“The storyline is filled to the brim with twists and turns . . . The characters in Wind and Shadow take on a life of their own and continue to grow and become more compelling as you get farther into the book . . . (A) fast paced novel that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat waiting for the unexpected and they for sure are not disappointed. The mix of the paranormal kept me sucked into the story . . .” — Pick Your Poison Reviews
“I am enchanted!” — Lindsay Lamarche
“Tori’s writing style is so fluid and engaging that you get drawn in immediately and have to really force yourself to stop reading, so that you can do other things. Nothing else mattered for those 3 days and when I reached the end I practically screamed ‘Why have you stopped?!’ . . . This story pulls you in every direction, emotions flying everywhere, and leaves you begging for more.” — Emily Hetherington
“(A) must read for all para-romance readers! hurry go go go! you NEED to read this book ASAP!” — Jessica Sawa
“I was thoroughly enchanted with Wind and Shadow, the first installment of the Talbot Trilogy. The fragile witch Rayvin’s quest for a new start in the little town of Talbot was easy to empathize with . . . and just when I didn’t know if I liked her being quite so fragile, this witch showed her hidden strength, standing up to her ex-love Grant Michaels, an alpha male if there ever was one. The sparks fly as soon as these two characters are in a scene together…and being a romance, I couldn’t wait to see them finally get hot and sweaty together.” — Tara Fox Hall
“I loved this book. Rayvin is beautiful inside and out, loyal to those she loves, and strong and feisty even when she feels everything is against her. She is a survivor who comes back kicking and has a pure heart. Grant is a yummy piece of work with a chip on his shoulder who from page one I wanted to hit over the head with a very large phone-book and tell him to snap out of it and get over himself. This of course all makes for very entertaining reading because you know that as the terrible comes to town something has to be done and Rayvin and Grant are the ones who are going to have to do it. There is adventure, creepiness, and action that kept me very entertained, as well as some smexy to heat things up; all the elements I love in a good read.” — Denise Zaky
“A lot of vampire books fail in the ability to make the reader suspend disbelief. Half the time because they try to make vampires sexy instead of the vile monsters they are. Ridgewood’s vampire is thoroughly evil. I like that. And I liked the introduction where he lies trapped, dreaming of escape.
The story is really well-written, which is what I have come to expect from this author. It hangs together well and the characters are really well-drawn. I especially liked Samantha and spent half the book on tenterhooks worrying about her.
If you haven’t read Tori Ridgewood yet, I strongly advise you to do so. She is really something special.” — Jenny Twist
“I was drawn into this one right from the beginning and found it very difficult to put down Wind and Shadow once it really got rolling. I love the strangeness of Talbot as a town, the backstory that took Rayvin from her home, Grant’s strength and sense of right and wrong (and hotness!), the big bad who is seriously diabolical and, Ridgewood’s willingness to sacrifice certain characters in order to satisfy the plot and motivate her major characters to move forward. Ridgewood has an excellent sense of pacing which makes an already entertaining read move even faster and, finally, though I am not the biggest fan of cliffhangers, Ridgewood has managed to pull off what I consider to be an acceptable cliffhanger. Who knew I could be satisfied with such a thing?? For me, Wind and Shadow is a combination of everything good: it’s paranormal, it’s well-written, it’s got just enough action and naughty bits to be realistic and, it has two more parts on the horizon.” — Rolopolo Book Blog
“I truly enjoyed reading Wind and Shadow. My heart was hurting when I read about how everyone treated Rayvin. I wanted on several occasions smack Grant and Rayvin on their heads for being so damn stubborn. If they only had listened to each other, instead of barging on pretending to know what the other person felt…
The vampires in this story aren’t cute or sexy. They’re not the most scary beings I’ve read about either, but they’re scary enough. The Leader (de Sade) gives me goosebumps – and not the good kind. If I ever met him in a dark alley, (or a bright lit one), I would turn tail and run. Not that it would do me any good, but still…
The ending isn’t what I thought it would be, but I liked it. It fit the book perfectly, and it was the kind of ending that, when you’re done with the book, you’re automatically reaching for the next book in the series, because you really, really (kinda desperately) wants to know what happens. I can’t wait to find out what Rayvin will do. Do NOT piss off this witch. Payback is going to be hell. Especially if you don’t have anything left to lose.” — Sabina Bundgaard
“Phew, this was one intense paranormal ride! I really enjoyed this first full novel in a series from Tori. L Ridgewood. It’s hot enough to get your heart pumping with a strong story that keeps you interested throughout . . . I really enjoyed the story. It was very well written, as I’ve come to expect from Ms. Ridgewood . . . The plot itself is compelling and presents the villains in a realistic way – no sparkly vampires here. In fact, it reminded me of Salem’s Lot by Stephen King in terms of how they were portrayed. The romance is hot and will certainly appeal to paranormal romance lovers.
