The new Queen of the Southern United States, Miranda Grey- Solomon, is slowly learning just what it is to be a Queen; legions of vampires to patrol and an armada of Signet Pairs to play court to. Each regional leader, or Prime, is different and so far not one of them has met up to Miranda's standards. While she has not punched any in the face, there have been some close calls.

The first diplomat that Miranda must deal with is Hart from the Northeastern United States. There is no love lost between this "old school" vampire and Miranda. Hart comes from a time when women were meant as an adornment for a man's arm. Women held no place in government, had no power, and were essentially bought and sold on the whims of the men around them. Hart has even brought part of his own harem of slave women into Miranda's home! If that wasn't bad enough to start the sparks a flying, one of Hart's women has become brave enough to ask the new Queen for sanctuary. Granting her wish may just start a war between the Northeast and the South, but it is a chance that Miranda is willing to take to stop the travesty that Hart has made of his vampires. Of course, the next diplomat to visit should have been simple and easy...right?

The Prime of the West Coast, Deven, and his Consort, Johnathan, are old friends of her husbands, so this meeting should be the simplest of all. However, the secrets that David has been keeping from her make this meeting the most heartbreaking experience of her life and her relationship with her husband may be forever scarred from it.

As Miranda struggles to learn diplomacy, she is finding that her psychic abilities are growing in leaps and bounds that have not been seen in the vampire world for over a thousand years. Establishing a no-kill region was supposed to be the hardest part of the job, but for Miranda keeping everyone she loves safe and whole has become issue number one. The people around her seem to be dropping like flies, and the murderer has new technology that surpasses anything her husband, Prime David Solomon, has built. Their security is supposed to detect every vampire in the area and track their movements throughout Austin. The one exception is the one Shadow that moves through the night targeting those closest to the Queen. Where are the threats coming from and more importantly who is going to be next?

I absolutely loved this book! It was almost like I had been waiting for this story and it simply fell in my lap. I am hooked. Fans of vampire books everywhere, I have found the next big thing and it is the Shadow series by Dianne Sylvan. The twists and turns that Sylvan placed in this book, kept me flying through the pages. I found myself crying with the Queen during the hardest moments of a woman's life and I was cheering her on as she fought for the lives of the ones she loves. Queen Miranda is one of the strongest female characters I have come across and hands down this series is going to be sensational! I cannot rave enough over this one. The magic, mystery, intrigue, and each and every one of the characters have been well developed. SHADOWFLAME gave me all the high impact action, romance, and gore that I want in a book. Vampires aren't supposed to be pretty all the time and I love the fact that Sylvan understands this concept. I am so glad that I found this stunning series on book two!