Shadow Whispers

How can this be the end? After all there are so many great potential 'Shadow' titles left. Shadow Whispers introduces bounty hunter Cisco Santiago on a personal hunt to solve a murder that happened 15 years ago on Dine land. Intelligent, gorgeous and intense, Cisco is a selfmade man who has escaped his gang background, wears his scars well and is a great hero about to meet his match. While shooting someone is a really good way to get their attention, it doesn't make for a great first impression. But Sunnie is way past the part of her life where she plans to ever make another personal connection. She's empty - consumed by guilt, grief and vengence - ready to sacrifice her life to end the Skinwalker evil even though the path she walks goes against all the Dine teachings of balance and harmony from her childhood. Initially, Cisco and Sunnie rub each other the wrong way. Their combustable partnership is one of necessity: Cisco needs a guide and Sunnie needs bait to draw the Skinwalkers into the open and for some reason they are interested in Cisco. But soon their anger transforms to attraction and then to something deeper that both of them try to deny but can't resist. Linda Conrad does a great job with the romance between Sunnie and Cisco and with Sunnie's return to the world of the living. But Shadow Whispers looses half a star for the final confrontation with Skinwalker Wolf. In light of some of the secrets that were revealed in the story, this should have been a powerful moment and a chance for several of the characters to resolve issues from their pasts. Instead, the final meeting between the Brotherhood and the leader of the evil cult, the baddest of the bad guys, was extremely anti-climatic. There was also less of the Dine cultural elements brought into this story and that was one thing that made the other books so interesting. Other than those two minor nits, author Linda Conrad brought the Night Guardian Series to satisfying conclusion, tying up all the loose ends in the story while bringing back all the significant characters from the previous books for a final bow.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques Sunnie has built a new life for herself as a sniper after the betrayal by her fiancé several months previous dashed all of her hopes for happiness. Now she has one mission, to take out the head Skinwalker, the Navajo Wolf, and end the horrors stalking the People at the hands of this monster and his shape-shifting witchcraft-practicing followers. Now her moment of triumph has arrived, or it would have if not for the stranger. Cisco Santiago is a bounty hunter on a personal vendetta, to find out what happened to his father so many years ago. His quest for answers has brought him to Dinetah, the Navajo Reservation where he hopes to resolve the mystery plaguing him for most of his life. Just when he finally thinks the answers are within his grasp, everything gets shot to hell, quite literally, when a bullet meant for another finds him. Sunnie is horrified by the mistake she made, but smart enough to realize Cisco may be able to help her. When Cisco and Sunnie reluctantly join forces to find what they both seek, they get more than they expected. The war between the Night Guardians, a brotherhood of Medicine Men, and the Skinwalkers has reached its peak and the final battle is about to begin. Additionally, Sunnie's dear friend Tory has been kidnapped by the Skinwalkers and Cisco finds some unexpected ties to the People. The last thing needs is to fall in love... but that might be the one thing that can put the past to rest once and for all. Interestingly enough, Shadow Whispers, the final book in the series is not about one of the Brotherhood members, but a newly introduced hero. Don't fret though, he is every bit is strong and proud and oh-so-sexy as the rest of the Night Guardians. He's on a mission but gets bowled over, literally and figuratively, upon his first meeting with Sunnie. He has a few secrets of his own that are sure to intrigue readers. Sunnie's heart was broken when her late fiancé betrayed her in his quest for power. But rather than blame him, she blames the Wolf, the Skinwalker leader who lured him to evil. Though she has moved beyond her past with the help of the Brotherhood, she cannot forget and her new quest drives her. One thing I love about Linda Conrad's heroines is that they are always strong and brave, not one to sit back and let the man protect her, but rather preferring to be the protector. Sunnie fits the mold of these heroines beautifully. She has honed her body, mind, and skills to a sharpness many don't expect of her. I would have liked to see her get to play a bigger role in the final showdown, and maybe using those sharpshooter skills she's acquired, but even so, I was not let down as I did see her strength and willpower shine through many times throughout the story. That and she did get to use those skills with a gun early on, when she shot Cisco by accident. The love that grows between Cisco and Sunnie is strong enough to get them through the greatest of dangers. We see th