Flame is a male?!!? Each novel features one of the Varinski children and the last one is the daughter, Firebird. For continuity, the cover should feature a female, don’t you think?
I liked the first two but was unsure whether I would continue the series. I did buy #3 so I’m glad to hear it was good.
Christine – I thoroughly agree. The cover should have definitely had a female on it!
Christine and Tracy – finish Into the Shadow, and your questions shall be answered. mwuhahahahahahaha!
Melissa – care to comment on the forced sex and PTSD part of it?
I totally agree about the cover!!!
No comment on the rest! LOL