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The Shadow and the Star – Victorian Hearts, Book 2
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins
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Giana Van Cleve, the heroine, has fallen in love with a vicious fortune hunter. Her mother, the renowned shipowner and builder Aurora Van Cleve, is desperate to save her daughter. She agrees to support Giana’s wedding if Giana agrees first to spend an unusual three months in Rome with her Uncle Daniele. But Giana’s uncle takes this bargain far beyond what Aurora ever imagined. Thus, Giana first sees Alex Saxton not in a society drawing room, but in a brothel.
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Narration Can Ruin A Book!
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Devil's Embrace
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good
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How the Duke Was Won
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James, the scandalously uncivilized Duke of Harland, requires a bride with a spotless reputation for a strictly business arrangement. Lust is prohibited, and love is out of the question. Charlene Beckett, the unacknowledged daughter of an earl and a courtesan, has just been offered a life-altering fortune to pose as her half-sister, Lady Dorothea, and win the duke's proposal.
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Really enjoyed this book a lot! Great Narration!
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By: Lenora Bell
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Mine Till Midnight
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Miss Amelia Hathaway, a beautiful and strong-willed spinster, has looked after her unruly younger siblings ever since the death of her parents. Romance is the last thing on her mind. But when reckless brother inherits a title, the Hathaways are flung into the unfamiliar world of the English peerage. And Amelia, who’s always refused to lean on anyone’s shoulder, finds herself turning to a sexy, dark-haired stranger for help.
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It’s a No for me.
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By: Lisa Kleypas
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You May Kiss the Bride
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Wealthy and arrogant, Gabriel Penhallow knows it's time to fulfill his dynastic duty. All he must do is follow "The Penhallow way" - find a biddable bride, produce an heir and a spare, and then live separate lives. It's worked so well for generations, certainly one kiss with the delectable Livia Stuart isn't going to change things. Society dictates he marry her, and one chit is as good as another as long as she's from a decent family.
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Slow Story. EXCELLENT SUPERB NARRATION!
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By: Lisa Berne
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The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
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In 1780s London, a prosperous merchant finds his quiet life upended when he unexpectedly receives an unusual creature - and meets a most extraordinary woman - in this much-lauded, atmospheric debut that examines our capacity for wonder, obsession, and desire. One September evening in 1785, Jonah Hancock hears an urgent knocking on his front door near the docks of London. The captain of one of Jonah’s trading vessels is waiting eagerly on the front step, bearing shocking news. On a voyage to the Far East, he sold the Jonah’s ship for something rare and far more precious: a mermaid.
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Gave up
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The Husband Trap
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Winner of a RITA, a National Readers’ Choice Award, the HOLT Medallion, and the Golden Quill, New York Times best-selling author Tracy Anne Warren is among the most acclaimed and popular Regency romance storytellers. In The Husband Trap, the reserved Lady Violet Brantford agrees to swap identities with her vivacious sister. Before she knows it, she’s married to the Duke of Raeburn, who finds himself pleasantly surprised with his charming new wife.
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Passionate and emotional narration...
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Born of Persuasion
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The year is 1838, and seventeen-year-old Julia Elliston's position has never been more fragile. Orphaned and unmarried in a time when women are legal property of their fathers, husbands, and guardians, she finds herself at the mercy of an anonymous guardian who plans to establish her as a servant in far-off Scotland. With two months to devise a better plan, Julia's first choice - to marry her childhood sweetheart - is denied. Then, a titled dowager offers to introduce Julia into society, opening a realm of possibilities.
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Debut Book in Series
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Venus
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The last thing Lord Nicholas Kincaid expected to see in the gloom of a London tavern was a vision of loveliness. And when she led him to a bedchamber with a come-hither smile, there was no question of resisting - until he realized the lying wench meant to render him senseless so the landlord could rob him blind!
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Mispronounciations abound!
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The Unseen
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A vicar with a passion for nature, the Reverend Albert Canning leads a happy existence with his naive wife, Hester, in their sleepy Berkshire village in the year 1911. But as the English summer dawns, the Cannings' lives are forever changed by two new arrivals: Cat, their new maid, a disaffected, free-spirited young woman sent down from London after entanglements with the law; and Robin Durrant, a leading expert in the occult, enticed by tales of elemental beings in the water meadows nearby.
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Great book!
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Once a Duchess
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Isabelle Lockwood was a duchess, until her husband of only a few months wrongfully divorced her for adultery. Since then she's been a pariah, living in anonymous exile to escape the prying eyes and wagging tongues of the town. More than anything, Isabelle longs for a family of her own, and so has to marry again. But society is ruthlessly unforgiving. To clear her name, Isabelle must face down her past - and the man who broke her heart and ruined her completely. Marshall Lockwood, Duke of Monthwaite, was blindsided by his young bride's infidelity.
