Shadows of Yesterday

by Sandra Brown

Shadows of Yesterday

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Harlequin, Audiobook, Historical Romance

233 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.

In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.

Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Reviews

[Geo Just Reading My Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte superbă! O poveste de dragoste care te emoționează până la lacrimi! O carte care te lasă cu o stare de bine la final!

[♥Sharon♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 – 3 Stars

Well, I am not sure what to say about this one so I will keep it short.

Sandra Brown is one of my favorite authors and of all the books I have read by her they have been 4 or 5 star ratings.

Shadows of Yesterday was just a ho-hum read for me. Nothing got me excited but maybe that is because the book was written over 30 years ago. Honestly, when I started reading it I didn’t realize that. I probably wouldn’t have been tempted to start it.

There was a bit of



And a lot of



And then there was Sarah :)



If you are looking for an older romance novel then I guess you would probably enjoy it. I think from here on out I will limit myself to her books starting in the mid-1990’s.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is hard to believe that this is the same author that wrote such great books as The Witness, Mean Streak, Lethal, The Alibi - OK, it 32 years old and yes it felt like it was... very dated.... an enjoyable enough read but not a patch on her newer books.


I feel I have read all her GOOD books at this stage... I want another author like her ....


Not sure if it would even make the 3 star mark but it is SB ....

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 2 out of 5]

As good, or as bad, as any "chicken lit" story, only with a lot more sex. Some people may find this disturbing, others not, the sales speak for almost any book ever written.
Two words about the novel: the plot is rather thin, Leigh is far from being too clever, her mother is more than stupid, the final is, of course, a happy one. One more star due the little girl, Sarah, the nicest character from this story...

[Catheryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about these older contemporary romances are my catnip.

I really enjoyed this story. I think that Chad could have handled things a bit differently but I still really liked it. There were some dated elements to the story that didn't bother me. I'm not sure that I would recommend this story to anyone who loves more modern contemporary romances.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An older one by this writer but still good. Great opening/meeting b/w the protagonists.
Cute baby which adds a touch of sweetness.
Believable/plausible..yeah..probably not but it’s a romance and it’s a lightweight, pleasant escape for an hour or two of reading.

[Em (semi-hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I missed the person I was before reading this book.

[CC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the biggest issues I would have with this book would have been the dated writing (it is 30 years old) or the dead exes (a troupe I do not like). Yes - heroine was a bit of a prude and dressed and spoke funny. Totally not 1980s style or atmosphere. Maybe 1950s? But whatever. She was thrilled about the Linx coat. Ok I can deal. But no real fur people!!!! Shearling is plenty warm! The dead exes were handled in a way that I could handle and I appreciated that.

So why did this book get 2 stars? The hero is a manipulative, lying, secretive jackass! I can handle some secrets in the beginning of a relationship. Sure. But to continue to dole them out util the very end?! NFW! Omission is a lie. And the heroine put up with it and kept putting up with it. What a wimp! Once again we have the golden preen making up for being a platinum douchbag! And one person does not make MAJOR life decisions without consulting the other. That is as bad as lying. It is high handed and arrogant. Chad buddy - you may not be a cheater, but you sucked!

Oh and the women fawning all over him everywhere they went got really old. Normally that type of things bothers my GR buddies more than me, but it really ticked me off.

I have not read Sandra Brown but I am going to give her another shot. The writing and plot were good. Very predictable, but good. Just disliked the moral character of the hero and the lack of spine in the heroine.

Safety gang safe

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall rating: 4 stars!

