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Absent Shadows Trilogy #2
Sacrifice
Sacrifice: ‘A surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or of preventing some evil.'
Lili is in love with Sam. Or is she? Has he simply cast some sort of spell on her? Can vampires do that? Indecision and self-doubt nearly cripple Lili as she contemplates returning to Australia to be with Sam—after all, what does a nineteen year-old California girl know about living with vampires and ghosts?
There are many challenges ahead of her, and each time she meets one Lili discovers she is stronger than she thought. But even so, is she prepared to make the hardest decision of her young life, and learn the true meaning of sacrifice?
In this second instalment of The Absent Shadows Trilogy Lili’s journey continues, across wide expanses of sea and land, as she seeks to confirm true love and fulfill her destiny.
Author Biography:
S M Spencer was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.
As a young teenager her mother introduced her to the world of romantic suspense by encouraging her to read the works of authors such as Daphne du Maurier and Mary Stewart. These books stirred a passion in her that would last a lifetime—to become a writer.
Feeling the need to experience life before embarking on a writing career, Ms Spencer completed a business degree. Her career eventually landed her in Melbourne, Australia, where she has lived ever since. Yet her true passion to be a writer never abated.
SM Spencer now writes from her home in the outskirts of Melbourne, where she lives with her husband, horses, cats and dogs.
Lili is in love with Sam. Or is she? Has he simply cast some sort of spell on her? Can vampires do that? Indecision and self-doubt nearly cripple Lili as she contemplates returning to Australia to be with Sam—after all, what does a nineteen year-old California girl know about living with vampires and ghosts?
There are many challenges ahead of her, and each time she meets one Lili discovers she is stronger than she thought. But even so, is she prepared to make the hardest decision of her young life, and learn the true meaning of sacrifice?
In this second instalment of The Absent Shadows Trilogy Lili’s journey continues, across wide expanses of sea and land, as she seeks to confirm true love and fulfill her destiny.
Author Biography:
S M Spencer was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.
As a young teenager her mother introduced her to the world of romantic suspense by encouraging her to read the works of authors such as Daphne du Maurier and Mary Stewart. These books stirred a passion in her that would last a lifetime—to become a writer.
Feeling the need to experience life before embarking on a writing career, Ms Spencer completed a business degree. Her career eventually landed her in Melbourne, Australia, where she has lived ever since. Yet her true passion to be a writer never abated.
SM Spencer now writes from her home in the outskirts of Melbourne, where she lives with her husband, horses, cats and dogs.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 23, 2014
5 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Spencer
15 books429 followersAt the age of five S M Spencer's life changed when she was plonked onto a black & white pony for a photograph. From that day on all she wanted was a horse. She spent the next eleven years writing stories about the horses she pretended to ride through the rolling hills of coastal California until she got a job and bought her first horse at the age of sixteen.
In the 1980's her life changed again when her employer offered her a role Australia. This was the beginning of an adventure of which she has never tired.
Still living in Australia she now writes from the semi-rural home she shares with her husband, horses, cats and dogs--not to mention the mob of kangaroos that share the paddocks with the horses from time to time.
Her current series, Romancing the Californian Cowboys, is contemporary romance with just a touch of spice, lots of horses, and both Australian and American characters.
Her second series is the Copperhead Creek Australian Romance series. This is light contemporary/rural romance as well as a murder mystery in book six, set within the Golden Triangle outside Melbourne. All books can be read as stand-alone titles.
The first series she wrote is a YA paranormal romance trilogy, Absent Shadows, which is set mostly in Australia.
Follow S M Spencer on FaceBook (S M Spencer - Author) or twitter (@SMSpencerAuthor)
In the 1980's her life changed again when her employer offered her a role Australia. This was the beginning of an adventure of which she has never tired.
Still living in Australia she now writes from the semi-rural home she shares with her husband, horses, cats and dogs--not to mention the mob of kangaroos that share the paddocks with the horses from time to time.
Her current series, Romancing the Californian Cowboys, is contemporary romance with just a touch of spice, lots of horses, and both Australian and American characters.
Her second series is the Copperhead Creek Australian Romance series. This is light contemporary/rural romance as well as a murder mystery in book six, set within the Golden Triangle outside Melbourne. All books can be read as stand-alone titles.
The first series she wrote is a YA paranormal romance trilogy, Absent Shadows, which is set mostly in Australia.
