Captive Spirit (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, #4)

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Captive Spirit (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood #4)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 200 ratings · 28 reviews

Trapped by temptation, bound by desire

Saving humanity from the supernatural has been challenging lately—even for a well-trained earth Sybil like Bela Argos, who must harness the magic of a fractious group of warrior sisters and battle a new wave of paranormal attacks. Another challenge is Duncan Sharp, the hunky NYPD detective who might turn into a demon overnight and de...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published November 23rd 2010 by Ballantine Books (first published August 31st 2010)

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Dec 10, 2012 StrangeBedfellows rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the fourth book of Anna Windsor's Dark Crescent Sisterhood series. If you haven't yet read the first trilogy (Bound by Shadow, Bound by Flame, & Bound by Light), a little background info is in order. The series is about a collective of kick-ass women with elemental powers, called Sibyls, who fight demons and the forces of darkness. It's a delightfully superheroine-esque series with plenty of action, lots a sex appeal, and strong draws on mythology and folklore of all sorts.

If you cou...more This is the fourth book of Anna Windsor's Dark Crescent Sisterhood series. If you haven't yet read the first trilogy (Bound by Shadow, Bound by Flame, & Bound by Light), a little background info is in order. The series is about a collective of kick-ass women with elemental powers, called Sibyls, who fight demons and the forces of darkness. It's a delightfully superheroine-esque series with plenty of action, lots a sex appeal, and strong draws on mythology and folklore of all sorts.

If you couldn't already tell, I really enjoy this series. Windsor's style of writing is fast and engaging, and I love her use of mythology; she pulls from popular folklore like Greco-Roman myths and voodoo practices, but she also brings out lesser-known entities from around the world. Her books satisfy both my itches for action and romance: tastefully violent and fabulously sexy. I absolutely recommend Anna Windsor's books to fans of Gena Showalter -- they're quite similar in style and overall vibe.

Now that I've raved about the series as a whole, let's talk about Captive Spirit in particular...

Captive Spirit takes place a couple of years after Bound by Light The Sibyls and their OCU allies are recovering from the longstanding war against the Legion. Bela Argos, a temperamental earth sibyl, has the unenviable task of choosing replacements for her fallen comrades. Against all advice, she recruits other Sibyls who are as devastated by their losses as Bela is, but she's determined to bring them all together for the sake of the mission. And the sooner she can pull it off, the better, because there's a new battle on the front.

Then there's Duncan Sharp, a warrior and protector to the core. After his years in the military, fighting in the deserts of Afghanistan, he's taken up the badge as one of New York City's finest. He's tough enough to take on anything -- except maybe the otherworldly threat behind a string of violent murders. Caught up in the conflict between Sibyls and demons, Duncan finds himself sharing his body with another man's soul and a demonic infection. Both threaten to taken him over, and only the Sibyls can help him now.

I feel like Windsor has amped up her writing since the last book, Bound by Light. It was always good, but now it seems much more memorable. Some of the scenes here, especially the opening sequence with Duncan vs. the bad guys, are fabulously written. Incredible imagery and creative wording really bring a lot of moments to full, vivid glory. It's the kind of skilled writing that I, quite honestly, don't ever expect from a romance novel of any sort. Moreover, I appreciate the balance between comic book-worthy action, angsty drama, sizzling romance, and silly fun. There's entertainment to be found, cover to cover.

As for the not-so-fun stuff, Bela as a main protagonist didn't really work for me. I couldn't connect with her, not like I do several of the other characters. I don't think that's really through any fault of the character or the writing -- she's a decent character, depicted well. And there was plenty of buildup for her story in the first three books. I don't know... she just didn't do it for me. Even though I enjoyed reading this book, I was in a constant state of distraction. Instead of focusing on the primary story that was centered on Bela and Duncan, I was more interested in the secondary characters and what was developing with them. Happily, the next two books are slated for release in the near future.

http://booknerdsbrain.blogspot.com/20...(less)

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Feb 13, 2012 Alicia Jespersen(orangepeacock313) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Even though this is the fourth book in the series you can read it as a stand alone, the author doesn’t leave you wondering about anything that has happened in previous books. I have not read the first three books and this book still made perfect sense. I love when an author can pull that off. Like i mentioned in a previous post i could not wait to share my thoughts on this book with you guys! It was so refreshingly different. Not only are there sybils but there are were-demons as well! The sybil...more Even though this is the fourth book in the series you can read it as a stand alone, the author doesn’t leave you wondering about anything that has happened in previous books. I have not read the first three books and this book still made perfect sense. I love when an author can pull that off. Like i mentioned in a previous post i could not wait to share my thoughts on this book with you guys! It was so refreshingly different. Not only are there sybils but there are were-demons as well! The sybils are warriors, but not just any warriors they are women with control of certain elements.

