Light And Shadow [Paperback]

Lisa Gregory (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Jove (June 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515081825
• ISBN-13: 978-0515081824
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,738,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Description, May 20, 2005

By 

Psboston7 "~ And so it Goes ~" (Upland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light And Shadow (Paperback)

A World of Reckless Deception

Jason Somerville aroused unquenchable fire in Carolyn Mabry ... burning desires like she had never known before.

Forcibly, he brought the beautiful actress to his ancestral home in England. Passionately, he made her his wife. But Carolyn knew her life was a charade, a lie she lived to protect her innocent twin sister.

There was no untruth in the overpowering feelings Jason aroused in her, there was nothing false about her desire for the strikingly handsome nobleman.

But would Jason reject her if he knew the truth? His determined pursuit was for the right woman -- living in her own world of reckless deception...

Book setting is Colonial North America

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars, January 24, 2012

By 

SusieQ (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light And Shadow (Paperback)

LIGHT AND SHADOW's basic plot has Carolyn Mabry, a down-on-her-luck widowed actress (who's been disinherited by her family due to her scandalous elopement) taking the place of her twin sister Cynthia, who's been unhappily married to the hero, Jason, for several years and finally ran away with a lover. (The marriage of Cynthia & Jason took place after Carolyn's disinheritance, so he's not even aware she has an identical twin.)

I liked the opening of the book, which has Jason (convinced by a cleverly-laid trail) coercing Carolyn, who he believes is his runaway wife, back home to his family estate in England. Carolyn goes along with Jason's conviction because she wants to protect and help her twin. (And not incidentially because she's been stuck with a third-rate acting company in the Caribbean and is longing to return to England.) The slow-growing attraction between Jason and Carolyn is believably sustained and filled with tension. Carolyn doesn't want to fall for Jason because he is after all her sister's husband as well as the probable cause of her sister's unhappiness; Jason doesn't want to feel his old attraction for Cynthia/Carolyn, because he believes "Cynthia" is teasing him with her sexuality and hasn't ever really loved him (which was always true in their past). There's a nice subplot involving Carolyn's love for Jason & Cynthia's disabled daughter, Laurel, who Cynthia ignored. Along the way, the reader learns, as Carolyn does, that Cynthia isn't the shy, sweet girl Carolyn thought she was.

Most of the story is written from Carolyn's perspective and it's a pleasure that she's such a decent, resourceful and intelligent heroine. Jason is a strong and attractive hero who finally gets a wife he deserves after the marriage from hell.

So why not five or even four stars? There's a mystery element in this romance which I didn't care for - there are numerous attempts on Carolyn's life and a kind of tenuous reach on the author's part to incorporate this as a reason for Carolyn to think Jason wants Cynthia dead. Frankly this part of the story bored me, and it made the story drag. Carolyn's attentions to neglected little Laurel and her growing attachment to Jason and vice-versa, were much more interesting to read than deducing who's making the attempts on her life and why. Although the author brought the mystery to a good (enough) conclusion, I still felt it took away from the romance. If I'm going to read a romance, I want a strong romance, and if I'm going to read a mystery, I want a strong mystery. LIGHT AND SHADOW had a pretty good romance but only a so-so mystery.

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Book!, July 10, 2011

By 

Beverly A. Martin "bowlerholic" (Huber Heights, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Light And Shadow (Paperback)

I read this book for the first time several years ago after borrowing it from a library, and really loved it. It has taken me this long to find it so I could buy it and read it again and again. I love the twists and turns in this book. It is truly a romantic story with a great ending that romance lovers will want to read!