Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.
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 politician’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.
Look for more sex, sorcery, and seduction in these novels by Anna Windsor
I'm in my 40's now, and finally living my lifelong dream of loving all my jobs. I still work in psychology, I farm, I write--and I have a blast.
I'm southern by birth, and I've lived in the south most of my life. My foothill farm is beautiful, and I couldn't ask for a better place to live or write. I find inspiration, peace, joy, and beauty in my family, my home, the woods, and the love of all my many animals. And I do have a lot of animals. I mean, a lot. Dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, peafowl, guineas, ducks, geese, and oh, yeah--a parrot. Who is a perfect parrot-pain, but I do love him.
Urban fantasy, high fantasy, futuristic science fiction, and historical fantasy are my favorite genres to write or to read. I write almost every day, and I try to finish at least one manuscript every few months. In between time spent practicing psychology, writing, tending the animals, and spending time with my family, I also try to dedicate a few hours to playing my guitar and piano, photography, playing video games, watching old movies, and walking.
I'm thrilled to be able to write, and thrilled that readers enjoy my stories. Thank you for stopping by my site, for meeting me--and most of all, thanks for reading! I'd love to hear from you, and I'd love to know what you think about my books.
Bound by Shadow is the first book in a paranormal romance trilogy series about a Sibyl triad, kick-ass warrior priestesses that belong to the Dark Crescent Sisterhood, who control and wield the powers of the elements (earth, fire, and air) to fight evil. Sibyls are tough chicks in leather who worship the goddess and are trained to use their elemental powers, a vast arsenal of weapons, and various forms of hand-to-hand combat to battle the Legion. Sibyls and the Legion, a corrupt group of wealthy and politically powerful individuals who exploit rituals, magic, and elemental energy to create armies of demons, have been at war for more than a century, and now in modern times, the Legion is starting to gain the upper hand.
Creed Lowell is a detective for the Occult Crimes Unit, a secret division of the NYPD that is tasked with investigating crimes that are deemed paranormal in nature, and he and his partner Andy find themselves suddenly mixed up in the battle between the Sibyls and the Legion. Riana Dumain is the leader of a New York Sibyl triad and a priestess of earthly elemental power. When she meets mysterious, sexy-as-sin, hot cop Creed, she senses right away that he’s hiding a dangerous secret, and that behind his tall, dark, and handsome looks lurks deadly demonic power. Yet she can’t deny their explosive, inexplicable chemistry and attraction, but is he on the side of good or evil? Creed has fought for control against his internal demon his whole life, but something about Riana rouses his demon like never before. Now as they form an alliance to solve the murder of a politician’s son, killed in a ritualistic, sacrificial manner, Creed and Riana will have to fight their volatile connection or else risk the lives and future of the Sibyl sisterhood and threaten to lose Manhattan to the forces of darkness.
This is a good first book in a cool PNR series with similarities to others that deal with warriors battling evil in modern day (like the Black Dagger Brotherhood and Midnight Breed series); only in this, the warriors are kick-ass witches fighting against a potent group of evildoers hosting an army of demons, with the help of some hot-as-sin, half-demon cop brothers. There were times that the story dragged a bit due to certain aspects of the world building and explanation of the Sibyls and history of the Motherhouses, but I still enjoyed it, especially the kick-butt action and verrry steamy romance between Creed and Riana...it’s smokin’ hot! Creed is a majorly yummy cop hero: tall, dark, dangerous, built, and sexy...half-demon or not! Yowza!
I’ll definitely continue with the trilogy, and it sounds like book two, Bound by Flame, that’s about Riana’s triad sister Cynda and Creed’s half-demon brother Dominic is even hotter, so I’m looking forward to that! 4 stars!
"Bound by Shadow" is the first book in Anna Windsor's new series, 'the Dark Crescent Sisterhood'. There are at least two other books TBR "Bound by Flame" in Aug08 and "Bound by Light" in Sep08. It would be easy for Windsor to draw out this contemporary paranormal series as her heroines fight the dark forces in 'Sybil' triads, witches that work with air, fire, and earth. No water witches tho because those were wiped out by a natural disaster hundreds of years ago (shades of Atlantis). I enjoyed reading this book and will pick up at least the other two upcoming books to see where Windsor is headed with this series.
