Her dear father died before convincing people of the existence of ghosts, so Jade Nethercott and her sisters set out to prove him right. Meanwhile, a ghost named Renshaw reveals to Jade his murderer's identity-Lord Bannatyne, notorious rake-so that she might protect Renshaw's fiancee. A nervous Jade finagles a meeting with Bannatyne, but he proves to be anything but rakish when he risks arrest rather than ruin Jade's reputation. Now she must decide whether to heed the ghost's warning-or follow her heart...
Lost in Shadow (Signet Eclipse)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Jade Nethercott's father went to his grave believing in ghosts, and being ridiculed for it. But now she has proof to restore her father's reputation. The ghost of his old student stands before her ready to try to help, for a price. He needs Jade to help catch his murderer—Lord Bannatyne, his fiancée's brother—and protect his beloved's life. Bannatyne is a known rake, and Jade soon finds herself engaged in a battle of wit and wills. Neglected by romance writers in the craze for vampires and werewolves, ghosts are reappearing in paranormal romances, and Kelley offers up a smashing good reason to encourage their comeback. Mixing a Regency romp with a classic gothic plot and a liberal dose of steamy sensuality, Lost in Shadow should be a real find for romance readers. Keep it front and center on your shelf and leave room for the forthcoming Nethercott sister tales. Davis, Nina C.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous.,
By
This review is from: Lost in Shadow (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)
Miss Jade Nethercott is the middle daughter of Lord Nethercott, a professor who died before he could prove that ghosts were real. Since her father encouraged his daughters to ask questions and actually think (unlike most Society ladies), Jade did not run screaming when the ghost of Sir Mitchell Renshaw appeared in front of her. Lord Renshaw says that Jade's father told him to seek her out in hopes of bringing Lord Renshaw's killer to justice. Lord Renshaw is just as pompous and condescending in death as he was in life. This, of course, grates on Jade's nerves at times. Yet Lord Renshaw tells Jade that should she help him find proof against his killer, he would have the spirit of Jade's father come visit her. Lord Renshaw also promised to try to become visible to others so that Jade can prove to the world her father was correct in his research of ghosts. Jade agrees. Lord Renshaw's ghost swears that Lord Bannatyne, the brother of his fiancée, Lady Persis, is the one who stabbed him in the back and killed him, even though he never actually saw Lord Bannatyne's face. Lord Renshaw knows that Lord Bannatyne's knife was used and that is all the proof he needs for himself. However, the living requires more proof than simply the knife, since anyone else could have used it. Lord Renshaw insists that the proof Jade must retrieve can only be found in the demimonde. (This is where gentlemen find various mistresses and cyprians.) Even knowing this task could ruin her, Jade is determined to succeed. As one last favor, Lord Renshaw asks Jade to contact Persis and let her know that she could very well be in mortal danger.
Lord Gideon Bannatyne, third viscount, has a low reputation even without people whispering that they believe he murdered Lord Renshaw. So he is amazed when Jade walks directly up to him and requests his assistance in helping her slip into the demimonde to discreetly question some of the demimondaines. Normally Gideon would refuse, but something about Jade has him making a deal with her. He would help Jade in her quest, yet should she not have her answers by the seventh night, Jade must spend a month in Gideon's bed. Only shortly thereafter, Gideon proves he is not totally a cad when he risks arrest rather than ruin Jade's reputation. Once they have leaped that particular hurdle, Gideon introduces Jade to Miss Sharla Maguire. Sharla is the mistress to another gentleman, but a dear friend to Gideon, and she agrees to tutor Jade, for a week, in how to behave like the women in the demimonde. In this way, Jade should be able to slip in and out of the demimonde without Society ever hearing of it. But someone out there seems to be gunning for Gideon and will stop at nothing to succeed. ***** Author Jocelyn Kelley proves that she can easily cross genres with this suspenseful novel set in London's Regency era. Readers are treated to ghostly tasks, drama, and romance all wrapped up in a fascinating murder mystery! Sharla is the best secondary character, imho, of the story and I hope to see more of her in future tales. Recommended as one of the highest dramas I have read all year! Fabulous! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
entertaining paranormal Regency romance,
This review is from: Lost in Shadow (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)
Research professor Lord Nethercott was working on proving that ghosts live. However, before he can prove his theory he dies leaving a legacy to his daughters to question everything and to expect the unexpected.
