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    The Shadow and the Star
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    The Shadow and the Star
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    The Shadow and the Star
    Ebook556 pages8 hours

    The Shadow and the Star

    By Laura Kinsale

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    From nationally acclaimed bestselling author Laura Kinsale comes a boldly original, breathlessly unforgettable tale of honour, adventure and undying love.

    The Shadow is wealthy, powerful and majestically handsome, he is a man of dark secrets - a master of the ancient martial arts of an exotic distant land. Scarred by a childhood of shocking degradation, he has sworn to love chastely ... but burns with the fires of unfulfilled passion.

    The Star is lovely, innocent and nearly destitute, and drawn to him by a fevered yearning she could never deny - following her enigmatic ′shadow warrior′ into a dangerous world of desire and righteous retribution.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9780061751585
    Unavailable
    The Shadow and the Star
    Author

    Laura Kinsale

    Laura Kinsale is a winner and multiple nominee for the Best Book of the Year award given by the Romance Writers of America. She became a romance writer after six years as a geologist -- a career which consisted of getting out of bed in the middle of the night and driving hundreds of miles alone across west Texas to sit at drilling rigs, wear a hard hat, and attempt to boss around oil-covered males considerably larger than herself. This, she decided, was pushing her luck. So she gave all that up to sit in a chair and stare into space for long periods of time, attempting to figure out What-Happens-Next. She and her husband David currently divide their time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Texas.

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    Reviews for The Shadow and the Star

    4/5

    173 ratings9 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The prose in this book is very well written. I especially enjoyed the complex relationship between the Hero and his Japanese teacher. This is the third book by this author that I have read, and I have to say her heroes are a lot more interesting than her heroines. The plots are so fantastical that I can't convince myself the heroines are just boring and repressed because of the times. I do appreciate the level of research, the quality of the writing, and the insightful characterizations. But I would prefer a heroine who was bolder, more decisive, and able to understand and take part in more of the action.
    • 4/5
      This book really sneaks up on you by starting out kind of slow and then before I knew it I couldn't put it down! Story of near destitute young woman who through a series of strange circumstances winds up working for an enigmatic, handsome young man in London. She comes to know his adopted family and falls in love with him, but he is aloof and has many secrets. Their life becomes entangled together through an arranged marriage. A bit convoluted at the end while in Hawaii and Japanese secrets, etc. Still, I really enjoyed it and now I've finally read this book I've heard so much about over the years.
    • 5/5
      When Lisa Kleypas rates a book as a Desert Island Keeper, attention must be paid.

      Our hero, Samuel Gerard, is a survivor of childhood abuse who has been rescued and reared by the wealthy Ashland family in Hawaii, then a kingdom. The family's Japanese butler, Dojun, helps this damaged boy by teaching him the techniques and philosophy of Eastern martial arts. Samuel becomes a skilled warrior, unbeknownst to the family, and works in the family shipping business. He loves his foster sister, Kai, from afar, but his training has taught him that his sexual side is dangerous and must be suppressed by self-discipline. (Note: Samuel is not a ninja; the word never appears in the book.)

      In 1887 the entire family comes to London to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, and Samuel has a series of chance encounters with Leda Etoile. He is immediately attracted to this genteel but impoverished seamstress, who works for one of the leading modistes. After she unfairly is dismissed from her job, Samuel hires her as his secretary. She begins living with, and treated as a member of, the Ashland family. Samuel and Leda fight their attraction to one another, but eventually Samuel seduces Leda. They are exposed the next morning, and the Ashlands persuade a reluctant Samuel to marry Leda, destroying his hopes of marrying his true love, Kai.

      The action shifts back to Hawaii as Samuel and Leda journey there to set up their home. Eventually, Leda helps Samuel overcome the legacy of his abuse and become devoted, happy husband.

      What I Liked
      Samuel is a delicious hero: strikingly beautiful, fabulously wealthy, horribly tortured, but ultimately passionate. Leda is strong and proud and dedicated to helping her husband succeed in his personal and professional struggles.

      There is lots of interesting detail about life in Hawaii, as well as London, during the 1880s, along with fascinating secondary characters. The Ashlands are not your typical Victorian family, which leads to often humorous scenes.

