Born of Shadows (The League)

I am enjoy the fast pace of theses books. Wasn't sure what I was going to think when I started them but now I can't put them down. Has everything, action, adventure, romance, betrayal and moves quickly.

Witty. Romantic. Brought back old characters..Action packed. Best book yet!! I love this book! Sherriyln Kenyon is amazing from her brain to her heart filled novels of the badass league... Long live Sherrilyn Kenyon

Each day is a fight for survival for Caillen Dagan. All too familiar with the taste of betrayal, Caillen risks his life for one of the few people he cares for. This leads to the unveiling of privileged birthright but no title or wealth can change who he really is. Caillen is a skilled fighter and when he learns of a deadly plot, nothing will stop him from uncovering the truth. Desideria Denaraii is from a race where women are warriors and nothing is given freely but earned. After recently receiving the position as a body guard to the queen, Desideria attempts to stop a murderous plan. When chaos hits, Caillen and Desideria must run to save their lives and learn to fight their enemies and not each other before both of their governments fall into the wrong hands.

Ever since he was young, Caillen looked out for his three sisters. They are a source of constant headaches but there is nothing he wouldn't do for them. After taking the blame for his sister's latest brush with the law, Caillen finds himself in jail and awaiting execution. He receives a last minute reprieve and is given unbelievable news. A couple months later Caillen is taking etiquette lessons and getting reacquainted with a world he never knew he was a part of. But he is not suddenly a different person. Ever the wise cracking, philandering, calculating fighter, Caillen does not give into demands to change or apologizes but sticks proudly to who he is and I was grateful for his stubbornness. This is what makes him one of my favorite characters in a series full of well developed, unconventional heroes.

When he learns of an attempt on his King, Caillen boards a ship of foreign dignitaries to stop the assassination and find the guilty party. There he meets Desideria. Desideria is from a society dominated by women and where emotions are considered a weakness and violence is a every day part of life. Desideria is aboard the ship as a guard for the queen and stumbles upon a plot to kill her ruler. Events take place that now have Caillen and Desideria working together to not only save their own lives but those of their leaders.

When I started this book I didn't think I'd care much for Desideria's character because I was expecting a woman who felt it necessary to constantly use violence as a means to get what she wants or prove she's stronger. Desideria is a skilled warrior like others of her kind but she's not cold and void of emotions. At times she was naive due to her kinds isolation and I saw it as a way to get a better picture of her people and their beliefs. Desideria was an appealing character from the start and my only complaint is in the irregularity of her fighting skills. At times she was feared and unmatched and then there would be moments I felt her strength was lacking. Together these two are a nice pair but nothing remarkable. I felt the affection and I thought they had nice chemistry but nothing occurred between them that will have me listing them as one of my favorite couples.

There is a lot of action in Born of Shadows as well as mystery surrounding the assassination attempts. I tried to guess the who and why but ended up being wrong, which was great because the story kept me guessing and wasn't completely predictable. There are some close calls for Caillen and Desideria that had me on the edge and of course, romance. I found myself more interested in the story and all its twists and turns, as well as the individual characters more than the actual romance. Returning characters from previous books, the Dagan sisters, Sin, Darling and Dancer are just a few, added a comforting familiarity to the story and it was great to reconnect with them while still feeling like this was Caillen's book. Born of Shadows is not as good as the first 2 books in The League series but I thought it was an improvement over Born of Ice and its odd time jump. Fans of Sci-Fi romance should enjoy.

I'm glad to discover Sherrilyn Kenyon. I intend to read other books in the league series. It's a light-hearted book with action, adventure and suspense. I liked the mixture of genres, developing relationship between Caillen and Desideria and complex plot. The main characters were courageous and well developed with complicated backgrounds. They both had to change in order for their relationship to grow.
The plot could have used a little work in that things happened that were unrealistic or hard to believe. Caillen is about to be executed and at the last minute it's discovered he's the only son of an emperor. Desideria leans down and just happens to overhear a plot to assassinate her mother. But no one will believe her even though she's one of the queen's guards. Her mother is mean to her all the way through but Desideria will risk everything to save her. I won't give any more example because I don't want to reveal the plot and spoil the story.

Kenyon is an a best selling author and worth checking out if you like science fiction, adventure and romance.

This book started out promising, I liked the first few chapters. The voice is so good that for a while I didn’t really care that the story was just another rehash of 10,000 stories that have been written. The writing is good, but the story has serious story flaws and starts to drag in the middle.

The reason I was interested in this story was because I thought it was science fiction or fantasy. It has those elements in it, but what it really is a romance novel and not a good one. I got so sick and tired of hearing about their attraction to each other. If I wanted all of that I would have gotten a romance novel. I don’t mind having a romantic element in books, but this was too over the top.

I am a big fan of all of Sherilynn Kenyon's series', but I really like how she's created another universe in this particular sci-fi series. This book brings back some characters from previous books as supporting cast and it's fun to see them again. I appreciate the really great, sarcastic, witty dialogue that this author gives her characters, it keeps a nice edge of dark humor that makes the story fun. She also puts in lots of action and adventure that keeps the story moving right along. The romance in this book was a little sweeter than her usual hot and steamy fare, but I found that to be alright because it was in keeping with the plot, the main characters involved, and the situations in which they found themselves. The only complaint I have is that the plot got a little too convoluted at the end. I appreciate a good red herring as much as anyone, but I got the feeling toward the end that the author was just throwing things in there for the heck of it.

