I'm sorry I didn't read the first book in this series. I might have been able even more out of this book had I done so. In Shadow touch, Elena Baxter, one of my favorite characters can heal with a touch. Artur Loginov, can absorb the feelings of people by touching them. When they're both kidnapped by the Consortium, their lives are turned upside down. Artur is an operative of Dirk & Steele, a detective agency utilizing paranormal people to protect normal humans. The Consortium wants to exploit both of them, and of course, take over the world. It's up to Elena and Artur to rescue each other along with two shape-shifters, one a Panther and the other a Dolphin shifter from the Consortium, make their way across Russia to break up a criminal conspiracy while avoiding being gutted by the serial killing psychopath on their trail. All in a day's work. The characters were fun, but the big reval at the end which will blow you away.
Jack Murphy ( )

Kidnapped by an evil organization because of their powers, the two main characters escape their prison only to return to battle their enemy in Russia. This was an amazing book. The hero, tortured with the curse to read mind and memories through touch-he's slowly going insane because of it. The heroine can heal but she can also kill and to do so will destroy her innocence and light. The characters bonded through their healing and their awful childhood and with every touch and every mind link they grow stronger together. The hero can still read her mind but because she's so pure and untainted he's able to feel no discomfort because of it. Which was a nice development-it made sense. The only thing that disturbed me was when the evil doctor forced her to reveal her powers but putting an injured puppy in her lap-made my skin crawl to think someone could do that. ( )

I think this author has balls of steel. She broaches subjects, areas, and different um...plot points you might not normally find in a romance novel and she makes them fit. She somehow makes torture and mind control perfectly normal in this book. The characters in this story are what really makes it unique. I wanted to get to know Artur more after the first book, Tiger Eye, but Ms. Liu teases us by only giving us a little bit. I was so happy his book was next. I instantly adored Elena, she is strong, smart, and does what needs to be done when she needs to. I love characters who know themselves.

Now, plot, half of this book is positioned in a human (or not so human) experimentation facility and both the characters are physically and mentally abused in this place. I was in shock and awe when I was reading...kept saying..."Are they really...no...holy cow...they did." then I would wiggle around in my seat some and dive back in the story. Ms. Liu takes her story seriously and has no qualms about running her people through the ringer, and then a cheese grater.

I adore this series so far and I can't wait to dig deeper and learn more about the other people who work for Dirk and Steele. I want to know more about Riktor and I need to know more about Koni...those are the guys on my radar now that Artur is happily settled. ( )

Liu's Dirk and Steele books are quickly becoming my favorite paranormal romance series.

This one in the series focuses on the Consortium, which is the evil equivalent of Dirk & Steele. The Consortium has been capturing people with paranormal abilities and experimenting on them. But when they get their hands on Elena Baxter and Artur Loginov they bit off more than they can chew. Now Elena and Artur are working with two other prisoners and an unlikely accomplice to escape their imprisonment and stop the organization from taking over the Russian mafia. The scenes that took place in the Consortium were really difficult for me to read. Not because it was bad, it was actually great reading. Its just that descriptions of people being captured then tortured/experimented on makes me twitchy. And even though things never got very squicky, it still stressed me out.

The narrators of the book primarily follow Artur and Elena. Elena can heal anything from broken bones to cancer with her bare hands. She had been living a peaceful and isolated life on her family's orchard in Wisconsin until the Consortium appeared and kidnapped her. I'll admit I have a soft spot for sarcastic heroines who constantly throw quips at the bad guys. I blame this on my obsession with Buffy. While Elena doesn't have the super strength or fighting abilities that Buffy does she can still hold her own. Elena's "innocence" could have made her an annoying character who did extremely stupid stuff but luckily that wasn't the case. She was intelligent and even though she wasn't jaded she was still pretty savvy when it came down to business.

By far and large the best part of this book were the side characters. We get large chunks of interactions with Rik and Rictor and a small appearance from Koni. Three characters who I adore in the series. I really hope that Liu eventually does a book for each of them. Especially, Koni who is a smart-ass crow shape-shifter. Seriously, he needs a book. ( )

There are people who might look at you when you read a romance book and say, "Oh, a romance book." Somehow you feel as if you have to defend yourself as an intelligent human being.

For those people who I would suggest read a romance book for the first time, I would sent them to any Marjorie M. Liu series of Dirk and Steele, and this book specifically.

Ms. Liu is a brilliant author, period. No matter what genre. I loved how she can continue the entire series's plot line and theme, and yet give our Hero and Heroine their own story. I love the darkness in Artur and much he is in need of some light and forgiveness.

Elena, on the other hand is a sassy, but sweet woman who is just the person to bring Artur back into the living.


Read this book, you will not be disappointed.

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