Emmaline Martin has traveled all the way from England to be with her fiancé who is an officer in the army and stationed in Delhi, India. Emma's journey has not been an easy one since the ship that Emma and her parents were on sank and Emma was the only survivor. She has still come to India alone and not even her fiancé Marcus Lindley can help her for all he wants is her massive fortune.

One night at a party to honor Marcus, Emma is noticed by Julian Sinclair, who is a Marquess and a cousin to Marcus. Julian is of mixed English and native Indian descent and caught in between both worlds. There is something about Emma that calls out to him. And even though it is not proper, he can't help but befriend her. Emma, in turn, finds the Marquess to be a strange yet at the same time makes her feel alive for the first time since her parents death.

As India is on the brink of warfare, Emma is caught in the crossfire but Julian saves her. As they journey to safety, they try come to grips with their attraction to each other. But Julian must go back to find his family and make sure they are safe. He leaves Emma, not realizing his mistake.

When these two see each other again, it is almost four years later and they are now both in England. Julian thought Emma was dead. Emma saw so much bloodshed, that she uses her suffering to paint horrific paintings of her time in India as she waited for Julian. They are no longer lovers or even friends even though they both can't seem to stay away from each other. And when Emma could possibly be a target for murder, Julian knows he must do whatever he can to keep her safe and this time he will prevail and try to win her heart back in the process.

If there is one book you read this year, it must be The Duke of Shadows. New author, Meredith Duran has written a mature, intelligent and emotional story of suffering and angst. The setting and characters are so different and fascinating that you will not want to take your eyes away from the page.

The Duke of Shadows is a very dark tale of murder, mystery and the painful seduction between Julian and Emma. Their dance is a hard one to read since they are always at odds with each other because of their situation and the type of people they are. Every conversation between them has hidden meaning but when they stop talking and act on their attraction, those scenes are riddled with such passion and intense love.

Meredith Duran is one author to watch for and with The Duke of Shadows she has taken the historical romance world by storm. Do not miss out on one of the best romances this year!

Reviewed by: Katie