Caillen was raised in poverty by his three sisters after watching his father's murder when he was six. He grew up to be a formidable fighter, a pilot who can fly anything, and a member of a band of close knit mercenary friends. His loyalty to his sister caused him to take the rap for her when she was caught smuggling. He ended up with her death sentence "as an example", but at the moment of his execution, he was rescued and told he was a prince. When the prison ran his DNA, it proved he was the lost prince, son of the Exeterian Emperor, who was kidnapped as an infant. In a moment, his whole life completely changed. Even though his father is overjoyed to see him, and Cai to meet him, Caillen isn't too thrilled about protocols and politics, fancy clothes and etiquette. There are some deadly enemies who are not very happy to see him resurrected, the same ones who made him disappear in the first place, and the price on his head just jumped. Almost immediately there are assassination attempts on him and his father. Caillen knows more about fighting and security than his father's highest generals, and when he finds out that they're attending a diplomatic summit on a moving spaceship, he knows that there will be trouble.

Desideria is the daughter of the Queen of the matriarchical society of the country of Quilla. She's trained from infancy to be a warrior and guard to the queen and is a fierce fighter. Men in her isolationist world are kept for warriors or breeding stock, and her own father was a pilot from another planet who was captured when he crashed onto their lands. Unlike Caillen who knows 17 languages and has been all over the galaxy, Desideria has never left her home planet and knows only her own language. Even though her sisters and mother look down on her for only being half Quillan, she has just earned the right in combat to be called an adult, even if she hasn't earned the right to have a consort yet. She's very excited to be going as part of her Queen's guard to a diplomatic summit as her father told her stories of other worlds and cultures that she's longed to see for herself.

When they arrive, Desideria's eye is caught by the Prince with the look of a predator, not a politician. Caillan's eye is caught by the beautiful, curvy guard of the Queen who wasn't afraid to meet his gaze. Alone in her room, Desideria overhears an assassination plot against her mother and herself, recognizing the voice of one of her fellow guards. When she tries to tell her mother, the Queen accuses her of lying, dismisses her and orders her sent home in disgrace. As she goes to pack, she's attacked, and Caillen walks into the scene. Trying to escape blaster fire, Desideria and Caillen duck into an alcove, only to realize it's an escape pod and they've been ejected from the ship. With no power, no communication, and no way to catch up to the ship, they're on an automatic course for the nearest habitable planet. When fighters from the summit ship open fire on the escape pod, they know that this will be the ride of their lives. Caillen rigs the controls and they escape, but the journey's just begun. When they finally make contact with a friend, they find that both of their parents are dead and they are the most wanted criminals in the galaxy! It's a good thing that Cai has friends in low places, because it's going to take all of them to figure out how to keep Desideria and Caillen alive until they can figure out who set them up.

Heat factor moderate.

In some degree, book 1 through 3 have the same storyline...from riches to rags to riches again, but the mysteries unravel differently until happily ever after is attained. Caillan’s story is free of maltreatment and molestation since the Dagans are good people. Caillan is introduced to readers in book 1. He works for Sentella under the supervision of Nykyrian and Syn (who happens to be his brother-in-law now). He is a skilled smuggler and pilot. This book entails more of his royal bloodline and the monarchy BS that comes along when you are an heir. His love interest, Desideria, is in the same situation as him since she is a princess from different kingdom. If you think Syn is a smartass on his retorts, Caillan is worst along with his friends (Hauk, Fein, and Chaydan). They are full of merriment that make my reading/listening so enjoyable. In my opinion, the story would have been more exciting if Nykyrian, Syn, and the Dagan sisters are more involved in rescuing Caillan and Desideria along with the three stooges and Darling. I probably end up in the asylum by the time I am done with this book. Moving on to Darling’s story.

I found this book to be surprisingly fun. Sure, Caillen is an obnoxious jerk with an overly-healthy sex drive, but underneath his bad boy attitude he is such a sweetheart. I love the way he would gladly strangle any and all of his three older sisters on any given day but would rip anyone else to pieces if they tried such a thing. He loves them dearly and is quite willing to shoot them for their own good and then get himself arrested to save them. What's not to love about a brother like that? Not to mention he is extremely good looking. I would have to say that Caillen is one of the most fun characters I have met recently.

Desideria is tough, smart, beautiful and has confidence issues. Since her father's death, she has lived with the constant criticisms of all of her female relatives and has received no love from anyone. The fact that she is just as stubborn and has as quick a temper as Caillen makes them a great team in more ways than one.

The dialogue in this book was fast-paced and fun with insults flying through the air, some good-natured, some not. I loved the easy banter the characters fall into during life and death situations. They joke about Caillen's bad driving even as he evades enemy fighters.

