Customer Reviews

The Duke of Shadows

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Lest you be deceived, this is not a rompy, light-hearted English historical like we see so often. This is a real, gritty story of love during wartime.

In 1857, Emmaline Martin's parents are escorting her to India to marry her lifelong fiancé, but their ship is lost at sea and Emma is the only survivor. Continuing on to Delhi alone, Emma, an artist, begins to see the cracks in the English society she's always known, and also entertains the doubts she's held for years about her fiancé. Adding fuel to her new introspection is Julian Sinclair, her fiancé's cousin who is somewhat marginalized by society because he's one quarter Indian.

Julian is a playboy straddling two worlds. Heir to an English Duke, he struggles to reconcile his two cultures. When an Indian uprising turns the English colonial world upside down Julian helps Emma escape and they take a rough journey toward safety.

This book was magnificent. It has been so long since I enjoyed a new historical this much. It has so much going for it I don't know where to begin. First, the setting: the first half of the book takes place in India, which I love. Duran's India is raw and real and exhilarating. She has a grasp of action and battle scenes rarely seen in Romance, my heart was honestly pounding during one scene. Her grasp on not only colonial India, but on Victorian London society make the book more like an experience than a read. Clearly she knows her stuff.

But the best part of this book--oh my gosh--is the characters. Emma is a complicated, genuine woman. She's independent for her time, but not a transplanted twenty-first century woman either. Her character development is the best I've seen in a heroine for longer than I can remember. She's a real artist: she feels her feelings, lets her heart overwhelm her, and doesn't fear passion.

Julian takes a bit of a backseat to Emma's internal journey, but he's still a compelling hero in his own right. I love his struggle with his English and Indian identities, it's very well done. He's had a pretty hard luck life, but he doesn't have a lot of ridiculous hang-ups or anything. Really, he's the perfect hero for this book, he has depth and shadows, but they're not overwhelming.

My only small quibble is that later in the book Emma gets emotionally hung up on something she did during the uprising that doesn't feel right to me. What she did, and why she did it was perfectly understandable, and it's hard for me to imagine the Emma from the first half of the book letting something like that get to her, and it feels like something forced to keep some suspense in the plot. But even still, it's a minor irritation in an amazing book.

I give The Duke of Shadows 5 stars out of 5, which I've never done. It's a good thing I didn't check the Amazon reviews before I bought this (it was an impulse buy at Borders after I read the first couple of pages) or I may never have found it as it has only excellent reviews, but in this case I have to say I heartily agree with them. Imagine my surprise, though, when I see on Amazon that this was a debut novel! Wow. Can't wait to see what Duran does next.

After I finished this book, I immediately got on IM and sent messages to my friends, telling them I'd just glommed The Duke of Shadows. I begged them to get it at once, toss out their TBR list, and devour it immediately.

I don't do story summaries. If you want the blurb, it's here on the page. This is homage. This is me, struggling to express all the ways the book succeeds, no, soars. Take a woman, saturated with loss. Cast her to a man who has worn so many faces, he is no longer sure which is his true self. In many ways, Julian is a soul divided, and Ms. Duran portrays it with such grace and valor that I will always, always remember this hero, and his love for the complex, passionate Emmaline.

The Duke of Shadows was pitch-perfect, not a single wrong note. This book ravished me. The writing is lovely and luminous, bedizened with subtle poetry. It hit me like a fist in the chest, rousing a sudden, shocking ache. In reading this, you will be permeated with yearning. Some sentences are so lovely, they make you say, "Oh," in quiet, helpless admiration. This book is pure beauty married to elegance and simplicity.

I could go on, but I think I will let you discover the rest yourself. I want to read The Duke of Shadows again, again, again. The characters were so well-drawn and compelling, and the plot smart and well-researched. And the emotional intensity...good God, it was gut-wrenching. I found myself in tears more than once, and that doesn't happen often. This book is perfection, better, in fact, than any historical romance I've ever read. I am astonished to find a work of such proficiency and power in a debut author.

If Meredith Duran is not a superstar in ten years, taking her place amid such luminaries as Laura Kinsale and Loretta Chase, then the world is mad. Read this book.

In a phenomenally written historical romance about the Rebellion in India during the mid-1800's, Ms. Duran brings the splendor and trauma of this time to life and shows the richness of a culture that fought to remain, and the soldiers of England who were traumatized by this war. Yet in all the chaos, there is beauty and love between two remarkable characters, the very young and beautiful Emmaline Martin and the handsome and cynical Julian Sinclair, The Duke of Auburn.