Triggers:
Cheating: No
Love triangle: No
Sex with om/ow: No
Intimate Pasts: Chad (hero): Was married two years ago. His wife was not healthy mentally and killed herself and their unborn child. It is also hinted that the hero was a fan of the ladies and it was NEVER confirmed how long it's been for the hero and if those women that came on to him were anything more than flirting or had they been lovers in the past? That really bugged me. Leigh (heroine): Her husband died 8 months prior to the start of the book. He was killed while working.
OW/OM drama: Not drama per say, but a few times when Chad takes Leigh out, there are women that flirt with him and it's hard to tell if they had once been intimate with each other. The heroine gets really jealous, but never really voices her feelings and when she does, he doesn't say anything to clarify the past. That really really bothered me.
Push/pull: The heroine did a lot of pushing away. The hero was all in (when he comes back 4 months after helping her give birth) and kept trying to convince her to give him a chance.

HEA: Yes, but we could have used an epilogue

My review:

So I did like the premise of this book, but there were a few things keeping me from giving it a higher rating. First of all, I didn't like how the hero left the heroine for 4 months without a word. I get WHY he left and why he comes back, but I still would have liked some more reassure about what he was doing during that time. I hope it was only work. Also, there were 2 or 3 scenes where women would come on to the Chad and it was really hard for me to determine if he was the type of guy to participate in casual sex or if they were just flirting. He never clarifies and even though the heroine gets jealous, she doesn't really voice her thoughts either. That really bothered me. I also felt their love scenes were very rushed and even almost fade to black. I didn't really care for how they were written. Lastly, I would have loved an epilogue.

Overall, I did like the premise of the story and I loved the scenes with baby Sarah.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another steamy romance novel. I can't seem to get enough of these kinds of stories. This one is neat. Starts off with the lead character delivering her baby on the side of the road.

[Bona Caballero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le tengo muchísimo cariño a esta novela, porque es la primera que leí de Sandra Brown, en los noventa, creo que en 1997. Es de esas que publicó en los ochenta. Esta pertenece a la línea Second Chance at Love, la n.º 106, y salió en marzo de 1983 con el nombre ya de Sandra Brown. Tiene dos títulos, Relentless desire y Shadows of yesterday, que es la que yo leí. Sigue el tópico de la segunda oportunidad. Cuando Leigh Branson se pone de parto en mitad de una autovía, le echará la mano un tipo de lo más atractivo aunque algo desharrapado, Chad Dillon. Es una historia de amor sencilla de dos personas que se conocen, se gustan, superan algunos obstáculos que nacen más bien de sus propios miedos e inseguridades, se casan y tienen su final feliz. Todo lo cuentan de manera muy humana, muy natural. Realmente no pasa nada, salvo la vida cotidiana y cómo van aprendiendo a confiar el uno en el otro y superar sus problemas.
Crítica más amplia, en mi blog.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much too analyze here, because this book is meant to be quickly read and enjoyed. Sexy, tender Chad finds sweet, persevering Leigh on the side of the road and in labor. He delivers her baby in the back of his truck and they eventually fall in love. All fun stuff.

I read this in a day and it was a nice diversion. The exciting stuff starts up right away, and the pace of the story and conflicts after that is quick. The lovemaking scenes are fast, fervent, and frequent. (My only complaint being that there was a lot of focus on Leigh's breasts, like, we're talking every make out and sex scene up to the very end, so much info and attention on those guys..) I also would have liked to hear Chad's POV, rather than Leigh being the constant narrator, but I'm not too particular.

Summing it up, this book had everything I needed to distract me from my own life: sexiness and a beautiful man who's good with babies. All I needed was a comfy seat and some hours to kill.


Rating: Three stars. 1 for engaging writing, 1 for the interesting plot, 1 for the surprise kisses

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setelah menolong Leigh melahirkan scr darurat krn mendadak Leigh kontraksi hebat di mobilnya, Chad Dillon sempat menghilang dan kembali lagi tepat saatnya ketika Leigh berniat mencari dirinya utk mengucapkan terimakasih.

