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The Heart of a Shadow
Prince of Storms. Lady of Shadows. God of Chaos.
Bound in eternal servitude by forbidden magics, dark fairy Liria Atlannon has no choice but to follow her mistress across the seas to Egypt, where Princess Ione of Atlantis will marry the great Pharaoh Taos and become Queen. All seems well until Set the Anarchist, god of war and chaos, tries to steal the Princess Ione from her own welcome banquet, forcing Liria to reveal that she’s not just a handmaiden; she’s a weapon.
As Commander of the Pharaoh’s honour guard, it is Prince Raiden Horushood’s duty to defend his brother at all costs - even if that means facing down a god he has no hope of defeating. Nobody is more surprised than he when Liria, the softly spoken handmaiden who spends most of her time staring at floor, not only turns Set away but injures him in the process.
With the threat of an unpredictable god hanging overhead, Raiden begs Liria to join the Pharaoh’s honour guard. Though he’s fascinated by glimpses of a woman who is as intelligent as she is powerful, there isn’t time for charm - if they are to have any hope of protecting the Pharaoh and his Princess, then he and Liria must learn to work together.
Though Liria aches to become part of something greater, self-preservation dictates she stay far, far away from the vital, strong, and irritatingly handsome Prince Raiden. For if the warrior angel gets too close, he’ll discover that the biggest threat to Merged Egypt is not Set at all - it is Liria Atlannon, damned by the magic which shackles her soul, steals her free will and shapes her actions... until all that remains is a shadow.
Bound in eternal servitude by forbidden magics, dark fairy Liria Atlannon has no choice but to follow her mistress across the seas to Egypt, where Princess Ione of Atlantis will marry the great Pharaoh Taos and become Queen. All seems well until Set the Anarchist, god of war and chaos, tries to steal the Princess Ione from her own welcome banquet, forcing Liria to reveal that she’s not just a handmaiden; she’s a weapon.
As Commander of the Pharaoh’s honour guard, it is Prince Raiden Horushood’s duty to defend his brother at all costs - even if that means facing down a god he has no hope of defeating. Nobody is more surprised than he when Liria, the softly spoken handmaiden who spends most of her time staring at floor, not only turns Set away but injures him in the process.
With the threat of an unpredictable god hanging overhead, Raiden begs Liria to join the Pharaoh’s honour guard. Though he’s fascinated by glimpses of a woman who is as intelligent as she is powerful, there isn’t time for charm - if they are to have any hope of protecting the Pharaoh and his Princess, then he and Liria must learn to work together.
Though Liria aches to become part of something greater, self-preservation dictates she stay far, far away from the vital, strong, and irritatingly handsome Prince Raiden. For if the warrior angel gets too close, he’ll discover that the biggest threat to Merged Egypt is not Set at all - it is Liria Atlannon, damned by the magic which shackles her soul, steals her free will and shapes her actions... until all that remains is a shadow.
563 pages, ebook
Published April 22, 2021
9 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Marshall
8 books15 followersHello!
My name is Samantha Marshall and I’m an author of speculative fiction, a mother to two tiny dictators, an artist, a keen drinker of chai tea and, in my spare time, a unicorn.
I’ve been living stories as long as I can remember, telling them from the moment I could talk and writing them from the moment I could clumsily grip a crayon. Where I go, stories follow, like glitter on concert night. I see potential in things both strange and normal, am struck by inspiration in often unlikely places.
I believe in writing to the best of my ability, breathing life into my characters, always pushing the proverbial envelope, and dragons.
Won't you come on a ride?
My name is Samantha Marshall and I’m an author of speculative fiction, a mother to two tiny dictators, an artist, a keen drinker of chai tea and, in my spare time, a unicorn.
I’ve been living stories as long as I can remember, telling them from the moment I could talk and writing them from the moment I could clumsily grip a crayon. Where I go, stories follow, like glitter on concert night. I see potential in things both strange and normal, am struck by inspiration in often unlikely places.
I believe in writing to the best of my ability, breathing life into my characters, always pushing the proverbial envelope, and dragons.
Won't you come on a ride?
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 20, 2021
“Hearth of a shadow” is first in a new fantasy romance series, Merged worlds, by Samantha Marshall. Think a kaleidoscope of ancient civilizations with lots of magic and fantastical beings and you will have this surprising and exciting new fantasy universe for live. I simply loved the premise of Egyptians, Mayans, Atlanteans, Sumerians, Hindu and much more mixed with gods, angels, vampires, djinns, fae – this is the merged world, a universe where humans and fantastical creatures live together for good or evil. Hearth of a shadow take us to Egypt and the adventures of Angel prince Raiden and Fae lady Liria. He is the commander of the guard of his brother, Pharaoh Taos; she is the fae guardian of princess Ione of Atlantis, the bride of Taos. But Liria is not a common guardian. She is a shadow, a magical being bounded for complete servitude to her princess. Raiden fell in love with Liria and decides to free her not only from Ione's bondage, but also from all the dangerous forces of evil that insist on dominating the fae lady. The prince is a charming and altruistic character, easy to like, especially when he resigns the possibility of became the master of Liria’s immense power, so that she can finally be free and decide on her own life. The great villain is the anarchist god Seth, a terrible being capable of the most despicable acts, but also a lascivious and comic antagonist for the good side of merged world. Well, there is a lot of possibilities for Samantha expands the world she creates. There are many lands for visit in next stories, as well as interesting characters like the comrades of Raiden in Pharaoh guard, all they deserving good tales. Samantha is the kind of writer I really live for read: she is very descriptive and you can visualize the characters and scenes with all their colors and details. She doesn’t skimp on showing things like clothes and places, and I just love it all. In all, with a massive world building and a delicious love story to follow, I can fully recommend Hearth of a shadow and certainly will follow the news in the series.