This is the first League book I have read. Indeed, it is the first Sherrilyn Kenyon book I have read, so there were times when I felt I was missing something. This book works well as a stand-alone novel, but I think I would have understood a few of the references better if I had read the earlier books in the series. I now have holds on the rest of the series, hopefully they will come in soon!

My review is of the Audiobook version, not the print one. Recently, I've taken to listening to audiobooks on my commute as a preventative measure against the road rage our snarly traffic inspires. It works and this is one of the ones I picked up from my local library.

I've not read anything by this author before, so I don't have the knowledge of other reviewers on the other books and possible inconsistencies with other storylines. Until after I finished listening, I didn't even realize this was part of a series. I probably wouldn't have picked it up had I known figuring I would be missing nuances. But this was a solid stand-alone work and I enjoyed it a great deal.

The reader for this one is Holter Graham and it was a perfect voice match for the book. Very good. His way of speaking really brought the main character, Caillen, to life for me. As a matter of fact, the way Holter read the book and the way the character spoke really did remind me of the character, Malcom Reynolds, from "Firefly". Sort of a sexy space cowboy vibe, if you will.

And that is not too far off from our protagonist. Caillen is a fighter whose entire life has been a battle to remain safe, feed himself and his family and keep his very interesting sisters out of trouble. They are poor...as in wondering if there is a next meal poor...for most of his life. Now one sister has married well and another is smuggling bad things for money while another battles lifelong health problems. Cai steps in, one more time, for the smuggling sister and is sentenced to death for his trouble.

As luck would have it, he receives a last second save by the father he didn't know he had...who happens to be an emporer. As he tries to meld into a new life as heir to his father he gets entangled with the daughter of another ruler, Desideria. Again by happenstance and again by stepping in where he shouldn't. What follows is their story as they fight to save/avenge their parents and stop dasterdly people from doing dasterdly deeds.

My opinion of this book is generally quite high. I enjoyed the fast pacing of the story and the main characters immensely. I liked Cai's friends a great deal and never felt the action was waning or got bored at any point. I'm not a romance novel kind of person but this was really a sort of space opera/romance amalgam that worked.

There are a couple of things that really did confuse or bother me though. First off, Cai has lifelong friends who are all princes or fabulously wealthy...so why would he ever have faced starvation? His sister is married to another fabulously wealthy man who also happens to be a founder of a major pirate organization...so why is he still scraping for bucks? Not that I think that our character would need to beg or be supported, but why would he be skeezing around the galaxy for jobs when he could easily tap those resources? It just didn't settle well for me and left me with this nagging feeling of "why"? I mean, we're talking about someone who fights to get anything. Perhaps knowing the other books in the series would have answered that for me.

Also the sex. Given that they are young and healthy, it's absolutely no surprise that they were preoccupied with thinking about it, but it was pretty pervasive and seemed to crop up at times that weren't exactly appropriate...like when bleeding and injured. There was one major sex scene in there and I admit I rolled up my windows during that so no one in traffic would hear what I was listening to and I was just a tad embarrassed. I guess that is the difference between reading and listening!

Overall this was a fun book to listen to. Didn't require intense concentration to keep engaged and was full of fun and irreverant banter that made the commute quite enjoyable. It wasn't the kind of audiobook that made me sit in the car after getting home just to get to the end of a chapter, but I thoroughly enjoyed it while in motion.

Recommended for space opera or romance buffs for a light read (or listen).

Kenyon's League Series has always been my favorite of her various series. I love futuristic sci fi and that is what this series is. This book takes place a few years after Born of Fire but many years before Born of Ice. I recommend reading this series in order, if not at least read Born of Night and Born of Fire before this one. Readers are introduced to Caillen Dagan in those books and also the supporting characters in this book. This book starts with fight action and the action never stops. There are many surprising twists and turns that keep the pages turning. The evil plotting of the families in these pages are utterly shocking! The readers get more of the characters they were introduced to in the first two books. We are also introduced to some new characters as well, one being a very sexy pirate named Chayden. (keep an eye out for him.)

Caillen is getting himself thrown in jail to protect one of his sisters. He has spent his life protecting them so this is just a typical day for him. He just wasn't expecting that what his sister was being arrested for carried a death sentence. The moment before he loses his head he finds out that he is not who he thought he was. He was kidnapped as a child and his biological father is there to prevent the death sentence from being carried out. I am sure he never thought his new life would be more dangerous than the one he has been living for the past 30 years, but that is exactly what he finds out all too soon while trying to prevent multiple assassination attempts on his father's life. The plotting and the scheming are very thick, involving numerous people and doesn't stop with just his father's life being on the line. I was left constantly guessing the whos and whys. Caillen decides that he can't be who his biological father expects him to be, so he'll just go back to the life he has always known. Before he can leave he finds himself assisting a damsel in distress that puts them in the center of another political assassination attempt, along with kidnapping and numerous other charges. Like I stated this book is NON STOP ACTION.

