This time, being true to herself could be a deadly mistake. Lonna Marconi likes to solve problems. The hard kind. A social worker by day, P.I. in her “spare time,” she’s figured out how to handle her little “werewolf problem.” After a dose of wolfsbane, her physical body stays safe in bed while her wolf goes spirit walking. If only she didn’t have a mind of her own…
Deep in the Appalachians, Lonna learns a family secret that means she’s unique, even among werewolves. Now she’s pursued by a rogue sorcerer with poisonous intentions, other wizards who’d like to throw her in a gilded prison, and a band of ghostly wolves thirsting for her blood.
Worse, there’s only one man who can protect her, and even he demands a price: her heart. Even though his own may be forever beyond her reach.
Long Shadows is the second book in the Lycanthropy Files, an urban fantasy series with the bite of a medical thriller. Each book is written to be read as a standalone, but you’ll get a fuller experience if you read them all in order. If you like hair-raising mysteries, complex characters, and stories that blend science and magic, then you'll love being transported with these transfixing tales.
Note: This is the second edition of Long Shadows, originally published by Samhain Publishing in March 2014.
Cecilia Dominic became a clinical psychologist because she's fascinated by people and their stories, but she couldn't stop making stuff up. By day, she helps people cure their insomnia. By night, she writes fiction that keeps her readers turning pages past bedtime. Yes, she recognizes the conflict of interest between her two careers, but she prefers to be called versatile, not conflicted. Cecilia has been published in short and novel-length fiction and currently writes urban fantasy and steampunk. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and the world’s cutest cat.
Lonna Marconi was the friend I liked until she stormed out on her friend in the book 1. To be fair, she had gone through a pretty traumatic experience and her friend, Joanie who was the book one heroine, was having her own crisis, so communication between them was somewhat problematic.
Lonna is back and front and center in Long Shadows. Lonna is a social worker with a private investigators license. In this book, Lonna will be using her investigative abilities once again. This time, she is the target. Many times over. The first attack while she is in her wolf form, ends up with Lonna waking up with no sign of her inner wolf. This is devastating and leaves her vulnerable. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed wolf-Lonna until she disappeared from the story.
Luckily, Maximilian Fortuna (quite the name!) shows up. Max is a wizard. And technically, he is not supposed to help Lonna, only observe, but Max will find loopholes in order to worm his way into Lonna’s life in one way or another. It’s not just professional interest. There is definitely a spark between these two. The pair will flip/flop between flirting and keeping distance for a significant part of the story, but you know where it is headed, don’t you?
Why is Max supposed to observe Lonna? Well, there a many cryptic comments about Lonna being special. She thinks it is because she was turned to wolf by magic, not the virus that everyone else got. Beyond that, Lonna has no idea what those comments are about. There will be lot of information withholding from Lonna with comments like: “It’s too much to go into here, and we have to keep moving.” and “The explanation is too long to go into now.”. These comments will lead to Lonna making threats and Max responding with comments like: “Are all our conversations going to end up with you threatening me for answers? At least it’s not evisceration this time.”
If I was Lonna, I’d be frustrated too. As the reader, I was anxious to find out what all the secrets were. And there are quite a few. One that even involves Giancarlo, the man she was dating before she met Max. By the way, there is now a pattern in this series with the heroine having more than one love interest.
Max is kind of wishy-washy. He keeps withholding info from Lonna – saying he is not allowed to tell. Although, at the same time, he has already defied orders by making contact with Lonna. He needs to pick a team. And he will but I think it takes him too long since he waits until he is in as much trouble as Lonna. Am I being too harsh on Max? Maybe.
Lonna’s Aunt Alicia and her friend Gladis Ann are keys to Lonna’s past. But Aunt Alicia is near death when she first appears in the story and dies soon after, leaving Lonna frustrated and without answers. But Gladis Ann left her with a cryptic message which the private investigator in her can use to dig for answers. I liked it when Lonna got down to sleuthing – and as a result often got into trouble.
