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Jamie Gwynmorgan #2
Shadows of Something Real
In some ways, Marine Lieutenant Jamie Gwynmorgan has it pretty good. The motherly kindness of Lynn Hillinger, the senator she saved during the war that nearly killed them both, never wavers. Plus she has a great place to stay while she’s on convalescent leave—and a steady supply of the best lemonade on earth.But flashbacks and nightmares shadow her as she tries to Attempt a return to active duty, or…what?Jamie doubts she can ever achieve the peaceful life she dreams of—until she meets smart, idealistic Adele Sabellius. As their relationship deepens, almost anything seems possible.Soon, however, Jamie learns that something more menacing than nightmares and flashbacks has begun to twist the restless shadows around her. Though she may never understand why Adele loves her, Jamie will do whatever it takes to keep Adele safe when relentless enemies emerge from those darkening shadows to threaten yet another war.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2013
8 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Sophia Kell Hagin
5 books25 followersWith her fifth novel, Dreams Entangled, Sophia Kell Hagin continues exploring cross-genre speculative fiction, this time combining action/cyber thriller elements with magical realism, mythopoeia--and a running streak of badassery.
Dreams Entangled follows Not All A Dream, which won a 2022 Golden Crown Literary Society Award in General Fiction. Sophia’s first three novels comprise the Jamie Gwynmorgan series, beginning with Whatever Gods May Be (a Golden Crown Literary Society Award winner in 2011, for Dramatic General Fiction); next came Shadows of Something Real (2013), then Omnipotence Enough (2017).
Dreams Entangled follows Not All A Dream, which won a 2022 Golden Crown Literary Society Award in General Fiction. Sophia’s first three novels comprise the Jamie Gwynmorgan series, beginning with Whatever Gods May Be (a Golden Crown Literary Society Award winner in 2011, for Dramatic General Fiction); next came Shadows of Something Real (2013), then Omnipotence Enough (2017).
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 10, 2017
This is the second book in the Jamie Gwynmorgan series. The third book is being released shortly, so I had to catch up. Like the first, this book is really well done. Hagin knows how to write. I wish she would write more often, because by this point, I would read anything she wrote.
We reconnect with Jamie shortly after book 1 ends. She is suffering from major PTSD and trying to recover from being a POW. She is not even sure she wants to be a Marine anymore. The problem is she thinks killing people is the only thing she is good at. And while she is now on medical leave, she still owes the Marines two more years. With the help of her new family will she be able to heal, or will her nightmares become real?
Both books in this series are not easy reads. Jamie has been through more than you can imagine. This book is a little more political intrigue, instead of war heavy like the first. It is also not quite as dark as the first book (although it is still tough to read in parts). What this book does have is some romance. If anyone deserves some love in her life, it’s Jamie, so I was really happy for this storyline.
I have to admit, I’m a little worried about reading book 3. I was happy how this book ended, and am worried what horrors Jamie may go through next. Jamie has been through so much, it is like just leave the poor girl alone! But, by the time you finish these first two books, you feel so connected to Jamie that you have to know what happens next. Hopefully Jamie will get the HEA she truly deserves.
These books are unlike anything in lesfic I have ever read before. Hagin really is pretty brilliant. If you are looking for something well written, totally different, and you don’t mind dark, gritty and tough, give these books a chance. I would absolutely recommend reading these books in order. The story is too connected not to.
We reconnect with Jamie shortly after book 1 ends. She is suffering from major PTSD and trying to recover from being a POW. She is not even sure she wants to be a Marine anymore. The problem is she thinks killing people is the only thing she is good at. And while she is now on medical leave, she still owes the Marines two more years. With the help of her new family will she be able to heal, or will her nightmares become real?
Both books in this series are not easy reads. Jamie has been through more than you can imagine. This book is a little more political intrigue, instead of war heavy like the first. It is also not quite as dark as the first book (although it is still tough to read in parts). What this book does have is some romance. If anyone deserves some love in her life, it’s Jamie, so I was really happy for this storyline.
