Shadow of Love

Shadow of Love
Dick Claassen
Awe Struck Books
Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Qetesh

The Shadow of Love is a modern romance tale about two people who meet in a chat room over the Internet. They decide to meet in person and go on a blind date. This book departs completely from the run of the mill romance novel from that point on. Jim and Marilyn meet for the first time and neither one of them are what the other expected. She is handicapped sitting in a wheel chair. She immediately decides to cancel the date the moment she sees Jim. Jim looks like a player to her and sparks begin to fly when they really do not hit it off. They decide to call a momentary truce and have dinner together then part never expecting to see each other again. The funny thing that happens is that Jim cannot stop thinking about her. Throw in a camping trip where unexpected things begin to happen, the ghost of a dead father, and Marilyn is found outside her tent with mud on her feet. She appears to have been walking around in the middle of the night even though this is an impossible feat for her to accomplish. Is Jim strong enough to handle Marilyn and her willful ways, or the unusual events that seem to crop up anytime she is around? This is the most intriguing, fascinating plot that I have read in quite a while. The characters were a little weak and did not have the depth that I felt they had the capacity for, and the emotional transition from strong hatred to undying love was a little extreme. However, the overall story was completely unconventional and fresh.
I loved the fact that the heroine was not a cookie cutter gorgeous doll type, and loved the way the author portrayed her as independent and strong. Definitely a fascinating read that is anything but dull.