      The love scenes are amazingly touching and erotic, particularly given that the two lovers are both virgins. Kinsale does not yield to the temptation, so often seen in other books, of making the couple suddenly adept at love-making on the first few tries.

      What I Didn't Like
      There isn't much to dislike, but the last few chapters involving a bizarre power struggle between Samuel and his rival are too long and rather silly.

      Conclusion
      I can do no better than to quote Lisa Kleypas:
      I reread this book occasionally to remind myself of a few things . . . that a romance writer needs to push the boundaries of a story beyond what is comfortable, and to give the hero a necessary streak of vulnerability that will emphasize his strength. Exotic locations, colorful characters, expert writing, a tender love story . . . The Shadow and the Star has it all.



    • 3/5
      Not really sure why this is some sort of classic. The ninja bits are as ridiculous as they sound. The ninja intrigue at the end vastly overshadowed the romance and bored the shit out of me, leaving me skimming through the final 50 pages or so. It wasn't a bad book, but I could easily put it down to play Bejeweled for a bit without feeling any sort of urgency to get back to it. I never became invested in the romance or the intrigue.
    • 5/5
      Lovely. That was the thought I kept having while reading this. While much less graphic than other romances I've read, and quite sweet and subtle, it was perhaps the most intensely sensual.
    • 4/5
      This was actually a really good book.And I say that because both the title and the cover art make it look STUPID.The title has pretty much nothing to do with the plot.The cover art- well, while I do adore Fabio (and his self-mocking) and am pretty sure he was the model here... it starts off being REALLY clear that the Hero is blond with gray eyes, and the cover art dude is brunette. Also, while I expect they wanted him to look Anguished and Troubled... he mostly looks constipated.Still! While you might want to have a cover wrap when reading this- it IS a really interesting and complex novel, and I liked it very much.
    • 5/5
      Samual Gerard was rescued from a sexually abusive childhood by the wealthy Ashland family and brought to Hawaii and where he is shown love and accepted as a member of the family. But he still feels unworthy and overwhelmingly ashamed of his past. Their Japanese butler, Dojun, who is a master in martial arts takes him under his wing and trains him in the techniques and philosophy of martial arts which helps him heal from the trauma from his childhood. But as Samual grows into adulthood he becomes horrified with his increasing sexual awareness of women jumbling these natural feelings with the degradation of his past abuse. As a result he regards his sexual side as something to guard against. Samuel uses the rigid control of the ancient arts to quiet his inner turmoil and maintain a celibate lifestyle.Leda Etoile is a prim and proper English woman who works as dressmaker's assistant in a London shop. When Samuel and his foster mother and sister visit the shop, he is confused by his strong physical attraction to Leda. When Leda is unfairly dismissed from her position she repeatedly fails to find employment as a typist. After a series of encounters Samuel eventually hires her as his private secretary to help him in his secret campaign to close child prostitution houses. Leda is an intelligent character, a bit naive but very sweet and oh-so-proper. I loved how she calls Samuel "Dear Sir".The unfolding of their relationship is intensely emotional but in some ways very subtle. Kinsale is a master at this. And their first love scene is amazingly erotic even though both H/H are virgins. They are forced to marry and both of them seem afraid to show each other their true emotions even though their physical relationship is so passionate. Leda is confused by Samuel's seeming distance after losing control during their lovemaking. The story has many twists and turns which I don't wish to spoil. Let me just say there is not one wasted word. I wouldn't shorten it a bit.As you can tell TS&TS is not a "quick" read, but it's complex fascinating characters, compelling story and intensely emotional love scenes are like savoring a piece of my favorite chocolate truffle.. rich and satisfying, leaving you with the feeling of heaven on earth. Kinsale is not for everyone but after reading Flowers from the Storm, I had to try this one and I'm so glad I did. GRADE: A
    • 5/5
      As far as I'm concerned, Laura Kinsale can do no wrong. She is an incredible writer who adds great depth to her characters and to the story in general - definitely a refreshing change from all the cookie-cutter romances that seem to be everywhere these days.I tried to prolong reading the last page, but, alas, it had to end. "The Shadow and the Star" is fantastic, wonderfully written, and I cannot recommend it enough!
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best books I've ever read, not just the best romance. The characters are complex and the love scenes are wonderful - intensely erotic without descending into smuttiness.