I have to admit, I’m a little worried about reading book 3. I was happy how this book ended, and am worried what horrors Jamie may go through next. Jamie has been through so much, it is like just leave the poor girl alone! But, by the time you finish these first two books, you feel so connected to Jamie that you have to know what happens next. Hopefully Jamie will get the HEA she truly deserves.
These books are unlike anything in lesfic I have ever read before. Hagin really is pretty brilliant. If you are looking for something well written, totally different, and you don’t mind dark, gritty and tough, give these books a chance. I would absolutely recommend reading these books in order. The story is too connected not to.
October 10, 2023
Part two of the Jamie Gwynnmorgan story. Jamie’s endurance, strength, integrity and love are off the charts. She’s a true hero.
October 15, 2017
The "lightest" of the three books. This one is more about chosen family and love. It still has it's dark side but not quite as grim as the first.
September 11, 2022
4.5 star rating
I read the first book in the series sometime ago but recently browsed through my shelf and realised i couldn't remember much from it so reread it. Gladly, my review of it didn't change and so that spurred me to check out this second book.
This story focuses on our heroine's recovery and the nightmares that followed. It also shares the support she finds through love. While this story had less combat scenes, it nevertheless supplied some futuristic tech-espionage situations. Add some of the nicely used/applied physics jargons in the lingua and I'd say this book came close to being classified by me as sci-fi.
In all, another enjoyable read and i look forward to more books by this author.
I read the first book in the series sometime ago but recently browsed through my shelf and realised i couldn't remember much from it so reread it. Gladly, my review of it didn't change and so that spurred me to check out this second book.
This story focuses on our heroine's recovery and the nightmares that followed. It also shares the support she finds through love. While this story had less combat scenes, it nevertheless supplied some futuristic tech-espionage situations. Add some of the nicely used/applied physics jargons in the lingua and I'd say this book came close to being classified by me as sci-fi.
In all, another enjoyable read and i look forward to more books by this author.
January 26, 2025
Too much. Probably read top quickly after the first one which I loved, but dark, political story almost obliterated the love story. Will leave the third for a bit.
July 14, 2014
Hhmm, not sure what to make of this book. It's very well written and tightly plotted, however, I feel that compared to the first book it misses out on some of the depth of plot as the story expands beyond the immediate warfare of the first book.
While I liked the characters, the fact the humble marine seems to have joined the most perfect family in existence, did kind of set off a minor alarm bell. Suddenly she is perfectly placed to access vast wealth, the most cutting edge technology and the woman of her every desire.
The description of the PTSD the view point character suffered was necessarily unpleasant and debilitating.
My major concern was that the ending seemed rushed and that all the loose ends were wrapped up very neatly. Suddenly we have a major "Bay of Pigs" type coup underway and this is introduced and resolved in approx 50 pages. While I appreciate the necessarily narrow focus afforded by the single view point character narrative, I wanted more of background and a better understanding of the forces at play.
A good but flawed book.
While I liked the characters, the fact the humble marine seems to have joined the most perfect family in existence, did kind of set off a minor alarm bell. Suddenly she is perfectly placed to access vast wealth, the most cutting edge technology and the woman of her every desire.
The description of the PTSD the view point character suffered was necessarily unpleasant and debilitating.
My major concern was that the ending seemed rushed and that all the loose ends were wrapped up very neatly. Suddenly we have a major "Bay of Pigs" type coup underway and this is introduced and resolved in approx 50 pages. While I appreciate the necessarily narrow focus afforded by the single view point character narrative, I wanted more of background and a better understanding of the forces at play.
A good but flawed book.
May 24, 2015
Just Breathe
Jamie is a former POW with a nasty case of PTSD doing her best to hang on. Adele is a Red Cross worker visiting her sister when she meets the wounded warrior. Can she be the anchor Jamie needs to keep her in the here and now long enough to heal so she can keep her new family safe from those who are trying to kill them? Or is she too badly damaged to see the truth and be set free?
I had a hard time getting into this story. It started slowly but once I got into it I didnt want to put it down. It was really pretty good.