'Legion' are the bad guys. No one is really sure what they want other than money, power, and to set themselves up as rulers. Up til now they have been a disjointed group of wealthy, intelligent people creating 'Asmodai' (temporary demons) to carry out their crimes of theft, murder, etc. But it appears that they are banding together and changing their tactics. For what purpose?
Riana is an earth Sybil and the foundtion of her triad. She has gotten close to a member of the Occult Crimes Unit (OCU) to try and glean details of possible crimes and cover any possible leaks before they happen. When her OCU friend brings by her hot male partner, Creed, Riana can tell immediately that he's more than human, but not demon. She and her triad sisters decide to find out more about Creed while they are also caught up in the investigation of the occult murder of a politician's child. As the investigation heats up, so does the relationship between Riana and Creed.
Creed knows he's not quite human, but he doesn't know exactly what that 'other' part is. He's immediately attracted to Riana and so is his 'other'. He fears for Riana and tries to help her figure out what he is. He worries his 'other' may hurt Riana and searches for his brother who is 'other' like him and disappeared several years ago. The closer Riana and Creed come to answers, the more it looks like their relationship is hopeless.
I thought the world Windsor created is interesting and complex. The bad guys are textbook bad (i.e., money, power, and world domination). I enjoyed the fact that all the strong protagonists, until Creed, are women. Riana's attempts to distance herself from her desire and growing love for Creed in order to serve her mission were very heroic, even if doomed to fail. Ditto for Creed's willingness to do whatever needed to forge a life with Riana. The sex is hot without tripping over into erotica.
I'm hoping the next book will deal with Creed's brother and 'his' witch. I'll be waiting to continue my journey in Windsor's interesting world.
I've had this on my TBR list for awhile, and I just kept getting distracted by other books. But I've finally read it! It was pretty good, I liked it. It was definitely more of a paranormal than an urban fantasy. It was very romance based, and there was quite a bit of sex in it. I liked the concept of the triad of witches that represent the elements (except water), and the demons that they have to fight against. The reason I didn't rate it higher, frankly the side characters were obnoxious. If those women were supposedly my friends, I'd run really fast and make sure they never found me again.
I don't know how I'm going to read the next two books, especially Cynda's book. She was just annoying to all hell. But we'll see, because it will have Nick... and that will prove interesting.
It has been a while since I last did a re-read on this series, but I've always loved it. It's a go-to read when I want something a little different than my usual fare.
The world is unique and compelling and the Sibyls concept is wonderful. A group of warrior women, which means kick-ass strong heroines for each book in the series. (Each book follows a different woman, so they can be read as standalones, though if you do, you will be missing out on the interconnectivity that is awesome.) Also adds a neat new element to the demon/angel trope.
Plenty of steamy sex and hot, broody, alpha males.
I really enjoyed this book. Riana and Creed were SMOKIN' hot together. I can't wait to read the next in the series! Nick and Cynda seem to be pretty hot (LITERALLY ;-) themselves!
The only thing that annoyed me was her sisters' continued dislike of Creed and how they always made Riana feel bad about loving him. I so wanted them to finally accept and love him in the end too! It's the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. I look forward to seeing them all again in the next book though, hopefully it will lend some closure on that issue!
Synopsis: As a fully trained Sybil, Riana Dumain is a warrior priestess in the battle of good versus evil. When she becomes involved in a case involving the occult murder of a child, Riana suspects that NYPD detective Creed Lowell may possibly be a foot soldier for the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power. Why then does she find herself so attracted to him?
Review: An intense and sexy romance with an excellent mythology centering on demons and the powers inherent to the four elements. The elemental magic and symbolism are unique (at least to me) and I found them particularly appealing.
The plot is action packed and absorbing but there are moments when it drags possibly due to the need to explain the complex mythology and consolidate the world building. The story is, however, well worth the effort of slogging through these areas.
