I received this book from Bookprservices for review. Wind and Shadow by Tori L. Ridgewood There's actually a short story prequel to this that I didn't know relies till after I was reading it and I would suggest reading it, though you don't have to before this one, after all I didn't. I've been looking for the prequel on its own its called Mist and Midnight by Tori L. Ridgewood but it apparently in a book with other short stories and not that I have anything against short stories but I'd like to just read that one.
I am so glad I read this at this time of year it is a perfect Halloween book
almost everything you can ask for when it comes to Halloween, natural witches, vampires(the old-fashioned type of vampire), romance, spells and rituals, little bit of action and nicely placed humor too. Oh and get this the timeline is even at Halloween *
squeal*. So really the only thing missing is werewolves but that's ok, lol. It's only the first book in the new trilogy so who knows maybe in the next book there might be.
Its goes between the two main characters, should of been high school sweethearts but neither one had the courage to ask the other out Rayvin Woods (sidenote I just realized the last name is part of the authors last name, sweet.), natural witch, and Grant Michaels, handsome, very well fit, police officer.
Rayvin goes back to her small home town of Talbot after leaving ten years ago because she was accused of attempted murder. It talks quite a bit about this 'attempted murder', of which she is completely innocent, in the beginning but you don't actually know what happened till almost half way through, what I don't get is why she didn't claim self defense because that's what it was and I say the person got what they deserved. She's very guarded hasn't had many good relationships but its made her strong.
Grant, along with most of the town, believes Rayvin to be capable of murder, however that doesn't stop the feelings he's had for her since high school to come up on full blast, so he's conflicted with what he feels and what he thinks.
"What’s done is done. You have to move on, Grant. You can’t live by holding onto past grudges. Too much damage has already been done. Let it go."
"I wonder—if it had been your best friend," he’d challenged, rising to her eye level. "If you’d feel the same way?"
Andrea looked at him coolly. "Not all permanent injuries are visible, Grant Michaels."
There's quite a bit repeating mainly at the beginning, and I wish there was more dialog, but I loved what dialog was there, and more into the supporting characters like Andrea I wanted to see more of her. I think we'll see more in the next one though. However with that said I like the attention Tori gave to the life of a wiccan, its so much more than just spells and magic and she brought that in. There's a lot of attention to everything actually, the town and places, Rayvin's sacred place.
What seems to be coincidental upon Rayvin's arrival a series of events happen Grants vows to keep an eye on her, though not just for a professional reason. When he realizes after seeing her with her best friend and almost sister, Andrea, in the hospital that she may not be the cause but she may be the only person who can help. And so they
try to work well with each other however with pint up sexual feelings for each other and the fact that their are both stubborn to believe the other especially when they say blatantly how they feel and what's going on, so there's also a lot of mistrust between them I think more so with Rayvin giving her history with men, not that I blame her, but when Grant practically lays his heart out to her she still wants to question him. I swear sometimes I wanted to slap the both of them up the back of their head and yell at them, 'What the hell enough with the bloody mistrust you both love each other stop picking fights and thinking you cant trust the other." And the sexual tension.....ugh, well they do in fact have a passionate night together but then Grant goes and ruins it by thinking with head, yes his actual head not the other one, and not believing what he saw right in front of him or his heart.
On to the Vampire, De Sade, devilishly handsome love to hate, you really don't see much of him till like the third quarter of the book where you see most of the action. He's escaped from a entrapment, which he was able to due to an event that followed Rayvin arrival and he causes the other events. De Sade has a plan, he's raising a coven, making vampires, of the towns people but not just anyone most the people whom Rayvin comes in contact with who's not lashing out at her about what happened ten years ago is who he's turning into a vampire, and an evil son-of-a-bitch who deserves to be rotting instead of being undead. But you cant have a good vs. evil book with out a few good villains. Not only does he want a coven he wants a witch to reproduce with.
So by the end Grant and Rayvin try and stop De Sade however things don't end up that good and Rayvin has to do something to save Grants life. I don't want to give the ending away but its so hard not to and explain how I felt about it. But I will say I'm mad at Grant for doing what he does. It definitely leaves you with a cliff hanger, so if you go and get now and read it your warned you'll be waiting like me tapping you finger on the arm rest of the couch. So please let this wait be quick.
I cant wait for book two Blood and Fire to come out, I think there's only one possibility about certain something we find out at the very end given certain facts and how fast effects accrue, if you've read or plan on reading it let me know what you think about that 'something'. ~
Can anyone say tall, dark, and from another time period, yum. As promised he's fully clothed and trust me I almost couldn't keep that promise because WOW are there a lot of shirtless guy covers, correction sometimes, sometimes pantless too. *fans myself* But on to why I like This cover love the colors, leaves you with a mystery.