I liked the complexity of the story lines and the characters. Ms. Hagin allowed us to see how the ladies related to each other in a variety of ways and I feel like I really got to know them and grow attached to them. (I can totally see Lynn as Dame Judy Dench) I did worry about Jamie until the end. There were a few questions that didnt get answered but most everything was tied up at a satisfying end.
Jamie is a former POW with a nasty case of PTSD doing her best to hang on. Adele is a Red Cross worker visiting her sister when she meets the wounded warrior. Can she be the anchor Jamie needs to keep her in the here and now long enough to heal so she can keep her new family safe from those who are trying to kill them? Or is she too badly damaged to see the truth and be set free?
I had a hard time getting into this story. It started slowly but once I got into it I didnt want to put it down. It was really pretty good.
I liked the complexity of the story lines and the characters. Ms. Hagin allowed us to see how the ladies related to each other in a variety of ways and I feel like I really got to know them and grow attached to them. (I can totally see Lynn as Dame Judy Dench) I did worry about Jamie until the end. There were a few questions that didnt get answered but most everything was tied up at a satisfying end.
July 20, 2019
I freaking loved this book. It's so bloody good.
I fell in love with Lynn and her family, and the love they have for Jaime. I wish they'd adopt me hehehe. And Adele's amazing. I wish Jaime can finally see that she deserves every bit of love she's getting from these group of women and then some.
The action and intrigue was pretty amazing too... but yeah, as much as I love the action and mystery, the characters really sell every bit of the story for me.
I fell in love with Lynn and her family, and the love they have for Jaime. I wish they'd adopt me hehehe. And Adele's amazing. I wish Jaime can finally see that she deserves every bit of love she's getting from these group of women and then some.
The action and intrigue was pretty amazing too... but yeah, as much as I love the action and mystery, the characters really sell every bit of the story for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2021
I like this one even more than the first one.
September 1, 2015
This long overdue sequel to Whatever Gods May Be is totally worth the wait.
Marine corporal Jamie returns home a hero--escaping and rescuing a Senator from a POW camp. However, she is mentally and physically broken from her horrific ordeal. In addition to the physical scars, she suffers from survivor's guilt, is beset by endless nightmares, and just can't get over a brutal accidental shooting.
The first part of the book is a little hard to read, as Jaime attempts and fails miserably to climb out of the mental rut she's stuck in. But the author's powerfully evocative prose turns what is normally an excruciating read (the PTSD part) into a very raw and moving experience.
I also love the development of Jamie's relationship with the Senator. Their scenes together are few and far between, but are always filled with such emotional depth. Their conversations are some of the most heartfelt and memorable in all of lesfic.
And then of course there is the romance. Whatever Gods May Be lost a star from me because the blurb seemed to imply that Jamie found love in it, which technically she didnt. I had already tempered my expectation for this book, but surprisingly, the romance was amazingly well done. Even more so considering most of this book is about war, the fallout of war and the business of war. (There is a bit of military jargon, some techspeak, James Bond-y gadgets and some political wheeling and dealing, but it doesn't overwhelm the average lesfic reader. On the other hand, they lend authenticity and realism to the book.)
And last, but not the least, is the intrigue. The limited 3rd person pov works wonders for the 'nothing-is-as-it-seems' tone of the book. The events in the first and second book may appear to be random coincidence, but how many times do things need to happen again before it starts to smell like a 'conspiracy'? or is it just Jaime's paranoia on overdrive? Great work!
This book defies pigeonholing. It is at once a character study, a family drama, a romance, a mystery, an action/thriller. And it does all of it equally well.
I highly recommend this book if you want something substantial to sink your teeth into. Definitely not a light and easy read. But, as the Senator tells Jamie, “Risk it, sweetie. That’s what love is about.”
Marine corporal Jamie returns home a hero--escaping and rescuing a Senator from a POW camp. However, she is mentally and physically broken from her horrific ordeal. In addition to the physical scars, she suffers from survivor's guilt, is beset by endless nightmares, and just can't get over a brutal accidental shooting.
