The Duke of Shadows - Meredith Duran

http://meredithduran.com/index.html

In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of an aristocrat torn between two worlds, an heiress who dares to risk everything...and the love born in fire and darkness that nearly destroys them.

From exotic sandstone palaces...
Sick of tragedy, done with rebellion, Emmaline Martin vows to settle quietly into British Indian society. But when the pillars of privilege topple, her fiancé's betrayal leaves Emma no choice. She must turn for help to the one man whom she should not trust, but cannot resist: Julian Sinclair, the dangerous and dazzling heir to the Duke of Auburn.

To the marble halls of London...
In London, they toast Sinclair with champagne. In India, they call him a traitor. Cynical and impatient with both worlds, Julian has never imagined that the place he might belong is in the embrace of a woman with a reluctant laugh and haunted eyes. But in a time of terrible darkness, he and Emma will discover that love itself can be perilous -- and that a single decision can alter one's life forever.

Destiny follows wherever you run.
A lifetime of grief later, in a cold London spring, Emma and Julian must finally confront the truth: no matter how hard one tries to deny it, some pasts cannot be disowned...and some passions never die

I have really turned this book over in my head, trying to come up with a review, and hoping I can do it some justice. A book this good, and so well written deserves something from me.
I can hardly believe this a first novel from Meredith Duran!! I’m not going to go into the plot. I feel like its best left to unfold for the reader in the pages of this remarkable book.

The characters were written perfectly, primary as well as secondary.
Emmaline Martin is an heiress who is beautiful, smart, courageous, strong willed, and brave!! Her father saw to it that she retain an excellent education, and she was willing to stand up for herself in a manner that in extremely frowned upon of women of this era. So many times she found the strength, and courage to keep moving forward in her life in spite of the pain, sorrow, and inner turmoil it caused her. Beginning with the loss of her parents. Finding out the truth about her betrothed, Lindley. Then finding herself alone in war torn India, surrounded by death and destruction.

Now we have Julian Sinclair, whom I found to be a little complex. Julian was born of English and Indian descent, whom from birth to childhood wasn’t embraced by either side of his family. Also being Lindley’s cousin and next in line to inherit the dukedom, over Lindley causes some issues. Julian seems perfectly content to let people believe what they choose to believe of him, believe whatever rumour they choose, draw whatever conclusions they like from them. He also let’s Emma sort through the rumours, and accusations of himself to figure out for herself what kind of man he is. I applaud Emma for being not only willing, but able to look into Julian and know who he is.

This book is NOT a normal fluffy, nice read one might expect of historical romance. I went through a series of emotions with this one, heartbreak, (and ooh, my heart broke ) to the point that it made me nauseous, for several chapters! This was a very emotional journey on many levels.

While I am new to the HR genre, I absolutely love this book beyond words!! The Duke of Shadows has trumped any other HR book I’ve read so far!! I give this book one standing ovation, and 2 handfuls of stars, thrown in the air like confetti!!

If you’re a fan of historical romance, I highly recommend this book. It will definitely be worth your time!!