Review: When Shadows Call by Amanda Bonilla

Title: When Shadow’s Call
Series: Shaede Assassin #0.5
Author: Amanda Bonilla
Publisher: Signet
Format: eBook, 90 pages
Published: June 5, 2012
ASIN #: B007TCDVEO
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Copy: bought

The envy of 1900s society, Darian is the rich, beautiful wife of a prominent Californian doctor—but her life is far from perfect. For years, Darian has suffered at the hand of her cruel husband and yearned for an escape—one that she knows to be all but impossible.

But when an enigmatic stranger comes to call, Darian finds herself charmed by his seductive smile and the inexplicable connection she feels. And when he makes her a thrilling—yet frightening—proposition, Darian must decide if she’s strong enough to abandon the mortal world she knows and answer the shadow’s call

I was ecstatic when I heard that this novella was about Darian’s life before her transition and also incorporates some of her time with Azriel. Amanda does a great job of giving readers an overview of her back story in Shaedes of Gray but it’s always better when you can experience the facts first hand. When Shadows Call is a topsy turvy read that’ll take you from feeling hatred to love in 30 seconds flat.

This short story is a great example of Bonilla’s scope as a writer. The first few chapters cast Darian as an “abused, 1900s wife” which couldn’t be further from the assassin we currently know in the full length books. I wanted to kill her husband after only a few pages so Amanda really nailed the tone that she was striving for in my opinion. Then we meet her savior, the charming and dashingly handsome Azriel. Who’s actually one of the bad guys in this series. Don’t worry, I’m not really giving anything away here, there’s a snippet about it in the blurb for Blood Before Sunrise. I checked! Anyway, taking a character that I previously disliked and casting him as a good guy instead was an interesting twist. There are definitely some neat role reversals going on in this novella! Plus the usual butt kicking, sizzling bedroom action and sass of course.

When Shadows Call does a fantastic job of giving existing fans an extra taste of Darian and is a nice sneak peek into this series for newcomers.

Books in this series:
My Review	My Review	My Review

Recommendation:	Great for readers looking for a full length book experience in only 90 pages.
Like this, like that:	Blooded by Amanda Carlson, the Half-Light series by MJ Scott and the McKenzie Lewis series by Sandy Williams.

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