4 Shadow Stars

This book was a little different than what we are used to.
Beauty is Species but she is also a gift female. Meaning she was made smaller almost helpless and sold to sick people who wanted to “own” a pet.

Sick right! I was glad when this one was saved in a previous book. But Beauty wants to be more like the other Females, but because she is gift all her people protect her even from themselves.

She is very attracted to Shadow and Shadow is very attracted to her but because she is labeled gift he stays away.

But the heart wants and even when they are put together. I was so saddened to see how much they both “hide” there true feelings because of there pasts.

They kind of heal each other. I enjoyed this book a lot. It was different and we get to see a different kind of love story. And how pain can heal pain.

Again the narration blows me away. Vanessa does a fabulous job as always.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

20 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Definitely one of my favorites in the series!

I fell in love with this series all over again with Shadow. I think this may be the final one in the New Species series but I wish it wasn't. This is definitely a credit worthy series. Shadow's and Beauty's love story is so sweet and endearing my heart was bursting at every chapter. Also this one had a good balance of romance, action and of course humor...I love the misinterpretations the New Species have. I'd love another New Species story, but if I can't get that, anything from Laurann Dohner will do, she's a great author of this genre and Vanessa Chambers is a narrator I'll seek out for sure!

11 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

FINALLY.. We get to see a Species FEMALE STORY

Any additional comments?

I was really anxious to learn more about the Female side of the Species. The author somewhat casts the females Species as having harden hearts and being cold. Not sure I understand why the males are portraited with being more sensitivty to the mating needs. Its almost if the females are casted in a negative light. It seems only the males are emotionally stable and open to relationships. I was glad to finally see the author show the needs and desires of a female.Very good storyline. I hope to see more about the women of the story.

9 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Great Book Again by Laurann Dohner

Laurann did it again with her stories. This one is again a little different from the other ones. This one concentrates on a female new species called Beauty. They think she is frail and fragile, but she proves them wrong. Ms. Dohner does an excellent job of bringing you in and getting you hooked until you cannot put the book down until you finished it. Plus, she does a great job of giving you a little taste of the next book, so, if you are like me, you have the next book in your library before you are finished with this one. The narrator does an excellent job, as she has in all the other books. She does a great job of distinguishing the characters that Ms. Dohner so eloquently and completely describe. Love this series.

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

At last!

At last, (spoiler alert) two species found happiness together! I wondered if the series would include a story of species finding love and mating together. If they could finally have children together, what a surprise to add to a storyline.

I will continue with the series to the end.

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Really good addition to the series. Great couple!

4-4.5 stars

This was a really good story. I loved Beauty and Shadow and really enjoyed their story. This one has made it to my second favorite of this series (I can't help it, Valiant is still my fave).

Beauty is a NS (New Species - people that were made in a lab with human DNA merged with animal DNA) female but also has the misfortune of being a "Gift" female (the NS females that were made smaller and weaker than most NS and given away to the financiers of the lab that created them). This meant she was put through some really bad stuff by a man that saw her as a possession. Fortunately for Beauty, she was rescued and taken to Homeland (a compound owned by the freed NS people) where she recovered and learned to live free. The problem is that since the "Gift" females as seen as weak, they're highly protected. The NS males aren't even allowed to talk to them and their movements (even within the compound) are very restricted. Most of the "Gift" females don't mind because they have no interest in males but Beauty is different. Beauty is trying to get over her past abuse and wants a relationship with a male. Kind of hard to do when you're not even allowed to talk to them. One night when she's feeling very restrained by her circumstances, she leaves the women's dorms and goes for a run, not expecting to get tackled when she's mistaken for a human.

Shadow is a NS male and has been through a rough past in the labs which has him avoiding females (intimately). He has been working with the human task force that goes out to capture the fugitives still out there wanted for crimes against the NS people and also saving any NS people that discovered being held captive. He's best friends with Wrath and envies him his mate but doubts he'll ever be able to want a female (human or NS) or ever have a mate. Things change when he captures what he thinks is a human intruder in Homeland and she ends up being a "Gift" NS female instead.

