Standing in the Shadows

Rating:
Summary: Probably 4 1/2 stars....
Review: Connor's been lost in a fog since putting Erin Rigg's father in jail, along with a host of other bad guys. Erin's just been trying to keep her head above water and keep her sister and mother floating with her. (Though I didn't understand why she didn't just move into her mother's house, since money was so tight and her own apartment was so awful) When Novak breaks out of prison, Connor's sure Erin's in trouble and appoints himself her guardian. Close proximity, as well as a method Connor uses at the airport, forces them to confront nearly 10 years of suppressed emotions.

I really liked this book. If you can't handle gritty sex scenes and "bad" language, move on by. But if you like characters who seem a little more real (faults and all) than your average stock romance characters, pick this one up. Yeah, they're not always nice and the way they deal with their problems may not be all sugar and sweetness but real life isn't either. And while I may never need to be protected from a ruthless psychopath, I like to think it's possible to meet men who can sweep us off our feet, or even that the sweeping will be mutual. And since I'm not perfect, a perfect guy would drive me nuts.

I reallly disagree with the reader who said it was nasty that Connor had wanted Erin since she was 16. It would have been nasty if he had actually made a move on her at that age, but instead he waited. To the reader who said that, honestly, go down to the neighborhood park or High School and look at the Seniors. What makes them so different from what they'll be in a year or two? What's in their head, that's what, not their bodies. Connor understood and respected that.

One last point, I also found myself wondering why Novak didn't just kill Erin the first time she came to the house. Or have her killed on the first two consulting assignments....

Rating:
Summary: Steamy- 4 &1/2 stars
Review: I didn't think I would be able to finish a book that 80% of the character and plot development happened in the bedroom, but Shannon McKenna successfully pulls it off. Erin and Connor have great chemistry (thankfully or this book would have been painful). The scenes outside the bedroom were fast paced, and there were several laugh out loud moments (involving Erin's mom and a car, among others). If you were disappointed with McKenna's other two full length novels, give this one a try. It's by far the best of the three.

Rating:
Summary: Liked it, but a little predictable?
Review: I loved Behind Closed Doors, because it was so original. Steamy sex, alpha-male/malleable female who were three-dimensional, great suspense -- that book offered something most romantic suspense is missing. Standing in the Shadows had that too, but that's the problem. This book was almost a complete replica of BCD. Especially the sex scenes, where the insecure alpha male repeatedly uses aggressive sex to control the heroine. Throughout the book, I kept thinking, "been there, done that." Also, although I loved the graphic, steamy sex scenes, I agree with other readers that the amount of sex didn't make sense in the context of the book. I mean, Connor knows that an insane, evil, maniacal man is out to kill Erin, and could come around the corner any minute, and yet Connor and Erin engage in 72 hours straight of sex, in her house, which is the first place the killer would come looking for her? It made the book seem silly. Don't get me wrong, even with it's faults, this book is head above other stuff in this genre. And I look forward to reading stories featuring Connor's brothers, Davy and Sean. I just hope that the author will take a new approach with those books, perhaps making the men a little more sensitive, and the women a little more assertive.

Rating:
Summary: o ye!
Review: I really liked this story and thought it was one of this writer's best to date!

Rating:
Summary: It's my own fault...
Review: I was sick this wekend and decided to read this book. Give it a chance. I read the first book - Behind Closed Doors - and found it terrible.
Erin Riggs is broke and taking care of her selfish and aparently overly dependent sister and mother. All of them living down the scandal of her father being arrested. Connor McCloud, a former subordinate of her father's and one that helped to put him away, has just come upon news that an old enemy is back. As Erin was unsuccessfully used by said enemy prior, Connor feels she may be in danger. He sets himself up as her protector. All add to the fact that of course they've been in love since she was sixteen and he was thirty (he wasn't really - but he might as well have been as creepy as it is).
She is trying so hard to be independent (or something - I don't understand her motivations) she's just annoying. He's too overwhelming and stupid a lot of the time. I want a lead man I can really like!
The bad guys didn't make any sense. I couldn't understand why they didn't just kill the 'Good' characters... I was almost routing for them, sadly.
The formula followed basically that of the fist novel that SMcKenna wrote. Girl in trouble. Manly man with some hang ups to the rescue. Very 'bad' guys with some definite kinks. 'Good' triumphs. Girl and guy have some misunderstanding last chapter or so that is resolved in the last 4 pages of book. Happily Ever After. By the way I hate that final fight that the leads always seem to need to have in the worst romance novels.

Not worth the read. Better to go with Black Lace novel if you like the sex and a Elizabeth Lowell book (ex. Jade Island) if you like the mystery & sex combined

Rating:
Summary: I'm Hooked!
Review: Since there are several lengthy descriptions of the book, I'll skip that part. This is the first book I've read by Ms. McKenna and I'm hooked! She's a fresh voice in a genre that tends to read same-ole, same-ole. Her characters, primary and secondary, are interesting and fun, and have depth. The sizzling romance is a bonus!

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: Standing in the Shadows by Shannon McKenna was a fun book from start to finish. I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: Standing in the Shadows by Shannon McKenna was a fun book from start to finish. I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: Top Notch
Review: This book was fantastic. Please ignore the naysayers. I hope Shannon continues to write in this vein in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Scorching with suspense and action
Review: To begin with, you must get the first book by Mckenna called Behind Closed Doors which happens 6 months prior to this story. You will understand who the characters are and the situations better in Standing in the Shadows.
With that said, McKenna is becoming a rising star with her blend of suspense and erotica. In the next few years, she will become a true star in the book industry if she continues to write in the same manner.
We first met Conner who was recovering from a coma and the death of his partner in Behind Closed Doors. The reader finds out that his arch enemy Novak, an insane mental case who was responsible has broken out of prison and maybe after the woman Conner has loved secretly for over ten years.
Erin Riggs is practically falling apart at the seams. Her mother is seeing things and near to having a breakdown, her sister is failing out of college and her father is in prison for helping Novak. Conner is about to enter her life again, which just adds to her problems. The problem is that she has been in love with Conner since she was 17 and can't get over it. Conner wants to protect her because he thinks Novak will harm her.
At points Conner is overbearing, stubborn and hopelessly gone when it comes to Erin. He thinks of her as his mate and soul, Almost to the point of obsession.
Conner and Erin get to the point where they can no longer deny their feelings any longer. The sex scenes are so steamy and hot that you can fry an egg on the pages. This is true erotica that is tastefully done. Also along the way, the reader will meet many diverse secondary characters, including Conner's brothers and Erin's mother and sister as well as villians so over the top that they will make you laugh.
Conner and Erin are true soulmates and the suspense is thick and tense.
McKenna has found a true following with this series and can she write incredible sex scenes! Run and get this book...