Despite all the extreme events and changes in her life, Lonna remains true to herself, right down to her cussing in dreams. I really like Lonna. She is a very approachable character, even as a wolf. Not that I am a cusser. But I do like her taste in cars. Lonna’s dream car is Maddie, a Mini Cooper convertible
Cecilia Dominic has done some interesting research about werewolf folklore. I think you will appreciate that her research really comes through in Long Shadows.
Long Shadows is a great sequel to The Mountains’ Shadow. While it is a whole new story (and can be read as standalone), Long Shadows continues to develop and expand on the lycanthropy theme. The condition that is lycanthropy started as a complete mystery in book 1 and then expanded on its origin, science and philosophy. Long Shadows continues to add further historical and fictional details about lycanthropy and combines it with generous doses of mystery, suspense and romance. If you are looking for a unique take on werewolves, check out this series.
I received a copy of Long Shadows from the Ms. Dominic so that I could bring you this honest review.
I rate this author so so much, I adore reading her work so really looked forward to reading this book and I most definitely was not disappointed!!! It is an amazing book that has left me craving the next book in this series!!!!
This storyline was so exciting with all the twists and surprises around the corner that surprised and shocked me! I loved how this storyline was its own book but still had major links to the first book, with the characters from the first book appearing in this book but it was very much Lonna’s story and I loved hearing things from her perspective. Everything about this storyline feels new and unique being very unpredictable. This author's descriptions are so vivid in it's details especially with the numerous different landscapes and places that are featured this story, you can easily visualise the scenery from the descriptions even if you as the reader have never been to those places in real life.
Lonna is a brilliant character to read about, she has major symptoms of or stand having suffered from this I could really relate to this aspect of her character and know how the character feels during her flashbacks. She is really courageous and has a huge heart to those that She cares about, she is feisty and is used to doing things her own way, she doesn't like to show weakness and will always do things how she feels it should be handled and sometimes that is running away but she soon realises that you can't run away from the things that have happened in the past, you must accept and face them, this is another part of her that I really related to.
I adored this book, the topic of acceptance is most definitely addressed throughout this book, the fact that we are all different people, we need to accept ourselves as who and what we are. This part of the book made me rather emotional and this book most definitely deserves my rating!!!!!
Long Shadows is the second book in Cecilia Dominic's Lycanthropy Files series, and although it can be enjoyed on its own, I think it will make more sense and be more fun if you start with the first book, The Mountain's Shadow (Lycanthropy Files Book 1). The main characters are different in this book, but Lonna was featured in the first book, and several other characters from the first book appear in this book as well. Events from the first book are also referenced.
This book is probably going to appeal most to those who love both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. It's an exciting, fast-paced story filled with mystery, suspense, humor, and romance. I like how the werewolf and witch/wizard mythology is developed here, and the plot definitely included some surprises that I didn't expect.
The ending ties up the events of this book neatly, but also sets us up for Gabriel's story, Blood's Shadow (Lycanthropy Files Book 3), which I am very much looking forward to reading.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the author and volunteered to review it. The version I reviewed was cleanly edited and formatted. The language was fairly clean, and while there were references to sexual activity, most of the action took place "off stage." Similarly, although this book included violence and death, nothing was depicted very graphically. It should be appropriate for a fairly wide audience.
This book is the second in the Lycanthropy Files series, and I was lucky enough to get a copy. In this installment, there is a change of protagonist: Lonna is now at the forefront. Some time has passed since she has been turned into a werewolf, and just as things seem to be going back to normal, Lonna hears a conversation where she realizes she is being hunted. Shortly after fleeing her work and life, she finds out her family has been keeping secrets, secrets that will help her, and secrets that also might kill her. Because she is more special than she realizes and someone doesn’t like that. I have to say upfront that this book was even better than the first. I was glad to see the rift between Joanie and Lonna starting to heal, and I really liked seeing things from Lonna’s point of view. The book was well-written and the overall plot was extremely interesting. I had a hard time seeing much chemistry between Lonna and her love interest, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I think part of it is was that since he wouldn’t answer her questions, I became extremely frustrated with him. If you like urban fantasy, give this series a try! Highly recommend! Thanks to the author for the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily.
