Accountant Jacqueline Harris asks one question too many about a shady client. This client, a member of a crime syndicate, wants her dead and sends people after her to accomplish that. When she finds a strange man in her bedroom in the middle of night, she assumes he's one of these people. She fights him. He easily restrains her and tells her he's there to protect her.

Blade is a Shadow Ryder. For hundreds of years, he has been waiting in the Shadow Realm for an assignment from the Shadow Lord. Blade's assignment is to protect Jacqueline. The trained assassin prides himself on his cold calculation yet when he meets this human woman, he feels an instant arousal and possessiveness that alarms him. He cannot afford emotion to weaken him. As Blade says "A vulnerable warrior was a dead one."

Beyond Shadows is a sizzling romance set in the intriguing world of the Shadow Ryders. This is a sequel to Shadows Stir but can be read easily on its own. Blade is a hero to fall in love with. Although he knows his relationship with Jacqueline is doomed, he can't stop himself from loving her. He would sacrifice his own life to keep the woman he can never have safe. This is one character deserving of a happy ever after. Beyond Shadows will have readers cheering for the hero.

Reviewed by: Kimber