When Emma's fiancé's betrayal leaves Emma trapped in India with no other family to help save her and get her out of India, she has no choice but to turn to Julian for help. The situation they find themselves in turns into an attraction for each other that deepened into an intense love. During the turmoil of the rebellion, Julian loses Emma and thinking her dead, returns to England and mourns her for years. But Emma is very much alive and has felt deserted by Julian. Using her talent as an artist, she sketches and paints the horrors of the India Rebellion over the years and is then encouraged to show her art in a special showing. Julian, struggling through his mourning, is finally pushed to return to society. Considered a traitor in India and a hero in London, Julian feels lost in both worlds until without Emma until he attends the special art show, recognizes the artist by the work he sees and discovers his Emma is alive! Emma's love has turned to indifference at feeling abandoned, while Julian's deep loss turns to anger at the thought that Emma was alive and never contacted him. But the years of feeling betrayed between them both has really intensified their love. Will Emma and Julian learn to come to terms with the past and the present, while at the same time discovering who the real traitor in India was?

In this well-written story, there is much intensity, mystery, and sensuality in a story that shows the ugliness of war, yet beauty and love that can rise from it all. Ms. Duran has done a wonderful job at research about a complicated time in history. The characters have such depth throughout the span of time of the story. It is sensual in a way that no other story could be given the time and situation the characters find themselves in. A Gather.com contest winner, The Duke of Shadows is truly a wonderful debut that reads as if it were written by a master of history and romance.

STORY BRIEF:
Emma is a wealthy heiress. Her parents arranged her marriage to Marcus, who was stationed in India. Emma was on a ship going to India when it sunk. She was the only survivor, floating on the sea. An Irish ship picked her up and took her to India. She doesn't love Marcus. She knows he is sleeping with other women. He only wants her for her money. Julian is ¼ Indian and ¾ British. He is heir to a title and wealth in England, but currently lives in Delhi. He and Emma meet and later fall in love. The Indians rebel against British occupation. Julian takes Emma to a safe place in another town and then returns to Delhi to help negotiate between the Indians and the British. He promises Emma he will come back for her. Due to rebels killing British women, Emma is forced to flee and ends up with British troops, constantly moving to new locations. A few years later she returns to London. She is an artist and paints pictures of the horrors she witnessed. The pictures sell quickly.

REVIEWER'S OPINION (WITH SPOILERS):
I had trouble with Emma being mad at Julian. He searched extensively in many locations for her during the rebellion. After he was told she was dead, he left India. For her part, she was hiding with British troops and using a false name Anne. Her plan was that if Julian came to her location, someone would say to her, there's a man looking for someone named Emma. Then she would come out and say "I'm Emma, I'm not really Anne. Where is he?" She hated Julian for leaving her in India. Four years later they accidentally see each other in London. Julian is shocked because he thought she was dead, and he told her so. Emma is angry and tells him to stay away from her. She plans to leave the country to get away from him. Her reason was (page 227) "her rage had made her strong. But what of the time when rage began to fail her? It surely would, eventually. Her heart was breaking, when she had thought it in bits already. To go through all this again, to let him smash her once more, was not a choice." In my opinion, a rational person would have understood and forgiven Julian, once she learned the facts. She had been in love with him and still was. He did nothing wrong. Emma's anger at Julian was the basis for conflict between them for the next third of the book. I could not sympathize.

This book gets high marks for plot, intrigue and events. I learned about the British occupation and the Sepoy uprising. There was a lot of potential with all the different characters - who was doing what and why. My problem was I didn't care enough about the characters, other than feeling sorry for Julian being matched up with this irrational heroine (Emma). The dialogue was ok but nothing special.

An example of an intriguing event had to do with "the evidence." I liked the creativeness of how the evidence was displayed. But I had trouble with "why" it was displayed as it was, without knowing what it said. The person displaying "the evidence" feared being hanged for it. I also had trouble with "why" the evidence was hidden where it was. In other words, the events surrounding the evidence were interesting and different, but it was not logical that someone would do this. I suppose one might say that after experiencing horrible events, post-traumatic-stress-syndrome might cause someone to do illogical things, but it didn't feel that way to me.

DATA:
Story length: 371 pages. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 18. Setting: 1857 India and 1861 London. Copyright: 2008. Genre: historical romance.

As a debut book, this book deserves 4 stars; otherwise, I would have given it three. I won't go over the plot again but offer a few observations:

The author dances around the edge of the politics of the Mutiny and makes some oblique references to the issues at hand but if fleshed out a bit more, there would have been a more substantial feel to the setting. I think she fails to capture the essence of India under the Raj and therefore deprives her characters of a real stage upon which to act out the story.