I was a bit disappointed with this installment of The League series. It is a great book and I highly recommend reading it. The book just differs from what I am used to with this series. The heroine Desideria is from a fierce female warrior race. She's tough, she's strong, she can fight and defeat anyone and she is clueless about everything concerning any race other than hers. This bothered me a bit. It would have made sense to learn your potential opponent's weaknesses. This made her rely on Caillen too much. It weakened her character in my opinion. I also would like to point out that the sexual romance is minimal. There is romance and attraction with Caillen and Desideria, but only one sex scene. Although with all the action and fighting, which is all this book is it was probably difficult to fit in some quality steamy sexed up alone time. Not the usual Kenyon in that aspect.

book provided by publisher for the purpose of an honest review

The latest series coming to the reader called "The League" by Sherrilyn Kenyon has just launched the 4th book called Born of Shadows, and is one of the best books I have read in a long time! This was the first book I've read in the series, and cannot wait to read the other books as I could not put this book down from the first paragraph. I love the fact that book not only stands alone by itself, but is part of a series that I can now immerse myself into for the next few weeks!
The main characters Caillen and Desideria could not be more polar opposite form each other, yet they find themselves connected in series of events that will intertwine them for the rest of their lives however short they might be! The story line is so mesmerizing that I had to know what was happening from one moment to the next. The character development was so extraordinary from Caillen's band of misfit friends who in of themselves can have a whole book written about each character to his past and Desideria's family history.

I found my self crying, laughing and becoming a part of the story as I kept reading from chapter to chapter! The only bad thing I could possibly say about this book, is that it had to end eventually and I was sad to reach the final page! This book is a keeper and will go into my library to read again soon!

If you are a Sci-Fi fan and love dark and mysterious story lines, then this is the book for you! I would compare this storyline to the Star Wars series of books and would also state that if these books would have been written 30 years ago, that Sherrilyn Kenyon could have been just a famous as George Lucas. Even better than the fact is that she has written all of these books and has a wonderful storyline with strong characters. I would rate this one hands down a 5 out of 5 stars and now off to buy the first in the series, the second and well you get my point.

I received Born of Shadows by Sherrilyn Kenyon compliments of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review.

Caillen Dagan never knew that he was actually born an aristocrat, a Prince no less, until moments before he was to be executed for smuggling (actually covering for one of his sister's crimes). Promising his biological father that he would give him at least a year, Caillen attempts to build a relationship with him while learning the ways of the rich and privileged. What he did not anticipate was a threat to his father's life in the form of an assassin, who wanted to frame Caillen for the crime. Nor was he prepared to meet and go on the run with the extremely attractive, Desideria , who is fighting her own battle of being accepted by a people who consider her a half-breed. Fighting unknown forces, who want them both dead the two set out on an adventure that leads to love and other startling information about those around them.

For me this Sherrilyn Kenyon novel was a little different from the usual, not only was there a paranormal aspect to the story, but a strong sci-fi vibe that made the story compelling. This was my first book in the League series, and I was not familiar with the plot twists and turns, but I was able to follow and enjoy the story. Anyway, while there was an obvious attraction between the main characters, Kenyon spent most of her time giving us the backgrounds of who the characters were and where they came from, to explain why they reacted the way that they did under certain circumstances. In this novel her focus seemed to be on building her characters, with the romance being secondary. The story was what was important not just the intimate scenes. I personally liked and enjoyed the change in focus. It was a refreshing change.

Book # 4 of the League Series did not failed to impress, is better than expected. I am a total fan of the series.

Caillen, (a member of the powerful & secretive Sentella expected his life to be difficult and to find trouble in every turn but never what happened with new findings about his past and new relatives. Desideria lives in a world isolated from the outside, being trained as a guard to the Queen, her mother. She is taught from the beginning that to show some kind of weakness is a death sentence and showing any kind of feelings is considered a weakness, so she learns early on to hide any kind of feelings including and foremost to her family.

These two by a fickle act of fate are thrown together in an adventure, where the only constant is that someone is after them and trying to kill them, They soon find out that they are magnets for bad luck and that the only way to uncover who is trying to frame them and win the fight to stay alive is by mutual trust in each other . Considering the other books in the series, this one is pretty tame sexually, but with all the action and twist and turns it is enough to make it dynamic and interesting. Don't get me wrong you still get a taste of great looking guys and exercise your imagination.

I love that we are regressing to the beginning time and to the original characters, they are all well deserving to have their own story told. My feeling is different from other series I don't want to reach the end of the series. I want to know more, about the originals and also some of the new ones that are earning their own place in the series. This is my hope.

When he was a child, Caillen Dagan's life changed the night his father was killed. Years later, Caillen lives the dangerous life of a smuggler while trying to keep his sisters safe. His world is turned upside down again when he's shocked to discover everything he's known is a lie.

Desideria Denaraii comes from a long line of female warriors where men are inferior and love is unheard of. When she meets Caillen, she is intrigued and attracted to him. Caillen and Desideria's worlds are rocked as they are used as pawns in a twisted plot that puts everyone's lives in jeopardy. Putting their differences aside to save themselves and those they care about is easier said than done.

