Phantom Shadows

Immortal Guardians, Book 3

By: Dianne Duvall

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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....

©2012 Dianne Duvall (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Both characters have realistic and very human emotions, lending them significant relatability. Duvall uses recurring characters from previous titles to continue building her intriguing paranormal world with increasing flair and writerly skill." ( Publishers Weekly)

AN ADDICTIVE PULSE POUNDING PARANORMAL TALE

Loved each and every book so far but I advise listening to them in order to get the most out of the Immortal Guardians and each of their adventures.

Bastien is a hunky, handsome, misunderstood Immortal who's still brooding on delusions from decades past which has led him to be the most disliked Immortal and is alienated by his fellow Guardians, and that of course just makes us like and root for him - the hurting underdog - all the more. This book contains an action packed storyline that's full of suspense, intrigue, passion and humour that has me begging Ms Duvall for more more more please.

Worth a credit? Yes definately and if you liked Lords of The Underworld and/or The Black Dagger Brotherhood then I'm sure you'll think so too (but if you haven't heard of these books before.... firstly, where have you been? and then secondly, check them out ASAP!!).

Another Great Book!

Would you listen to Phantom Shadows again? Why?

Yes! I really like the charaters and story line.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think my avorite character is Seth! I can't wait to see how his story plays out.

Have you listened to any of Kirsten Potter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. She is very good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I enjoyed it alot. It was a great listen.

Things aren't always what they seem

Where does Phantom Shadows rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love this series so this installment is in my top 5 series

What did you like best about this story?

The sense of family and the underlying thread of loyalty between ALL of them regardless of circumstances, they stick together. I really enjoy how Dianne Duvall infuses humor into intense situations too

Which character – as performed by Kirsten Potter – was your favorite?

I love how she portrays Seth. She is a very talented narrator and nails the accent and brings him to life for me.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the decision to transform Melanie came into play. And why Bastien wanted Roland to do it.

Any additional comments?

Another fantastic installment in this series. Definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of the PNR/UF genre. The story is engaging and the narration is awesome.

We are all happy Sara stabbed Bastian in the Ass...

This story is my favorite of the immortal guardians so far. (Writing this review the month before the release of Seth’s book). I love this because it’s the first sign that Bastian isn’t some huge douchebag that we all wanna throw out a door. Also, this is when everyone else starts to realize that he’s probably not the huge jerk that we all wanna believe in the first two books.
Melanie gives us that hopeful look at him. Seeing Bastian through her eyes is amazing. I remember hearing Bastian walking into the room in the second book and thinking “oh, hell no!” But now that we are full circle, we’ve seen his relationships develop a bit in this book, I can honestly see what started in the previous book with them coming to fulfillment. Their love story is amazing.
Richart, in this book, is becoming more and more in love with his mystery lady (you’ll get to read about her in the novella included in the predatory anthology) and I think that makes Richart really understand and maybe even realize before Bastian what Bastian and Melanie are experiencing.
Seeing Roland and Sara & Marcus and Ami is very amazing. Know how Bastian feels about them is very touching. He really feels like Ami is a kid sister and that’s pretty great.
The dynamic between Seth and David in relationship to Bastian is less complicated than I assumed it would be. I thought it would be more of a complicated thing but, Seth and David know everything. I guess that’s something we should always keep in mind.



GFYDU MTYB DBAD

Phantom Shadows - I Loved it

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this series was very good, made me laugh, cry and sigh.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sebastien and Melanie. I loved Melanie's assertiveness, you usually do not read that in the heroines, but she was a refreshing character. As for Bastien, almost every one loves the bad boy, and an underdog to boot, what's not to love.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, it made me laugh many times and close to tearing up a time or two.

Done and waiting for Book 4!!!

Phantom Shadows was as good as the rest of the books in the series. Bastien is one of my favorites and was happy his story was told. I love the Immortal Guardians and am looking forward to the next books in the series. Kirsten Potter as always gives each character his/her due. Wonderful... Start with book 1. =]

love this series

I was skeptical when I started this series but am now in love with them all. The stories are great and the narrator is fantastic. Just finished the third one, can't wait to start the next. Get them now!

So So

I really enjoyed the first two stories in the series, but this one left me lacking. I did like that there was a softer side to Sebastian, but at times he needed a lot of coaxing to get a move on things. I'm not sure how to explain it, but Sebastian's story didn't live up to his bad ass actions.

