Shadows (A Lux Novella) ~ Jennifer L. Armentrout

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication: February 21, 2012 (Kindle)

By: Entangled Publishing
4 Stars!

SHADOWS is kinda like eating chocolate...as it melts from a fountain. No spoon required. :) (My tweet today)

This book is more than just a pretty cover and OH.MY.DAWSON, is it ever a purdy cover?!  *stares*  
Wait, what was I saying?  Oh yeah, there's more to this story than meets those beautiful, sparkly eyes and I do *hearts* sparkly things.

You have your good versus evil in which case the light has to battle the darkness (literally), there's a swoon worthy romance *fans face* but it's also about not being afraid to show who you really are. Dawson, his siblings and their friends spend so much time hiding their true selves because it's dangerous for everyone, and yeah, they're aliens but they're unlike any I've ever seen on the big screen.  Shoot, if E.T. looked like Dawson or Daemon, there would've been no need for him to "phone home"... just sayin'! 

This got me thinking though...how often do we hide behind our own false exteriors because there's an element of danger and fear in people knowing who we really are?  

I actually enjoyed Shadows a little more than Obsidian but before the hate mail starts, let me explain.  I liked Obsidian, I did (I promise! *ducks*) but the tension between Daemon and Katy was nerve-racking for me.  *chews nails*   I just wanted them to admit their feelings for one another and live happily ever after!  OK, so not happening especially since there are more books to come, but you get my point.  At least with Shadows, my nerves were eased a bit with the relationship that sparked between Dawson and Bethany.

Bethany is awesome and brave and Dawson is... *sighs* I loved Dawson...SO.HARD.  He's not just beautiful on the outside but he's got a good heart and that's what Bethany sees.  She is able to look beyond the obvious, to the real him and she loves him regardless. He is able to be himself when he's with her and isn't that what real love is about? 

Having read this after Obsidian gave me a new appreciation for Daemon and his bad boy 'tude.  I mean, I understood it before but my heart was breaking for him (and Dee) by the end of Shadows. *sobs*  I wanted to hug him and say it was okay to be a jerky mcjerkypants. (some of the time)

Shadows and Obsidian were my introduction to Armentrout's stories and her style of writing which I found both funny and refreshing. I'm really looking forward to the next installment in this series!  Btw, I will never look at the fine folks of West Virginia quite the same way again (hubs family is from there) especially those who sport sparkly eyes and voracious appetites. ;)