The Silent Touch of Shadows
The prologue to The Silent Touch of Shadows sets the tone for this romance. In Chapter One, we meet Melissa Grantham, a single parent and genealogist who is troubled by vivid dreams after her first visit to her great-aunt’s ancient house, Ashleigh Manor in Kent. In Chapter Two, Melissa dreams of a totally different set of characters, Sibell and Sir Roger Langford, who lived at Ashleigh in 1460. The dream is vivid enough to start Melissa on a hunt to discover the history of the house. Jake Precy is the local vet living nearby, and he bears an astonishing resemblance to Sir Roger. Life becomes very confusing for Melissa as she learns more about Sibell and Roger and tries to disentangle her feelings for Jake from her knowledge of Roger. The intrigue surrounding Sibell and Roger’s story is nicely handled, only coming to light right at the end of the book. Whatever you do, don’t peek at the end or you will spoil the suspense.
The time-slip theme is not explored here in as much detail as we’ve come to expect from writers like Barbara Erskine and Diana Gabaldon, but it is an entertaining novel, and if you enjoy the slight shiver down the spine as you read, then this story will be for you.
