Holly‘s review of Shadow Woman by Linda Howard
From perennial New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard comes a thrilling and sensual new novel of romance, suspense, intrigue . . . and memories that can kill. SHADOW WOMAN Lizette Henry wakes up one morning and makes a terrifying discovery: She doesn’t recognize the face she sees in the mirror. She remembers what she looks like, but her reflection is someone else’s. To add to the shock, two years seem to have disappeared from her life. Someone has gone to great and inexplicable lengths to keep those missing years hidden forever. But the past always finds a way to return.
Strange memories soon begin to surface and, along with them, some unusual skills and talents that Lizette hasn’t a clue about acquiring. Sensing that she’s being monitored, Lizette suddenly knows how to search for bugs in her house and tracking devices in her car. What’s more, she can elude surveillance—like a trained agent.
Enter a mysterious and seductive stranger named Xavier, who claims he wants to help—but who triggers disturbing images of an unspeakable crime of which Lizette may or may not be the perpetrator. With memories returning, she suddenly becomes a target of anonymous assassins. On the run with nowhere to hide, Lizette has no choice but to rely on Xavier, a strong and magnetic man she doesn’t trust, with a powerful attraction she cannot resist. As murky waters become clear, Lizette confronts a conspiracy that is treacherous and far-reaching and a truth that, once revealed, may silence her and Xavier once and for all.
After I finished Running Wild, I was both nervous and excited to read this book. I didn’t read Prey, but I read all Howard’s previous releases and many of the later ones disappointed me. Running Wild was more like some of her earlier books and I’d hoped she was making a comeback. While this isn’t as good as, say, Heart of Fire (but then really, what is?), I did enjoy it more than I thought I would.
Lizette wakes up one morning and doesn’t recognize her face in the mirror. This realization triggers a massive headache and consequent freak-out in which she discovers she’s missing two years of her life. She remembers her childhood, teen and college years. She also remembers the last three. But the two before that are a complete blank. She’s either going crazy or something major happened to her. Since she all of sudden has skills she didn’t know she possessed and it seems like she’s being followed everywhere she goes..well, it’s a toss up which it really is.
As the days go by and her memory slowly returns, she realizes she isn’t a crazy conspiracy theorist. The truth is, she is being followed and her every move is watched. When she meets a mysterious man at the local pharmacy, he trips all kinds of triggers inside her..and not just in her memory. Before long she’s on the run and can trust no one. Except, maybe, that dark-eyed stranger..who doesn’t seem like a stranger at all.
I love Howard’s heroines. With few exceptions, they’re some of my favorite in the romance genre. They’re always sassy and strong, but vulnerable and caring. Lizette was a good blend of sassy and strong, while also being easy to relate to. I really enjoyed her.
I didn’t feel like we got to know Xavier very well. This is a common theme in Howard’s later releases. I always felt a connection to her heroes in past books, but that was lacking here. More focus on him and less on the other players in the book would have made for a better story, in my opinion.
The suspense plot takes up the bulk of the novel. I find Howard’s suspense entertaining for the most part, so I wasn’t bothered by this. The tale is a chilling one. The idea that Lizette’s memories have been erased and her every move is watched is creepy. Though the idea is plausible on the surface, I didn’t find it to hold up if I thought too hard about it. The fact that an entire team was dedicated to watching every move Lizzie made for three entire years seemed far-fetched. I was able to buy into it by setting aside disbelief, which wasn’t all that hard to do because the story was entertaining.
Though light on the romance, I did find that part believable in the end. The way it’s woven into the story works. A warning for you die-hard romance fans; the hero and heroine don’t meet face-to-face until late in the novel. This was more in line with Son of the Morning than some of her other rom suspense novels.
Overall this was a satisfying read. The suspense was entertaining and the romance interesting.
3.25 out of 5
I think it’s time to let go of my expectations of Howard and enjoy these novels without the shadow of her former books.
This book is available from Ballantine. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I enjoyed most of the book until the big reveal, then the underlying premise fell apart. As described, the “secret” isn’t a felony since it was an accident and the target was guilty of a crime. So why did the special ops team go to such lengths to cover it up? The only way this would make any sense is if the thumb drive retrieved by the mole showed the target to be innocent.