Creed and Riana are an engaging couple and the development of their relationship is one of the book’s strong points. Creed is an interesting character because he is at odds with himself and must come to terms with his true nature before he can commit to someone else.
Riana originally comes across as physically and mentally strong but her insecurities are soon revealed and accentuate her conflicting emotions regarding Creed. Her inability to completely trust Creed despite everything he does for her is annoying but consistent with her characterization.
The secondary characters are also well developed. The other Sybils have distinct personalities and backgrounds, and it is great that they stand up for their principles. Some readers may find them obnoxious but I, for one, enjoy reading about strong willed, intelligent and powerful female characters. The villains are a little clichéd and it is not difficult to guess who they are, but the final showdown with them is exciting.
The book is well written and the next two installments are set up nicely within the storyline. I look forward to reading them.
It's the women in this book who are leather clad, sword and dagger brandishing, kick #ss warriors! The ladies are Sybils, who get their supernatural powers from the elements (Earth, Air and Fire -- water as a supernatural element is extinct).
Each triad of Sybils protects a section of New York City against the Legion, who seek power, money and world domination by using demons.
The first 1/2 of the book setting up the series was ok, but at the halfway point the action shifted into high gear and was very exciting.
The created demons are affecting by elements as well -- so the Sybils, who use the elements to fight for good, battle demons who use the elements in a bad way. So an Earth demon might be spewing boulders, dirt and sticks, while an Earth Sybil might fight him by jerking the ground out from under him.
The author incorporates lots of cool details I've never read about in a PNR. The Sybils communicate using wind chimes, mirrors, etc. Especially smile-worthy were the scenes when the Fire Sybil, Cinda, became annoyed or upset ... she's a Fire element ... no spoilers :-)
This makes for some great fight/action scenes, with the various Fire, Air and Earth demons using said elements and the Sybils fighting back. For instance, an Earth Sybil defending against a Fire Demon.
Creed Lowell and his partner Andrea are NYPD officers assigned to the OCD, Occult Crimes Dept. who discover the hidden supernatural battle being waged. Creed is half human, half mysterious something.
Creed and the Earth Sybil fall in lust/love. More sex than action in the first half, it got old for me real quick. Sometimes less is more imo.
just good stupid fun man. i literally love this magic universe. it’s soooo well written and has info dumps that don’t feel like info dumps, ya know?? but it doesn’t get 5/5 cause the author did frequent POV swaps in the middle of the chapter, often in action sequences without warning or using a subheading. my ebook version was also formatted wrong, featuring hyphenated words (used to be end of the line word breaks when in print format, but aren’t on the kindle app) as well as typos.
This book took me a really long time to get through. Mostly I think that stems from me being a little unsure what genre this book falls into. Technically it was supposed to be a paranormal romance, but it didn’t really have that feel to me. It seemed like it was a paranormal book with some randomly placed graphic sex scenes. I am a huge sucker for romance, but I think the concept of the Sybils is strong enough to stand on its own.
Pros: • Sybils: the whole concept of the Sybils was great. I loved that they had elemental powers and I loved their sisterhood together. The motherhouses and the fact that they secretly fight demons all over the world was fantastic. • Riana and Creed: they definitely had heat, but it was a little too cliché head over heels the second they locked eyes.
Cons: • Sex scenes: they seemed really randomly placed in the book. Usually I would never be the type to say cut back on the sex, but for me it really took away from the story. • There was a lot of fluff. The story seemed too long and I think a lot could have been cut away and the main plot would’ve still been there.
Overall, I’m giving this book 3/5 stars mostly because of the Sybils. I will continue with the series because I do like the other members of the triad and I think their stories will be interesting too.
Three Sybils form one of the triads in New York, protecting it from the Legion/Asmordai and other paranormal phenomenons. Each bear a mark of the Dark Goddess, Riana is the Mortar and holds the triad together, Cynda is the Pestle and Merilee the Broom.