I don't know why he got a book so soon.

I had a feeling that this book was going to annoy me and man was I right. This book was super important when it came to the plot line however I was not happy with Melanie and Bastien. Bastien is one of those characters where he feels as though it is okay with starting fights with people. Take for instance when he sees Roland and Sarah, Darkness Dawns, he asks her how her head is. Now if you read Darkness Dawns you would understand why that is a no-no.

He is purposely trying to have someone kill him or he just likes to antagonize. I do not like characters who purposely like to get under someones skin and he is one of them. I understand all that he has been through a lot but he is trying to ostracize himself on purpose. He wonders why no one likes him when he is does not make an effort to relate to anyone. When he does make 'friends' with other Immortals it is because of them and not because Bastien is putting in the effort. I will never feel bad for him when it comes to him being the Black Sheep of the Immortals.

There are a lot of things that occurred in this book that were great aside from Bastien. Ami played a major rule which I am happy with and we learned some new things about David that I was not expecting. Also we learned some more information about Seth which I am excited about. We are also introduced to a new character who I am obsessed with. He might be my number 1 and that is saying a lot because I love me some Seth.

This book is only getting a 3 because of all the secondary characters that played a part. I do not think that Bastien should have gotten a book so soon. I think he should have gotten one at least 5 or 6 books in. If this is supposed to be a redeeming book for Bastien it did not happen.

Very disappointed

**SPOILER ALERT**

I hate tow write anything negative about this series. It is one of only two or three series I actually reread. And Dianne is my favorite author. Her writing is so intense and full of emotion, yet at the same time she is able to deliver the funniest scenes. I had read this book way back when it came out and I didn’t know about writing reviews. This one is my least favorite. I was so disappointed with how the other immortals treated Sebastian. Of course, Seth did save him from execution. But he still wasn’t very kind. If I were him and Melanie, I would’ve wanted to leave. There wasn’t many scenes of Bastian and Melanie in the bedroom. But there was so much action with hunting Emrys and the mercenaries. We see a lot of Cliff. I LOVE his character and hope he is saved and gets his own book. What really disappointed me was how this book seemed more about Ami. Of course, I was happy to see more about her. And I do like her character. But Seth almost kills Bastian for using her after the network is attacked by the mercenaries. They couldn’t reach Seth and Marcus had okayed it and was with her. Plus she can kick ass. Then what happens? Seth turns right around and uses Ami for the same thing because she is the only one who can track Emrys with her gifts. He didn’t even apologize to Marcus or act like it was hypocritical. Seems like this annoyed me more the second time around listening to the audiobook. Plus, it’s getting annoying how they’re all “protect Ami”. Like they don’t care if anyone else dies. These are supposed to be like Seth’s children and he’s acting like they are nothing to him compared to Ami. Why doesn’t Marcus and Ami have their own place? I would be pissed if I were them. I know she needs protecting and has a unique situation. After what she went through, I can understand why. But the relationship between her and Seth and David is getting ridiculous. And at the end when she thinks she is infected by the virus, Seth almost kills Marcus because David and him and Darnell assume Marcus bit her and Seth won’t even believe Ami when she says he didn’t. Marcus isn’t even breathing any more and David has to heal him. Does anyone apologize? No, they start raising hell again at him because he didn’t use condoms. Thinking him stupid. WTH? And if they only like organic stuff because they can taste each individual ingredient and additives, including in chocolate that isn’t organic, why does Marcus have a stash of lollipops? Ok, sorry to rant. I still recommend this series and even this book. Because any author who can evoke this much emotion in a reader, be it good or annoyed, is a good author. It means I care lol. Trust me, the rest of the books are worth getting upset over this one. There are big treats in store. We meet Zach in this book. He’s a winged being like Seth. I can’t help but think they are angels. And what’s up with the sacred place Seth goes to? He even let Ami in on that and his secret I assume. Yet, he doesn’t trust Bastian even at the end of the book. More than he did but seems he would shed little tears if he died. I feel like we will know in the end why Seth does what he does. If you like audiobooks, try theses in that form. This is one of the best narrators. Don’t listen while driving because the intense action will make you drive too fast lol.

A surprise

I love this series, the characters it has a great story line that I have really enjoyed

Excellent

So happy I found this series it’s great. Great story line, excellent action, good guys and bad guys. Thank you