In the scene between her and James, she says that what happened to her is not about him – which is mostly true, of course, but not the whole truth. What happened to Stella affected the whole dynamic of her family, magnifying tensions between James and their father and splintering them apart to such an extent that they could no longer find common ground. She knew that, and yet couldn’t make the least effort to assure James of her well-being? For four years? It seemed to me that her reclusiveness in service to self-reflection hadn’t done her much good.

It’s a minor point but really not as it formed a major foundation for James’ psychology – so it really clanged false and took me out of an otherwise satisfying romance. Well, I guess the false note makes me that much more glad that James and Lydia went to Canada and left that whole lot behind.

I will say, however, that for some reason I really liked the characters in Duke of Shadows better, as well-written as Lydia and James were. Some of that may have to do with the relative novelty of a heroine suffering from PTSD, and some of it may have to do with the fact that I found the way James tried to embarrass/one-up his father a little juvenile. I know, I know, it all makes sense psychologically as the story developed, but for some reason at the beginning I kept thinking that James was a little old to be acting the way he did, and I think that had an impact on my appreciation of his character.

For some reason, I don't think I connected emotionally with the characters as much as I did in Duke of Shadows, but the book is still a wonderful read. James is a great hero, and I absolutely am chomping at the bit to read Phin's story next.

I think I can relate a bit to not feeling entirely emotionally connected to James and Lydia. BBYT is such a good book though; it probably would’ve been a straight A for me if I had felt that sense of connection. I’m not sure if it had to do with James’ behavior for me. Sometimes you just completely click with a h/h, and sometimes you don’t. I certainly “clicked” enough, but I can say that I could have connected more.

I'm on the fence about this one. Every review I've read of BbyT has been laudatory, and I was sufficiently impressed by DoS to be willing to check out MD's next work. But I don't greatly care for self-destructive, emo heroes who make it their life's work to stick it to dear old Dad, even if the reason for doing so is understandable. I can never help thinking that a grown man should find more constructive outlets for his energy. Constant one-upmanship just makes him look like a spoiled, petulant little boy. On the other hand, I like the idea of a heroine getting angry at various members of her family, instead of playing the martyr and sucking up all the crap they dish out. Maybe it's all in the way the characters handle familial dysfunction.

I think for me it’s all about how something like that is written; if it’s well-written it’s convincing and the hero is sympathetic in spite of his behavior. I felt that James did have sufficient reason (he thought) to hate his father, and that he got his revenge in petty ways because that was just his personality – sort of a chaos-creating child sticking his tongue out at his father. I do understand that type of hero not being appealing; for me, any type of hero is potentially appealing, if he’s well-characterized enough.

Bottom line: I'll probably read this but I might try WoYS first, even if I'd be reading out of sequence.

I get the sense that the storylines run somewhat concurrently, so it may be okay to read WoYS first.

For some reason, I don’t think I connected emotionally with the characters as much as I did in Duke of Shadows, but the book is still a wonderful read. James is a great hero, and I absolutely am chomping at the bit to read Phin’s story next.

Bottom line: I’ll probably read this but I might try WoYS first, even if I’d be reading out of sequence.

I am really looking forward to WoYS, not only because I am at the point where I will read anything Meredith Duran writes, but because of the glimpses we caught of the hero in BbYT.

I hope you like it!

All of the reviews are extremely favorable and I loved The Duke of Shadows so much that my expectations have been ramped up to incredible heights.