Desideria is a warrior in every sense of the word. She's strong, confidant, and can best any man. Well hidden under her tough exterior is a woman who craves love and affection. Caillen is used to making his own way. He doesn't depend on anyone and he trusts few. He's a womanizer and comfortable with it. No attachment means no heartache. The odds are stacked against Caillen and Desideria from the beginning. What starts as desire grows into mutual respect and admiration creating a tumultuous but ultimately heartwarming romance. Along with well-penned, in-depth characterization, Born of Shadows has an intensive and engaging plot full of twists and turns, deceit, and treachery. It thrills with sizzling sensuality, a poignant romance, and excitement and suspense on every page.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I have just finished my re-read of the League series, and I'm still in love with every word and every character.

The chemistry between Caillon and Desideria just jumped off the pages for me. I loved that not everything was sweet and roses between them, and that they made a great team when the chips were down.

One of my favorite things is that there is adventure and more than just the love story in each and every book. I feel like I'm reading a whole experience, not just a small slice of someones life with a little spice thrown in. These are the kind of books I keep buying and going back to.

4.5 stars

When Cai saves Desideria and she returns the "favor", they end up wanted criminals. They have to find out who wants to kill the Qillaq Queen and the Emperor and why, clear their names and protect their governments. But first of all, they have to survive. Which is hard, when there's a ten-million-credit bounty on each of their heads and a determined, unknown assassin after them.

This couple is extremely entertaining. Cai is really sarcastic (like all of the hero in the series),egoist and fun, while Desideria is more serious, but her comebacks are killer!

She scoffed. "Explain to me how is it possible that the three of us actually fit into this pod?"
Now he was the one who was baffled. Did they do math differently on her planet too? "Three of us?"
"You, me and your extremely overdeveloped ego."

Muhahha I Like this girl! And the fact, that it's the first time that Desideria is out of her home, and she doesn't know a lot of thing about the world, and the universal language it's kinda sad, but still hilarious at the same time. Plus she's a true warrior! Seriously, she's tough.

I loved this book, because it's not lacking the sci-fi elements. There were battles in the space, our couple shipwrecked on a hostile planet inhabited by predatory alien race, various kinds of civilizations. And the romance (of course), humor and action. Plus the mystery behind the assassinations (it was like as we were dragged by a rope from s suspect to another and back and forth... really when I said HE/SHE is guilty, turned out that person was innocent, or vice versa. Loved it!). It's definitely worth the money!

Can't help but love this series. It is not always about the length of a book. As long as you get all the information you need to know about the characters and the story...that's all you need. The main characters were very likeable and the fact that none of the other characters were left out is even better. Just as action packed and great banter as the others. Another great read.

This is one of my least favorite Kenyon stories I've ever read and I should probably round it down to 2 stars...but I didn't stop and put it to the side like I really wanted to, therefore I'm generously rounding up to 3 stars

What I did not like:
♦ The beginning was very slow. I don't think the MC's even laid eyes on each other until nearly 20% into the book.
♦ The heroine...Desideria...was TSTL. I wanted to throw her out an air lock myself. She basically ruined the book for me.
♦ There was hardly any romance and absolutely no sexual tension or chemistry between Caillen and Desideria.
♦ There were a lot of inconsistencies in the plot
♦ The whole conspiracy was too obvious and predictable

What I did like:
♦ The hero...Caillen...although I have a little less respect for him because he's with Desideria
♦ Darling and Maris. I wish they would have played a bigger role here; maybe I would have enjoyed it more.
♦ Reading this book gets me closer to reading Darling's book next.

First up I have a small confession to make. I haven't actually read the first three books in the The League series. This was actually my first foray into the Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing. While I do think this may have put me at a small disadvantage as obviously I didn't recognise characters from the previous novels that both featured in and were alluded to, I was still able to enjoy the story that was being told in this book without this.

To start with, Kenyon's main characters of Caillen Dagen and Desideria are extremely well written and likable and Kenyon gives you time to get to know them even while pushing the story along. They are by no means perfect but this doesn't matter as you still find yourself invested in what happens to them and the journey this takes them and the reader on.

I also enjoyed the chemistry between them. While occasionally the dialogue between them seemed a little contrived and forced, on the whole you believed them as a couple which is essential with any good romance.

However this is not just a story about a romance. There is action a plenty from the first scene onwards as Caillen and Desideria unravel murder plots and escape hostile aliens trying to kill them. As reader, I felt like I was close to the edge of my seat the whole time wondering just what would happen next as they seemed to escape from one extreme situation to the next.

I didn't predict the ending which is always a good thing and Kenyon throws in enough twists and turns that you are never sure if you have the whole answer until the end. The only trouble I did have was that towards the end things got a little confusing and it wasn't always clear who was speaking or being spoken about and it took me a couple of reads of the last few chapters to try to get my head around exactly what had happened

Overall though I give this story a 3 1/2 stars and thoroughly recommend this to all Sherrilyn Kenyon fans. To those who are new to this author, I would recommend you start with the first three books in the series as I think if I had started with these first, I would have been able to give this book a four star rating.

Sapphired Dragon xx ( )

The latest installment in Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League series is definitely a mixed bag. Let me start with what I liked about it. Caillen's story takes us back to the original cast of characters featured in Born of Night and Born of Fire. We had jumped ahead in time for a while to focus on the next generation of the core families for Born of Ice. But this story is set only 2-3 years after the events in Born of Fire. I'm happy about this. I thought there were plenty of great characters in the original group still waiting to be explored, and now Kenyon is giving me just what I was hoping for.

