His Shadowed Heart [Paperback]

Hazel Statham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2008

After the death of his wife, the Earl of Waverly, believing his heart irreparably damaged, enters into a marriage of convenience. Amidst conspiracy, can Caroline, his young wife, prove his salvation and bring joy into his life or will nefarious deeds destroy their chance of happiness?

Product Details

• Paperback: 235 pages
• Publisher: Wings ePress (2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597057568
• ISBN-13: 978-1597057561
• ASIN: 1597052671
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,942,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb regency romance in the traditional mode, June 5, 2009

By 

Susan Smith (A small rural village in the English Midlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: His Shadowed Heart (Paperback)

I truly enjoyed this novel, set in the regency period and peopled by characters who soon sweep you up into their lives. It had faint echoes of Jane Eyre and even Rebecca and included a mystery and some dastardly criminal activity.

Young Caroline Northam is the daughter of a suicide - a real social no-no in those days - and now survives by the grace of indifferent relatives. She is 19 years old but has a maturity beyond her years. Richard Moreton, Earl of Waverly is 34 and a man who has been badly burnt in the past by a woman who appears almost psychopathic in her behaviour. Without wishing to include a spoiler, let's just say that everything possible that would devastate a young man in love, is done to Richard by this woman. He is eventually widowed when his wife dies in childbirth and he is left to bring up the tiny baby girl. He is a loving, caring and sensitive father.

However, Richard's family think it is time to get on with life and, most particularly, to find a wife and mother for his daughter and so, at a social event, he comes across Caroline who sits quietly in shadows trying not to draw attention to herself. He invites her into a marriage of convenience thinking she will give him companionship and a mother for little Julia. They settle down at his family seat to a quiet family life.

Not for long! There are several really evil and nasty villains in this story whose interference with Richard and Caroline's life is very well done. These two men are not cardboard cut-outs - both have reason to hate Richard and so begins a protracted period of harrassment and violence that is extremely well portrayed.

And, as with others of Hazel Statham's heroes, Richard is touched by the green devil of jealousy so although he falls deeply in love with Caroline, it takes him a while to recognise what has happened to him and how to get her to accept it. Caroline, meanwhile, loves him deeply and, despite her youth and the age gap, at times she is more sensible than he is. Nevertheless, she is stubborn and not easily cowed and more than capable of standing up to him whilst being his firmest supporter.

The plot has twists and turns but what makes this book is, like others by this author, is the strong characterisations and the immaculate attention to dialogue and detail.

Very sadly, we must now await further work from Hazel Statham as I have now exhausted everything available. She writes beautifully and creates people about whom you care very, very deeply. She is on my keeper shelf and I recommend her highly to the fans of the well-written regency in the traditional style.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable romantic read, February 25, 2009

By 

Cheryl C. Malandrinos "johnnycat15" (Western Mass) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: His Shadowed Heart (Paperback)

An enjoyable, romantic read is what you'll find in Hazel Statham's "His Shadowed Heart".

The Earl of Waverly might never love again. After the death of his wife, he believes his heart irreparably damaged. Entering into a marriage of convenience to young Caroline Northam, the Earl settles in to a life with his daughter and new bride. Little does he know the affect Caroline will have on him.

But their new-found happiness is jeopardized by strange happenings and heinous acts attributed to the ghost of his first wife. Will their love be strong enough to survive?

This is the first Regency romance I've read, though I am a huge fan of historical fiction and historical romance novels. The story opens with the Earl of Waverly's (Richard's) sister, Lady Victoria Stanton, trying to bully her younger brother into remarrying, even if just for his daughter's sake. The entertaining exchange sets the mood for the remainder of their conversations, which I found almost as enjoyable as the tense moments between the earl and his cousin, Gerald Dent. The author goes to great extents to create Richard and it shows in every emotion and movement he feels and performs.

The rich details draw the reader right into the time period and through Statham's eloquent prose the reader discovers how much meaning can be found in a brief glance, a caress, a tender kiss to an upheld hand.

"His Shadowed Heart" by Hazel Statham should be on every historical romance lovers wish list.