Bela Argos can control the earth, she can also sense where someone is within like a fifty mile radius(approximately). She lost her first group of sybils during the war with the Legion. Three years later she is bringing together all of the elements; Air, Water, Fire, and Earth also known as Dio, Andy, Camille and herself. These women have been through a lot and they are all damaged. Not to mention Dio’s sister was one of Bela’s first triad members, and she was killed. Dio holds Bela personally responsible. This adds a lot of tension to the quad-the first quad in history- and Bela already has plenty of problems to deal with.

Then there is Duncan Sharp, he is a NYPD detective. He has seen war and death and now he is tracking the killer who is moving up the coast killing women. That’s not even the worst part, the main suspect is John Cole, a childhood friend. When he finds John some crazy shit happens and lets just say Duncan doesn’t exactly believe what he is seeing. Especially when a group of women in leather come to his rescue after he is attacked. That is when he meets his angel, Bela.

John Cole seems to think that there are supernatural beings at work and is out to find who is killing women. He works for a special branch of the police that deals with these particular problems. John has a pretty good idea of who is killing these women, they are called the Rakshasa.

The Rakshasa can change form into humans but their true form is a large cat, sort of like a lions without souls. Strada is the leader of the pride in New York and he is out to kill the man who killed his brothers-John Cole. There are a few things that have changed though, John Cole is in Duncan Sharps head and Duncan is being protected by a large group of sybils.

Now as you can see there is a lot going on in the book, not to mention all the things i didn’t spoil for you :) And let me tell you there is so much that i didn’t tell you. This book had such a different story line that i didn’t even realize that i was reading a book. I felt like i was living inside Duncan and Bela’s heads. I must say i am glad i chose to read this book! If you guys like a steamy romance (which is implied considering what the main focus is on my blog) and a crazy enemy coming after the hero and heroine than you will most definitely love this read! :D
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May 11, 2011 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I spent my weekend with Captive Spirit by Anna Windsor – #4 of the Dark Crescent Sisterhood.

It had been some time since I had read the first three in this series by Anna Windsor. And when I finished, I was kind of glad. Because even with more then a year between installments for me, I felt like I was reading the same book for the third time.

The frist three in this series are bound by Shadow, Bound by Flame and Bound by Light. Then we have Captive Spirit. And planned are Captive Soul and Captive...more I spent my weekend with Captive Spirit by Anna Windsor – #4 of the Dark Crescent Sisterhood.

It had been some time since I had read the first three in this series by Anna Windsor. And when I finished, I was kind of glad. Because even with more then a year between installments for me, I felt like I was reading the same book for the third time.

The frist three in this series are bound by Shadow, Bound by Flame and Bound by Light. Then we have Captive Spirit. And planned are Captive Soul and Captive Heart. The series premise is that we have a group of Sybils. They are women who can manipulate and control elements. And they protect humanity in triads – with a mortar, pestle and broom. Each woman can control one element – fire, air, earth. Water doesn’t come into play until Bound by Light. In the first three, the Sybils are battling the Legion, an ancient group of evil. But each book is dedicated to a couple. And while we see a little of the group from the first three in this installment, it’s not really as if the group of women is really one group. And that makes sense since we were set up for a triad initially. And now we have a quad with Dio, Camille, Bela and Andy. So, this book seemed to me more along the lines of the distinction between Larissa Ione’s Demonica and Horesmen series – two very heavily related series with cross over characters but a distinct separation in the groups of characters at the same time.

Here, Bela, who lost the other two members of her triad in the battle with the Legion goes to each of the Motherhouses to reconstitute her triad. Except she forms the first quad in many years by asking Andy to be part of the group too. And her group is going to be hard to unite since Dio lost her sister a blames Bela (and is a weather creator which is rare and usually doesn’t make for a good fighter) and Camille has power problems too. They find they are fighting a new threat – a group of ancient demons who are part human part tiger.

