BOUND BY SHADOW

Author: Anna Windsor ISBN: 9780345498533 7/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: BALLANTINE

Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sybil, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science—and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous, and possibly a foot soldier of the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power. Creed's low-profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sybils into the case of a politicians's son, murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon, Riana's instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she's ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man's treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped by darkness.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Author Anna Windsor is about to drop onto the paranormal romance scene with her upcoming series of books revolving around The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, the first of which is titled BOUND BY SHADOW.

Riana Dumain is one of a triad of Sybils, her powers tied to the earth while her triad sisters hold powers of wind and fire, respectively. She is asked to help on the case of a murdered child by her friend, Andy Myles, who is a detective with NYPD's Occult Crimes Unit, or OCU. But it is Andy's partner, Creed Lowell, that Riana finds herself studying as she feels something within the gorgeous man, and she's not talking lust, though that is present. Creed and Riana have strong vibes upon their very first meeting which build into a hot and sexy romance. But Creed knows that something lives within him, something evil. And until Riana can figure out what that thing is and how to get rid of it, they stand no chance to be together as members of Riana's world of Sybils will not accept Creed. With all this going on, there are also mounting attacks from Asmodai, evil demons who want to get rid of the Sybils and unleash hell on Earth.

I love paranormal novels and was more than happy to jump into a new series with Windsor's BOUND BY SHADOW. Most of the novel was good. The chemistry between Riana and Creed was scorching hot and only became more so as the novel progressed. They have a big hurdle to overcome with the unknown other, the entity that lives within Creed, but that does not stop their attraction to each other. I also liked the supporting characters of Andy, Merilee, and Cynda, the last two of which complete Riana's Sybil triad. These women are strong, brave, and definitely know how to kick-ass, not even bothering with the names later. I always find it empowering to read about females who have themselves together, though it is also good to know that even these brave warriors have imperfections and flaws like everyone else. On the downside, the novel was a real slow read. It was very hard to get into, and even when I was in the thick of all the action, it was still a struggle to the finish for me. The book doesn't lack for action as there are plenty of fights with the evil Asmodai, or witchcraft from the triad of Sybils, or even in the sensual romance between Riana and Creed, and yet it just moved along very slowly for me.

Even still, I found Anna Windsor's first attempt in BOUND BY SHADOW to be a good first effort and will look forward to reading the next novel in the series, BOUND BY FLAME.

Maame Kanbi