Follow S M Spencer on FaceBook (S M Spencer - Author) or twitter (@SMSpencerAuthor)
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 18, 2015
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A continuation of Sam and Lili’s relationship and their struggle to be together captures the reader’s attention immediately. The two books flow seamlessly together. S.M. Spencer executes an excellent description of the pain and struggles of young love separated by miles thus providing a clear and realistic connection between the characters and the reader. Spencer proves to be insightful into young adult relationships and the struggles they face.
The plot twists are intriguing. The saddest part of the book was not the lingering ghostly sister of Sam and her doomed existence of waiting for him to cross over potentially forever but rather the ability of Lili to easily step into the role of motherhood and the culture of vampire hunters. She does redeem herself when her daughter is born but that in itself brings another set of problems.
I was hoping that Lili’s ex would make an appearance in Australia but I suspect that might be later. We are given a more in depth view of his personality and it is a vile one! We are given a clearer picture of Lili’s mom and their relationship. Spencer is widening the circle of characters providing a stronger connection to Lili and Sam.
Spencer has proven yet once again her talent at weaving a story and building strong connections drawing the reader deeply into the story. While it is fast paced, it is not overly so. As I was reading this I was surprised that I was nearing the end but could not wait to discover what Lili and Sam were going to do and what would happen with Ceylona. This book is truly about sacrifices – Lili does it throughout the book to protect her husband, her children and her friends.
An excellent continuation of Destiny: Absent Shadows Trilogy. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a great read!
Another 5 star review from WordsAPlenty. To purchase this book click here.
A continuation of Sam and Lili’s relationship and their struggle to be together captures the reader’s attention immediately. The two books flow seamlessly together. S.M. Spencer executes an excellent description of the pain and struggles of young love separated by miles thus providing a clear and realistic connection between the characters and the reader. Spencer proves to be insightful into young adult relationships and the struggles they face.
The plot twists are intriguing. The saddest part of the book was not the lingering ghostly sister of Sam and her doomed existence of waiting for him to cross over potentially forever but rather the ability of Lili to easily step into the role of motherhood and the culture of vampire hunters. She does redeem herself when her daughter is born but that in itself brings another set of problems.
I was hoping that Lili’s ex would make an appearance in Australia but I suspect that might be later. We are given a more in depth view of his personality and it is a vile one! We are given a clearer picture of Lili’s mom and their relationship. Spencer is widening the circle of characters providing a stronger connection to Lili and Sam.
Spencer has proven yet once again her talent at weaving a story and building strong connections drawing the reader deeply into the story. While it is fast paced, it is not overly so. As I was reading this I was surprised that I was nearing the end but could not wait to discover what Lili and Sam were going to do and what would happen with Ceylona. This book is truly about sacrifices – Lili does it throughout the book to protect her husband, her children and her friends.
An excellent continuation of Destiny: Absent Shadows Trilogy. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a great read!
Another 5 star review from WordsAPlenty. To purchase this book click here.
April 8, 2015
This book is the continuation of Lili and Sam's story. It picks up right where "Destiny" left off! A marriage, several pregnancies, whether or not Ceylona is truly a dhampir to question and much more are added for our reading pleasure in this book. The writing was excellent and I finished this in a matter of hours. This was a great 2nd book in the series! I highly recommend this to fans of YA Paranormal fiction! * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
October 19, 2015
We are proud to announce that SACRIFICE by S.M. Spencer is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
January 21, 2018
Sacrifice
SM Spencer excels at creating interesting twists and turns in addition to mesmerizing characters! Now it is time to devour the next book in this series!
SM Spencer excels at creating interesting twists and turns in addition to mesmerizing characters! Now it is time to devour the next book in this series!
December 14, 2015
Another great read from S. M. Spencer
The story takes up right where Destinies left off, which is always a great start to a second book in a series. Lots of surprises and new information to absorb, which slowed the pace a little in the beginning, but once it got going I was hooked all over again. The writing flows well, and the characters are engaging. Can't wait to real the final instalment in this trilogy.
The story takes up right where Destinies left off, which is always a great start to a second book in a series. Lots of surprises and new information to absorb, which slowed the pace a little in the beginning, but once it got going I was hooked all over again. The writing flows well, and the characters are engaging. Can't wait to real the final instalment in this trilogy.
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December 7, 2015Dear Readers: please note that the Absent Shadows trilogy is a YA paranormal romance - if it were a movie, it would be rated PG
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews