Shadowed

Treasured #2

by Cari Z.

After a rocky start, Daniel Hart and Rhys Daveth are looking forward to putting the past behind them and spending a private, romantic Christmas together in Venice. Trouble follows their trail, however, and after only a few days together Rhys is drugged and kidnapped by agents of an espionage program that he fled from years ago. Daniel barely escapes being taken as well, and is found by another party interested in Rhys: fellow thieves who tracked him down once they realized he was being hunted.

Time is flying and Daniel will have to trust a new magic between him and Rhys, a connection he doesn’t understand, to try and find him before it's too late. The consequences might be dangerous, but if he doesn’t use his strange ability to find Rhys, the man he loves will be lost forever.

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Shapeshifters, Magic, Fantasy, LGBT

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2011

About the author

Cari Z. is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine. She has a wonderful relationship with her husband, a complex relationship with the characters in her head and a sadomasochistic relationship with her exercise routine. She feels like Halloween should happen every month, which is why you get this picture of her, and hopes that you enjoy reading what she's put out there as much as she enjoyed writing it in the first place.

Reviews

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The sequel ups the ante!!

Now that Daniel is in the know, he’s more than willing to let Rhys (doppelgänger shifter) sweep him off his feet on a holiday to Venice. What Daniel doesn’t know is all the shady dark secrets of Rhys’s past that come back to cause mayhem.

A page turner of a sequel as Rhys and Daniel need to run for their very lives and realize that they have a stronger connection than once believed. Magic, suspense, government conspiracies, and an enemy that won't take no for an answer.

Easy reading and off to the next for the conclusion!

[Drusilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in this series was a little better than the first. There was good action and the plot was quite good overall, answering a few questions and giving a slightly better picture of the whole story.
I like how Rhys and Danny are getting closer. And wonderfully, there's a trip to Venice. Fantastic. And of course, the sex scenes are delicious once again.

Sliding his hands underneath my shoulders, he got a grip on me and crawled both of us up the bed until my outstretched arms touched the headboard. “I want you, Danny. Want to fuck you and use you and take you so hard you feel me for days.”
“Mmm…” I moaned against his invading tongue, trying to make my thoughts coherent. “’Kay.” 🌶️🌶️🌶️

So, why am I not rating this higher? I have to be a little strict with myself and not rate it even lower... To explain, I studied art history. And we are here in Venice, one of my favorite cities, where I have been many times.
Rhys mentions that their hotel is near Piazza San Marco. Wonderful.
And then... throughout the rest of the book, Danny keeps talking about St. Mark's Plaza. 🪓🪓🪓🪓🪓
I'm sorry, but I hear a conceited scream in my ear every time I read that. Yes, of course you can translate it, even though I think it's idiotic to translate proper names. But if you have to do something like that, then you should do it consistently throughout a story and not just once here and then there.
St. Mark's Plaza ... seriously, every time I asked myself if we were still in Venice ...
So, I'm still curious about this series, but I'm actually too pissed off to continue reading it right now.

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!!

The author definitely took things up a notch in this second book of the series. She especially took the action element up a lot! Loved getting to see Danny and Thus move further along in their relationship, even if things didn't always go to plan. Loving this series and now on to book three!

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.85 stars (rounded up)

I read the first book, Treasured, back in January 2011. So it has been more than a year. At first, I'm worried that I didn't remember anything about the first book. Not the book problem -- I rarely remember 80% of the books I read *lol*. Thankfully, Cari Z. did give some sort of reminders about what happened in book #1, that helped me to remember the events that had happened.

I categorize this as romantic-suspense because this time, the threats to Reese (Rhys) is more dangerous. Reese is kidnapped while he is taking Daniel for winter-break vacation in Venice. Daniel gets shot and must jumps into cold water to escape.

I really enjoy the development of Daniel's power, how he is able to "connect" with Reese. It's also great to have more insights about who Reese is and the enemy that is behind Reese's kidnapping (and what he wants with Reese). I also enjoy more scenes with Reese's band of thieves.

I can't give it 4-stars yet because the ending feels HFN, and there's that issue with Reese being an art thief and Daniel being an art scholar, which I would find troublesome in their relationship in the future. Luckily, I know that there's book #3 ...

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

They are interesting but not compelling, I like the world and the characters, but it's taking a long time to read not very long books.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this sequel...it was great reading more about Daniel and Rhys. I really liked getting to know more about Rhys and the people he works with. And I really love the mix of real contemporary world with magic all blended together. The story ends on a positive note, but I do hope we will get to read more with these two!

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story--I enjoyed it.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhys and Daniel in Venice . . .

Daniel Hart and Rhys Daveth are looking forward to putting the past behind them, or at least on hold, for a little while and spending a private, romantic Christmas together in Venice. They visited Danny’s mom for dinner and she fell in love with charming Rhys who speaks fluent Italian with her. They stopped at a hotel outside New Orleans for the night. They had only gotten to actually sleep together once, but now they would have two weeks together.

But apparently danger has followed Rhys to Venice when he is drugged and kidnapped. The agents tried to get Danny too, but he was shot and escaped into the water. Danny gets to meet Rhys’ “gang” of thieves as they had tracked him there when they knew he was being hunted and would be in trouble. With time now running out for Rhys, Danny’s magic power seems to have increased and may enable him to connect with and locate Rhys, along with the help of the gang. Will they save Rhys? Will they be in time?

I am definitely enjoying learning more about Rhys’ background and seeing Rhys and Danny’s relationship growing, even if they didn’t get all the time they thought they would have to be together. It’s also nice to meet Rhys’ fellow thieves. I’m looking forward to the next set of adventures!