I felt that the hero, Julian, was rather two dimensional. We never really learn what makes him tick. We know he has a mixed racial heritage but we never fully understand the implications for him and how it impacts on his world view, his social standing, etc. And Emma was also a little strange. I found her stiff and lacking in emotion although I accept that she was traumatised by the events in the novel, she still seemed not to be warm and loving; indeed, she comes to life only when she is having sexual relations with Julian.

I love books set in India and the Mutiny is a poignant episode that many authors have used. When I compare this with Valerie Fitzgerald's Zemindar, or some of Emma Drummond's work, I think this book comes up far short.

I think this author clearly has talent but she needs to create characters more rounded that the reader can truly emphathise with. She needs to exploit her settings if she is going to use those that are exotic and unfamiliar. Although I can't say I would rate this a keeper, it was a good effort and the author can clearly go a long way.

The Duke of Shadows is a powerful, emotionally provocative journey of the heart. Love. Love lost. And the heartache of reclaiming that love through redemption. Emmaline and Julian's emotions leap off the pages and twist at your gut. The inner struggle for the happiness they deserve is heart wrenching to the end. They are just so right together, the chemistry between them is fabulous and oh so right! I loved this book. Meredith Duran has a beautiful, compelling way with words. If you're one who tears up in books then I suggest you have a box of tissue handy. This one is a winner.

Brava, Ms. Duran! What an amazing debut you have made. This book was absolutely luscious; once started, I could not put it down. It's a sweeping story of duty and honor, love and betrayal, loss and redemption. The author's use of imagery and her ability to evoke emotion is unsurpassed. I can't recall the last time I read a romance that so fully captured my senses. I fell in love with both Emma and Julian; both of these characters are unforgettable and their story will capture your heart. I knew this book would be good, but it exceeded all of my expectations, and I can't wait for Ms. Duran's next release. I'm also hoping that Lord Lockwood will soon have his own story!

Emmaline and Julian come together under the most horrific circumstances. They find love in a war zone, and then become seperated. Emmaline keeps waiting for Julian to come back and rescue her, but he never comes, and she is subjected to levels of emotional torture nobody should have to endure. She deals with her post-traumatic stress by withdrawing from the world, and only expresses herself through art. It takes Julian's return into her life to bring her alive again.

This story was beautiful and heart-wrenching. It was so well-written, at times it was painful to read. It was also very beautiful. Books like this make me feel lucky that the literary world can still produce authors who are able to write an instant classic. Thank you thank you thank you.

Set in the mid-1850's. It opens with Emmaline Martin, holding on for dear life to an overturned rowboat. The ship had gone down during a ferocious storm. The crew was lost, and so were her parents. Emma, the sole survivor, clung to that rowboat until rescued by a freighter and brought ashore.

Her intended, Marcus Lindley, is introduced early in the story. An idiot and a complete jerk, his attitude towards her wouldn't surprise me in this day an age. But for him to be so hurtful toward her is uncalled for, and only angers the reader.

Emmaline is a very intelligent young woman, educated well. But she is not celebrated for her brain; women are not meant to concern themselves with a man's job. She's berated for her talent in art.

We meet the Marquess, Julian Sinclair, early in the story as well. He's quite taken with Emma, and not just for her looks.

When war breaks out in India, Emma is forced to save herself, for Lindley left her to the wolves. The only reason he agreed to the marriage was because of her money. But he was also left as her guardian, which means he can access those funds, even before marriage, as long as she is with him. Saving herself, she ends up running into Julian, who helps her escape.

Half-Hindu, half-English, Julian is welcomed in certain circles, and hated it others. He does what he can to keep Emma safe, and falls in love with her at the same time. He leaves her in a safe city, to return to Dehli to save his cousins, when the palace is attacked, and Emma is forced to flee.

Years later, then end up 'bumping' into each other when her paintings are put on display. She'd fallen in love with him as well, and it hurt to see him. He had promised to come for her. He never did. She no longer wants anything to do with him. For everyone she's ever loved left her in some fashion, and she won't subject her heart to it again.

Julian, now the Duke of Auburn, becomes rude and cruel, not wanting to show how much seeing Emma hurt, not wanting to show how badly she'd gotten under his skin. Being rejected by the one person he wanted singed just enough.

But can he figure out how to keep her out of trouble?

**Okay, I liked Emma. I thought the girl had spirit, gumption and brains. I'm very glad that she had finally agreed to put her paintings out there. A great heroine indeed, never caring what others thought of her, and I liked that about her immediately.