Bela meets Duncan Sharpe, a police office investigating a serial killer. And he thinks the serial killer is his very good friend. Turns out his friend is battling the evil tigers. And Duncan is infected and going to become an evil tiger too – and he’s also possessed (sort of) by his friend John.

Where does that leave us? The typical show down between good and evil. The typical battle at the end which kills a bunch of bad guys, creates some havoc with the good guys, and ends up postponing the big showdown, since otherwise the series would be over.

I don’t expect anything tremendously unique in this genre. There’s only so many different approaches that can be taken. But recalling with happened in the first three books (the man is half demon half human and struggles to get control over the demon half and is saved when he figures out how to do it and then he and the woman get together), I had huge senses of deja vu. Yet another half demon struggle which ends the same way. So, really, three out of 4 so far have felt like the same darn story. Different woman, different type of demon, but the same way to get them together.

I was captivated by the murder mystery in the story – it helped keep the plot moving and that felt newer and more unique then the rest of the story. And there’s still plenty left unanswered to move us into the next book(s).

We do get a decent amount of other story – relationship development between the woman is pretty good. I expect we will see more of that in the next three books. And there were a number of peripheral characters that were introduced (Blackstone and his buddies, the new neighbor) and that we saw more of (some of the Mothers) and they were great. I expect we will see more of them too and that will be welcomed. And I hope Andy’s book is next – she’s awesome. And she’s funny too.

None of these books (or really any of the books in this genre) are classic literature; they won’t win any nobel price for writing. But despite the repetitive nature of the stories and how the couple couples, they are a nice escape from reality. I expect to pick up the next one when it comes out.(less)

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Apr 21, 2011 Rva Booklover rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Rva by: sharonaspiller@yahoo.com

Bela and her Quad mates are still suffering the effects of the battles waged in the Bound trilogy, all having lost loved ones. A large part of the story is how these four women learn to be a team, overcoming their personal demons and regrets to defeat a new threat to the Sybils and the humans they protect.

Duncan Sharpe is a cop on the trail of a suspected serial killer who happens to be his best friend. He enters the story early, but spends about a fourth of the book unconscious. Believe it or...more Bela and her Quad mates are still suffering the effects of the battles waged in the Bound trilogy, all having lost loved ones. A large part of the story is how these four women learn to be a team, overcoming their personal demons and regrets to defeat a new threat to the Sybils and the humans they protect.

Duncan Sharpe is a cop on the trail of a suspected serial killer who happens to be his best friend. He enters the story early, but spends about a fourth of the book unconscious. Believe it or not, this does not detract from either his character or the story. John Cole, the above mentioned suspect, also plays a large part, and I have a feeling we will be seeing more of him.

Back to Duncan - he is a fighter. Former Ranger, currently a cop...he does not know the meaning of the word quit. He catches a brief glimpse of Bela before he goes into a coma, and his "Angel" helps give him the strength to fight his way back to the world. He doesn't like Bela's Sybil duties and her being in danger, but acknowledges that her warrior status is part of who she is, and doesn't try to inhibit her activities. He is in a sort of limbo status, believing he only has a few weeks or months to live, and doesn't waste any time letting Bela know she is important to him.

Bela - ah, Bela. A tortured heroine if there ever was one. She lost 2 members of her previous triad, and is having trouble getting her Quad to perform as a cohesive unit. There is a new threat in town, and she is unbelievablly attracted to the unconscious man in her basement. The one who is probably dying. Who will leave her, as everyone important to her has done. So she does what any super heroine would do- she kicks butt! Love, love, love Bela. Duncan brings out everything good in her, and she in him.

Duncan and Bela together are breathtaking. With the threat of impending death, Duncan and Bela don't have a lot of time to mess around with games. They admit their feelings and their attraction to each other. It's refreshing to have that instant bond. There are so many sweet moments with these two, as well as many, many steamy ones. LOVED them together.

There are lots of secondary characters running about. The Mothers, the triad from the Bound series and their mates, the new leader of the OCU and his henchmen. I can't figure out how the 2 henchmen play into the story as they had no lines at all, and seemed largely superfluous. They did have some comic relief moments, though.