Dan sepanjang cerita hingga penghujungnya cuma bercerita interaksi mereka berdua yg remeh temeh spt mengasuh bayi dan bermesraan plus bercinta. Sama² sdh kehilangan pasangan mereka sblmnya, ternyata tidak membuat Leigh dan Chad tambah cerdas dlm memilih pasangan mereka berikutnya. Terkadang saya merasa Leigh itu munafik dan agak egois krn keberatannya akan pekerjaan Chad. Dan spt sdh diduga, penyelesaian masalah juga digampangkan saja. Saya bosan abis baca novel ini krn ceritanya super minim konflik banget.

[Judy Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read. It was a nice story but not much plot or action. As always, Sandra Brown knows how to tell a story.

[Andreea Patracuta · Rating 3 out of 5]

O poveste de dragoste simpatica , scrie bine Sandra Brown dar nu aduce nimic nou în povestiile ei

[JoAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet short read!

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leigh meets Chad on a deserted highway. Chad, seeing a car with a lone woman in it stops only to find she is about to give birth. After helping Leigh give birth to Sara, he drives her to the hospital. Chad falls in love with Leigh at first sight and Leigh, not realizing it, falls in love with Chad at first sight. Leigh’s first husband, Sara’s dad who was a police officer was murdered while on the job. Leigh was determined not to love Chad because his job was just as dangerous as her dead husband’s. The rest of the story was about Leigh coming to terms with facing her fears and loving Chad the man or continue to live in fear that the next job might mean the end of his life. Joyce Bean does a good job in telling the story.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing romantic about giving birth in the back of a parked pickup on a highway, with a dirty stranger acting as the midwife. So when they started gushing over how they fell in love with each other on that highway, I lost what little interest I had left for this book. But when everyone stopped acting so cliched, the people weren't that bad and the plot was rather good, I just couldn't get into story. So one star for Sarah, one for Chad and a half for Leigh for having the guts to try to raise a child on her own, without a security net. Chad is the kind of guy that have everything and can have anyone he wants, so for him to go through all those hoops the get an ornery widow with a baby he delivered, make him worthy as romance novel hero. Sarah is a baby, do I need to say more?

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. It was a very touching story of two people who had lost loved and found it again in each other and the child they helped bring into the world. It is an emotional story with an inspirational ending, that not all love is lost and new love should be cherished.

[misz lei · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the first ever sandra books ive read way back but im still lovin it! Chad is a perfect gentleman! In a world that is now filled with taboo, perverted novels it so heartwarming to read stories like this.

[Mihaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet love story :) 3.5 stars from me.

[Janet Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an early Sandra Brown book that hasn't the depth of some of her other early romance novels. It is well written, but the characters aren't as fleshed out as most of Brown's stories.
Here, young Leigh Bransom finds herself about to give birth alone on a deserted country road in western Texas. A dirty stranger driving an ancient pick-up truck stops to help. Leigh is frightened until she gazes into the handsome man's blue eyes.
Yes, he delivers her daughter in the back of his truck. Once they make it to the hospital, the stranger kisses her good-bye and disappears.
Four months later, a clean and less disreputable Chad Dillon arrives at her new home. A predictable love affair follows. The only conflict in this book concerns Chad's occupation.
Never knowing that Leigh was pregnant, her husband had died due to a high risk job. Could she take another chance at love with a secretive Chad?
Leigh's character is wimpy and hard to warm up to. Chad, at times, has anger issues. How they resolve their inner conflicts is the only surprise readers get in this forgettable story.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

mungkin bisa dibilang kalau cerita dibuku ini adalah cinta pada pandangan pertama, terlepas bahwa pertemuan pertama mereka jauh dari suasana yg romantis, si tokoh pria secara tidak sengaja bertemu dengan tokoh wanita yg sedang kesulitan dipinggir jalan. ternyata si wanita sedang kesakitan akan melahirkan, si pria pun dengan sigap membantu proses bersalin didalam truknya. setelah itu si pria pun segera membawa si wanita dan bayinya ke RS. sepertinya pertemuan pertama itu sangat berkesan bagi si wanita yg kemudian selalu teringat akan sosok penolongnya. si pria pun demikian karena kemudian berusaha untuk menemui si wanita dan mengenalnya lebih jauh lagi