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Great Listen, Wonderful Story
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By: Elizabeth Boyce
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What listeners say about The Shadow and the Star – Victorian Hearts, Book 2
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- 🌸DARA
- 11-29-13
Wonderful Story - Wished it was longer!! ;-)
Laura Kinsale's books have become some of my favorite books to listen to on Audible. The blending of Laura's writing and the narration of Nicholas Boulton are a double duo that nobody should miss!! This superb combination is a force to be reckoned!
This is a lovely story of two unconventional people who meet and discover what they have learned in life is not necessarily 100% accurate. Samuel is a "ninja" warrior with a disturbing past and Leda is a innocent sweet tempered young lady who ends up in situations she didn't expect. It is a charming story that draws you in from the beginning and when it ends leaves you with the feeling that you've just said goodbye to some old friends. I really wish it was longer!!
Not surprising.....this one is worth a credit for sure!
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43 people found this helpful
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- MickeyMarie
- 12-25-13
Everytime
Everytime I 'open' a Kinsale book, I do so with great expectation. This is because the very first one I bought so blew me away that I was immediately pressured by expectation and wondering if she could maintain the same level. The Shadow and the Star was my fourth Kinsale book and so far I have had no disappointment. The only one I can forsee is the day I finish the last of her books and face the disappointment of not having another to look forward to.
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29 people found this helpful
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- Cam
- 12-01-13
An incredibly well-written/narrated book!!!!
An absolute MUST read. While I was reading this book I had an amazing feeling of being detached from this life. The story kept playing in my head when I was actually not reading the book. The story truly took me back into this time period more so than any other historical romance I have read to date and I’ll have to say I owe it greatly to Nicholas Boulton’s superb reading performance. I absolutely LOVE this man’s gift. It is also extremely well written. What a wonderful combination of talents.
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24 people found this helpful
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- Melissa Bee
- 12-22-14
Heart crushing plot, exceptional narration
I came across one reviewer who claimed Nicholas Boulton had "ruined" her for all other narrators and after listening to him in Flowers from the Storm and now this one, well I whole-heartedly agree. Nicholas Boulton's voice is pure bliss and his performance is exquisite. Honestly, I do believe he could read me a tax form and I may clutch my heart in divine anguish. I'm ecstactic that he reads all of Laura Kinsale's books and I purchased all that were available for sale after listening to Flowers from the Storm (I'm staggering them between several other audiobooks so that I can slowly savor them).
What is so amazing about the pairing of Boulton and Kinsale is that he perfectly performs the beautiful, tormented characters and heart crushing plots that Kinsale has devised. Her words are lovely, but Boulton, without a doubt, heightens any emotion a reader could summon by just reading alone. Really, you should be forbidden to read Kinsale's books when there is such a narrator as Boulton to perform them. I mean Japanese, Hawaiian, English and British accents...I think he's unbeatable.
The beginning of this book started off a bit shaky for me; I had my doubts about the Japanese story line and I waited for it to become the one aspect that wouldn't work in this book; however, Kinsale pulled it off. I would hesitate to call Samuel a Ninja at all. He was conditioned and educated on many levels of respect and self control and learning to fight was a strong part of that (with and without a sword). I enjoyed the short chapters of Samuel as a boy being trained in Hawaii interlaced with the intense, present day relationship with Leda.
Like Flowers from the Storm, I felt a bit speechless at the end of this book... Kinsale really pushes the reader's comfort level as to how much their heart can really take; I was amazed I was able to survive the emotional rollercoaster this book took me through.
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18 people found this helpful
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- Maddy Barone
- 01-10-14
The Best Kinsale/Boulton Yet!
The Shadow and the Star has always been one of my ultimate favorite books. I love Samuel's angst, how he drove himself to be fast and deadly, yet struggled with his lust. The way the author showed his progress from lust to love was amazing. Leda is possibly my favorite Kinsale heroine, innocent, naïve, bound by her moral code, yet steadfast in her principles. Mr. Boulton did a beautiful job of showing both the hero and the heroine. Bravo!
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16 people found this helpful
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- Earl
- 11-19-13
Always my favorite among Laura's romances
If you could sum up The Shadow and the Star in three words, what would they be?
A superb read
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Shadow and the Star?
the climactic lagoon battle
What about Nicholas Boulton’s performance did you like?