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 2 of Treasured and I enjoyed it more than the first book. It gave the reader a chance to learn more about the MCs. This is the continuing story of Daniel Hart and Rhys Daveth. In this book they are about to embark on a vacation for two weeks to Venice. This fast and furious relationship is put to the test. Before they get a chance to get to really know each other they are attacked. Daniel gets away but doesn't know what to do. This is when we are introduced to Rhys crew. Desperate to save Rhys, Daniel explains his new talent to the crew. With their help, his magic gets stronger. This is their story. The book is written well and easy to read. I liked both of the main characters more in this book. Their relationship is growing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a side note, some covers (not this one) make you believe it would be so much better just leaving it completely blank with just the title. Or just make you believe some publishers may or may not employ little children or people on trips (of the staying in one place, chemical ones) as their designers.

I am not claiming to be a genius with pictures but I do believe my amateur work is better than this series seems to have.

And while there are (to our utter shame) worse covers then this series, they are bad enough I felt compelled to log these books through more complicated means just so I can chose the edition and not cringe when I look at my read shelf.

Oh and the series was pretty nice.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

You need to read the first book in this series before reading this one.

Danny and Rhys are off to Venice for the winter holidays. Daniel is looking forward to the trip and time spent with his lover. But danger may be closer than they realize.

This story gives us a bit more background into Rhys. Though the story is rather short, it was very engaging. The connection between Rhys and Danny is a smoking as ever, but we start to get a little bit more of the emotion at least on Danny's side (though Rhys is certainly coming along as well). I'm excited to see what these two get up to next.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heist and a new trick

This next book in Cari Z’s series was non stop action from beginning to end.
Rhys and Daniel were a delight to read as they learned more about one another during a vacation in Venice.

As always with their adventures, not all is what it seems and poor Rhys is separated.

I loved reading this story so much. Daniel and Rhys have explosive chemistry and I get sucked into the story. I love how caring Rhys is about Daniel and vice versa.

I can’t wait for the next book!

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Rhys' past is revealed when he is kidnapped. They try to capture Daniel as well but he gets away and Rhys' coworkers help him. Daniel's gift has expanded and he uses it to rescue Rhys with the coworker's help. They arrange for Daniel's safety as long as he is in the States. Daniel and Rhys' relationship gets harder to maintain but they are determined to do so. More of Rhys' shifter ability is revealed and is both rare and interesting.

[Kkhmonrai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second book in Daniel and Rhys' story. Their plans for a relaxing holiday in Venice quickly go awry as they are ambushed by kidnappers. Daniel narrowly escapes and winds up in the company of Rhys' fellow thieves who had tracked them down. I liked getting more info on Rhys' history and his comrades. This book is fast-paced with nonstop action. Daniel's magic is developing and may be the only chance to save Rhys. Very exciting, and I am looking forward to the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book!

I'm glad the second book was just as good as the 1st. It was full of a lot of action and took place for the most part in Venice. The storyline is full of action, love and keeps you guessing as where the story will take you. I can't wait to get started on the 3rd book! My only complaint would be that I wish these books were a lot longer ! I love spending time in this world. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

You definitely need to read this book after the first, or else you'll be quite lost. Fast-paced, action-packed, and great character development -- individually and as a couple -- make this sequel a fantastic read I just had to read in one go. Can't wait for the next book!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lee Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

Rhys and Daniel sure have a trip of a lifetime! Here we get introduced to the whole crew that Rhys runs with. The Magic Daniel has is truly tested. A wonderful book that was very well written. Highly recommended

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

We get to know more about Rhys and his past. There is action and danger but I don’t believe the love yet. I’m hoping everything ties up in the end.

[Shymsal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars again for this second romp with Rhys and Daniel - though romp is a light word for the goings on, chasing, attacking, kidnapping, rescues, etc. Want to see where things go!

[Stephanie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please read book one before going to book two.

Finally taking a holiday, Danny and Rhys pack up and go to Venice. Unfortunately, danger never takes a day off.
Rhys is drugged and kidnapped. Danny narrowly escaped the same circumstances. The clock is ticking to find his love.
Danny's powers have increased. Let's hope they are strong enough to locate Rhys before it's too late.

**I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.**

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slash Readers: Daniel and Rhys are interesting characters, both different and yet both seem to be looking for something though they didn't know it yet. I like the fact that they seem to have an uncertain relationship. It keeps the reader reading to find out what's going to happen. I also like the fact that Daniel questions himself in terms of what happens. He doesn't just accept it but he wonders why he didn't turn Rhys over before he accepts it. I think that makes them much more human and it also adds some tension to the story.

As I mentioned above, I do think that this story was well planned enough that it would have worked as longer work. The tension could have been built up and played out better in the first or the second book. That isn't to say that there is anything wrong with either story as they are per-say. However, there was a lot of potential to do more and really suck the reader along and into this world that I think doesn't get used in this format.

I picked up these two after reading Cari Z.'s short work in the Myths & Magic: Legends of Love anthology. I was not disappointed by either story and would be quiet curious to see what this author could do with more pages. :)

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great follow on from the first part of the trilogy. In this episode we get to learn more about Rhys and his shadowy origins and activities. We also get to see Danny growing in the ability to use his powers and using these powers to rescue Rhys. There is quite a bit of drama packed into this short story but it is well paced and enjoyable. I like the way love is beginning to emerge between the two main characters along with the discovery of who Rhys really is. We also get to discover more about the supporting characters, especially Danny's mum. All in all a really good read. Now i am off to read the final part.

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second part gave us more detailed plotted view into Rhys life, on the run, and even Daniel and Rhys weird but pulling relationship. We could see that both of them developed deeper feelings for each other, which brought different problems their way. I liked this part.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good paranormal m/m romance in which Arcane Studies PhD student Daniel and his occasional lover Rhys head to Venice for Daniel's winter break. Things start out well for them...