Julian is a hero in true fashion. Even after the attack on the palace, he'd continued looking for her. For 6 long years. And never found her, until that moment. No matter what happened before, or for his rudeness and cruelty after, his reaction to seeing her again endeared me to him.

Marcus ... oh, if I could have jumped into the book, I'd have beaten the crap out of him. He was a selfish son of a ... right from the beginning, and I hated his attitude.

Emma's cousin, Delphinia, drove me nuts, believing she had the 'right to look out for her cousin'. Give me a break.

All the attacks bugged me. While I do like a good fight scene, there were too many attacks. Especially on Emma. If the author wanted us to feel badly for Emma, she got that right from the start. But enough was enough, already! Being subjected to Marcus was more than enough, at the beginning and then after. There's only so much a person can take before going mad, and I think if one more had happened to Emma, a straight jacket would have been called for. And I think perhaps that's what bugged me. All the crap that was being loaded on Emma, just to have Julian treat her like he did in the second half of the story... The scenery was, I think, perfect. It's not often we read a historical romance set in that scene.

And I can say I'm very glad that I don't life in those times. I hate it very much when men put women down, and I think that's why I have a hard time reading some historical romances.

I can say bravo to Ms. Duran, who deserved to have her book with the [...] First Chapters Romance Writing Competition win the top prise. I'll be looking for more of her work for sure. I very much like her writing style, and she can suck you into the story. It is quite possible I wasn't in the mood to read a historical romance, which happens occasionally.

What an amazing debut! Upon first seeing this book on the store shelf, I had thought "The Duke of Shadows" was going to be a light and easy read. Another in a sea of soup opera romances. I started reading it for fun and quickly found myself captivated. I was hooked by the amount of devastation, hope, despair, triumph, and genuine love this new author was able to portray through her characters and overall story. Both the hero and heroine are smart, brave, and utterly "real". Both become forever changed by the horrors of the war they live through. In the end, they each have lost any semblance of naivete but they find a new chance to hope through their love for one another. Very powerful!


PART 1:
Julian has lived his life torn between loyalty to two waring nations. He is a mix of English and Indian. Never completely embraced by either, he has learned to accept being an outcast. His challenge is only eased by his English title, "Duke of Auburn".

The English have been slowly taking over Indian lands. More and more of English society have been moving to India to claim a piece of it for their own. Young and naive, Emma arrived in India to meet with her fiance. She has lost all of her family. The only thing keeping her in society is her huge inheritance. At a ball announcing her engagement, Emma meets the mysterious Duke of Auburn. Her fiance warns her to stay away from Julian, but Emma is intrigued. Julian can't help but feel charmed by Emma's willingness to thumb her nose at society.

The people of India are tired of being treated as slaves in their own land. A rebellion is rising. Julian has tried to warn English officials, but they arrogantly believe the Indian people won't dare to strike against English troops. When Hell brakes lose, Julian's first priority is to get Emma to safety. He will then return to help his Indian relatives escape the war zone.

While traveling together for several days, Julian and Emma fall in love. Leaving Emma to return for his family is the hardest thing he has ever done, but Julian is sure she is in a safe place with his friends.

The rebels are everywhere, slaughtering every English man, woman, and child. Emma is forced to run for her life. For months she travels with other English survivors, waiting for Julian to find her. He promised to come for her. He declared his love for her. When she hears that he has left India and returned to England without her, her soul is all but destroyed.

Julian is devastated. After burying his Indian cousin, he set out to retrieve Emma. For months he searched for her. There is no trace. Only word that she ran for her life, with rebels on her heals. With no hope left, Julian is forced to accept that Emma has been killed. His heart broken beyond repair, Julian returns to England alone.


At this point, PART 2 of the story begins. It is 4 years later. Both Emma and Julian are back in England. Julian has been living as an empty shell, never able to heal from the loss of Emma. Emma has been closeting herself from the world, too broken over her experiences in India and her belief that Julian left her in India to die alone. When Julian finds Emma alive, the odds against them are fierce. Is there any chance for them? Can he possibly bring Emma out of the dark and cold shelter she has built around herself? Both Julian and Emma are changed people... Perhaps they are each a bit "deranged" by all they experienced. Perhaps they are the only hope for one another. Perhaps love can restore light and life.


If you are looking for pretty and sweet, look elsewhere. This story has far more depth. Julian and Emma get their HEA, but it is earned.


If you love romance novels with deep emotional substance, try this two- book series:
The Pride of Lions
Blood of Roses
Bring the Kleenex!