As a coveted member of the vampire caste called the Grigori, Ariane is a watcher. She is bound by duty to observe the world around her, but forbidden to ever intercede. She is content until her friend, Sammael disappears. Realizing that Sammael could be in great danger, Ariane takes it upon herself to break out of her protected desert to find her beloved friend. Out alone in an unfamiliar world, she encounters a man far more interesting than her set goal. Soon, the sexy shifter becomes a distraction that she does not need.

Damien Tremaine is part of the House of Shadows. As a cat shifter and assassin, he has the tools necessary to locate Sammael. His reward holds considerable value to him so therefore, Damien knows he will do anything in order to gain his prize. That is until he crosses paths with the beautiful Ariane. Though they are forced together by the common goal of locating Sammael, their emotions and raging sexual chemistry interferes until they are no longer able to deny their desire for one another.

Kendra Leigh Castle weaves a particularly enticing character in Damien Tremaine. In most of the book, he is a complete jerk, yet Castle does a fantastic job of straddling this line, as she also displays several redeeming qualities about him. It helps that Ariane's personality is tough and she keeps him on his toes.

As Damien and Ariane work together, they soon discover that they no longer need each other to complete their shared task. Instead, they come to desire each other's presence if only to explore this newly discovered passion.

With exceptional worldbuilding and fascinating characters, Kendra Leigh Castle has a true gift of imbuing her characters with tightly-leashed passion, making this book an easy one to devour. There's no question that SHADOW RISING is a top- notch read!

Book Summary

Read an Excerpt