Valley of the Shadow

Liz never dreamt that the man she was searching for lived over 200 years ago…

Major Wesley Hale had been instrumental in changing the course of the Revolution. He had proudly led his men into battle; their final fight against the Redcoats was victorious. Wes had paid the price with his own health. Although the only obvious impediment is a slight limp, three years after the battle he is still haunted by visions of torn bodies and the senseless hanging of some surviving Redcoats by his own men. As Wes was drifting in and out of consciousness, he was unable to stop the insane bloodlust as they killed the surviving prisoners of war. Each year, on the anniversary of the battle, October 30th, Wes returns to the battlefield. It is a place that he has never really left.

Over two hundred years later, Liz Gordon is touring the grounds of an old mansion with some girlfriends and her unwelcome two-timing ex-boyfriend. Actors dressed as ghosts help to create the haunting Halloween atmosphere. When a huge storm whips up, Liz is separated from her party. She is shocked by the gruesomely stark sight of men hung from a tree dressed as Redcoats, but when she turns back to look again they are gone. Liz overbalances and slips on some loose ground. Through the fog she sees a handsome actor beckoning to her and instinctively, she rises towards him. As lightning strikes, Liz passes out.

Wes tries to make the young woman comfortable; she is drenched and awakens complaining of head pain. Her manner of speech and unusual clothing are signs that she is not a local woman. Liz cannot believe that the way too gorgeous man is not an actor, but a living soldier straight out of the time of the revolution. They both come to the realization that she has moved backward in time; this strange event occurred when they made the choice to go to each other. Liz is more than distressed as Wes takes her back to the southern plantation belonging to the Nordstroms, his closest friend and his wife. She has no idea of how to live as a woman in 1793, and no way of going back home.

Wes and Liz have both been searching for fidelity and discover each other. Yet, their mutual acceptance of Liz’s time travel was a little too easy for this reader. This is a highly erotic tale, with many of the sexual acts instigated or involving Eunice, a young maid with designs on Wes. Wes has built a hard shell to protect himself from painful memories and insecurities caused by his older brother’s lies. When he finds Liz, he begins to want to live again, but his self-doubting and possessive nature may cause him to lose the only woman that he has ever needed. If you are looking for an historical themed erotic book, this is an excellent choice. Just be prepared for the unpredictable sex-scene stealing acts from a maid who will stop at nothing to see her ambitions fulfilled.

Reviewed by: Naomi