When the ritualistic murder of a child is discovered Occult Crimes Unit (OCU) cop Andy introduces her partner Creed to these women. Immediately Riana and her Sybil sisters sense something `other' in him and will not rest until they've identified that part. From this point on it signals a new period in Sybil history as Riana and Creed create some new boundaries.
With new discoveries in the case something is laid bare that will rock the Sybil community to its core...
I realized upon closing Bound By Shadow that I could welcome Anna Windsor among my most treasured author's and their novels. Reading the first few chapters I was swiftly captivated by her group of Sybils and OCU partners Creed and Andy. It was the interplay of these characters that was bold, inviting and boosted with a good dose of humor and I readied myself for a prime-time reading session.
I don't think many will not fall for Riana with her down-to-earth nature but also with a playful sensuous side. Cynda with her fiery personality, Merilee wit her inquisitive side and they each seem to fit together like a glove. Something that only happens when one has known each other for many years and has experienced many dire situations together. I relished in their personalities of eating sundae hot fudge one minute discussing male cuties and the next readying themselves to fight the Asmordai's. If these three didn't get my attention then Andy with her larger-than-life personality did and I felt that whenever she entered a room, she just filled it with a life force all on her own. The dynamics between the women were incredible, they were bonded as sister's, bickered like one's too and for me a joy to read.
Now throw a spectacular man in the mix like Creed, with his mysterious `other' half, and I could absolutely relate to Merilee and Cynda enjoying the eye candy as Riana went all uber female on him. Creed is a cop at OCU, only he never truly witnessed paranormal powers and wonders if he ever will. He is easy going in nature yet complicated as well with a side that he doesn't even truly understands and he's more than a competent cop. There's no denying in the attraction he feels for Riana, his body makes it more than evident! Now he has to face his 'other' half while also discovering an whole new world, with new rules to play by and inhabited by feisty women.
The self reflection of both Creed and Riana is full of questions about their own actions and laced with emotion. The first is always to cut the path and insecurity, responsibility toward others and newly discovered emotions make it a rocky road for both Riana and Creed. It is with the first half of the story that I totally fell for each character, the strong world building and the mysteriousness of the case and Creed's 'other' half. The thing that had to grow on me was Creed and Riana in their love story. Now, don't start thinking that there wasn't any attraction because they light up the pages with a scorching passion. But It was the balance between the physical and emotional need that was sometimes missed. All I can say is that in the second half of the story - where anguish of whether they could have a relationship - turns into acknowledgement of their feelings. Realizing at the same time that it will be a hard journey, at that moment I felt the click of connecting, of feeling both their physical and emotional desires that grabbed me by the gut. Also the silent communication between them as a couple added to the image of two people connecting on every level that is important. From that moment on everything starts to spiral into one singular motion, as if every separate thread comes together driving it to such a conclusion that had me crying, leaving me in wonder and knowing I would read Bound By Flame and Bound By Light very shortly.
While Anna Windsor lets me explore her world of Sybil's and Motherhouses it is with the case of a ritualistic murdered child that made the ending of the plot such an enthralling one. At first it seems loosely related but in the end it is the well thought out ingenuity of the author that makes it so much more than I initially would've guessed. With bated breath I flipped the last 150 pages or so, wondering what was going one, why everything happened the way it did. The action is at times heart pounding sensational with Sybil's that use their elemental magic but also their use of weaponry is impressive. I loved how the frustrations of both Andy and Creed where portrayed as they do not have apparant magical abilities. It made them all the more real to me and speaks of a need to participate and be of use in the battle at hand and those coming.
As truths are uncovered, mysteries are solved and romance stirs to greater heights I felt that every aspect of this novel bears intensity. With Bound By Shadow I got a mere taste of what is to come and I'm hooked, for this novel transported me into an alternate world and one I can't wait to return to! Especially how things were left, with new characters to get to know and what about the enemy? Many questions arise and I can't wait to find the answers!
