Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan
Also by this author: Winterblaze, Entwined, Evernight, Soulbound, The Friend Zone, Forevermore
Series: Darkest London #4
Also in this series: Winterblaze, Entwined, Evernight, Soulbound, Forevermore
Published by Grand Central Publishing on December 17th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Urban, Victorian
Pages: 464
Format: eARC
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Once a heart is lost in shadow . . .Life has been anything but kind to Mary Chase. But the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals has given her purpose. Now she's been tasked with catching a vicious murderer dubbed the Bishop of Charing Cross. But someone is already on the case-and the last thing he relishes is a partner.Only someone who lives in darkness can find it.Jack Talent has been alone with his demons for many years. He never expected to have the willful Mary Chase assist him on the Bishop case. Their age-old rivalry reaches new heights-even as their desire for one another reaches a fever pitch. Though he aches to bring her close, Jack's dark secrets are a chasm between them. With dangerous enemies closing in, Jack must find the strength to face the past . . . or risk losing Mary forever.

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~Karen’s Review~

Shadowdance is the fourth full length book in the Darkest London Series by Kristen Callihan, and the one that I have been wanting to read the most.   Ever since book one in Firelight, when Jack Talent first saw Mary Chase aboard Lucien Stone’s ship, I knew that a great story was planned for this pair. I am happy to report that a phenomenal historical urban fantasy story is actually what Callihan wrote in Shadowdance. 

For those of you who aren’t aware of the Darkest London Series, let me give you a little primer.  Callihan writes about a London that is full of paranormal characters with a dash of steampunk thrown in.  It is the London of the late nineteenth century where things that go bump in the night are kept contained by the SOS (Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals) and normal humans are unaware of the things that are part of the other realms.

The books have followed the exploits of three sister, and Shadowdance is the first that does not have a Ellis sister as the main focal point.  The author has stepped beyond the Ellis sisters to expand this universe, but continues to keep the reader engaged with familiar characters in the leads.

Anyone who has read the Darkest London Series knows that Jack Talent  is a shifter.  A shifter in Callihan’s series means he can become  any living thing he can imagine.   Being a shifter has been a very hard life for Jack, which is one of the main plot points in the book.   Shifters are very rare and in the previous series book Winterblaze  Jack had been captured, tortured, misused, and abused by the NEX.  The NEX happens to stand for everything the SOS is against.  They want the paranormal beings to come out into the open and pretty much rule the world.   In Winterblaze Mary Chase is the one who tracks and rescues Jack Talent.

Fast forward several years and Jack Talent and Mary Chase are both working for the SOS as regulators (agents), with Jack as an operative. Up until the beginning of the book, Mary is  a ‘Girl Friday’ to SOS head Poppy Lane.   Well, that has all changed as Mary and Jack are partnered up; much to Jack’s utter disgust.   Mary (who is a GIM) and Jack has a very bitter rivalry in the series.   Mary’s status as a GIM (Ghost In the Machine) means that Mary died and made a deal to comeback to help procure more GIM.

Mary’s heart is a clockwork one.  Some GIMs have new bodies(recently vacated by a soul) while others like Mary have their original body)  So these two rivals have been partnered to find a killer the Bishop of Charing Cross.  The Bishop is killing paranormal beings and leaving them at the base of Wellington’s statue in Trafalgar Square.

Now comes the point where I let everyone know why I loved Shadowdance, and why I think paranormal readers will love this as well.

First off Callihan’s books are character driven.  Her books are about people who have paranormal powers.  They are also books that are relationship driven.  The author in Shadowdance ripped my heart out with what both Mary and Jack had to endure in their lives.   The  back story of both Mary and Jack is paramount to the plot of Shadowdance, and it is a very powerful story line. The dark twisted past of both of these characters, shows the vulnerability that even those with special powers still have. Why Jack has done the things he has done  in the previous books,  and the rivalry between the two characters is revealed. Callihan does not do neat and tidy reads, and that is what makes this series such a delight to read.   If you have never thought about reading a historical paranormal urban fantasy book,  I suggest you take the leap with Callihan and her Darkest London Series.  You won’t be disappointed.

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book directly from the publisher. I was not paid to read or review this book. All opinions are my own, and I was never influenced by anything or anyone.

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