Shadow Reaper by Christine Feehan is the 2nd book in her fantastic Shadow series.   Having read just about everything by Christine Feehan, I am amazed that this series is quickly becoming my favorite. I love the first book, Shadow Rider, and I must say that Shadow Reaper was equally great.  I am loving every moment of this series.  Now to my review. 

A quick refresher on Shadow Riders:.  Shadow riders have the ability to blend themselves to the shadows wherever they are, making themselves invisible to anyone.  The Ferraro family run a legitmate business, live and protect the town where they live, and use their ability to help others in need to solve various problems and dispense justice

In Shadow Reaper, Ricco Ferraro is our hero, and at the start, his family (they are all elite shadow riders), are watching over him in the hospital.  Ricco, who had a violent crash, which almost cost him his life, was determined to go home to recuperate.  But his family, especially Stefano, the leader of the family, know Ricco has been reckless, and they suspect he is hiding a terrible secret.   It will take Ricco, to see how happy Stefano is with Francesca, and know that he needs to find a woman who is capable of mating with a shadow rider, which will bring him out of the darkness that consumes him. 

We meet Mariko, when she applies to be a rope model (shibari) for Ricco, who when interviewing her sees she is also a shadow rider.  Ricco knows that the innocent persona presented by Mariko is hiding that she is there to kill him.   Mariko has had a difficult life, and we learn early that she has been ordered to kill Ricco.  But someone else is also plotting against Ricco and the entire Ferraro family, which becomes a major mystery throughout the story.   Mariko will find herself attracted to Ricco, and knows he is a good man, which enables her to tell him the truth.  The family will stand by Ricco and Mariko as the danger escalates for all of them.  Slowly Mariko begins to feel like part of the family, and wants to help them fight off the enemy.  
 
The romance between Ricco and Mariko was scorching hot, with even the rope modeling being very steamy & intense.  Besides the sensual romance, the overall story line was very exciting.  I loved seeing all the Ferraro’s work and bond together to fight their enemy, with many of them becoming injured. They are a powerful team, but they are all so much fun to spend time with.  What I also love about this close-knit family is their loyalty, protection and care giving to their surrounding townsfolk.   It will be  Stefano &  Ricco who will bring in other Shadow riders to help find the one behind the attacks, and it is a surprise ending as to who is behind this.  
This was such a fantastic story; nonstop action, suspenseful, steamy romance, great couple, awesome family and very exciting.  As I have said before, this series has become one of my favorite series by Christine Feehan very quickly.

Shadow reaper ...... Christine feehan 

Second book in her new series. 
The family are a breed of humans with special powers, they can ride shadows, they are the ultimate in assassins. 

Ricco is second eldest in a family of 5 siblings. The eldest  found his mate in the first book.
They have to find the female/male that links with their shadows (they can marry other humans, but special humans can only carry the shadow line ) 

Ricco is the playboy of the family, he drives hard and plays hard.  He likes to do Shibari (the art of tying people up) he doesn't mix the rope work with sex, it's two different things for him, but with Mariko, it's hard not to combine the two. 

Mariko is a no body, hated by the family that took her and her young brother in. Kept as a slave and constantly put down. Made to feel worthless. 

The story moves at a good pace. Lots of fighting and back story. It's good to catch up with the family and the previous couple from the last book. 


Given a copy to review

This book is for completionist Feehan fans. It is an interesting exercise in world-building.

While I was glad to continue the story it comparison to the 1st two books this one fell flat for me. It relied more heavily on sex and didn't develop much of the females character beyond the basic feelings.

I enjoyed this one much more than the first. The first had to introduce the world and this got straight to the H/h relationship. But! I'm doubly glad the romance wasn't rushed. They actually got to know each other first. Great job and look forward to more!

I really enjoyed Feehan's latest. Mariko and Ricco had a palpable connection and I loved seeing the bonds between the siblings. The Shibari added a surprising new erotic element I really enjoyed. I can't wait to see which sibling finds their match next. I will definitely be reading the next book.

I am so in love with this series !  Shadow Reaper is the second book in this refreshing new series from the always awesome Christine Feehan. 

