Customer Reviews

Shadow Lover

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tired of the same old romantic suspense written by once favorite authors that promise much but deliver little? If so, read SHADOW LOVER, cleverly crafted by Anne Stuart who never lets her devoted fans down. Alexander MacDowell, morally bankrupt, degenerate and beautiful, has returned home after eighteen years to reclaim his place in the bosom of his spiteful, sniping family. Or has he come after the sizable fortune he will inherit from his terminally ill mother? Or will he instead claim Carolyn, the MacDowell family's own Cinderella? Would you recognize your first love were he to return to you after almost twenty years? Carolyn believes she would. And this Alex is not the boy who tormented her as an adolescent and who torments her now as a charming and all too sexy man. While falling under his spell once more, she nonetheless tries to unmask him as a fraud. And while she longs for this man to be Alex, she knows he can't be. Because Carolyn saw Alex murdered as she hid behind an abandoned boat the night he was shot to death at the family's beach house. Yet this impostor knows family secrets so private that he must be the resurrected Alex. Could some miracle have spared his life, or is someone in the family plotting with him in order to gain a share of the inheritance? Surprising, sexy and suspenseful, this novel is another in a long line of winners from Anne Stuart. You won't want this great read to end, but you'll be compelled to race through it to discover the truth of Alex's identity. If you enjoy this novel, try Stuart's other more recent novels of the same vein, MOONRISE, NIGHTFALL, or RITUAL SINS. You won't be disappointed.

Wow, Im not even sure how to start. I had one of her books recommended for me from Amazon, so I checked out the books under her name and saw a whole bunch of four and five star books, so I ordered this book as well as another by Anne Stuart and I figured I would read the older book first. I have never read her, so I was not sure what to expect. I knew it was romantic suspense, but Ive read books that are suppose to be romantic suspense but most end up being suspense books with a crappy romance story. Linda Howard is one of my favorite authors from that genere and Ive never found anyone who compares, until now. I dont know if this book is like the rest she has written and I dont care. I was not even really looking foreward to reading the book. Then I picked it up and started to read it. I finished it in one day. I was swept into the story right away and I couldnt stop. It kinda sucks you in, shakes things up, rattles them around, keeps you on the edge to the point where you are so sure you right about everything to then fall flat on your face. You get so into the story, you cant figure out who is wrong, him? her? or you? Quite a whirl wind effect. It was hard to figure out what was happening or why unless she decided to tell you. This is a masterfully weaved mystery. I cant believe all these years and I never knew what I have been missing. I dont want to go into the plot cause everyone else already did, but it was a good one. I was really surprised. Now, I am going to begetting every book that I can find. I highly recommend this book. Make sure you have plenty of time because nothing is going to be able to tear you away and hold your attention until you finish that book.

Ever since reading Anne Stuart's Ritual Sins, I can't seem to get enough of this author.

Shadow Lover was another Anne Stuart masterpeice. Dark, powerful, with many twists and turns. Eighteen years earlier, Alex MacDowell ran away leaving a distraut mother and Carolyn, the foster child. Now that his mother is on her deathbed, he's back. Is it the real Alex, or an imposter?

Throughout her childhood Carolyn Smith idolized Alex, even though he tormented her. On the night he left, Carolyn followed him to the beach and watched as someone shot him and murdered him. Now another Alex is in the picture and Carolyn has fallen in love with him. Has she fallen in love with an imposter?

Anne Stuart's Shadow Lover is one of those books that grab you from the beginning and you can't put it down until all questions are answered. This is a hands down must read!

And make sure to start this book when you have plenty of time to finish, this is one book that is very, very hard to put down...

This was my second Anne Stuart book, and this one, so different in style from the first book I read by her, has established in my mind that this is a consistently top-notch author, no matter what the type of storyline.

Shadow Lover features a classic "bad boy" hero, yet at the same time he is surprisingly endearing, he grows on you. (Is that the fascination there is for that kind of hero - the challenge of making him a lovable man? I wonder).

Is he or isn't he? Is he who he says he is? Is he who she thinks he is? Or is he all of the above? Possibly none of the above? Previous reviewers have outlined the plot, but the part that was impressive for me was the way I, the reader, had my emotions tied in knots. One minute I thought - yes, he is! Then the next minute, no he's not! This is not so much about an ending - is he or isn't he? But rather the ride, it's sort of like an emotional roller coaster where you don't know where the roller coaster is going, you never know where Ms. Stuart is going to go next, but boy, do you care!

Anne Stuart is a master at manipulating emotions, and she is also a fabulous writer who can transmit a mood by just a few words. She is also an author with an instinctive knowledge of the human psyche. What her pen sometimes shows us is not always a very pretty sight - yet we know that it's true, nevertheless. Her understanding of both the good and the bad of human nature, and her talent in writing it realistically is what makes her an excellent writer, and her portrayal especially of the "dark side" is what gives her novels that *edge* - and an edge-of-your-seat reading experience.

I don't usually like these kind of dark and suspenseful novels, but Anne Stuart is such a good writer that I forgot that part. Oh, and did I mention that Anne Stuart is a good writer?

Excellent work by Anne Stuart, this book will keep you reading all the time, and when you can't read it because you are at work or at the movies, you will think about what will happen next in the book. The way that Alex-Sam makes his plans to know the truth about his life will not let you forget about the book until you finish it.

I expected this to be more of a romance than a suspense novel. I was quite surprised to find that it was actually quite an excellent thriller/suspense novel. The only romance-novel-type element that shows up are a few graphic, x-rated scenes. Overall, though it was suspense all the way.

Carolyn Smith is the foster child to someone she calls Aunt Sally. Aunt Sally is a very wealthy widow who is dying. Carolyn, always dutiful, quits her job and goes to her Aunt's bedside to help her through the long winter and her eventual death. Carolyn is completely unselfish and expects nothing in return. Soon, however, the house is filled with selfish family members who are eager to inherit the old woman's fortune. Least expected of all is the return of Aunt Sally's spoiled son Alex.

To say more would give away too much of the plot. Other than a few graphically intimate scenes, this is a suspense novel through and through. It is well written. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the amazingly surprising end. I was glad I read this book and I hightly recommend it.

Although this may be the lightest of Anne Stuart's books, it still is one of the best! There is a is he, or isn't he-mystery along with a few scares, and great, sensual love scenes. The protagonists have a wonderful byplay that keeps you entertained. Loved this book!

This is one of the best books Ive read in a long time. It is supenseful, romantic and just plain wonderful. Go out and buy this book. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. This is the first book I've read by Anne Stuart, but it won't be my last.

This is the actual book that turned me into a romance novel reader. This book is so good that once you pick it up you are not going to want to put it down until you finish it. Most romance novels don't have a plot to back it up but this one has that and even more. The back drop story is so intriguing and suspensful that it adds to the steamy hot love story.

This is the first book by Anne Stuart that I have read. This was a good book and I intend to read more from this author. This was a very intriguing story. Carolyn saw her often-unkind stepbrother, Alex, murdered when she was a girl. Eighteen years later he shows up at the family home just in time to claim his place as the legal heir to a huge family fortune. Is this Alex or an imposter? This was very captivating story. The only problem I had is that if Alex was so terrible to Carolyn as a child, how could she remain so devoted to him?