It is with a strong cast of characters and a distinctive own voice that this author gives romance, suspense, action and elemental magic a new home for us to devour. Anna Windsor has started the Dark Crescent Sisterhood series with a bang and I can rave even longer about many aspects of Bound By Shadow but all I can say is go out, buy the three books, and dive into the awesome world of the Sybils.
What to say, I'm not a fan of instant loves, and that's what this was, I get enemies to lovers but they didn't even know they were enemies before they become lovers. There's good spice, there's steamy spice, there's spice build up and spice for the sake of spice, but this was bad porn. There was a plot and I different original idea. I got turned off on all the female characters for how perfect they are were because they were sybils and no other person could do what they do as well as they could why also looking oh so hot. It kinda reminded me of male romance authors. There was no angst despite him obiviosly being her sworn enemy, there was no build up, there was nothing for me to give a damn about the characters to care. Which caused all the porn to fall flat, and I found myself flipping to find out if anything interesting would happen.
This book is dipping my toe in fantasy erotic novels. It’s fine. The plot was fine, it kept moving and was pretty interesting. The sex scenes were fine. I wasn’t sure how explicit these types of novels are - now I do. This genre does seem pretty limited in its ability to provide super interesting stories because by definition, they need to involve a love story and amble opportunities for intimacy. Like I said the book was fine. Maybe just not my genre.
A Wonderful start to the series! What is he? Can the Triad control the mayhem and destruction? This has everything - magic, strong characters, demons and romance. Beautifully written. A joy to read and recommended for anyone who likes romance, dark fantasy, paranormal and mysteries.
This is a pretty good paranormal romance if you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary, something a little different but with the love story and the love scenes. The characters were interesting and I like that you get to know the players that will be in the next two books of the trilogy.
Ugh! It took me forever to finish this. It started out super boring and (for me) didn't pick up until halfway through. The story was so good from middle till the ending. I enjoyed all the characters except for Cynda (super annoying).
Lol I read this ironically but it was actually quite good. Their relationship moved quite fast for only knowing each other a few months but it had a good plot and good characters so that makes up for it. lovely romance - would probably recommend. almost 4 stars
A unique story for paranormal romance. The author brings to life new characters, situations and types of supernatural characters. An interesting read overall coupled with romance.
First books in an paranormal romance series are tough, because in addition to developing the characters and their romance, the world has to be explained and then on top of all that the story has to be told. But Windsor manages to do a pretty good job with most of it. Her mythos of the Dark Crescent Sisterhood was interesting and well thought out, with Sybil (women of power) triads. The triad that is the focus of this first trilogy are: leader Riana with the power of Earth, and her 'sister' Sybils, Cynda with the power of Fire and Merrilee with the power of Air. The trio use their magic and battle skills as protectors of humanity in the fight against the evil power hungry demon-wielding 'Legion'.
Enter Creed Lowell, NYPD Occult Unit investigator and his partner tough smart Andy. When trying to get a handle on the supernatural ritualistic elements of a murder case they are working, Andy takes Creed to her friend 'psychic' Riana. But unknown to Andy, Creed has a secret - or at least he had one because as soon as he comes across Riana and her sisters they sense it immediately - Creed is not quite human. And as Riana is drawn to the mysterious, gorgeous and possibly dangerous Creed, her loyalties are soon divided between the 'man' with whom she finds an irresistible connection and her sisters' who are emphatic in their disapproval for the monster inside Creed who seems too much like their enemies.
Riana is fine as a heroine. She is strong but vulnerable, not only to her desire for Creed, but also in her lack of surety that she is a worthy leader to her group. But it is Creed who makes the story for me. Creed is a wonderful honorable hero struggling to keep his monster leashed, and needing to prove his worthiness to fight at Riana's side even as he respects her need to do the job for which she was trained. Also strong in the book, and another big plus for me, is Creed's partner Andy. Andy is sassy with an attitude that won't quit. Rianna's sisters are okay but don't really stand out in their limited screen time and the full dynamic of the trio isn't really explored either. But they have books of their own so, we're sure to get to know them better. And Creed's twin and the mysterious Jake have real potential, hopefully they will be as good as Creed when they get their turn in the limelight.