The story flowed well overall. The plot was tight, and there was a partial resolution, yet the door is left open for the remaining books in the trilogy. The author uses descriptive language well, and there is a lot of depth to the background. I could "see" everything in my mind's eye. However, some of the fight scenes left me feeling like I had missed something, even after going back and rereading the passages. Not sure if that was an imagery or an editing issue, and overall, it really didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story.

The one thing I would like to see cease and desist from these novels is the overt expression of the Sibyl in question's talent. The fires, the water dripping, the gusts of wind...I find it very distracting. Due to the nature of the personalities of Dio and Camille, the fire and wind were toned down, but Andy was just dripping away, left and right. I do understand from Captive Spirit that these outward manifestations of the talent is the sign of a healthy Sibyl, but still... Tears me out the story every time. I keep thinking, there is no way these women can interact with "normal" people.

I really enjoyed Captive Spirit, and I am so glad the other 2 books are out already, so I don't have to wait to read them! (less)

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Jul 19, 2011 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic, paranormal-romance-demons, paranormal-romance, witches-wizards-mages-sorcerers

As with the first trilogy, the hero this time round is not completely human - despite his incredible strength of will, NYPD detective Duncan Sharpe is losing his battle to fight the demon infection which will steal his life and his humanity. It is only a magical medallion, some major healing mojo by the sybil 'Mothers' and a little help from a 'friend' that has bought him a little time to help track down his murderous attackers. The little bit of time that Duncan has left is in no way enough for...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *4.5 STARS*

I loved this book! And I loved Bela, as I new I would from the minute I first met her in this series. I already knew she was a tough badass but through her story I got to know her better and found her to also be kind, caring, loyal, willful and so strong; most definitely a mortar. Part of the greatness and I guess realism of this story is Bela and her quad's hardships and the suffering they've gone through over losing loved ones. It's through overcoming these hardships that they becom...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth book of Anna Windsor's Dark Crescent Sisterhood series. If you haven't yet read the first trilogy you have no idea what you are missing. For this series a little background info is in order. So much happens in the first three books I wouldn't want you to miss a single beat. The series is about women who can kick some ass with elemental powers, called Sibyls. They fight demons and the forces of darkness to make the world a better place. This series has plenty of action, sex app...more This is the fourth book of Anna Windsor's Dark Crescent Sisterhood series. If you haven't yet read the first trilogy you have no idea what you are missing. For this series a little background info is in order. So much happens in the first three books I wouldn't want you to miss a single beat. The series is about women who can kick some ass with elemental powers, called Sibyls. They fight demons and the forces of darkness to make the world a better place. This series has plenty of action, sex appeal, and strong story line that keeps you just captivated by its characters and intriguing plot.

Bela Argos is a earth sibyl that has lost her fallen comrades in a major battle. Now against all the advice she has been given, she is recruiting other Sibyls who are as devastated by their losses as Bela is, to join her quad. Not only is Bela determined to bring them all together for the sake of the mission, but the sooner she can pull it off, the better, because there's a new battle on the front. And everyone will need to be ready and in place for it.

Duncan Sharp is a warrior and protector to the bottom of his soul. Being one of New York City's finest. He's tough enough to take on anything, well, except maybe the otherworldly threat behind some violence that has been going on. Caught up in the conflict between Sibyls and demons, Duncan will find himself sharing his body with another soul. The soul is threatening to take him completely over but can the Sibyls can help him now.

Although I liked this book, I just feel more of an connection to the previous books more then I did with this book. Some of the scenes here with Duncan are written fan freaking static. Windsor lets you for sure live out every moment she has written. Not only do you get a chance for the romance but the romance its self keeps your interest.

Bela was kind of hard to connect with her. I connected with her quad more than her, but still I felt she was missing something. Now don't get me wrong she isn't a bad character, I just think I expected more from her from hearing about her in the first three books. And there was plenty of buildup for that. I did enjoy reading this book, I was dying to know how will everything play out in the world Anna Windsor has created.

