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The Shadowless #1
Shadows Within
Firefighter Reed Williams and his bride, Lily, are enjoying their long-awaited honeymoon in Paris. But bliss turns to agony when they’re assaulted along the Seine and Lily is murdered.
Now Reed is plunged into a world of bloodlust and horror, led by a woman who offers immortality at the price of his humanity.
Nothing makes sense. Reed doesn’t breathe, doesn’t have a pulse, and doesn’t even cast a shadow. His loss of Lily is all the more terrifying as he experiences visions of crows stealing his memories of her and all that he holds dear. Overwhelmed, he flees his relentless pursuers for home in Philadelphia.
Back in the States, he stumbles upon three unexpected allies, who, like Reed and his attackers, have non-beating hearts and shadowless bodies. The trio–a brilliant, but socially graceless linguistics professor; a grifting ladies’ man without a past; and a penitent hitman trying to atone for the widows he’s made–must pull Reed back from reckless despair and help him remember his heroic self in order to defeat those who want to claim his soul forever.
Now Reed is plunged into a world of bloodlust and horror, led by a woman who offers immortality at the price of his humanity.
Nothing makes sense. Reed doesn’t breathe, doesn’t have a pulse, and doesn’t even cast a shadow. His loss of Lily is all the more terrifying as he experiences visions of crows stealing his memories of her and all that he holds dear. Overwhelmed, he flees his relentless pursuers for home in Philadelphia.
Back in the States, he stumbles upon three unexpected allies, who, like Reed and his attackers, have non-beating hearts and shadowless bodies. The trio–a brilliant, but socially graceless linguistics professor; a grifting ladies’ man without a past; and a penitent hitman trying to atone for the widows he’s made–must pull Reed back from reckless despair and help him remember his heroic self in order to defeat those who want to claim his soul forever.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2017
3 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
J.P. Cane
1 book49 followersJ. P. Cane is a long-time reader and first-time writer of vampire stories. His debut novel, Shadows Within, begins The Shadowless series, mostly set in his hometown of Philadelphia. He hosts a podcast on writing and enjoys supporting fellow writers. He and his wife live in Virginia.
Visit him at jpcane.com
Visit him at jpcane.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 26, 2017
A Paris honeymoon turns macabre when the immortals (shadows) kidnap the groom and murder the bride. Turns out one of the shadows lusts after Reed and is determined to dispose of his new wife, Lily, and make him one of them. Reed is confused—he no longer seems to have a pulse or a shadow and he has developed some astonishing physical capabilities. Escaping from his captors, he makes a dash for home—Philadelphia. Pursued by the Parisian un-dead, he acquires some unexpected help from sympathetic American shadows as he tries to reclaim his humanity.
November 8, 2017
Shadows Within is an off-beat, fast-paced novel that reads like a thriller but has well-developed and interesting characters. Cane takes the time to find out what makes his characters tick, especially the ones who've been around for a long, long time. There's no vampire romance here - it's strictly a game of survival in the shadows. A great read - really enjoyed it!
February 26, 2019
Enjoyed the metaphor
To get the grammar out of the way. I will say that the editing was fine and well done. No worries on that end.
Overall, I enjoyed Cane’s writing style and his use of metaphor, i.e. the turning into one’s own shadow and forgetting who he/she is. Cool.
I kind of wish Lily had died. She didn’t. Ohhh...happy....and glitter...and unicorns.
Marie is possibly my favorite character—relentless and badass. I’d love to see more of her in the second book. Seriously. She’s fantastic. I’d also like to see more Malcolm.
Overall, good work here. I’ll definitely read the next.
To get the grammar out of the way. I will say that the editing was fine and well done. No worries on that end.
Overall, I enjoyed Cane’s writing style and his use of metaphor, i.e. the turning into one’s own shadow and forgetting who he/she is. Cool.
I kind of wish Lily had died. She didn’t. Ohhh...happy....and glitter...and unicorns.
Marie is possibly my favorite character—relentless and badass. I’d love to see more of her in the second book. Seriously. She’s fantastic. I’d also like to see more Malcolm.
Overall, good work here. I’ll definitely read the next.
December 27, 2017
Vampires aren't all about capes and dark castles. Reed Williams is a vampire who cares. JP Cane's Shadows Within has created a new sub-genre on the vampire theme. Written in present tense, we get to follow the action as it happens. If you like vampires in your mysteries, you'll love reading about Reed and his first adventure on becoming a Shadow Within.
January 17, 2019
Thoroughly Enjoyed
Well written with compelling, likable characters and awesome storytelling, this novel had me hooked from the start. What an intriguing twist on the vampire genre! I can't wait for more!
Well written with compelling, likable characters and awesome storytelling, this novel had me hooked from the start. What an intriguing twist on the vampire genre! I can't wait for more!
September 10, 2018
Loved the book. It provides the rare, in-depth view of a man transitioning from being a human to something he didn't believe existed.
January 10, 2020
Start with a honeymoon in Paris and kill someone. You don't have to be a fan of vampire stories to enjoy this tightly woven tale of Reed and his bride Lily as their embarkation into a new life is torn asunder through what turns out to be a twisted first act of a revenge play. Desperation and desire drive the plot into a mix of interesting characters that leaves the reader wanting more. In short, J.P. Cane nails a good read in this first book of the Shadowless series. A must read, though I may be a bit more wary of street performers in the future.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews