Kissed by Shadows (Get Connected Romances) [Kindle Edition]

Jane Feather (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set during a period of political unrest and persecution, the final entry in Feather's 16th-century Kiss trilogy (following To Kiss a Spy) will hook readers at the outset, but it may not hold their attention throughout. When Lady Philippa Nielson meets Lionel Ashton, a close confidant of Queen Mary and King Philip II, she has the eerie sense that she's met the mysterious English lord before. Lionel denies the connection, but the more time she spends with him, the more convinced she becomes. As Pippa's friendship with Lionel grows, her relationship with her husband, Stuart, deteriorates. She suspects he's having an affair, but it isn't until she learns she's pregnant that she discovers the truth: both she and Stuart are pawns in a plot to secure Queen Mary's place on the throne, and Lionel, whom Pippa has come to trust and even love, may be one of the Queen's puppeteers. Feather skillfully draws out the intrigue and immerses readers in the time period with her descriptions of court costumes and customs. However, her tendency to overstuff the novel with details undermines the suspense. Though the pace plods at times and the secondary romance between Pippa's brother and Lionel's Spanish ward lacks depth, Feather's firm grasp of history and compelling plot will push readers past the slow spots.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Lady Pippa has always been a carefree young woman, so it's surprising to find the newlywed embroiled in a political plot, and, indeed, no one would be more astonished than she. Pippa's husband, Lord Nielson, is a favorite of Queen Mary, but she's making her disfavor known. And unbeknownst to Pippa, she's part of an intricate plan to guarantee the Catholic succession, so King Philip can bring the Inquisition to England. Pippa knows all is not well with her husband, but she has no idea she's being drugged at night and used by Philip to produce a child while her husband looks on. King Philip is blackmailing Nielson and the only person who can help Pippa is Lionel Ashton, although he's also involved in her violation. Will Pippa be able to trust Ashton and save herself and her unborn child? This fascinating follow-up to To Kiss a Spy [BKL F 1 02] is rife with danger and intrigue. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 514 KB
• Publisher: Bantam (February 4, 2003)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FBFMTI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,151 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Exploitation as Romance? Yuck!, February 12, 2003

By 

Siusaidh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kissed by Shadows (Get Connected Romances) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book sickened me. How on earth Jane Feather can expect us to accept the relationship between Phillippa and Lionel, even after Phillippa realizes that Lionel was the one taking her (drugged and helpless) to and from the king each and every time she was raped, I just can't comprehend. If there had been some kind of satisfactory repentance on Lionel's part, some kind of show of self-loathing at what he had done, maybe I could have accepted the "love" story. But as it is, no way. Phillippa deserved better than that, and the author threw her away. A disgusting story by an author whom I expected better from.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing and truly unromantic plot . . ., August 12, 2003

By 

rawreader "rawreader" (columbus, oh) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kissed by Shadows (Get Connected Romances) (Mass Market Paperback)

While I generally enjoy Jane Feather's books, I was deeply disturbed by the premise of the novel. The "hero" facilitates the sexual assault of the heroine, and while it is supposedly distasteful to him, his discomfort did not stop him from repeatedly aiding rape. That is NOT romantic. The heroine forgives him fairly easily, and after two other books featuring this character I had truly wanted better for her. NOT well done, Ms. Feather. Not well done at all.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, April 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Kissed by Shadows (Get Connected Romances) (Mass Market Paperback)

Jane Feather is a talented author who likes to tackle new and challenging ideas in her books. Sadly, this one just doesn't work for me. The hero is the biggest problem. Not only did he facilitate the heroine's rape, he also chose to keep her in the dark when the two of them were already engaged in an affair. Character development was insufficient, I just can't indentify with the hero's so called tormented past and his reasons for taking part in that hideous plot. The heroine doesn't fare any better either. I don't find myself sympathise with her despite the fact that she was a victim and can't understand why she chose to forgive him. The complete lack of chemistry and the big "ick" factor totally put me off.