15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME - Highly Recommended, September 11, 2007
Ten years earlier, Eleanor "Nell" Anslowe, a beautiful wealthy heiress was once betrothed to a Duke's heir. That was before the `accident' which left her lame and haunted by nightmares of hideous brutality - always the same perpetrator who remained in shadows, but different victims. Firmly off the shelf at twenty-nine she agreed to accompany her father to London for the season where she is looked at as the answer to the nefarious Lord Tynedale's way out of debt. Rebuffing his advances, Tynedale later kidnapped her with the intention of rape and forcing her to wed, but due to a storm along the way, Nell escaped and found shelter in a nearby hut.
Fate stepped in when on that same stormy night, Julian, the Earl of Wyndham was racing to prevent his step-sister from eloping to Gretna Greene. Thrown by his horse he also found shelter in the same hut as Nell and when Nell's father and brother discovered them Julian - who had vowed never to re-marry - did the honorable thing and offered marriage. Their marriage would blossom into a sensual and powerful love that would last forever....or until they could discover the identity of Nell's `shadow man' before he destroyed them both.
*** I was completely swept away from the very first pages of this tremendous Regency Romance mystery and read it in one sitting. The author combined all the elements I look for in a romance with two ideal lead characters truly meant for one another; after the requisite initial problems of conflict over their hasty marriage. Julian is kind, honorable, considerate, and in lust with Nell until he finally realizes he's fallen in love with his wife. While Nell's initial qualms over being married without love to a complete stranger are worked out in a reasonable amount of time, she has also fallen in love with her husband, but feels that his heart is bound to his deceased wife.
At first I was wondering why the author opened up the book with Nell's nightmares and then as the romance progressed the author simultaneously directed the intrigue towards the horror that Nell's nightmares were based in fact! As Nell's nightmares which Julian was trying to soothe away became more and more real, an event happened to make her realize that her initial nightmare of a man being killed was not a nightmare at all but a real event. At this point, Nell realized she was actually looking through the eyes of the madman. The author then built up the suspense with the introduction of legitimate and illegitimate cousins, uncles, and by-blows from Julian's rakish grandfather and uncle, giving the reader a wide range of possibilities as to what face belonged to the "shadow-man" from Nell's dreams, especially when the features of all the relations were so similar to one another. Thrilling with an edge-of -the seat climax, the author kept up the suspense right up to the spine chilling ending.
This was my very first book by the esteemed historical romance author Shirlee Busbee but it surely will not be the last. In short it was a fast and beautifully paced romance with a huge dollop of suspense and mystery that will keep the reader enthralled from beginning to end! What a treat!
Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization for www.paranormalromance.org
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It Was Okay, February 17, 2009
When Nell is forced to marry Julian to avoid a scandal she's not sure how her life will turn out. Although she's very attracted to him and he with her neither was confident about falling in love. But horrible, vivid nightmares and grisly murders pull the couple together as they begin to delve into Nell's past. Startling conclusions come to light eventually, but the story tends to drag along, then fizzle out. After the limp suspense and guessing throughout the book, when the murderer is revealed it comes across as weak and lacking in ingenuity. I was rather disappointed that there wasn't enough thought, intrigue and suspense used to reveal the culprit's identity. Busbee is usually an excellent writer, but this book was not her best.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked it., July 22, 2009
I've been on a recent less is more kick... as in, less sex hopefully means more actual intimacy and a stronger relationship between characters. This is one of those books! If you're looking for a trashy smut novel, this one isn't it. I definitely felt like I was reading a mystery novel with a love story in it versus a romance novel. I've read quite a few romances with a sci-fi/fantasy edge... the psychic abilities, telepathy, etc. I feel like the author handled this well- incredible but believeable. Given the amount of time that passes in this book, I do feel like it was a nice love story. The villains were really villains and the heroes were really heroes... none of this tortured rake who has no reedeeming qualities stuff.
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