Shadow Rising is third in the Dark Dynasties series. This series is fantastic and has quickly become one of my favorites. The heroes and heroines are strong characters and Castle’s writing is lush and vivid. This installment focuses on Damien Tremaine, Cat Sith and a Shade assassin who falls in love with with Ariane, a Grigori.

As this is the third book in the series, the foundation of the world building is complete. We know there are multiple dynasties of vampires, each with a different speciality and each with its own secrets. Vampires can shapeshift. There are different types of supernatural beings. A rigid class system exists that pervades each book. The class system is significant within the individual relationships of the character we read about as well as the vampire/supernatural society at large.

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ARC Provided by Netgalley ( )

I loved this book. It was straight up romantic urban fantasy. The chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts hot. Damien was one of those jerks with a hard exterior that was really a soft kitten inside (pun intended). I loved watching them fight their attraction for each other. I couldn't help thinking when I was reading the book that this is what Daemon from the Luxe books could grow in to. Granted, I've only read Obsidian but I always wanted to know more about Daemon and felt like he could have been revealed a little better to the reader. Castle does that. She shows us the gruff and jerky side of Damien but lets us also see that he's vulnerable. Another Damien/Daemon comparison: Damien calls Ariane "kitten."

So, I had no idea when I got this book that it was the third book in a series. But, I had no problem understanding the story, what had happened before didn't really matter (although I am highly curious to see how much of a factor Damien was in the prior stories). I will most definitely be looking for the other books in the series. This was a great urban fantasy and I can't wait to read more of Castle's books. ( )

Wow! I Love this book, definitely a very good read! Kendra Leigh Castle did absolutely everything right in this book. I think I've found another favorite series to read, and the only thing I don't like is having to wait for more to come out! Amazing world building, memorable & likable characters, fantastic romance, and hot bedroom (or should I say graveyard?) scenes! Fantastic read! Before I go completely fan-girl here, I'll try to explain exactly why I loved it (or at least some of the things I loved).

The main characters in this book are Ariane & Damien. Ariane has spent the last several centuries, basically secluded from other vampires and the outside world, in the Grigori compound. Grigori vampires are seen as royalty, and the way she was turned has made her an outsider among them. She has no memory of her life before her change, and the depth of her loneliness is heartbreaking. She has worked harder than her fellow Grigori to train and learn, and is still considered an outcast. I immediately liked her.

Damien is a Cait-Sith, basically vampires that shape-shift into a cat, and he is also a Shade (assassin). The Cait-Sith are certainly not royalty and their race has been looked down upon for some time. His job as a Shade gives him an even worse reputation. I loved that even as broken as Damien is Ariane still sees the good in him, where others just see what they expect from him she sees through it all. The romance throughout the story was great, I really enjoyed seeing their relationship unfold.

The world that Castle has created is so in-depth, but she explains it so well, and does a very good job of adding things in as you go and not dumping too many new things on you at once. The book was so interesting that I powered straight through it in about a day, and was disappointed that it was over. There was even a teaser at the end for the fourth book, and now I'm dying to know what happens in the next book!

Even though it is the third book in the series, I still think you could read it as a stand-alone (I did, but I'll be reading the others ASAP). I love finding a new series to read, one for me is never enough, and I think I've found one I can safely say is my new favorite!

***Review copy provided by NetGalley*** ( )

There are about a bezillion paranormal romances our there with vampires and werewolves, and I have to admit that a lot of them that I have read are not really worth the time spent reading them. Almost every indie author out there seems to have a sexy dream of making it a vampire or a werewolf. This book is not like a majority the amateurish tripe that is out there - this is quality writing and story telling - it was an enjoyable read from start to finish. The focus is on the human elements of the story and the characters. I found it fascinating - even though the vampires had specialized into Grigori (fallen angels/vampires), cat siths (were cat/vampires), regular vampires, shade vampires, and others which weren't explained in detail in the book, of course there were the werewolves, this did not stop a very human love story from unfolding between two different types of vampires (a grigori and a cat sith/shade) which posed its own issues. Most of the issues posed were those of the human heart and soul, and so the romance was particularly touching - instead of focusing on the paranormal aspects of these characters, which is typical, we have a well rounded story and characters which develop in a believable way and end up with a conclusion that wraps things up nicely even though every t is not crossed and every i is not dotted.

Ariane is the 900 year old grigori who breaks out of the compound to search for her best friend Sammael, after he has been missing for months and is feared dead. She is naive, and has never been in the mortal world before, but is determined to find him before something horrible can happen to him. Oren - another grigori, has been tasked with hunting down Sammel and bringing him back to the grigori compound, except, when he runaways get back, they have a tendency to disappear. Ariane does not want Sammel to disappear, so she wants to find him first. She ends up teaming up with a Cat Sith/Shade who has been paid by the Grigori to find Sammel and bring him back and to notify them if he finds her. What will he do about her? Will he send her back? The plot thickens as more grigori get involved and leaders of the different vampire communities find out that there are grigori on the loose, and things are not what they seem. The plot has a number of twists and turns and the romance is really quite well written. If I could give this book 4.5 stars, I would. It definitely deserves it. It is definitely a new take on vampires in general, and definitely a different view of vampire life. If you like paranormal romances, then treat yourself and read this one. The good news is, there are more in the series, so you can get your fix of great writing, characters and romance after you finish this one. Happy Reading! ( )

I have a major weakness for books where the hero calls the heroine “Kitten” like a huge weakness. This book did not disappoint. This is the 3rd boo k in the series by Kendra Leigh Castle, we got to know the hero in the previous books, and I absolutely adored learning more about Damien. He was such a sympathetic character but never crossed the line into pity. He was wounded but he covered all of that with a devil may care attitude it was great watching Ariane get under his skin and burrow her way to his heart.

Ariane’s naivety actually charms and does not come across fake in any way, it comes across as real, and her sass makes her interesting. There were points where she fell a little flat, but overall she was definitely a wonderful heroine for Damien. They were wonderful together, and watching Damien come to understand what she really meant to him was fantastic. There was a lot of drama, but it didn’t seem over the top in any way, everything fit.

The evil is growing and some good guys got corrupted along the way, we finally have a Big Bad for this series, something that was previously lacking, I’m looking forward to seeing how the different factions react to this new common foe. I’m giving this book: Shadow Rising by Kendra Leigh Castle a 4 out of 5 stars.
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