So the mythos and characters are good and there's a fair enough background plot with a decent amount of action packed battles - along with the discovery of just what Creed is and how he came to be that way - all weighing in on the plus side. The part that works less well for me was the way that the attraction between Creed and Riana is established. The actual love scenes themselves were pretty good, but my nit is that both Creed and Riana were so besotted with the other that they were constantly thinking about the aroused states of their bodies no matter what else was going on in the story at the time. I don't think I've ever read a book (even one of the few actual erotic ones that I've come across) that used the 'c'-word for the male anatomy so many times - and the majority of the usages weren't even in the context of the love scenes. Every time Creed thinks of Riana, or sees Riana, the paragraph has a reference to his aroused body part, and, making this doubly annoying, Rianna does the exact same thing (of course thinking about her appropriate female parts). Also since Creed spends a great deal of time naked (something is forever happening to his clothes) Rianna takes every opportunity to grab onto said aroused body part. Okay, I'll stop my rant now, the bottom line is that instead of upping the sensuality level of the romance for me, (and I do like a bit of steam in a romance) it was so heavy handed that it detracted and dropped my rating a star.
So overall, Bound by Shadow is pretty good and likely the next two books Bound by Flame (Cynda and Creed's twin Nick) and Bound by Light(Merrilee and Creed & Nick's blood-brother Jake) will be even better as Windsor already has a head start on developing her cast and her world, but even though I already have the next books on my TBR pile, and I will read them, Bound by Shadow didn't inspire me to dive into the next one right away.
Riana Dumain is the mortar of her triad, an earth controlling Sybil and leader of her group. Creed Lowell is a cop working in the Occult Crimes Unit. When a senator's son is murdered in a ritualistic fashion it falls on Creed and his partner Andy to figure out who killed Jacob Latch without actually being involved with the case. When Andy brings some evidence to her friend Riana for some help things get tricky.
Creed has always had something inside him, something not human, something other. It gives whole new meaning to the phrase 'personal demon'. Riana and her triad begin to suspect he is a member of the Legion, enemies of the Sybils who want to take over the world. As the two try to figure out what this 'other' that Creed becomes is and solve the case the two become attracted and fight their urges to be together.
I'll be honest... I couldn't give a better description of the story. Why? Because I think just about anything more would misrepresent the story. I wanted to like this book. Windsor can describe a scene well but she can't write passion and attraction at all. Riana is two-dimensional and has about as much personality as baking soda. Creed is attracted to Riana but we know so little about who he is that I couldn't see a reason he liked her. The general story of the Legion, the Sybils and the urban fantasy elements had potential but nothing was ever explained enough to make much sense. There were several inconsistancies as well. Supposedly Rianna could cause earthquakes but she doesn't when it would make sense and does when it serves no point to the story. The whole thing was sloppy. And Windsor needs a thesaurus. Her info says she writes erotica under another name yet she never refered to male genetalia with any other word than the standards 'cock' and 'erection'. It felt clinical and as many times as it was used in non-sexual situations it became annoying and silly.
I'm still undecided whether I will buy the rest of the series or not. I didn't enjoy this book much. Barely enough to give it three stars. There are many better PNR series out there one could spend their money on and really enjoy. If you like Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series this has some similar concepts you might enjoy.
So this story and the premise of it were great. There were a couple of issues, like the plot got overshadowed sometimes by the romance, and in other places I got really irritated with reading the same I should turn him in but I can't because I love him speech, happens about 50 times in the book. I characters are fun but Riana's character really bugged me.
Anyways the plot was great. I loved it. It's about Riana Dumain a Sybil or trained warrior priestess who battles evil with earth magic, with her two partners Cynda the fire Sybil and Merilee the air Sybil. They are fighting against a cult of dark magic users called the Legion. The Legion uses their magic to summon demons and kill people. One day a kid winds up dead by magic and two OCU or Occult Crimes Unit detectives show up. Creed Lowell and his partner Andy. Creed has a very dangerous secret though he's a half demon created by the Legion himself. Riana has to choose between her love and her sisters or does she...?