I’d recommend Wind & Shadow to any paranormal romance fans out there, but probably not great for teens due to the somewhat explicit sexual content. Grab a copy and read on!!” — Mysti Parker
“Considering I was hooked from chapter one, this is one of those books that is very hard to put down. I love that the chemistry between Rayvin and Grant is instant. And neither of them wants to give in on their feelings for each other until they must stay in the same house after Grant is attacked. However, the ending will leave you hanging and want to jump on the second book. (Just to prepare you.)
I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a little magic, vampires and a little romance. I am completely looking forward to reading book two in the Talbot Trilogy, Blood and Fire.
My Favorite Moment: What was hotter? The anticipation of revealing the body of a well-built, handsome man, or the reveal itself?” — Mindy Bigham
“This book was my little haven the last few days.
Rayvin oh beautiful Rayvin. I loved her. I felt sorry for her, being run out of her own town when she was so young and had no one else to go to. I found her witchcraft intriguing. It’s different from most other witchcraft I have read about . . .
I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect mix of fantasy, paranormal and romance. I can’t wait to read the others in the series and will be making space in my shelf for Tori’s other books.” — Emma Star Crossed Reviews
“First of all, the cover is beautiful. This book has witches, vampires and love in it. What an awesome mix! I really enjoyed this story. It flowed well and the characters were awesome. Rayven is definitely a strong female character . . . Tori did an amazing job creating several layers to her characters, specifically with Rayven and Grant, which kept me connected to the characters as well as the story.” — Lisa Dess
“The story moved at a fast pace and gave us twists and turns that were unexpected. Tori L. Ridgewood is definitely a talented writer and her plot machinations were refreshing. I refused to put the book down because I had to find out what happened to these characters. I was totally engrossed.” — t’irla ~ The Bookslayer
“When I shut this book upon completing it I was left with the thought, damn now I have to wait for the sequel. That’s the best sign and compliment an author could ever ask for in my opinion. At least from me. Wind and Shadow surprised me in many ways. This is no YA novel that is for sure. There’s a lot of steamy and sometimes freaky things going on in the story and not just because it is filled with vampires and witches.” — Trina
“MAGIC, VAMPIRES and WITCHCRAFT!!..how awesome is that?” — Chie
“Ridgewood definitely takes you for a ride with this story. Rayvin hasn’t had the best of luck in life or love and it doesn’t get much better especially with a vampire on the loose with a vendetta. The twists and turns are definitely not what one expects to happen or even hope to happen. Ridgewood has a way with words that has a flow and almost “magic” quality of their own that keep the reader rooted in the story and keep turning the page.” — Ashley
“This was a very tense, engaging and well written paranormal romance! I am definitely on the edge of my seat wishing I had book two in my hands. And this paranormal romance takes us back to the old fashioned type of vampire… you know… the ones we hate . . .
I really do love authors who are not afraid to toy with our emotions. There are things that happen to certain characters in this story that made me sad and angry. But, it also made the story more… I don’t know… real. If a character is evil then obviously we have to expect bad things to happen to good people. And, in some ways, it made me more invested in the story because I want to see Rayvin succeed and kill that nasty little blood sucking vampire! Where is Buffy when you need her OR even better… Sam and Dean!!
