Shadow Storm by Christine Feehan
Series: Shadow Riders #6
Also in this series: Shadow Reaper, Shadow Reaper, Shadow Reaper, Shadow Keeper, Shadow Warrior, Shadow Flight, Shadow Fire
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 11, 2021
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 432
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Series Rating:
A long-simmering feud between two families comes to a head in this gripping novel in Christine Feehan's New York Times bestselling Shadow Riders series. As the youngest member of the Ferraro family, Emmanuelle has watched each of her brothers find happiness in love while her own heart was shattered by a lover's betrayal. For two years she's stayed as far away from Valentino Saldi as possible--until she learns that he's been shot during a hostile takeover of his family's territory.
Emme's first instinct is to call her brother Stefano for help, and soon the entire Ferraro clan arrives to bring Val back from the brink of death and protect the Saldis from further attack. With one choice Emme has re-exposed herself to Val's intoxicating pull and dragged her family into the Saldis' private war.
A deadly storm is brewing, and only time will tell who survives...
Valentino Saldi and Emmanuelle Ferraro should be enemies. The two families have been at war for a hundred years. The Saldis came close to wiping out the entire Ferraro line. Luckily some of the Ferraros were able to escape through the shadows. It took a long time, but the Ferraros have come back stronger than ever. That doesn’t mean that they have forgotten their history. The two families now have an uneasy truce, something that changes when Emmanuelle gets a call that Val has been shot & is possibly dying. Emme does the only thing she can, what she has been doing her entire life; she calls her brother, Stefano.
Emme’s brothers are aware that Emme & Val have a history, they just don’t know the extent of it. Emme first met Val when she was just sixteen. He was much older & tried to stay away from her. Eventually he gave in & the two started an affair. The day Emme decide to give up her family for Val, she finds him in a compromising position with another woman. Always thinking & expecting the worst, Emme is not surprised though she is heartbroken. She loved Val and his betrayal cut her deeply.
Fast forward to the present. Val has given Emme space for two years, but he’s done. He doesn’t know if it’s because he almost lost his life, but he will not live another day without Emmanuelle Ferraro by his side. Though the situation seems insurmountable, Val eventually gets Emme to listen to what she’s known all along; Val didn’t cheat on her nor did he mean what she overheard him saying. All Val knew was that his uncle was up to something & he wasn’t going to have Emme caught in the middle.
Now Val and his uncle are at war over human trafficking. Val tried for years to convince his father that his uncle was bad news. His father wouldn’t believe it. After his uncle attempts to kill him & his father, his father finally starts believing. While Val lays dying, he knows the only thing he can do is call Emme. He also knows when Dario calls her that she would come. He also knows that it’s more than likely that she’ll call Stefano, which is exactly what he hopes for. He can’t fight Miceli on his own, he needs the Ferraros behind him. Although this seems really mercenary, he really does love Emme, which makes it forgivable.
I ate up this book. Emme was annoying at times, with her constant doubt in Val. It got old. Luckily Val called her on it & she’s able to reflect inward and see that she’s pushing Val away because she’s scared. She’s never listened to anyone but her brothers, but Val quickly rises to the most important person in her life. I’ve been waiting for this book for years and it didn’t disappoint. I do think that a few things were resolved too quickly, specifically how their shadows reacted to each other. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this series goes. It seems as though CF is going to branch off into the Ferraro extended family. I can’t wait to get answers on issues that weren’t addressed by the end of the book. Saying that, I enjoyed this book immensely.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.