So when the ghost of Sir Mitchell Renshaw visits Nethercott's middle child Jade, she thinks nothing of seeing a spirit. Mitchell swears that he met her father who wants her to help him bring his killer brought to justice. In death as in life Mitchell is an obnoxious bore, but she agrees to help him if he manifests in front of other people; proving her beloved dad was not a crackpot. He accepts her terms with the additional stipulation she find proof that the disreputable Lord Gideon Bannatyne, the brother of his fiancée, killed him. Jade meets Gideon and requests he help her as she has some questions. He decides to assist her on her quest for one week, but if she fails to find what she seeks she will join him in his bed for one month. However, he hides for now his honorable willingness to risk a murder arrest rather than ruin his Jade. Leaving Queen Eleanor and her female knights in the Medieval Times, Jocelyn Kelley provides an entertaining paranormal Regency romance. The lead couple is a fascinating pairing as his rep is tattered yet he acts honorable towards her. The dilemma Jade faces as to who to believe, her beloved or a ghost she disdained when he was alive and still does now that he is dead though she knows not to say anything bad about those who passed away but not on. Regency readers will enjoy this fine tale of love amongst the spirited crowd. Harriet Klausner
1.0 out of 5 stars
I JUST DIDN'T GET IT,
By
This review is from: Lost in Shadow (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)
I had a really hard time following the plot of this story. Through the whole thing I kept feeling I missed something. The story seemed to bump along in a jagged scraping together that didn't make much sense. For example, it might say `she lowered the lorgnette' and I couldn't remember her RAISING it in the first place; details like that were either missing, or so inconsequential they made no impact. I felt disjointed the whole way through.
There is a carriage accident, where Jade almost becomes a ghost, I thought because she was seriously injured, but it turns out it was so minor an injury as to totally refute her almost ghostliness. If the author had made it feel like it was a dream or whatever, it would have been more believable than the way it appeared. The real ghost appears for no reason- he doesn't lend any impact to the story, doesn't help it develop or move along, but just seemed to be a place holder and not really germane to whatever the plot was supposed to be. Another thing that bothered me: a tree falls on the house, and Jade risks her life to shimmy along a broken floor to retrieve a couple of books! The house wasn't on fire, so it's not like the books would be destroyed! They would simply fall into the debris and could be picked up later. It just didn't make any sense. Why send for Gideon after the tree fell? Why would Jade send him notice that she and her sisters were fine, when she had no reason to think he cared for her in any sense other than physical? IF she had been waiting tearfully for his arrival, it might have made sense, but she seemed surprised that he arrived hastily. It would have been a better plot to have him find out the next day and been shocked at his own fear that something had happened to her and he wasn't there to help (why didn't she send for him in her time of need? etc., etc., etc.). Then he insists the three sisters and their chaperone stay at his house. This would not have been done, since he wasn't a relative or close friend of the family, unless he stayed at his club or a hotel and gave them the whole house (his sister was still there, but pretty much an invalid in bed). It would NOT have been proper for him to remain under the same roof, even if there was a chaperone- he would have vacated the premises if there was truly no other place for them to stay. He went to go sleep in a chair in his study- for how long? Weeks? He couldn't have known they would leave hastily after only one day (the house was to take at least a month to fix). What were his long-term plans in this regards? She was going to a Cyprian ball to find out some information I never was really sure about, and she raised the hem of her skirt accordingly to fit in, and then later as she was dancing she hoped it wasn't showing her ankles in a bold fashion. ??? Gideon should have been jealous in spite of himself, to see other men fawning over her (if they think she's his mistress, and possibly looking for a richer or higher placed protector). None of that happened- she talked to one man and ends up smashing a decanter over his head. The hostess even mentions Jade had been talking to "Violet", the fictional woman she was there to see, but that's all it was- a mention- no details, no surprise that an actual woman named Violet was there, Gideon did not ask questions, since he knew that was why Jade wanted to go to the ball (even though it was a ruse that I didn't understand from the beginning of the story). Etc., etc., etc. He swept her into his arms while in a coach, and then suddenly they are on his boat. If it had said he swept her up into his arms as they exited the coach, and he carried her onto his boat, it would have made sense. Instead, I thought he was just embracing her in the coach, not carrying her out of it. After having sex, she gets upset that she wants a commitment and he doesn't, so she storms off the boat. He's given her NO indication he cares for her, so why is she upset? How does she get home? They are at the docks, in the worst part of town, and he just lets her leave?!??? He doesn't follow her, upset that she's upset, and not understanding his own feelings, even if he isn't ready to admit them yet? He TRULY seems surprised that she's upset. He doesn't try to argue with her, to make her see reason, the author doesn't show him feeling anguished that she's leaving... he could have been angry, and hauled her back, and then tore down her defenses with kisses, and then she could have snuck off the boat as he was sleeping, and he would have woken up realizing she was gone, possibly for good. He could have been pacing his boat, wondering what went wrong, the feeling that he's losing her before he even understood that he wanted her for more than just sex. He should have been ANGUISHED at how things were turning out, but instead, NOTHING! His valet later tries to make her understand that his master has feelings for her, but it's unbelievable, because we can't see it for ourselves. It's just not there. Even later, after she's been gone a week, she comes back to his boat (WHY???) and he wants to take up where they left off, and he doesn't understand why she doesn't want to. The author makes no effort to make him likeable, to make us feel like he cares about anything other than sex. Maybe a mention here or there, but not enough for me to feel empathy for either of them; Jade is a fool, and Gideon is just plain stupid. She does a lot of traipsing around unescorted, but is not brought to task, even though she seems to care what the Ton has to say (but she's only ONCE been out in society anyway, so why should it matter?). The different scenes are incomplete and strung together like individual beads on a string, rather than blending and complementing each other. The author just didn't make me FEEL their growing feelings for each other. I REALLY tried to finish it, and got through more than three-quarters of the way, but I just couldn't do it. I just didn't get it.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
