ARC Review: Phantom Shadows by Dianne Duvall - 4 Wine Glasses!

Phantom Shadows 
(Immortal Guardians #3)
by Dianne Duvall
Paperback, 390 pages
Expected publication: October 2nd 2012 by Zebra (first published October 1st 2012)
ISBN 1420118633
ARC Courtesy of author

Dr. Melanie Lipton is no stranger to the supernatural.She knows immortals better than they know themselves, right down to their stubborn little genes. So although a handsome rogue immortal seems suspicious to her colleagues, Sebastien Newcombe intrigues Melanie. His history is checkered, his scars are impressive, and his ideas are daring. But it’s not his ideas that have Melanie fighting off surges of desire . . . 
Bastien is used to being the bad guy. In fact, he can’t remember the last time he had an ally he could trust. But Melanie is different – and under her calm, professional exterior he senses a passion beyond anything in his centuries of experience. Giving in to temptation is out of the question – he can’t put her in danger. But she isn’t asking him . . .

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Crystal’s Thoughts:
Dianne Duvall has created an intriguing paranormal world with alluring romances in her Immortal Guardian series that is heightened with its newest release, Phantom Shadows. 

Sebastien Newcombe use to fight against the Immortals with his army of Vampires, now he fights alongside them but no one fully trusts him. And why should they when he killed one of their own? Bastien doesn’t seek acceptance though, or so he tells himself. But when Dr. Melanie Lipton enters the picture and ignites feelings inside him that he hasn’t felt in centuries, Bastien can’t help but worry how others will react to their relationship. So Bastien denies his attraction to the Network’s beautiful doctor and buries his feelings. But Melanie isn’t going to make it easy for him. She’s seen through Bastien’s ‘I don’t give a shit,’ attitude since their first meeting and has been infatuated with the Immortal from the get-go. And now that Melanie knows that her feelings are returned, she isn’t going to accept the ‘You’re too good for me,’ line that Bastien is trying to feed her. Can Melanie convince Bastien that he is more than enough for her or will the danger that he inadvertently exposures her to push him away for good? 

We were first introduced to Bastien in the first book of the series, Darkness Dawns. Believing that he was a vampire and hell-bent on revenge for the death of his sister, Bastien led a vampire army against Roland and the rest of the Immortals. But when the truth about his existence was finally revealed to him, Bastien joined the Immortal Guardians. However, that doesn’t mean him or the rest of the Immortals are happy about their new camaraderie. This sweet and sexy bad boy has not just a chip on his shoulder but an entire cement block and I loved his story. There’s just something about the quintessential bad boy. Bastien has a tendency to rub others the wrong way with his sarcastic retorts and the vacillating dialogue between him, the other Immortals and even the Seconds added some fun, acerbic humor to the storyline. But even when Bastien was seemingly bad, he was still good, and Melanie is the only one who could see this. I thought that she made the perfect match for Bastien. Both stubborn but Melanie gives him a run for his money. 

There was plenty of action and suspense in Phantom Shadows to keep readers turning the pages. The build up to the big, bad show down had me on the edge of my seat but when that final scene rolled around I found myself teetering on that edge because it felt a bit rushed. I think this was because the story-line jumped forward a few times and I would have liked for it to be expanded on more.  A HUGE bomb (figuratively speaking) is dropped at the end for a previous couple in the series though and I am really looking forward to how this will affect them and the other Immortals as well as the Immortal Guardian’s world in general. 

The Immortal Guardian series introduces a new breed of Vampires that you can’t help but be captivated by. The nuances and secrets in Duvall’s mythology make me eager to explore more alongside her Immortal and Vampire characters, and I can't wait for the next installment.  I’m still waiting with bated breath for news on Seth’s book...

Rating: 4 Wine Glasses