Kathleen P. (kathleenmaciver) reviewed To Kiss in the Shadows (de Piaget, Bk 8.5) on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
First, to those who might be confused, this book is the same short story that Lynn Kurland wrote for the anthology called Tapestry. That book has four short stories by four different authors... Here we get to have Lynn's story as a stand-alone book. But this is why it is so short compared to her regular novels.
That said... this is one of my favorite of Lynn's books, despite the shortness of the story. Lynn shared on her bulletin board once that Jason de Piaget of Artane (Robin's youngest son) was one of her favorite characters, and I have to agree. If you've read From This Moment On and This Is All I Ask already, then you already know (and probably love) Jason. Here you get to read his own love story. And believe me... you'll love him even more in this story for his mix of tenderness and gruffness, and his ability to see past Lianna's outer scars and fall desperately in love with her.
PS... for those of you who are Kendrick fans, you'll get to see quite a bit more of him in this book as well. He and Jason's brotherly relationship seems much along the same lines as Robin and Nick's (from If I Had You)... lots of love hidden behind tons of teasing and thrashing. It's fun to read. :-)
That said... this is one of my favorite of Lynn's books, despite the shortness of the story. Lynn shared on her bulletin board once that Jason de Piaget of Artane (Robin's youngest son) was one of her favorite characters, and I have to agree. If you've read From This Moment On and This Is All I Ask already, then you already know (and probably love) Jason. Here you get to read his own love story. And believe me... you'll love him even more in this story for his mix of tenderness and gruffness, and his ability to see past Lianna's outer scars and fall desperately in love with her.
PS... for those of you who are Kendrick fans, you'll get to see quite a bit more of him in this book as well. He and Jason's brotherly relationship seems much along the same lines as Robin and Nick's (from If I Had You)... lots of love hidden behind tons of teasing and thrashing. It's fun to read. :-)
Sherri H. (mamadoodle) -
REALLY great storyline! You will not be disappointed.
Short and sweet!
Quick read Kurland never fails to delight!
Elizabeth S. (ElizReads) reviewed To Kiss in the Shadows (de Piaget, Bk 8.5) on + 25 more book reviews
She really is the best. Read and enjoy. This is Jason's story and is also published in the anthology 'Tapestry'. This woman is a queen at romantic escapism!
Stephanie C. (lives2read) -
This is the story of Jason de Piaget of Artane. He appears in several of Lynn's other stories, and I was delighted to finally read his story. It also includes character from her other stories. After reading all of them, I feel like they are family.
Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
This was a short and sweet addition to the de Piaget saga. While I would have loved it to be longer, the story did hit all the high points for me. As a ward in King Henry's court, Lianna has no control over her life. She now spends her days weaving tapestries and doing her best to remain in the background. Once a beautiful woman, she is frequently the butt of jokes and mockery, thank to scarring from a bout of smallpox.
I liked Lianna from the very beginning. I felt terrible about the way she was treated but thought she had a pretty good attitude about it, preferring to go her own way rather than fight a losing battle. I felt her disgust with the way the other women plotted and schemed to trap Kendrick. It was hilarious to listen to her express her opinions of Kendrick, not knowing that he was the stranger who snuck into the solar to hide from his pursuers. I loved the way that Kendrick stood up for her against them when they returned to the room, but I suspected that they were going to create trouble because of it.
For all of the glowing reputation that Kendrick has, Jason's status is just the opposite. Because he was squire to Christopher Blackmour, who was rumored to be a warlock and other grim things, Jason is believed to be just as bad. When we first see Jason, he is in a foul mood from chasing after Kendrick to deliver a message and having just had to deal with the flagrant fears of those he encountered. All he wants to do is deliver his message and get on with his plans to join the Crusades. Instead, he met Lianne and was immediately and inexplicably drawn to her. That fascination ended up saving Lianne's life. It was satisfying to see Jason use his reputation to gain the cooperation he needed to save her. His protectiveness as he watched over her treatment and recovery was impressive. His ability to "see with his heart" had a significant effect on Lianne and her confidence - I loved the scene with the bitchy women and Lianne's needlework chest. I loved how Jason fell fast and hard for Lianne and felt for him when he realized that as a third son he might not win her hand. There was an unexpected obstacle and twist thrown in his way, and I wasn't sure how that was going to work out.
I loved the last chapter. Lianne's nervousness was realistic, and it was fun to see the way that Jason tweaked it. Their arrival at Blackmour was not at all what Lianne expected, and I loved seeing her reactions. The meeting with Christopher was awesome and great fun to witness. I adored the ending, especially Christopher's wedding gift to Jason, and the emotional effect it had on him.
One of my favorite things about this story was the relationship between Jason and Kendrick. All of the sons of Robin of Artane have this unique way of showing their love for each other. The constant baiting and battling were fun to watch. Though their relationship with each other is frequently contentious, they immediately join forces when faced with an outside threat.
I liked Lianna from the very beginning. I felt terrible about the way she was treated but thought she had a pretty good attitude about it, preferring to go her own way rather than fight a losing battle. I felt her disgust with the way the other women plotted and schemed to trap Kendrick. It was hilarious to listen to her express her opinions of Kendrick, not knowing that he was the stranger who snuck into the solar to hide from his pursuers. I loved the way that Kendrick stood up for her against them when they returned to the room, but I suspected that they were going to create trouble because of it.
For all of the glowing reputation that Kendrick has, Jason's status is just the opposite. Because he was squire to Christopher Blackmour, who was rumored to be a warlock and other grim things, Jason is believed to be just as bad. When we first see Jason, he is in a foul mood from chasing after Kendrick to deliver a message and having just had to deal with the flagrant fears of those he encountered. All he wants to do is deliver his message and get on with his plans to join the Crusades. Instead, he met Lianne and was immediately and inexplicably drawn to her. That fascination ended up saving Lianne's life. It was satisfying to see Jason use his reputation to gain the cooperation he needed to save her. His protectiveness as he watched over her treatment and recovery was impressive. His ability to "see with his heart" had a significant effect on Lianne and her confidence - I loved the scene with the bitchy women and Lianne's needlework chest. I loved how Jason fell fast and hard for Lianne and felt for him when he realized that as a third son he might not win her hand. There was an unexpected obstacle and twist thrown in his way, and I wasn't sure how that was going to work out.
I loved the last chapter. Lianne's nervousness was realistic, and it was fun to see the way that Jason tweaked it. Their arrival at Blackmour was not at all what Lianne expected, and I loved seeing her reactions. The meeting with Christopher was awesome and great fun to witness. I adored the ending, especially Christopher's wedding gift to Jason, and the emotional effect it had on him.
One of my favorite things about this story was the relationship between Jason and Kendrick. All of the sons of Robin of Artane have this unique way of showing their love for each other. The constant baiting and battling were fun to watch. Though their relationship with each other is frequently contentious, they immediately join forces when faced with an outside threat.
This book is included in the book Tapestry ISBN 9780515133622 that is usually available (or the wish list wait is very short).