Caillen is a rouge smuggler who is also a charming rake. He bears no loyalty to any woman but his sisters. And he lives life by the seat of his pants. As our story begins, he is arrested and sentenced to death while taking the blame for something his sister did. Just before he is executed, it's revealed he is actually the long lost son of a foreign king. Caillen isn't really cut out for life as a prince, but he is giving it his best shot, in honor of his new father. It's during a sort-of international summit that he meets Desideria, a princess from a race of warrior women. When the two of them get framed for the murders of their own parents, they go on the run, while trying to solve the mystery of who set the terrible plan in motion.

It's hard not to like Caillen, though he didn't inspire terribly deep feelings. Obviously, he and Desideria fall for each other as they are drawn together by circumstance. But this book is seriously missing the dark and sexy vibe of my favorite Kenyon books. In fact, if memory serves, I think there is only one love scene in the entire book. (Come on! Play to your strengths, Ms Kenyon!) But honestly, this isn't even my biggest complaint. My biggest issue with the book is the plot surrounding the assassinations. The closer we got to the end of the book, the more convoluted it became. Every time I thought we finally understood what was going on, a different twist was revealed. Now, I love a good twist as much as the next person, but I think I've got whiplash. It got confusing.

It was great to see Syn, Sharhara, Nykyrian, Hauk and Darling again. But this brings me to another point.... The epilogue is set up to clearly pave the way for Darling's book, when Desideria asks Caillen, "Are you sure Darling is gay?... Because I caught him ogling a female secretary." Um. No. Way. I am highly disappointed by the idea of revisionist history for Darling, who has always been as gay as the day is long. So gay that he was beaten to a pulp over it, time and time again by his uncle in previous books. And now we're supposed to believe, what? He was faking it? He is bi? But he never told the friends he has trusted with life and death secrets? Again I say: No Way.

So when all was said and done, this book was ok. I would have liked a bit more sex and a less complicated resolution, but I'm glad we've returned to this time period. Now if only I could get that Nero book I've been wishing for. 3 1/2 stars

Loved it! Great story. Very deep and full of excitement. I love how this series works all characters into each of the books. You feel for these characters. There is so much excitement. Another Great series!
Just an FYI, I suggest reading in order of release. Although you don't have to, you grow to know the characters and love them if you do read in order.

I have read and have all the hard covers, paperback and e-books. I love all of Sherrilyn Kenyon 's books. The world she creates the bad but good guys, their ladies that love their men to dead. The friendships they have forged to each other and stopping evil and to right the wrong all the while the Spence of humor while dark at times and funny. Will be honest at times crazy but they are the family they picked and their children that these battle scared hardened men and women, that leaves me wanting to read more of and can't wait till the next one....

I started this book over a year ago. I checked it out of the library and was so excited to begin reading it especially since the last one, Born of Ice, was so horrible. Alas, this book turned out to be not horrible, a plus, but incredibly BORING. The characters are uninteresting, the plotline is uninteresting, and the worse bit, the sex scenes are boring. I found my mind constantly straying even while reading. And so what ended up happening was, I took another trip to the library, checked out more books, and promptly moved on from this one without even finishing. I hardly ever do that and certainly without guilt. This time when I put the book down I didn't give it a second thought.

I have deep respect for Ms. Kenyon's books. I consider Born of Fire, Born of Ice and Acheron to be masterpieces, because they're extremely well written and very imaginative and gritty. Indeed, I consider myself a minion of her brilliant universe, which is why I'm sad to say that Born of Shadows was a mediocre effort on her part at best.

I just couldn't be bothered enough to care about the main characters and there was no adrenaline rush as when I read some of her other books, where you can't wait to see what happens or happened to the characters. It was just an ok read on a rainy day and given that Ms. Kenyon has given us some amazing books, this is not a good thing. I hope the subsequent books in this series will be better.

Having not read any of the previous novels in the series, I began Born of Shadows with very few expections -- and walked away wanting to continue on with these characters. The Romeo and Juliette-esqe romance between the two main characters is completely predictable as is some of the plot. But there are some very novel aspects about how the author chooses to approach depicting those things. As one reviewer already noted, Kenyon only includes one love scene in the book. To some that may be a bit of a disappointment; but to others such as myself, the lack of love scenes was much appreciated (besides, Kenyon talks about their sex drives so often that another love scene or two would have bumped it out of its designated genre and into another type of adult literature). As for the plot, Kenyon showed great wit in spinning a web that is not easy to untangle until the very end. Perhaps one downfall within the plotline is the unrealistically perfect ending the characters were able to achieve at the end of the novel. I didn't exactly approach the science fiction section for a dose of reality, but the ending was definitely a bit too neat. That being said though, the characters are endearing enough for many to let that slide if it were to add to the plot of a future addition to the series. All in all, Born of the Shadows is an intriguing book that will make many new fans of the series.