Although I didn't love this book as much as I was expecting, I am still looking forward to the rest of their journey to saving the world. Next up is Captive Soul and I am dying to start it and get all the answers to my unanswered questions. (less)

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Jan 30, 2011 Stacy {Texas Reader} rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-other

This is the next trilogy in the Dark Crescent Sisterhood and it's been a long wait. This book was a slow start for me, there is some back story being told and a lot of work to pull the new fighting "quad" together. At times it was boring for me, but each member of the new group is interesting and unique, even Duncan and John. The Legion is gone, but not all of the Legion followers are gone, and now they are trying to create a whole new enemy. Once the fighting started with the new enemy, a group...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've really enjoyed this series. This book seemed a bit different than the others though. Quite a few times I found myself getting "lost" in a paragraph due to long sentences or such incredibly detailed information that I would have to start over again, and sometimes again. I love detailed information as it brings you further into the story, but parts of this book went too far, giving us useless info that at times had already been included earlier in the book.

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May 23, 2011 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent series and one you cannot put down and look forward to the next book. I have read this series twice and the characters are what keeps you coming back for more.

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Sep 18, 2011 Vivisection rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural-mysteries, smutty-reads

I only paid 25 cents for this book at the last day of business for Borders. I like that I am still somehow disappointed at the quality. Ah, well....on to Mama, I'm in Love with a Gangster.

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Jul 21, 2011 Jeanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Finally! I fell like I've watied FOREVER for the continuation of this series. All I can say is that I really hope there are more than these next three to come!

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Jan 30, 2011 Christina Turville rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love all the books in this series, Anna Windsor is an author that I always buy and read her new books....

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Aug 08, 2011 Monica Kaye rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. So sad when I couldn't.

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Nov 02, 2011 Karen Desmond rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Aug 09, 2011 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-romance-x, reviewed

This would have been a 4 star for me however the ending just wasn't there. It was entirely anticlimactic with loose ends that should have been tied, imho.

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May 06, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another great installment to the Dark Crescent Sisterhood; a little obvious what was going to happen; but isn't that really the fun of these books, that you know exactly what's going to happen in terms of the protagonists relationships?! Anyhow, the story was good, but sadly the "fun" scenes of this book were not quite as engaging as the first three books. Fingers crossed that they're better in the next one!

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Feb 12, 2011 Spoiler Whore drops the F bomb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anna-windsor

I am really surprised that I enjoyed this book. Been awhile since I read the first dark crescent sisterhood series and had to remember who was who and what. Loved Bela and her quad and felt for them for what they went thru. Also, Duncan wasn't so bad either. I laughed in this book and got teary eyed. Looking forward to the next. Happy Reading!

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Dec 28, 2009 Amanda marked it as to-read

Shelves: anna-windsor

The Dark Crescent Sisterhood #4

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Feb 16, 2011 Aske rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would have to say that it wasn't as good as the first three books, but I still enjoyed it overall. There were parts that I couldn't stand in this one, but I got through it. Hopefully the books to come in this series will be better.

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Apr 20, 2010 Brooke marked it as to-read

I am excited for this book! I fell in love when I randomly found the first three and read them all within a week or so. I have been waiting a while for Anna to get these next three out!

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Mar 20, 2011 Bethany added it

It was hard to get into this one for some reason. But now that the groundwork is laid for the next two books, I'm excited to see what happens.

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Feb 16, 2012 Maggielou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-s

Totally loved it!

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Nov 20, 2012 Kaitlin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I must say Anna Windsor never fails to impress me. I loved this 4th book just like loved the first 3.

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Jun 11, 2012 J. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-crescent-sisterhood, 2012

I quite enjoyed this one :) I'm looking forward to the next one more though given how it ended ;)

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Sep 05, 2011 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I forgot how much I liked this series. Can't wait to start the next one.

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Jan 04, 2011 Tori rated it 5 of 5 stars

It took a few chapters to get into it but it was good.

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May 23, 2011 Mickey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great characters; superb plot.

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May 13, 2013 Eva Hamrick marked it as to-read

Shelves: have, magic-occult-fiction

May 08, 2013 Gina (bibliobuff) marked it as want

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About Anna Windsor

I'm in my 40's now, and finally living my lifelong dream of loving all my jobs. I still work in psychology, I farm, I write--and I have a blast.

I'm southern by birth, and I've lived in the south most of my life. My foothill farm is beautiful, and I couldn't ask for a better place to live or write. I find inspiration, peace, joy, and beauty in my family, my home, the woods, and the love of all my m...more

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Books by Anna Windsor

Bound by Shadow (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, #1)

Bound by Flame (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, #2)

Bound by Light (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, #3)

Captive Soul (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, #5)

Captive Heart (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, #6)

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Captive Spirit (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood #4)

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