The first part of the book is a little hard to read, as Jaime attempts and fails miserably to climb out of the mental rut she's stuck in. But the author's powerfully evocative prose turns what is normally an excruciating read (the PTSD part) into a very raw and moving experience.
I also love the development of Jamie's relationship with the Senator. Their scenes together are few and far between, but are always filled with such emotional depth. Their conversations are some of the most heartfelt and memorable in all of lesfic.
And then of course there is the romance. Whatever Gods May Be lost a star from me because the blurb seemed to imply that Jamie found love in it, which technically she didnt. I had already tempered my expectation for this book, but surprisingly, the romance was amazingly well done. Even more so considering most of this book is about war, the fallout of war and the business of war. (There is a bit of military jargon, some techspeak, James Bond-y gadgets and some political wheeling and dealing, but it doesn't overwhelm the average lesfic reader. On the other hand, they lend authenticity and realism to the book.)
And last, but not the least, is the intrigue. The limited 3rd person pov works wonders for the 'nothing-is-as-it-seems' tone of the book. The events in the first and second book may appear to be random coincidence, but how many times do things need to happen again before it starts to smell like a 'conspiracy'? or is it just Jaime's paranoia on overdrive? Great work!
This book defies pigeonholing. It is at once a character study, a family drama, a romance, a mystery, an action/thriller. And it does all of it equally well.
I highly recommend this book if you want something substantial to sink your teeth into. Definitely not a light and easy read. But, as the Senator tells Jamie, “Risk it, sweetie. That’s what love is about.”
July 2, 2013
It's been three long years since I finished "Whatever Gods May Be," put it down and said, "Wow." Sequels rarely live up to the first book simply because your expectations are higher and it's difficult for the author to surprise you again. Not so with "Shadows of Something Real."
The fighting is over, but not for young Marine Lt. Jaime Gwynmorgan. She is still healing from devastating injuries suffered when she took a heroic stand against the enemy so that the group she led from a Prisoner of War camp could reach safety. Even worse, every time she closes her eyes to sleep or stumbles into a mental trigger, she plunges right back into the torture she experienced during her brutal months as a POW. She tells herself it's just an illusion of her damaged psyche. But when things start happening around her to the people she has come to love, she is faced with the impossible task of sorting out what is real from what's not.
"Shadows of Something Real" is a personal journey of failures and victories that has you rooting for our heroine every step of the way. It's about family and relationships ... and about meeting that special person who is your anchor, your shelter, the balm that finally heals you.
Hagin wields her pen like her heroine does her sniper rifle -- with deadly accuracy. Sometimes you are no more sure than Jaime of what's real and what's not, but Hagin always seems to know to clear the fog right before Jaime explodes and the reader get too frustrated.
I recommend reading "Whatever Gods May Be" first. It's not required to understand "Shadows of Something Real," but I believe it would enhance your ability to fully experience Jaime's frustration, fears and struggle to find her place again.
If you have served in the military, if you know someone who has served, if you just like intrigue, or, damn it, you just like a story that sucks you right into the main character's head, "Shadows of Something Real" is a must must-read.
But be prepared. This book is also a chillingly insightful look at the power politics fed by the greed of private military contractors. Fiction or real?
The fighting is over, but not for young Marine Lt. Jaime Gwynmorgan. She is still healing from devastating injuries suffered when she took a heroic stand against the enemy so that the group she led from a Prisoner of War camp could reach safety. Even worse, every time she closes her eyes to sleep or stumbles into a mental trigger, she plunges right back into the torture she experienced during her brutal months as a POW. She tells herself it's just an illusion of her damaged psyche. But when things start happening around her to the people she has come to love, she is faced with the impossible task of sorting out what is real from what's not.
"Shadows of Something Real" is a personal journey of failures and victories that has you rooting for our heroine every step of the way. It's about family and relationships ... and about meeting that special person who is your anchor, your shelter, the balm that finally heals you.
Hagin wields her pen like her heroine does her sniper rifle -- with deadly accuracy. Sometimes you are no more sure than Jaime of what's real and what's not, but Hagin always seems to know to clear the fog right before Jaime explodes and the reader get too frustrated.