I have never read a Sherrilyn Kenyon novel before, but after having the opportunity to meet Ms. Kenyon at Comic Con last year (and because she was so sweet and personable), I was excited to read this book. I didn't realize at first that it was part of a series, so I was concerned that I would be lost. Happily that was not the case. I was pulled into the book from the very beginning. It was quite a ride! I loved the humor and the playful banter between not only the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. The romance between Caillen and Desideria was fun. This is definitely a fun and worthy read! : )

I am so glad we got back to the original cast of characters from the first 2 books. I had to take a break after the third Bc I was really not a fan of the huge time jump. This plot is quite convoluted, so make sure to read with a clear head. Loved Caillan! He is so snarky and his friends are all wonderful. ReadY for Darlings story now.

Enjoyed this installment of the League series. I like the blend of SciFi and romance ... although, like some of the other reviewers I have noticed that the plot for all of the League novels seems very similar - the main characters have had a totally sucky life - usually at the hands of their family, then are accused of something they didn't do and spend the rest of the novel clearing their name - while falling in love with the other main character.

Im going to admit it, I am a diehard Sherrilyn Kenyon fan. Love the dark hunter books,love the league novels and the dream hunter books. So far out of the league novels, caillen's story is my favorite. Hes an arrogant jerk set in his ways,but hes also the biggest sweetheart out of all of them. Caillen is a hardcore outlaw on the road to death, but on the day of his execution he finds out a giant secret that I honestly have to say I did not see coming. The big curveball is when he sees desideria for the first time. Caillens gotta have women instinct strikes again. He is determined to have her even though she is way out of his league. Im not like most people that sit here and pretty much rewrite the entire story as a review, but I will say if youre as much of a Kenyon fan as I am you will love this book.

Born of Shadows is an excellent foray back into the League. I read the three proceding book and short story(featured in: In Other Worlds) and hoped to see Sherrilyn Kenyon continue with the Leauge Series. The one thing that confused me when I first started to read Born of Shadows was where it would fit into the established time line. Thought this is the fifth story, I believe it happens before the third (Born of Ice).
Born of Ice (League, No 3)
In Other Worlds (Paranormal Romance (Berkley))

Another great addition to the League Novels. There were a lot of twists to keep you guessing. I kind of understand the lack of love scenes with Desideria's culture but I hope she ramps it back up for Darling's story. :)

If you're into woman-hating, woman-bashing, woman-criticizing avalanches of vitriol with a bare smattering of unexplored social commentary as a mini-appetizer then this is the book for you.

If it were possible to give this book negative stars, I would do so in a heartbeat. This author has, with one book, single-handedly managed to shove women right back to the stone age. All we need now is for some hairy, grunting male to bash us over the head and drag us off to show us what being a `real woman' is all about.

My first question is how did this even manage to make it to the page? Let alone past an editor, agent, and publisher and out to the general public? The character setups don't match the characters as written. In fact, the author seems only interested in writing about men as the penultimate achievement of the universal species while women need to be carefully controlled and contained lest their power-hungry natures turn them into "sanctimonious b****es". Yes, that is a direct quote. The only thing this book seems to do well is utilize an unending stream of curse words that have no real place in literature. An occasional expletive is one thing, to prove a point, but to have every fifth word you read be four letters is just uncalled for.

As for the characters, I don't believe them in the least. The main male character, Caillan Dagan, is written as a six-foot-four gymnast/athlete/rock-hard bodied/James Bond type. Now, I could believe it if not for the consistent references to his childhood, and current adulthood, scraping out a meager existence. No one who is starved for most of their childhood ever develops into that physique. It isn't possible for a body that has been so deprived of nutrition and proper care to hit puberty let alone become the next Adonis. Even if it were, he couldn't maintain a gymnast's body and have time to be the smuggler everyone believed was "more myth than reality" AND sleep with anything female he could find. Gymnasts will tell you they have to work on that every day, hours and hours on end, just to maintain that. No way some cop-dodging smuggler has that kind of time. Furthermore, he carries enough equipment and has the skills to take on a small army but he can't lift someone who weighs twenty pounds more than him? Seriously?! I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, an athletic type and I can lift well over my own body weight. I might not make it far under that load, but I can do it without my muscles squealing at me like over-worked horses. This guy complains if he has to lift his sister and carry her a few feet in an alleyway.
As for his sister, Kasen, who is a third-generation smuggler, she's found begging for Caillan's help as she runs around a city at the beginning of the book. A smuggler, and apparently a good enough one to be trusted with the most powerful and illegal antibiotic in this universe, and she leaves her ship to wander a city? Where cops find her and are trying to arrest her? And if she gets caught she won't stand up to their questioning? Really?! Couldn't the author have found another way to introduce Caillan as a super-awesome guy without having him shoot his sister, knocking her unconscious because he "doesn't have time for her c**p" and hiding her, so he then can run from the cops in an attempt to escape. An escape that was only thwarted because the cops found Kasen's unconscious body under her little brother's coat. I'm sorry, but I don't buy it. If Kasen is a skilled smuggler, one willing to risk death to get an antibiotic to people who're too poor to pay for doctors, she isn't going to get caught in the middle of some slum city. She'd be on her ship watching her precious cargo. In addition to which, she would know how to disappear in a city. If her brother was going to lead pursuit away he should've let Kasen hide and then run for it so they both would escape. They're both independent smugglers doing dangerous work. They would BOTH know how to get out. And no way she'd be so pathetic as to spill her guts to cops.
His eldest sister, Shahara, is another wild bit of hypocrisy. She's the eldest child who mothers Caillan constantly, was raped, became a badass bounty-hunter, and then got married and saunters around in pretty "flowing floral dresses" while she stays home. Her husband is not only rich he happens to be a founding member of a rogue agency working against the corrupt assassins guild. I don't buy it. Sure former badass bounty-hunter could hook up with a guy who's price on his head is staggering, but I don't believe she'd go all girly and call her little brother "honey" and "baby" when he's thirty-years-old. Eww!

