Everyone has those moments in their lives when you have to make a choice. If you choose one thing, your life will follow one path; and if you choose another thing--a different path. ShadowsForge 1: Three Times a Hero is a book about people making life-altering decisions.

Taylor “Ty” Synclair has had enough of the rock star image and all that goes with it. After six years of being the bass player for one the most popular rock bands, ShadowsForge, he still loves creating and performing the music. It’s the endless parties with the alcohol and the drugs plus the faceless, nameless women who just wanted a trophy to take home along with the ability to say they slept with the band that bothers him. At twenty-four, Ty is at a crossroads in his life. Already married and divorced, he still wants a simple life with a wife who loves him for himself and children of his own. Ty knows that finding that special “one,” a woman who loves him and not his money or fame may never happen if he doesn’t make changes in his life.

Just three more days and she’ll finally be free. Free from the violence that is her life with boyfriend Les Roberts. Alexis Rivers has prepared everything: an apartment in Oregon, money saved up to tide her over until she finds a job, a plane ticket waiting for her at LAX, and a secluded little cabin so she can hide out until her plane leaves on Monday. What she hadn’t prepared for was a blizzard and Taylor Synclair.

The blizzard and ice were making the roads treacherous. Maybe this little trip into the hills to have some quiet down time after tonight’s performance wasn’t the smartest move he could have made, but Ty needed the peace and solitude. When an oncoming car loses control on the ice, Ty tries his best not to end up in the gorge below. Realizing that both he and the other driver were lucky the trees prevented their descent into the gorge, he gets to the other car to find a young woman severely bleeding from a head wound.

Ty pulls her from her car as it slides into the gorge below. With his vehicle their only shelter, Ty carries the unconscious woman back to his car. There he takes care of her wound and tries to decide on their next move. When Alexis regains consciousness, she tells Ty of the cabin that she has rented. They decide to head for it.

It’s been a long time since Ty has really gotten to know someone. Ty finds that in the peace and quiet of a secluded cabin, he finally has time to discover the joys of sharing a simple meal, conversation, and dreams. Alexis learns that not all men are like her ex-boyfriend. Some men actually like to share, that they can be tender and caring.

Will Ty and Alexis find that their dreams can come true in the snowbound shelter? What of the real world outside of the walls of their little cabin? Can Alexis survive the rock star lifestyle? Will Ty understand what drove Alexis to the extreme measures she took to escape her old life? When her old boyfriend shows up, will Ty be her hero for the third and final time?

When it was brought to my attention that ShadowsForge 1: Three Times a Hero was available for review, I jumped at the chance to read it. I had heard snippets about it and thought I’d like to read that. I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed. ShadowsForge 1: Three Times a Hero is a book about strength, growth and relationships--just the kind of book I love. Both Ty and Alexis have trials, but they grow past them and find both the strength of character to become better people and love in the end. While Ms. Galifany writes a story full of sexual tension, it doesn’t have a lot of gratuitous sex. If you are looking for a love story that is both sweet and sexy, I highly recommend ShadowsForge 1: Three Times a Hero.

Reviewed By Theresa Rhodes
© May 2006