Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Just finished reading Shadow Rider and I'm left feeling angry and confused. What did I just read? Why did I waste hours of my precious time on such a disturbingly bad book? This is supposed to be the start of a great new series by Christine Feehan, of the Carpathian fame? Because unlike the Carpathian series, this one left very little to like. In fact, I could barely finish the book and half the time, had to force myself to get through a chapter. Even after rushing to finish the book, I'm still at a loss for how to describe what a shadow rider is and what the series is all about. Basically, the focus is on the Ferraro family, headed by Stefano Ferraro. Stefano and his family are rich, powerful and naturally handsome/beautiful. Oh, and also they have some shadowy powers (whose purpose and existence were never explained). Since the age of two (yes really 2), they have been training to fight. They protect (bully is a better word) the people in their neighborhood, and people are fearful of them because they act like they are above the law. Their interactions with others remind me of poorly written, wanna-be mobsters. Take for example how Stefano had a girl taken for questioning by his cousins or how they can storm into people's houses and do what they want with them. But they are the heroes of the series for some reason. And Stefano, when he sees the weak heroine Francesca decides he wants her because there is something in her shadow that connects to his shadow. And it supposedly gives his other family members hope that they can reproduce other shadow riders to continue the line. But how Stafano treats and talks to Francesca ("F" curses means I love you apparently) and how Francesca just takes it all because he is this manipulative, rich guy who holds the purse strings (so it's ok that he treats her like a brainless object). This is just a recipe for disaster, not romance! This storyline, mixed with really bad, eye-rolling dialogue, no world building (shadow what again) and horrible, unlikable characters makes for a dull series. I'm appalled at all the top reviews. This book is so bad I already deleted it from my kindle, though I wished I could return it instead for a full refund. It was a sad waste of my time. I'm sorry for giving such a harsh review but this really deserved it. There is nothing to recommend this book at all.