Then we come to the other main character, a woman born, bred, and raised to be a total military whiz. She comes from a woman-run, woman-dominated society that believes the natural body is the most beautiful work of art. And yet, because she's "heavyset" her mother and sisters are constantly belittling her about her weight. Yeah, that makes sense. Oh, and she can't read the Common language even though she speaks it fluently. What? This is a woman who can snap a sword across her thigh, has defeated her training master in single combat, and was the first of her sisters to be elevated to adult status. And she stops dead in the middle of a room, where she's supposed to be working as the queen's bodyguard, so she can go all mushy over mister-hot-and-sexy Caillan. After which she is so mortified she nearly bursts into tears due to embarrassment. Yeah, when she's been raised in an emotionally restrictive society that doesn't permit such outbursts, I don't think so. In fact, she's so overwhelmed by her lust that she doesn't see the assassination attempt on herself coming. She's so pathetically inept that a pair of her fellow bodyguards nearly choke her to death without her putting up the most meager resistance. But not to fear! Caillan to the rescue! If you're going to write wimps then bloody-well write them that way! Don't set up a military character, who's been training in martial arts since she could stand, to be a `damsel in distress' so she can be rescued by the guy that makes her think with her pelvis instead of her brains!

As for the story itself, any female-run organization or planet is corrupt and based on a bunch of back-biting, snarling, b***ching females who spend most of their time degrading everyone around them. The queen of the super-military world walks around half-naked and tries, in proper succubus fashion, to use sex as her only weapon to get what she wants. And, of course, what she wants is galactic conquest based on lies she's telling. Yeah, see that incinerator over there? Women's Lib please step in, the fire is nice and hot! Right after that, Equal Rights make sure you douse yourself thoroughly in that gasoline before heading in. Wouldn't want any remnants left.

I have read some truly disturbing, woman-hating stuff in my life. But never to this extreme. And, though it shouldn't need to be said, by a female author who should know better? Why? It is unnecessary. Women have enough degradation facing them on a daily basis, do we really need to add to that pile?

So, in summation, if you want something that will make a woman feel like a completely useless, self-hating person whose only status comes from the guy she marries and the children she pops out then definitely get this book. If you're a guy who likes to see himself as the super-sexy James Bond meets all-time world athlete then you'll probably like this too because that's what Caillan is all about.

However, if you aren't into that junk (and no there aren't words strong enough to describe this steaming pile of human excrement disguised as a book) then you want to turn elsewhere. I'm pretty sure the only place to go from this is up.

those who are bashing the story, have admitted to skipping parts, so try reading all of the story and a basic concept is simply comprehending what you read. lack of sex does not make the book bad. and if that is all you want then read erotica.

Everyone know Sherrilyn Kenyon does not disappoint! I am always on the edge of my seat while reading her stories, blushing, or laughing hysterically. And sometimes I even cry my eyes out. She has a way of pulling you in and then leaving you all needy, but in a good way, for her next release.

First up I have a small confession to make. I haven't actually read the first three books in the The League series. This was actually my first foray into the Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing. While I do think this may have put me at a small disadvantage as obviously I didn't recognise characters from the previous novels that both featured in and were alluded to, I was still able to enjoy the story that was being told in this book without this.

To start with, Kenyon's main characters of Caillen Dagen and Desideria are extremely well written and likable and Kenyon gives you time to get to know them even while pushing the story along. They are by no means perfect but this doesn't matter as you still find yourself invested in what happens to them and the journey this takes them and the reader on.

I also enjoyed the chemistry between them. While occasionally the dialogue between them seemed a little contrived and forced, on the whole you believed them as a couple which is essential with any good romance.

However this is not just a story about a romance. There is action a plenty from the first scene onwards as Caillen and Desideria unravel murder plots and escape hostile aliens trying to kill them. As reader, I felt like I was close to the edge of my seat the whole time wondering just what would happen next as they seemed to escape from one extreme situation to the next.

I didn't predict the ending which is always a good thing and Kenyon throws in enough twists and turns that you are never sure if you have the whole answer until the end. The only trouble I did have was that towards the end things got a little confusing and it wasn't always clear who was speaking or being spoken about and it took me a couple of reads of the last few chapters to try to get my head around exactly what had happened

Overall though I give this story a 3 1/2 stars and thoroughly recommend this to all Sherrilyn Kenyon fans. To those who are new to this author, I would recommend you start with the first three books in the series as I think if I had started with these first, I would have been able to give this book a four star rating.

Sapphired Dragon xx ( )