Rating: 
Summary: Difficult to rate
Review: "The Shadow and the Star" is a wonderful story. While this book may be a bit hard to come by since its out of print, it is definitely worth the search. Samuel is one of the most original heroes ever...he and Leda are so sweet together...I loved watching them discover eachother. This is DEFINITELY A MUST READ...GIRLS..BUY THIS BOOK!!!
Rating:
Summary: A story you won't forget
Review: I am French, so forgive me if you find some mistakes or bad grammar in my comments (although I read quite well english, I don't have many occasions to write it).I've been a romance reader for years now, and I must say that I tire easily with books which have no strength. To keep turning the pages, I need a good plot, strong characters and something more than the classic love story to keep me interested. For all these reasons, Laura Kinsale is my favorite author and The shadow and the star my very favorite book. The story is wonderful, with a quiet woman finding the way to heal the terribly abused hero. The plot may seem very simple, but it is anything but : the tortured hero is a virgin and a Ninja-like warrior, with an old Japanese butler for master, a quest for justice and a very dangerous ancient spade on his hands. The heroine a very, very proper but impoverished lady who, quite by accident, falls the mighty warrior by the way of a sewing machine. Laura Kinsale knows how to make her characters so lovable, so living with all their strengths and weaknesses, that they stay with you long after you closed the book. Another book I loved by the same author is Flowers in the storm. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Rating: 
Summary: It Must Be Me...
Review: I couldn't find it in this book...anywhere. I tried. I wanted to like this book even though I tend to shy away from these real uptight, judgemental prude types. Innocence is fine but some heroines are just too extreme for me. However, I still believed, with all the reviews that this would be a book to buy. Just could not get into these characters or the storyline at all. I thought Prince of Midnight was better than this and I can't say I would put IT on my top authors list by any stretch. Star literally went into the trash which is really rare for me. Just not my cuppa or picked a wrong day to read it I suppose.
Rating:
Summary: Just Beautiful
Review: I so loved this story. It is probably my favourite by Laura Kinsale. I read it through, waited two weeks and read it again. I picked up so much more the second time. My heart ached for this beautiful man and the lovely young woman who made him complete. To understand Samuel even more, I would suggest people read 'The Hidden Heart' first.
Laura's characters seem so real to me. I've noticed that some reviewers criticize their behaviour and/or consider them annoying. I think they are all wonderful. I also think they are simply products of their environment. Their actions and reactions all reflect their upbringing or the events that have shaped their lives. To me, they are all really believable.
Rating: 
Summary: Kinsale is a wonder!
Review: I thought this book was a good read. I like Laura Kinsale cause no 2 books by her are the same. Where Uncertain Magic was set in Ireland and based on ESP and the magic of love, The Shadow and the Star is completely different. It's based mostly in England and Hawaiian Islands. Ms. Kinsale is a wonder when it comes to writing characters that are interesting and believable. The era seems to have been well researched before she wrote the characters, they fit the era. No over-embellishment or modernized for the 21st century. It seems that whenever I pick up a Laura Kinsale novel she holds my interest so well that I read every word from chapter 1 to the end. She has a plot that holds and meaningful characters. My favorite scene is where Sam sneaks into her room at night and she attacks him with a poker and he falls and breaks his leg, but he doesn't scare her, just watches over her as she sleeps, and in the morning he still manages to climb up in the ceiling beams with a broken leg. I would recommend this book to any romance reader who is looking for a romance novel with a strong plot and strong characters.
Rating:
Summary: Kinsale is a wonder!
Review: I thought this book was a good read. I like Laura Kinsale cause no 2 books by her are the same. Where Uncertain Magic was set in Ireland and based on ESP and the magic of love, The Shadow and the Star is completely different. It's based mostly in England and Hawaiian Islands. Ms. Kinsale is a wonder when it comes to writing characters that are interesting and believable. The era seems to have been well researched before she wrote the characters, they fit the era. No over-embellishment or modernized for the 21st century. It seems that whenever I pick up a Laura Kinsale novel she holds my interest so well that I read every word from chapter 1 to the end. She has a plot that holds and meaningful characters. My favorite scene is where Sam sneaks into her room at night and she attacks him with a poker and he falls and breaks his leg, but he doesn't scare her, just watches over her as she sleeps, and in the morning he still manages to climb up in the ceiling beams with a broken leg. I would recommend this book to any romance reader who is looking for a romance novel with a strong plot and strong characters.
Rating:
Summary: Most for your money.