He makes the king's English of the time sound like it, and then he adds in some Hawaiian of the era. The man's range is superb. His ability to bind the listener to the tale just as good.
Any additional comments?
This book always was entrancing to me with its range over England thru Hawaii, with its apt descriptions of down in the luck London as well as the latest highborn contrivances and life among the upper classes there. Moving then to soft flowery vales high up in the valleys of Oahu and to the reedy shallows of old Pearl Harbor. Lots of research, lots of love for these venues by the author and then enhanced even more by reader Boulton.
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- Yvette
- 12-22-13
A STORY FOR THE MIND, HEART AND SENSES!
The Shadow and the Star was an unexpected surprise for me. I had no idea how the exquisite and very complex story of Samuel and Leda would take me on an emotional journey. The writing is so good that you feel as though you have been transported to each setting described in the book: from the dreary, congested streets of London to the airy, fresh paradise of Hawaii. You see….you smell….and you feel. In addition, the masterful combination of Nicholas Boulton’s narration and Laura Kinsale’s writing was magic to me.
The story in itself is unique, and the secondary and tertiary characters that surround the lives of Samuel and Leda were all relevant, entertaining, interesting and quite powerful. From the saving graces of the Ashlands to the devoted training from master Dojun, Samuel’s life was saved, but the emotional turmoil, and unrest from his incomprehensible abuse as a child, was far from healed. And, this aspect of the story is what makes Samuel a very tortured hero who moved forward by creating fortresses of dreams based on false premises from his wounded heart.
Every tormented Hero needs a heroine who is immovable, patient and so in love with him that she will be able to see him through all of the dark moments that need to be worked through before reaching their HEA. And, this is what Leda is to Samuel. She was the anchor that steadied him through his storms of raw emotions. In Leda’s own life she was saved from living on the streets, and raised by the very proper Lady Myrtle. I enjoyed how Leda recalled advice and sayings in every dilemma of the deceased woman (Mrs. Myrtle) who mentored her.
Leda is a beautiful heroine. I was so touched by Leda’s journey: from her fierce struggle to hold on to her morals when fighting poverty, and later in her quest to never give up on love and her hero, in her relationship with Samuel.
The author really does make the reader work for the HEA. My emotions were as tight as piano wires as I read this book. I had to listen to (certain parts) twice as I tried to count the reasons or evidence that led to Samuel’s love for Leda. You see, I felt dissatisfied with the ending and was left frustrated because I was not sure that the Hero and Heroine had resolved all of the challenges to reach a continued HEA. (No epilogue did not help in that respect). However, upon reading/listening a second time, it was as plain as day that this man freaken loved Leda.
Although Samuel pursued love as one searching in the dark, he finally defeated his fear and self-loathing and allowed himself to find peace in Leda’s unquenchable love. This is a beautiful story that will stay within my heart forever……and, I have no doubts, whatsoever, that Samuel and Leda found their HEA and will be able to weather anything that comes their way as they live in complete happiness and a sweet surrender to one another.
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14 people found this helpful
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- Desperately Seeking a Good Read
- 11-29-13
My Favorite Kinsale Book
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I'm pretty sure Kinsale wrote this book just for me.
Any additional comments?
I have lived in Hawaii, Japan and now Europe. I loved how Kinsale brought all these cultures together in one story. It was a such a treat for me. I would love to discuss the book in great detail but I don't want to give any of the storyline away because I enjoyed every little twist and turn. There were despicable characters but the truly wonderful Lady Ashland consistently steered Samuel and Leda in the right direction for success. After listening to Boulton doing European accents in other Kinsale books it was fun to hear him do (very well) Japanese and American voices...and Hawaiian!
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12 people found this helpful
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- Lawgz
- 11-26-13
Truly Magical
What did you love best about The Shadow and the Star?
I love this story, it has everything, it is a wonderful historical set during the victorian period, the heroine is unintentionaly funny at times which is charming and fun. and the hero is tortured by a very dark past, the ninja stuff takes the tough warrior persona to a whole new level.
What did you like best about this story?
kinsale is a stickler for research and it shows i love the blend of japanese and american and english traditions in this book.
Have you listened to any of Nicholas Boulton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I always enjoy Boulton though his american accents can seem a bit flat at times it in no way is distracting. and it dosen't detract from the overall experience
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I nearly did unfortuanatly I had to take breaks for things like work and sleep and showers
Any additional comments?
this one is just a wonderful Historical romance
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- Cynthia
- 08-16-14
I love these two
How many times can this author and narrator write and read a great book. they are what Michael Angelo is the painting what Muhammad Ali is to boxing what Prince and Michael Jackson are to entertainment....amazing! !!!
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