Lonna is back and front and center in Long Shadows. Sadly I did not read the first book in this series but after reading this one, I plan on reading the entire series.
Lonna is a social worker with a private investigator's license. In this book, Lonna will be using her investigative abilities as she is the target. The first attack while she is in her wolf form, ends up with Lonna waking up with no sign of her inner wolf. This is devastating and leaves her vulnerable.
I adored this book, the topic of acceptance is most definitely addressed throughout this book, the fact that we are all different people, we need to accept ourselves as who and what we are, and until she is able to do this Lonna will never be complete as a person.
A brilliant underlying theme of acceptance and done in a manner that makes you question if you have accepted yourself for who you are.
No more details about the story since I do not like spoilers.
The second book in the series brings out one of the supporting characters from the first book in all her glory. Lonna seemingly struggles with her werewolf self more than her pack mates, and there may be a good reason for that. This installment in the series brings out more supernatural baddies including astral-projecting wizards, evil werewolf monks, and vengeful spirits. From Little Rock, Arkansas to the Caribbean, Lonna must learn the secrets of her past if she has any hope of having a future; but if she can't accept who and what she is, will she even get the chance? And can she possibly hope to find love in all the craziness that her life has become? If only she knew who she could trust...
Long Shadows is a book with a lot going on. There is mystery, drama, suspense, and builds in action and intrigue slowly. However, and takes us on an interesting journey. Long Shadows is book two in the Lycanthropy Files series and can be read as a standalone. However, I recommend reading book one, The Wolf's Shadow, because it provides a lot of background for this story. The characters have been through so much, and now Lonna finds herself being hunted and runs to the only safe place she knows, to her Pack. This is when things become interesting, especially given the events that occurred in the first book. The plot may be slow to build, but you will not want to put the book down once it does.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed reading this book. This story combines elements of both lycanthropy and eventual magical elements to make it a wonderfully cultured read. There are many surprises throughout this novel that makes it a real page turner until the very last page. If you enjoy stories about werewolves and similar paranormal creatures, I'd advise you to give this book a try. This book is actually the second in a series, but can still be read as a standalone for the most part since it focuses on a new character from the first edition.
Once again, Cecilia Dominic has managed to captivate and enthral readers. As with the first book, I couldn't put this one down. There are so many twists and surprises up to the end of the book, I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Dominic does such an amazing job of describing sights, sounds and smells, I felt as if I was right there with the characters.
I recieved a copy of this book for my honest review.
I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed. I loved this story. Lonna was interesting, especially as she was born not made, and Max was intriguing in the secrets he held back from her. The storyline was fantastic and the characters were engaging, even the ones from the first in the series. I definitely want to read more.
Allow a full, long day for this PG15 paranormal which starts off in Little Rock at the Arkansas Department of Family and Child Services on the morning after the February full moon.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved this book. The characters are so well interwoven and it has a touch of mystery. It's a stand alone book but the next book in series are just as well done.
Lonna Marconi never wanted to become a werewolf, but now that it’s been done she is trying to concentrate on her busy career as a social worker. Lonna tries her best to ignore her new inner self, wolf-Lonna, but some facts can’t be totally ignored. To say that Lonna didn’t handle being turned against her will, isn’t even close to her feelings but she does feel bad about the break up that happened with her best friend. Recently Lonna has felt like someone is following her and after overhearing her boss on the phone, Lonna knows it time to find out what’s going on.
Lonna turns to the Ozarks pack and a reunion with her best friend for safety, only to learn she has brought the danger with her and whoever is behind it is not planning on taking any names other than Lonna’s. While there Lonna starts to have feelings for Max, a sexy wizard from the Caribbean. Lonna knows that the last thing she can ever have any feelings for is a wizard.