So, great start to this series and I sure hope we don’t have to wait long for the next one.” — KT Book Reviews
“I’m all about characters and Tori has done a great job at crafting Rayvin in a way that you fall in love with her. She’s the kind of character that you really want to see everything turn out perfectly for. She’s just so wonderful. Grant is another character that is easy to fall in love with. Tori understands the importance of characters.
I love the setting too. It’s done in a way that you can picture it and connect to the place even if you’ve never been there.” — Jesse Kimmel-Freeman
“A witch with a checkered past shows back up in her home town just in time to meet a vampire. What could possible go wrong you ask? Try everything!
The story flowed well with interesting dialog. There are lots of clues scattered through out to watch for. The ending left me panting to get the second book . . .
This was a great weekend read. I recommend it to all my vampire-loving literary friends!” — J. Walker
“What a great book!! I started reading it and I just couldn’t stop. I was so drawn in the story that I lost track of time and ended up reading the book in one day even though I didn’t plan on reading the full book on the one day. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.
If you are into paranormal romance then I suggest you read this book.” — Chantale Canadian Book Addict
“It is a pretty good urban fantasy . . . I really enjoyed the very traditional take on vampires and the Wiccan aspect of witchcraft. Out main character, Rayvin, is a blast. I loved her attitude and how much she cared about others, even when they didn’t see to care about her. I didn’t like what happened to some of the side characters and I really hope Ridgewood has a way to change what their path appears to be.” — Bitten by Romance
“. . . I enjoyed . . . how (this book) dove right into things. There were no filler pages just awesome plot and supernatural happenings. One character I didn’t at all was Jason and with good reason. He was terrible and he only got worse as the book progressed. Outside of my hate for Jason I was so incredibly enthralled with what was happening and with Rayvin’s witch heritage.
Wind and Shadow was actually one of the first books where I felt like the witches could actually exist. The rituals and codes that Rayvin followed was so much like modern day wicca with the casting of the circles and the nature based meditation. It was so cool!” — Corina
“This is a very interesting book. I was caught up in the story fairly easily. It is easy to follow along and Tori L. Ridgewood does a great job of setting up the plot and follow through with action and emotion.
I would only recommend this book to readers 18+. There is strong sexual content and swearing.” — Bookworm Lisa
“I loved this urban fantasy. It was refreshing, even with the vampires, maybe because they represent so many things in the story. I found the storyline to be compelling and most of the characters to be well defined and well rounded. promises to be an interesting and compelling trilogy. I would recommend Wind and Shadow to readers of urban fantasy, vampire stories, horror stories, paranormal romance and really just about anyone looking for a refreshing read. I can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy!” — Tracy Riva
“This book absolutely had it all! Hot steamy scenes, characters to get behind, a plot that had you page turning and an evil that actually felt evil! The descriptions in this book had m sucked in literally from the first page. For one of the first times I didn’t care that there was so much information being held back from me. I was far to focused on the heat and intensity flaring between Ravyin and Grant to even care that I wasn’t being told the whole story until it became to hard to sidestep not saying it . . . Once the story got going it was fully focused on the story and the chemistry stopped over shadowing as the evil was truly malevolent and disturbing to read.” — Lexi’s Book Bliss
“Action-packed paranormal/urban fantasy and great start to a new trilogy.
WIND AND SHADOW by Tori L. Ridgewood is more than just your typical paranormal romance – it’s suspenseful with a mystery that will keep you on the edge as some surprises come to light.” — Amy
“I absolutely loved this book. It takes you in and does not want to let you go! Keep in mind this is a series, so YES there is a cliffhanger and a thirst for more, a need to know what happens next.
The story line was very well thought out. The characters are very believable and you love some and really dislike others.
I have once again found the first novel of a new author and I must say I am completely hooked, please bring me more! Very well done and many thank yous to the author for the exciting ride! I’m so looking forward to the rest of it!” — Tamera McIntosh
Buy Links: Wind and Shadow is available from Melange Books in PDF, on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Smashwords, or in paperback!
The Talbot Trilogy 