Review: Shadow’s Kiss by Kirsten S. Blacketer

Torn between duty and desire, a knight and his lady must decide if their love is worth the price of treason.

Madeline Campbell has been whisked away from her uncle’s barony to be reunited with her family in the Scottish Highlands. Her happy reunion quickly sours when she realizes her father intends to present her as a bride to the winner of the Highland Tournament. With no one to turn to for comfort or guidance, Madeline chooses to do her duty to her clan as well as her father and marry the winner.

An English knight has no place on Scottish soil, but Alexander must complete the mission with which he was tasked. Find Madeline and ensure her safety. When he finds her, he must decide between his honorable duty and his love for Madeline.

No one can deny their attraction and their desire for one another, but when it sparks jealousy in the other clansmen, they have no alternative but to run. Secrets emerge from the shadows of the past and threaten to tear their happiness apart. How can one choose between their duty and their heart?

Series: Shadow Guardians Book 2
Release Date: July 4th 2014 
Publisher: Breathless Press
Source: Manic Readers
Reviewer: Michelle
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

This is the second book in the Shadow Guardians series. The book begins with Madeline, our heroine, returning to Scotland from England. Since I didn’t read the first book I was lost on some of the references to her cousin and why she left Scotland to go to England. These niggling questions didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book. However, I wish the author would have spent a little time laying the foundation for why Madeline was in England and not with her family in Scotland.

The characters in this book were adorable. There’s just no other word that I could use. Madeline is a feisty, independent woman. She’s romantic enough to fall in love with a man that acts as if he doesn’t notice her, but she is practical enough to know that she must marry for the sake of her family. She was daring and fearless when it came to protecting those that she loved. Alexander tracks Madeline to her home to make sure that she is safe. I loved the way he battled within himself over whether to vie for Madeline’s hand in marriage. It didn’t hurt that he was handsome and handy with a sword. Madeline’s younger sister, Heather was a lovable imp. I found myself shaking my head at many of her shenanigans. Angus was one of Madeline’s brothers, and he provided endless entertainment that kept the story moving right along. There was a cast of other characters in the book that added to the suspense and adventure in the novel.

The storyline was a little weak to me. I think that’s because I never fully understood why Madeline was duty bound to get married in the way that her father was demanding. It just seemed like it was sudden and overwhelming. When I resigned myself to accepting the father’s actions, the author reversed everything and the story sort of fell flat for me. There just wasn’t any clarity on how Alexander was going to keep up his end of the bargain with Madeline’s father. The romance that developed between Madeline and Alexander was smoking hot. There were twists and turns throughout the book and moments when I wondered whether Madeline and Alexander would get their HEA. The suspense continued until the very end and kept me engaged.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to reading more of this series.