As things turn even worse for Lonna, Max seems to always turn up just when he is needed and after awhile both can’t ignore their feelings any longer. Every clue on who is out to capture Lonna brings only more questions about Lonna’s true history. It seems that there were some hidden secrets in Lonna’s past and just as those are coming out and Lonna needs Max’s strength more than ever, his secrets come back to haunt both of them. Madmen have torn Lonna’s wolf self from her and taken Max also. However, Lonna isn’t going to take any of this sitting down and if opening herself to her entire heritage is what it will take to get both of them back, then look out world because Lonna is about come out swinging.
What appears to be a very unlikely couple turns out to have more in common than anyone would have ever guessed and their love is one no one better mess with. Lonna and Max learn about all the things that have been hidden from them in their pasts in Long Shadows. The path to Max and Lonna being together is filled with boulders, not just wimpy potholes. It seemed to me that every time I thought it was clear sailing for Lonna and Max, yet another road block showed up. I admit that there are several times I wanted to just smack Max because of his non-answers but his deep love for Lonna won me to his side. I cheered when Lonna finally accepted all that she was and claimed not only her heritage but her inner wolf and her love with Max. Long Shadows will keep you on your toes with the suspense, deep friendships renewed and hot passion.
This book was reviewed by Jo for Joyfully Reviewed (JR), and was provided by the publisher/author at no cost to JR for the purpose of being reviewed.
I love the first line in Cecilia Dominic’s Long Shadows. “People say I’m beautiful, but they don’t see the monster inside.” It gives the book a fairy tale feel…Beauty and Beast, except the Beast is the heroine instead of the hero. I’m all about fairy tales, so this totally hooked me on this story, which features social worker Lonna Marconi. She appeared in the first book as well and was far from happy at her new werewolf status.
The story has great lines throughout. Another of my favorites: “Science and magic are not so far off. […] They intersect at the crossroads of intention and receptivity.” Since I’m a paranormal reader and a science lover, I’m going to remember that one.
When this book opens, Lonna is slowly coming to terms with her new life. I loved this book even more than the first, and I’m so glad Lonna gets her happy ending. She totally deserves it. Even so, it’s never easy for Cecilia Dominic’s characters. Past lovers, questionable wizards, kidnapping, missing history…but Lonna is an awesome heroine who rises to the occasion with an admirable courage. Highly recommend.
Wizards and werewolves and blood magic . . . oh my!
The second book in Cecilia Dominic’s Lycanthropy Files series has even more action and suspense as Lonna Marconi navigates a new life while struggling to accept her werewolf nature. As if that wasn’t enough, she discovers another strange secret about her biology and finds herself in the middle of an ancient feud between wizards and wolves.
Two old loves (one a ghost!) vie for her trust but a new man with magical powers captivates her interest.
This book has a much stronger romance element than book one, which I loved. Fans of Dominic’s first book will enjoy seeing the fate of previous characters in this sequel.
Fast-paced and full of wry humor, this book was highly entertaining.
This is the second book in The Lycanthropy Files, and it's wonderful. After finishing the first book, I immediately had to start this one.
I love Lonna - she's sarcastic and witty and she doesn't put up with any crap. The relationship between Lonna and Max is rife with sexual tension and distrust which makes for a very interesting dynamic. Max, a hot doctor wizard, is sent to watch out for Lonna, but he won't tell her why or by whom. Lonna has to figure out if she can trust him while fighting a centuries old war that she was previously clueless about.
I went back and gave The Mountain's Shadow, the first novel by Cecilia Dominic, a four star rating after comparing it to several works of much the the same ilk written by two (highly lauded and many times awarded) American literary giants.
Now, I'm giving Long Shadows four stars as well. I enjoyed it even more than the first one!
In the story you'll find amazing, impressive and engaging characters, thrilling and picturesque scene descriptions, heat and lots of action. plot moves at a good pace and the over all story is well written.
I recommend this book to all who love the paranormal.
A satisfying paranormal with just the right mix of supernatural, romance and fast-paced action scenes. What takes this book above the average is the quality writing and always engaging voice.