When Shadow captures Beauty, there's a bad storm that comes up and as he's trying to get her protection from the rain, he takes them to a storage shed in the area. As soon as they get inside, hail starts up and it's too dangerous to go outside for a while. When it's safer, Shadow wants to go call a female NS officer (standard procedure with a "Gift" female) but Beauty doesn't want him to leave. She's interested in the big NS male and convinces him she'd be too scared if he left her alone (a bit of an exaggeration) so he wont leave. They start talking and share a bit of themselves. During this time, Beauty brings up her feelings of feeling captive by the rules set in place to keep her safe. This is unthinkable to the NS because they were kept captive for so long. She tells Shadow how lonely she is and would like for someone to hold her and sleep with her in their arms. While the storm still rages outside, Shadow decides he'll give her the night in his arm (it's only platonic though). The next morning they're found as they're waking up together and (since being alone with her is really against the rules) Shadow has to go with Security and account for his actions. Breeze goes to talk to Beauty and finds out what happened and also Beauty's need for more than she's allowed by the rules around her. Breeze brings this issue to the attention of the NS leaders and they decide that Beauty and Shadow should spend some time together.

Shadow and Beauty are given a chance to bond by being sent to Reservation (another NS compound) and they have 2 weeks together in a secluded cabin. Beauty is interested in Shadow but is very shy and wont make the first move. Shadow at first is rather pissed that they sent him there without actually asking him but does finally admit his return interest in Beauty. The problem lies in the fact that Shadow doesn't know a lot about females and because of what he was put through in the lab, he's afraid he might hurt Beauty if he does try to share sex with her. Things don't go well at first but eventually Beauty takes the bull by the horns and get them talking, which eventually leads to other things...thing that work out very well between them. There are a few stumbling blocks but everything starts going pretty well between Beauty and Shadow. Things get disrupted when mercenaries manage to get on to Reservation, hired by Beauty's previous captor and sent to bring her back to him. They cause a lot of problems but things do get handled and Beauty shows some real courage in handling herself and not being the weak female they all thought her. There's a little stress at the end until Shadow and Beauty are able to talk things out after the danger has been handled and all but they do talk (Beauty showing more courage in not being afraid to speak up for what she wants) and decide they want to stay together. They become mates and start their well deserved HEA.

This was a really good story. I loved Beauty and Shadow and seeing them work through their pasts to be together. It was a very good romance but I also liked the story it told about Beauty overcoming how she's seen, both by others and herself, striving to be more and showing a lot of courage when facing danger (both physical and emotional). Shadow did well too but I felt Beauty handled it better than Shadow overall. LOL. I can't wait for book #10, Moon's book (I <3 Moon). I'd recommend this book. 2 thumbs up! :D

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Huge fan of this series

What does Vanessa Chambers bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator is the reason that I have purchased every audio book in this series. The story is good but the narrator Vanessa Chambers makes this book a thousand times better!!! A narrator can totally kill a book and this is an example where the narrator just makes this book AMAZING!!! Great Job

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

really animal love

Where does Shadow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Shadow is hot and I rank him 3.5 and that good for me

What did you like best about this story?

How Beauty what's more from lift and how she what ever to stop treating different from the other.

Have you listened to any of Vanessa Chambers’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have list to Miss,Mrs, is there another one Chambers, "Oa" well I love her she has a great voice and she keep thing alive for the store that what I love in a narrater she got the oufa and I love it ever time I hear her. Thanks Miss Chambers for the voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

both I laugh and cry could't help it and I don't that what a good book do if it any good at all.

Any additional comments?

After finding the first book and it was not the 1st book I think it was the 3rd one I had to have them all and I do now "O yes I have list to them all" as I was saying I'm looking forward to the next book and how long do you think that would be just kidding. But it would be good to know. Thank you for so many great books to list to.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

His heart, his love, his life, BEAUTY!

Where does Shadow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Laurann has gone above and beyond to keep this series fresh and exciting. Great book and worth the credit.

Who was your favorite character and why?

From Mud to Beauty, strength, hope and love is what she's about.

What about Vanessa Chambers’s performance did you like?

Love love love her. I hope more publishers use her. I definetjy can tell male from female voices and she seems like she's having fun.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Some gifts come in small packages.

This one was a bit different in that the heroine did not get kidnapped, but not for the lack of trying. I enjoyed watching Beauty come out of her shell and hope that she ends up helping the other gift females. I want to see more books in this series about the female new species. Shadow was super sexy and sweet and I have decided I'm going to get a new species for myself. It is genius to put the first chapter of the next book on the end of each book, it makes me want to read the next one immediately. Same narrator, she does a good job.

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile