Reviews: Shadow Lover by Anne Stuart

Victim. Lover. Both? His dark game is seducing her-- just as it was when they were young.

How can he still have that power over her? Eighteen years ago, she saw him die.

Wealthy, selfish, and greedy, the McDowell family raised Carolyn McDowell--a foster child--like a modern Cinderella. Neglected and ignored, good-hearted Carolyn adored scion Alexander despite it all, though even he tormented her.

When Alex ran away one night, Carolyn followed and witnessed his murder, though she never told anyone. Her beloved Alex died when he was seventeen. There was no doubt.

Eighteen years later, Carolyn returns to the decadent milieu of the McDowell clan to care for her dying foster mother, Sally. As greedy relatives gather to claim their inheritances, a stunning stranger arrives, claiming to be Alexander. To Carolyn's utter shock, Sally greets her "son" without question, and no one but Carolyn believes he's a fraud.

As she delves into the mysteries of both the past and present, Carolyn quickly realizes that the resurrected Alex is a dangerous combination of seduction and power. Is this stranger after the McDowell fortune, or is he really, somehow, the Alex of old, come back to claim her? How can he be an imposter and yet know family secrets only the real Alex would remember? Was someone helping him?

What would you do if the boy you loved returned almost twenty years later, and you fell in love with him all over again--even if you were sure it couldn't be him?Show more

This is the first book by Anne Stuart that I have read. This was a good book and I plan on reading more from this author. This was a very intriguing story won't go into the plots as you can already ascertain from other reviewers but just to say that i never suspected the twist in the plot. I had to read the book in one sitting. I do have to say that this book has a rather abrupt ending - this is the only "bad" comment I can say about this author is that the endings was not very satisfying, i mean it conclude excellently but very abruptly & with no epilogue...basically just leaving you hanging and wanting more. This was very captivating story.

Shadow Lover features a classic "bad boy" hero, yet at the same time he is surprisingly endearing, he grows on you. He is a man that every women wants to be the one to teach him to love. Sally and Carolyn's quiet world is rocked when the stranger comes, claiming to be Alex. Sally, so ill, wants desperately to believe this man is her long lost son, but Carolyn knows better. His coming brought the nightmare back, and she KNOWS she saw Alex killed nearly twenty years ago. Despite knowing in her heart she witnessed the 'real' Alex's death, she cannot run from the strong physical sparks they create. Only, is this man here to hurt Sally, Is her life in danger by the very man who stirs her blood?

This book will take you on quite a ride. The book switches locations, storylines, and goes from the past to the present from one paragraph to the next. For another author this might have proved challenging, but not for Stuart. She mixes it up just perfectly to bring about a near perfect book. Once you start reading this book you won't be able to put it down till the last page. So make sure you do all your Saturday chores before you start reading.