The Ferraro family is the most elite of the Shadow Riders. Ricco is probably the most damaged of the siblings. He finally had to reveal the secrets so that his family would give Mariko a chance. Their bond was strong and steeped in betrayal and secrets. Mariko fit right in with the bad ass Ferraro family. I felt so bad for her when the villain was revealed. 

I never go wrong with a Christine Feehan book. As usual, this story blew my mind with action, suspense and intense sexual tension. It was fabulous ! I can't wait for more books in this series.

Ricco Ferraro leads the way through the twists and turns of this novel.  We first met Ricco in book 1, Shadow Rider, he was the slightly standoffish brother with a secret that turned him darker during his Shadow Rider training in Japan when he was a teenager.  Thankfully, we didn't have long to what to have that mystery revealed to us.  Ricco's story starts when he meets the perfect match to his Shadows.  But she's also clearly been sent after him.  Was she sent by those in Japan that have been threatening Ricco and his family?  

Our heroine's been alone for a long time, surviving the worst home situation.  Now she's ready to prove herself an honorable Shadow Rider, will she follow through on her assignment, betraying the Shadow Rider vows? But something else is going on too.  The Ferraro's are all being targeted now, not just Ricco.  Can they unravel the mystery behind their current situation?  And will they all survive?

I am really enjoying this new series.  There are some similarities between this and the Ghostwalker series, in the characters and code they live by and since I absolutely LOVE that series I new I would like this one.  The Ferraro family and the Shadow Rider community is revealed more in this novel than the first one, which was developing the premise of Shadow Riders more than anything.  The family relationships, and insight into their parents and the other Shadow Rider families was really interesting.  This was overall a bit of a slower paced novel compared to the first one, with more mystery intertwined.  The villain reveal was really well done, and I didn't suspect it until right before the reveal.  Nice!

Great second novel to the series.  Its only downfall is that too many story lines start o cross and we lose sight of Ricco and Mariko.  I love the background of Ricco's time in Japan and how he and Mariko are made for each other. It's another passionate tale from the amazing Christine Feehan. I can't wait for the series to continue!

Ricco has spent most of his life protecting his family from possible death. During childhood, every shadow rider is sent away from home for training. Ricco was sent to Japan. While there, he was put into vigorous training. He was also witness to a horror so profound that it would impact the rest of his childhood and follow him into adulthood. The very adults that were supposed to protect him threatened him and his family. They eventually sent someone to kill him after fifteen years.

Mariko us a shadow rider herself and was sent on a mission to either kill Ricco or lose her brother. The shadow riders exact swift justice upon those who are deserving of it. Mariko soon realizes that Ricco is not deserving of the justice that Mariko is there to give. As a matter of fact, Ricco is nothing that Mariko thought he would be. He is fierce and protective of his family and friends.

Ricco knows why Mariko is there, but he doesn’t care. He finally has found the woman that is meant for him and he means to keep her. He doesn’t care that she’s a shadow rider and she can bear shadow rider children. He’s looked his whole life for her and he’s not letting her go. Since he was fourteen years old, Ricco has walked a tightrope. He has finally shared the burden with his family and his relief is profound.

I didn’t particularly care for the shibari. It just didn’t belong, in my opinion. It wasn’t exactly BDSM, but it was a form of it. I’m very particular when it comes to some things and BDSM is one of them. Mariko did kick ass which was amazing. I love a heroine that can hold her own. Ricco respected her as a fighter which made me love him even more. It was more the story I had a problem with than the characters.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I can't decide if the sexism or the racism is worse in this book. Describing Japanese women in general as submissive? Gross. Fetishistic exploitation of a Japanese phenomenon (and lazy at that -  Shibari is the western interpretation of Japanese 'Kinbaku', if Ricco spent so long in Japan  he would know that)? Racist. Constantly referring to women who aren't the protagonist as 'sluts' or 'whores'? Sexist. If I wanted to see women being called derogatory terms I would read the comments section of Jezebel. Your protagonist doesnt need to be in some way better than other women - at this point in time it feels disingenuous. 

Moreover, The plot is nonsensical - hard to follow. It reads like Feehan forgot what she was doing half way through and just pivoted

I am thoroughly enjoying the Shadow series!  This second book in the series has all the earmarks of another great read by Feehan.