Having heard so much about Jena Galifany's ShadowsForge series, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to review ShadowsForge 4: The Long Way Home so I could finally meet the boys in the band and see what they were up to this time around. You know how rock stars are, you never know what to expect!

What I truly never expected from The Long Way Home was a story that took us so deep into the past of ShadowsForge's drummer Brian Cummings. A troubled youth, Brian grew up in a small town in England and seemed bent on making trouble for his parents. Prone to drugs, alcohol and street fighting, Brian had seen more than his fair share of the miseries of the world even at the tender age of sixteen when we first meet him.

Brian knows he's going to be a member of a famous rock band someday despite the fact that he's only playing gigs three nights a week at a local pub with a band made up of his fellow mates. Just give him time; he knows he'll be one of the biggest names in the business quicker than you can snap your fingers.

Already having a few notches on his belt, Brian figures more is always better so he doesn't hesitate to get closer to Mia despite the fact that the foolish girl hits him with her car. A casual hook-up turns into a night of passion that Brian can't soon forget. Her deep blue eyes and brown hair keep coming back to him time and again and he realizes he's fallen for her hard. Too bad she's just gotten hitched to some rich bloke and is leaving town.

Mia Sutton isn't just any skirt; she's a skirt with a plan. After blackmailing Nolan, the rich boy who'd taken her virginity and promptly left her, she's realizes she's got to get herself pregnant to make good on the threat. Tonight she's out to find the lucky guy. Any guy will do, might as well be this cute one who ran into her car. His long hair is just to die for and he seems pretty nice.

Days after their encounter though, Mia's run into a problem. She's fallen in love with Brian and the wedding with Nolan is only days away. She knows she has to go through with the wedding, but isn't sure she's going to be able to forget Brian. How will she ever keep the secret?

As we follow Brian and Mia's lives, and later as we meet ShadowsForge's seamstress Diane Starling, we learn that life sometimes gives us second chances – but only we have to have the courage to put the past to rest and move forward, no matter how painful it might be.

ShadowsForge 4: The Long Way Home is a reader's dream. The tug of emotions I felt while reading Brian's story are a credit to Ms. Galifany as a writer. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion and besieged by frustration as life worked against Brian, Mia and Diane. Page after page I was drawn further into the lives of the characters, wanting to know what would happen next, hoping that somehow Brian's life would finally end in happiness.

Ms. Galifany has woven a tale of tragedy and love that is more genuine than any I have read in a long time. I wasn't expecting such a deeply moving story from a series devoted to a popular British rock band, but ShadowsForge 4: The Long Way Home is just such a story.

If you have not read the rest of the ShadowsForge series, do not hesitate to start with The Long Way Home. Ms. Galifany has woven enough history into the story that you will quickly learn about the other members of the band and some of the interesting adventures they have had.

If you are a devout ShadowsForge follower, I think you will be intrigued by the in-depth look into the past of their drummer and the secrets he's been carrying within him all this time.

As for me, I'm off to find the first three volumes of the ShadowsForge series so I can hear about all those amazing adventures these bad boys of rock have had a part in.

Reviewed By Sabine Maurier
© September 2007