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A review by kim_brockway_gatehouse
Phantom Shadows by Dianne Duvall
5.0
2018 Review
I'm just re-reading the Immortal Guardian series as book 8 [b:Awaken the Darkness|40043924|Awaken the Darkness (Immortal Guardians #8)|Dianne Duvall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1525559727s/40043924.jpg|62046802] will be published on 10th July 2018 and I wanted to reacquaint myself with the characters and remind myself of the action so far... Bastien was one of my favourite characters, I'm glad to say my love for his hasn't diminished.
2017 Review
You can read my full review on my WordPress blog, Flora's Musings...
So, what did I like about it?
I have become a definite fan of Ms Duvall’s writing style and find her books very easy to read; she writes intelligent, engaging stories with a collection of well written characters within an imaginative world that mixes fantasy and reality creating a world that I can believe in. The pace of her stories is usually fast and full of action but without being disorienting and I like that she combines a couple of plot lines to run alongside the main romantic story arc. [b:Phantom Shadows|13234487|Phantom Shadows (Immortal Guardians, #3)|Dianne Duvall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333413488s/13234487.jpg|18431632] did not let me down.
My regular followers will know that I enjoy books where the characters are not black or white, good or evil but a multifaceted mix of positive and negative traits and I like to see them grow through embracing or overcoming their challenges (and oh, boy is that the perfect description of Bastien); the fact that the characters within these pages have been written with personalities that we can see in the real world around us - even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings - adds that level of believability to this fantasy tale.
I definitely enjoy a story more if the lead female character is intelligent, resilient and has a good sense of humour that’s similar to my own and I wasn’t disappointed here. Melanie was brilliant, what an inspiring woman! I liked the way that all of the characters in this story were written - even the villains of the tale - none of them were flat 2-dimensional creations, they all felt very real. Oh, and like most Brits I do love a bit of banter – this story has plenty of it! I found myself COL (Chuckling Out Loud) throughout, usually Bastien certainly knows how to push people’s buttons and Sheldon is a hoot!
I think I may have reached for the tissues a tad more often while reading this story, but fear not, lovely reader, it’s not all tear inducing. I also loved the fact that the mystery/thriller aspect of this story kept me guessing, the action kept me on the edge of my seat, the blossoming romance made me warm and fuzzy, the banter kept me giggling and the passion set my tummy a-tingling. *oooh*
So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Nope – even though some of the more violent scene sent my emotions spinning, there is nothing about this book that I didn't absolutely love!!
So, basically what I’m saying is...
I didn’t want to stop reading this book!
It had everything that I look for in a 5 star book; intelligent writing style that’s easy to read, main characters with depth of personality that I can like (or love to hate) and believe in, depth of character in the supporting cast, believable background story and setting and a balanced mix of relationship and/or romance to action scenes and sex scenes.
Due to the graphic nature of the violence and sex scenes, I would only recommend this book to adults who are not offended by this sort of content, so if you enjoy strong alpha heroes and independent capable heroines, tense often traumatic and brutal confrontations and hot lust/romance scenes then give this book a go.
2015 Review
There is nothing about this book that I didn't absolutely love!! Great story, brilliantly written, depth of characters, pace & development of relationships, balance of action, tension, mystery and romance.
I'm just re-reading the Immortal Guardian series as book 8 [b:Awaken the Darkness|40043924|Awaken the Darkness (Immortal Guardians #8)|Dianne Duvall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1525559727s/40043924.jpg|62046802] will be published on 10th July 2018 and I wanted to reacquaint myself with the characters and remind myself of the action so far... Bastien was one of my favourite characters, I'm glad to say my love for his hasn't diminished.
2017 Review
You can read my full review on my WordPress blog, Flora's Musings...
So, what did I like about it?
I have become a definite fan of Ms Duvall’s writing style and find her books very easy to read; she writes intelligent, engaging stories with a collection of well written characters within an imaginative world that mixes fantasy and reality creating a world that I can believe in. The pace of her stories is usually fast and full of action but without being disorienting and I like that she combines a couple of plot lines to run alongside the main romantic story arc. [b:Phantom Shadows|13234487|Phantom Shadows (Immortal Guardians, #3)|Dianne Duvall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333413488s/13234487.jpg|18431632] did not let me down.
My regular followers will know that I enjoy books where the characters are not black or white, good or evil but a multifaceted mix of positive and negative traits and I like to see them grow through embracing or overcoming their challenges (and oh, boy is that the perfect description of Bastien); the fact that the characters within these pages have been written with personalities that we can see in the real world around us - even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings - adds that level of believability to this fantasy tale.
I definitely enjoy a story more if the lead female character is intelligent, resilient and has a good sense of humour that’s similar to my own and I wasn’t disappointed here. Melanie was brilliant, what an inspiring woman! I liked the way that all of the characters in this story were written - even the villains of the tale - none of them were flat 2-dimensional creations, they all felt very real. Oh, and like most Brits I do love a bit of banter – this story has plenty of it! I found myself COL (Chuckling Out Loud) throughout, usually Bastien certainly knows how to push people’s buttons and Sheldon is a hoot!
I think I may have reached for the tissues a tad more often while reading this story, but fear not, lovely reader, it’s not all tear inducing. I also loved the fact that the mystery/thriller aspect of this story kept me guessing, the action kept me on the edge of my seat, the blossoming romance made me warm and fuzzy, the banter kept me giggling and the passion set my tummy a-tingling. *oooh*
So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
Nope – even though some of the more violent scene sent my emotions spinning, there is nothing about this book that I didn't absolutely love!!
So, basically what I’m saying is...
I didn’t want to stop reading this book!
It had everything that I look for in a 5 star book; intelligent writing style that’s easy to read, main characters with depth of personality that I can like (or love to hate) and believe in, depth of character in the supporting cast, believable background story and setting and a balanced mix of relationship and/or romance to action scenes and sex scenes.
Due to the graphic nature of the violence and sex scenes, I would only recommend this book to adults who are not offended by this sort of content, so if you enjoy strong alpha heroes and independent capable heroines, tense often traumatic and brutal confrontations and hot lust/romance scenes then give this book a go.
2015 Review
There is nothing about this book that I didn't absolutely love!! Great story, brilliantly written, depth of characters, pace & development of relationships, balance of action, tension, mystery and romance.