I loved most of the characters but I can honestly say the Riana's character bugged me. She was so whiny and desperate which is so different from how the author tried to make her which was as a leader and a strong-willed woman. Riana can't so anything by herself until about the last 50 pages of the book then she finally grows a backbone. She is so afraid of everything. I don't know her character just is one of my worst pet-peeves. Creed on the other hand was gorgeous and fun though there were times when he too couldn't do anything unless Riana was there but at least he had a back bone from the very beginning. I loved Cynda's character she's fiery and temperamental but very loyal and caring. She follows her heart and does what she thinks is right even if she loses everything in the process. Merilee was the mediator between Cynda and everyone else. She's cool, calm, collected, and follows her friends even if they do something wrong. The three sister triad are actually perfect for each other. They each complement the other.
So overall it was good I just couldn't stand Riana. I give it 3.5 stars.
Super-enjoyable novel that promises to be a great series! Lots of action, sexiness and an ending that I didn't see coming. Characters are in-depth as is the world-building, where Triads of elemental Sybils are trained to protect the earth against occult and demonic activities. This book features the Manhattan Triad lead by its Mortar, Riana. Her Pestle, Cynda, and her Broom, Merilee, live with her in a brownstone across from Central Park and the three truly act like sisters - including all the good and the bad. There are several hilariously funny sister scenes that lead me to believe the next book may be even better!
Riana becomes involved with her cop friend Andy's partner, Creed. She doesn't want to be, but she just can't resist. Creed and Andy are officers in the Occult Crimes Unit, but all Occult crime in their experience is instigated by human criminals trying to dabble in the Dark Arts. When Andy wants to introduce Creed to her "not psychic but something" friend and contact, he is all set to meet a wacko, albeit a beautiful one. The fun starts here, as Creed is "interviewed" by Riana's triad who sense something different about him. While I want my very own Creed, I look forward to learning if his long-haired twin, Dominic, will be the star of my fantasies after I read the next installment!
Be warned, Anna Windsor is a new mainstream author. There are several severe editing gaffes that will make you go "Hmm" but the story is more than worth those blunders.
Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.
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 politician’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. __________________________________________________________________________
x3
dominic is creed's twin brother. i felt this book went alittle too fast! book starts out with creed and his partner andy going to riana's house for help, then riana traps creed in a cell, and then they have sex the next few hours through the cell. im like wtf, but yeah, be warned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don't think I can say anything good for this one. I found 2 plot discrepancies in 75 pages... and the storyline went from pretty good to dragging and over heavy on the action in seconds. Its a Long book, with a plot I'm still trying figure out, And by that I mean what made it unique. I feel like the author didn't finish a lot of ideas she had going on, and that she threw together a bunch of ideas that seemed like a good idea all together, but it falls flat.
Oh and the amount of times she mentions scent and musk in the love scenes went from being acceptable to just gross really really quickly.
I love Ms. Windsor's EC works, and I was really excited to read this book, I'm a big fan of witches and such, and chicks that kick butt, but this just seems like trying too hard.
Creed is an OK character. Riana is ok as well, both didnt get me to the point of caring for them though, and i really wanted to.
Im not sure if I will be reading the next two in this series, but you never know.
4.5. This is the first book in the “Dark Crescent Sisterhood”. This book is about Riana and Creed. Riana is the head of a group of Sybils. The Sybils are made up of 3 elements-earth, wind and fire (water being an extinct group). Riana represents the earth part. The group of Sybils helps out a section of the police called “The Occult Dept.” Creed is a detective in this dept and as soon as he meets Riana, sparks fly.
The major conflict comes from the fact that Creed has another being that lives inside of him, one that is not so nice. Riana can sense the being and is part of a group that has sworn to destroy them. The whole book is non-stop action and hot other stuff. It is really well written and I can’t wait till the next book comes out. July 29, I believe!
I would compare this to the BDB almost. A group of people fighting against a major evil trying to kill them and take over. Kind of.