Holly's review of Delaney's Shadow by Ingrid Weaver

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Holly's review of Delaney's Shadow by Ingrid Weaver

A gripping story of romantic suspense that ventures beyond the passion of the heart and into the desires of the mind...

ONE CANNOT REMEMBER...

Years ago, seven-year-old John Maxwell Harrison saved little Delaney Wainright from drowning, forging a psychic bond that would endure for years. For Delaney, Max became her childhood "imaginary friend." Now she needs Max more than ever after her wealthy husband is killed in a car accident that she can't recall.

ONE CANNOT FORGET...

After enduring a brutal childhood and unjust imprisonment, Max is a recluse who pours his anger into his art. When Delaney reestablishes their bond, he takes advantage and becomes her fantasy lover, driving Delaney to the edge of madness. But by the time Delaney realizes Max is real, it may already be too late. Because someone is trying to kill her.

BOTH MUST OVERCOME...

Reunited, they will have to embrace the undeniable love that has intertwined their destinies if they are to unlock Delaney's memory -- and uncover a dark specter from the past who will not stop until they both are broken.

These days I don't read a lot of romantic suspense. I have a few favorite authors I still read, but I rarely pick up a new-to-me romantic suspense. My problem is I think too much to read and enjoy RS. I can't get over the "Super Security Specialist does nothing Super to protect little womenz from threats because he's too busy humping her leg every 5 seconds" trope. Or the "we're in the jungle with bad guys surrounding us with guns but OMG I NEED TO DO YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW" trope.

Even more than that, though, I can't get over the little, tiny, seemingly-unimportant details no other readers seem to notice. Like common sense things or police procedural things or OMG WHY ARE YOU SO FREAKING STUPID things.

So it was with trepidation that I picked this one up. I honestly only meant to skim it a bit, and before I knew it I was halfway through. The pace of the novel was pretty quick and I enjoyed the paranormal aspects. The idea that two kids could connect mentally after a near-death experience and maintain that connection for life was interesting. The way they connected and the experiences they had mentally were also interesting.

Less interesting was the way the hero constantly felt the need to "punish" the heroine because she thought he didn't exist. Delaney had no memory of them actually meeting, so she always assumed Max was her imaginary friend. Max felt betrayed when she left him as a child (she grew up and therefore no longer needed her imaginary friend). Now that she's back and reconnecting with him, he resents the intrusion. He also resents that she's using him to regain her memory from the night her husband died in an accident - one she was severely injured in as well.

Delaney thinks she's "conjured up" here imaginary friend as a way for her subconscious to work through her repressed memories and the trauma she suffered at the death of her husband. This makes for some amusing scenes in the beginning. She thinks she's going insane because she's attracted to her imaginary friend. Not to mention she's an adult who has an imaginary friend. I kept snickering.

But once Max realizes she only wants to "use" him to find her repressed memories, my amusement faded. He then decides to "use" her right back. The problem? Delaney didn't know he was a real person. Why would she? She wasn't much more than a toddler when they met in person, and that only happened once. Since then the only interactions they had were mental ones - imaginary ones. So..why was he so angry with her? Why was he so bent on teaching her a lesson? That made no sense to me.

The romance was well done when the story focused on just the two of them together - without Max's thoughts of revenge. It was obvious they cared for each other and understood each other well. Delaney wanted to help and comfort Max just as much as he wanted to help and comfort her. Even though they only had a mental connection for much of the book, they're feelings for one another were believable. I believed in that aspect of their relationship.

The mystery plot wasn't much of a mystery. I figured out early on who was behind the attacks on the heroine and others. What I did find interesting was the way she uncovered her memories and her connection to the hero. I was bothered by how sweet and compassionate she was. She just had to see the good in everyone. She was naive and sweet and oh so good. That was frustrating.

There was a lot here that bothered me, but for all that I enjoyed much of the story. I look forward to reading the second book.

3.5/5

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.