[The Book Worm · Rating 3 out of 5]

For such an early book by Sandra Brown, Shadows of Yesterday isn't that bad. The plot is fairly streamlined, and the characters could be a bit more developed. Leigh, in particular, behaves like a very silly girl sometimes - right from when she decides to drive on a deserted motorway during the Texas summer while in labor, until the part where she deals that ugly "you don't love me enough" card.
Still, it's a very quick read, with a simple plot and a happily ever after - and sometimes that's all we need to unwind for a while. If you can get past the fact that it was written 35 years ago and therefore is very outdated, you may want to give it a try.

[Alexandra K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leigh
Sie ist allein auf einer Landstraße, irgendwo in Texas. Die Geburt ihres ersten Kindes steht unmittelbar bevor, als plötzlich ein etwas abgerissener Fremder anhält, um ihr zu helfen. Acht Monate zuvor hat Leigh Bransom ihren Mann durch einen tragischen Autounfall verloren. Bald merkt sie: Der Fremde ist ein Mann voller Rätsel.

Chad
Er betreibt gefährliche Geschäfte, und seine Vergangenheit hält er geheim. Das Schicksal hat ihn ausgewählt, Leighs Gefühle wieder zu wecken. Aber wird seine Liebe sie vor ihren schlimmsten Befürchtungen bewahren?

Eine Liebesgeschichte beginnt, ein Tanz im Feuer.

[Michelle Cummings · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst Sandra Brown book ever

This book was a waste of time. I love Sandra Brown’s books and have read most of them. This is by far the worst. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book by her that I didn’t enjoy…until now. It started off pretty good with the usual misconceptions in a romance but then went downhill from there. The entire book was seen only from the heroine’s perspective and I use the term heroine quite loosely. She was a spoiled, selfish, ungrateful shrew. She kept repeatedly having tantrums, being sorry, doing it again and being forgiven. The book ends with her finally getting her way to a doubtful happily ever after

[Norene Perdue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best book by this author

If I were a woman I would most likely give the book a better review. I had already read The Witness,which was one of the best, most hair-raising suspense Chronicles I,d ever enjoyed, and I, frankly, expected much more than was provided. As far as I could determine this was nothing more than a treatise about all the nuances of the sex act with an occasional predictable story line.

[Palinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yah walaupun banyak wak-wak wik-wiknya tapi ceritanya bagus. Dua tokoh utama yang sama-sama punya masa lalu yang nggak bahagia terutama Mbak Leigh yang kayaknya trauma banget. Tapi dua tokoh utama ini strong. Saling menguatkan sih lebih tepatnya. Dan saling mengalah dan menurunkan ego masing-masing. Ceritanya ringan dan nggak bosenin (yhaiyalah banyak adegan debus api asmara berkobar di mana-mana LOL).

[Kat Ryker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the Sandra Brown books that I've not read for 20 years. It is sophomoric, the sex is awkward, the dialogue stilted, but underneath is all is that Sandra Brown touch that makes even a "beginning" book sound good. I enjoyed what the author writes at the back of the book than the book itself, which was rather predictable. But that said, ALL of her early books were predictable. She got really good when she decided to add her brand of suspense to her books.

[Sherly Tjhin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ketika hal yang paling engkau takuti dan hindari malah menjadi hal yang tanpa engkau sadari sangat mengikat dirimu. Ketika segalanya sudah tidak mungkin untuk dilepaskan dan engkau pun tahu memberanikan diri hanyalah pilihan terbaik yang dapat dilakukan. Drama yang kental, bukan roman picisan melainkan romansa dewasa yang penuh kematangan pemikiran sekaligus segala dilema sebagai karakter-karakter yang bertanggung jawab dan matang dalam menjalani kehidupan.