I recommend reading "Whatever Gods May Be" first. It's not required to understand "Shadows of Something Real," but I believe it would enhance your ability to fully experience Jaime's frustration, fears and struggle to find her place again.
If you have served in the military, if you know someone who has served, if you just like intrigue, or, damn it, you just like a story that sucks you right into the main character's head, "Shadows of Something Real" is a must must-read.
But be prepared. This book is also a chillingly insightful look at the power politics fed by the greed of private military contractors. Fiction or real?
April 5, 2015
Jamie, our heroine, gets 5 stars, no questions asked. She's a wonderful character, smart, strong and at the same time so very broken. But not beyond repair and she fights her way back to sanity with the help of the occupants of Great Hill (awesome bunch of people there) and Adele.
The PTSD is very well done; just like Jamie, me, the reader, had a very difficult time to distinguish between reality and her phantasms.
But then I thought the story bogged down in a mire of political intrigue. What didn't help was that an elaborate plot was devised using all kinds of tech and it turned into a cyber-war/techno thriller, with deceptions and counter-measures. There's a major conspiracy out there and Jamie is in the middle of it.
And, for me, it ended in a huge anti-climax.
I really liked the writing, it has great characters but that ending...
So, 5 stars because Jamie, 3 stars for the story.
The PTSD is very well done; just like Jamie, me, the reader, had a very difficult time to distinguish between reality and her phantasms.
But then I thought the story bogged down in a mire of political intrigue. What didn't help was that an elaborate plot was devised using all kinds of tech and it turned into a cyber-war/techno thriller, with deceptions and counter-measures. There's a major conspiracy out there and Jamie is in the middle of it.
And, for me, it ended in a huge anti-climax.
I really liked the writing, it has great characters but that ending...
So, 5 stars because Jamie, 3 stars for the story.
January 18, 2018
Jamie Gwynmorgan will be one of my all-time favorite characters. She is real in every sense of the word. Life has thrown the nastiest things imaginable at her and still she manages to find the will to live. To go on. It is imperative though, that you start at the beginning so that you can appreciate Jamie's growth, courage, and conviction. Whatever Gods May Be is where her story begins.
SPOILER:
Though damaged in too many ways to list, Jamie is still a survivor of the most noble type. Always needing to prove herself, she doesn't quit, even when others do. Being tortured, has messed up her head, but her heart still knows how to recognize love...if she can only remember her own worth. Her spirit lives on...
SPOILER:
Though damaged in too many ways to list, Jamie is still a survivor of the most noble type. Always needing to prove herself, she doesn't quit, even when others do. Being tortured, has messed up her head, but her heart still knows how to recognize love...if she can only remember her own worth. Her spirit lives on...
February 27, 2021
Character with a Disability/ PTSD
This was my first book by this author and it will not be the last. Kind of futuristic.
A Marine. Was captured and endured unimaginable torture. She physically escaped and is back in the states recovering. However, will she ever escape from the terrors she endured, will she ever be able to function normally.
Great story! Highly recommend
This was my first book by this author and it will not be the last. Kind of futuristic.
A Marine. Was captured and endured unimaginable torture. She physically escaped and is back in the states recovering. However, will she ever escape from the terrors she endured, will she ever be able to function normally.
Great story! Highly recommend
January 26, 2020
Excellent fast paced story
Unput-downable story full of action and lots of plot twists. A continuation of her previous book what God's may bring.And at heart a love 💘story.
I found it similar to Radclyffes honour series.
Unput-downable story full of action and lots of plot twists. A continuation of her previous book what God's may bring.And at heart a love 💘story.
I found it similar to Radclyffes honour series.
December 5, 2025
4.5 stars, just because the 1st book is still my favourite. This is an amazing follow up. This book has a little more political intrigue guessing who's behind it. Jaime is so strong. And the best part is the romance. Great book. I highly recommend reading them in order.
February 8, 2014
no sequel slump here. Still awesome.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews