Shadow Touch

Dirk & Steele, Book 2

By: Marjorie Liu

Narrated by: Emma Lysy

Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

“A fresh thrill for anyone in the market for an extraordinary romance.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Anyone who loves my work should love hers, too.” (New York Times best-selling author Christine Feehan)

Shadow Touch is the second audiobook in New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Marjorie M. Liu’s remarkable Dirk & Steele series - stunningly inventive and breathtakingly passionate tales of shape-shifters, psychics, and extraordinary beings from one of the finest writers of paranormal romance. A story of a man with amazing abilities and a woman who can perform miracles with a touch drawn together into a terrifying conspiracy, Shadow Touch combines suspense, peril, and passion with a truly remarkable love story that will live in the heart forever.

©2006 Marjorie M. Liu (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Such a fabulous story

A great action packed story with a great ending. I just wanted more sexy scenes.

Very disturbing story.

This is a typical 21st century story where the bad guys are winning until the end. The first half of the story is about people being tested on in a laboratory. There are alot of disturbing incidents. The love story was ok but nothing special. I have zero desire to listen to this story again or another one like it. It was interesting enough to listen till the end thus the three star rating.

Disturbing

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this story, for me, is too violent and disturbing. Using humans and other living creatures for cruel experiments is more than I can take. I think the story will get to a powerful and healing love, but I can’t get through the beginning to get to that point.

Head games, imprisonment and torture

Former Russian enforcer Artur can’t help but know the history of every person or object he touches. Nurse Elena has secretly used her healing powers, unaware of the existence of other supernaturals. When they both find themselves captives of a shadowy organization, they find refuge and strength in each other.

This had a very different vibe than book 1, with a much smaller amount of action and humor, and with a measly appearance of the rest of the Dirk & Steel cast at the beginning and end. Instead, this is a paranormal intrigue story mixed with a soulful, sorrowful and sweet romance. Artur has a horrible past and a present that makes touch unbearable. While his tale of woe is powerfully raw and their spiritual romance is heartfelt, I feel shortchanged by the chesty cover art, which promised more than the single, vaguely described coupling nearly 10 hours into this 12.5 hr book.

The first half of the book concerns imprisonment, experimentation and torture. The second half is an “on the run” plot, except with riding a train instead of running. Throughout the book, much of the activity occurs in the minds of Artur, Elena and others. What this essentially means is an entire book light on action and with long bouts of two supernaturals connecting internally, talking via mental links and bonding through metaphysical psychic connections. Even though the romance was too angsty and sweet, and the action/humor too sparse, I did enjoy the unique supernatural talents that contributed to a sinister conspiracy plot. There were several fascinating villains. And kudos to the author for writing strong women on both sides of this story. This may have been okay for me as a romance, but I quite enjoyed the paranormal intrigue.