Review: Kinsale knows what's sexy, what's romantic, and what touches the human heart. In "The Shadow and The Star," a young Samuel is rescued and raised by a loving, aristocratic Hawaiin family after a shockingly degrading, sexually-abusive childhood. Mercifully, this traumatic past is not described in detail but, rather, hinted at through vaguely-described flashes of memory that torment Samuel. Samuel, a beautiful, golden-haired boy, is given love, support, and a very comfortable lifestyle by his foster family, but he can never shake the feeling that he is unworthy of love and true acceptance due to what he feels is his overwhelmingly shameful past, and he lives in constant fear of saying or doing anything which might cause his "family" to reject him. Samuel leads a very quiet, solitary, and friendless existence. One day Dojun, a mysterious Japanese immigrant working for the family, reveals himself to Samuel as a martial arts master and begins teaching Samuel his craft. Samuel, so very anxious to please, and also finding satisfaction in the rigid control of the ancient discipline, a contrast to his inner turmoil, takes the lessons to heart and becomes a model student. As Samuel grows to manhood, he abhors his increasing sexual awareness of women, jumbling and twisting these natural feelings with his degrading past, and is fiercely shamed, horrified, and haunted by his sexuality. Dojun, who has become an increasingly powerful force in Samuel's life, encourages chastity in order that Samuel's every fiber is focused on the martial arts, and Samuel readily embraces such a lifestyle. By chance, Samuel meets Leda, an impoverished-but-genteel dressmaker who, to Samuel's chagrin, sparks and sets flame to the embers of sexuality that Samuel has fought so hard to keep banked. The two are drawn to one another, but to Samuel, Leda exposes the thing he hates most about himself. He struggles deeply with his feelings for Leda and the celibacy he clings to like a lifeline. Eventually, unable to deny the attraction any longer, Samuel and Leda (both virgins) give in to their feelings, but they are exposed the morning after, and, in keeping with the times, Samuel is urged by his family to marry Leda, since he's "ruined" her. Thrown together in such a way, Samuel must live with temptation every day, and as love blossoms, he grows more certain that, should Leda learn of his past, she would shun him and despise him. His well-ordered life begins to unravel as past and present collide. Leda is bewildered by Samuel's enigmatic mixture of supreme self-control and wounded vulnerability, his potent, explosive sexuality and his self-loathing. Slowly Samuel's heart is healed by Leda's unwavering love, in spite of his efforts to push her away. Amidst this beautifully touching and sexy love story is an underlying current of danger, and we come to learn what a powerful hold the mysterious Dojun has on Samuel's life. A unique, engrossing, and immensely satisfying read. Extremely intelligent and well-written and quite refreshingly true to the times.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: This book just is one of those romances you always remember. The hero is original and the heroine such a sweet hearted woman. I loved getting into their heads and reading their lovestory. If you want something thought provoking and romantic read this book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: This book just is one of those romances you always remember. The hero is original and the heroine such a sweet hearted woman. I loved getting into their heads and reading their lovestory. If you want something thought provoking and romantic read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Another powerful & most definitely atypical romance
Review: Wow! Laura Kinsale is an excellent writer of multifaceted romances. This novel could pass for general fiction but it is definitely a romantic story. Her stories contain such substance with strong secondary characters, an excellent suspense/mystery sideline, and a most unusual romance. Kinsale is not my favorite romance author but she is distinctly compelling and intense in her writing style. She does not write "quick reads". Her stories require a reader's dedication and effort to fully enjoy her complex stories. Samuel is the handsome, golden haired hero trained in the martial arts and raised in Hawaii by a loving couple, the Ashlands, alongside their two younger children. Samuel is more than your normal, wonderful romance hero. He is even more self-assured and captivating even though he embraces chastity. His quiet forceful manner hides the secrets and shame of a particularly abusive childhood from which the Ashlands had rescued him. Leda is a properly raised English woman on the fringes of London society. Although she doesn't see herself as such, she is a beautiful woman. She finds herself dismissed from her job unreasonably one day and is desperate to find another position - hopefully as a typist. Leda is one of the most proper behaving young ladies I have ever read. She doesn't even get near anything that could be remotely related to improper situations or behavior. As she repeatedly fails in her search for employment, she finds herself in one compromising position after another. After a series of great encounters between Samuel and Leda, which I will not even begin to allude to, Samuel hires her as a typist. As she begins working for Samuel, she becomes acquainted with his family, the Ashlands, and is easily accepted into their midst. Samuel is a very self-controlled individual and cannot understand his strong physical attraction to Leda. He has already decided that he will marry another and his commitment to that is strong. Both Samuel and Leda fight their mutual attraction although Leda is so proper - not even meeting with her employer unless the door is open - that I found it amazing that they actually found the opportunity to become physically involved. There are some sensual scenes and they rate a 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). To tell more about this story, other than it is a tremendous love story, would probably provide a spoiler of some sort. It is a very compelling read as Samuel and Leda discover through many trials and tribulations that they truly love each other. Samuel had a lot of issues with his duties as one highly trained in the martial arts and had to decide where his duty to Leda ranked. It is a wonderful "hide and seek" as the two grow together, then seemingly apart, then together again. I highly recommend The Shadow and the Star! I can remember so many of the details of this book even weeks later and I have read many other books in the meantime that I can barely - if at all - remember the primary plot. This is a book that requires time in the beginning. Kinsale is building a very solid base during this first portion of the book and I promise you that you will eventually feel very grateful for those long introductory pages. All of that background just ties you tighter and tighter to the book. Please note: I usually want romance without many peripheral characters. However, this is the exception to the rule. Take the time - get into The Shadow and the Star. I put off reading it for months only to discover it is one of the best books I have read!
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