I receive an arc for an honest review.
I receive an arc for an honest review.
April 20, 2021
For a romance, it's hard not to see the clear love for fantasy woven throughout the pages. Although built at a steady pace throughout the book, the world soon opens up to you and pulls you in.
One drawback with fantasy, however, is the word count. So much description. Although the prose is nice, it is very wordy, sometimes to the point of being taxing to read.
Beyond that, there's a lot of interesting ideas here – the merged world, soul binding, gods, monsters, and more, it is however dragged down by the romance, something that as the central focus of the book should be its strongest point, but was hard to get invested in. It is fast, and beyond a stated infatuation, the chemistry otherwise isn't there – the banter the main couple have isn’t really fun like it's intended to be, or even-footed... The hero himself quite a bit more forceful than was likeable with the heroine, and lacking the tact to deal with her circumstance without realistically causing further harm – which would be interesting in its own right, but consequences are rarely seen. The heroine on her own is more compelling. As is her princess, complicated as she is, while not unsympathetic - something that is refreshing for a character of her archetype.
Overall, it's not a bad book by any means, and has a really fresh, fun concept, but as a romance, it falls a bit flat.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
One drawback with fantasy, however, is the word count. So much description. Although the prose is nice, it is very wordy, sometimes to the point of being taxing to read.
Beyond that, there's a lot of interesting ideas here – the merged world, soul binding, gods, monsters, and more, it is however dragged down by the romance, something that as the central focus of the book should be its strongest point, but was hard to get invested in. It is fast, and beyond a stated infatuation, the chemistry otherwise isn't there – the banter the main couple have isn’t really fun like it's intended to be, or even-footed... The hero himself quite a bit more forceful than was likeable with the heroine, and lacking the tact to deal with her circumstance without realistically causing further harm – which would be interesting in its own right, but consequences are rarely seen. The heroine on her own is more compelling. As is her princess, complicated as she is, while not unsympathetic - something that is refreshing for a character of her archetype.
Overall, it's not a bad book by any means, and has a really fresh, fun concept, but as a romance, it falls a bit flat.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 3, 2021
Mystical and ancient worlds converge with a side-order of love!
When I read this book I was transported to a world of magic - of ancient civilisations with fantastical creatures. , demons, and Gods, so hell-bent on creating their own version of heaven on the Merged Cities of glorious kingdoms, that they destroyed anyone who stood in their path, be it parent, sibling, wife or child. I was introduced to a world divided by dark and light, good and evil, of fairies, and shape-shifters, of vampires, and creatures that only exist in this time, and in this dimension. It was a fabulous journey and I loved every moment, every page I turned with trepidation and glee to discover what thrilling battles needed to be won. And best of all it was a romance between two of the most unlikely bedmates - an angel and a slave. Of a beautiful male angel of light and a dark faerie trapped and enslaved by a magical curse.
Samantha Marshall has outdone herself on this one - the descriptions, the characters, the pace, and the dialogue not only made this story jump from the pages to live inside my head with its almost cinematic presentation, but it had me fist-pumping the air to cheer on our heroes as they overcame the odds for love. I look forward to the following books in this exciting series.
When I read this book I was transported to a world of magic - of ancient civilisations with fantastical creatures. , demons, and Gods, so hell-bent on creating their own version of heaven on the Merged Cities of glorious kingdoms, that they destroyed anyone who stood in their path, be it parent, sibling, wife or child. I was introduced to a world divided by dark and light, good and evil, of fairies, and shape-shifters, of vampires, and creatures that only exist in this time, and in this dimension. It was a fabulous journey and I loved every moment, every page I turned with trepidation and glee to discover what thrilling battles needed to be won. And best of all it was a romance between two of the most unlikely bedmates - an angel and a slave. Of a beautiful male angel of light and a dark faerie trapped and enslaved by a magical curse.
Samantha Marshall has outdone herself on this one - the descriptions, the characters, the pace, and the dialogue not only made this story jump from the pages to live inside my head with its almost cinematic presentation, but it had me fist-pumping the air to cheer on our heroes as they overcame the odds for love. I look forward to the following books in this exciting series.
March 31, 2021
Great world building, not enough relationships building
3 1/2 stars
Spoilers just to be safe. I have always loved the ancient worlds of the Greeks and Egyptian, the Merged worlds where human/fantasy hybrids populate the world with a society also hybridized to have ancient and futuristic technology was great. I took of one star because character relationship between Raiden and Liria was disconnected at times. It took years for the relationship between Raiden, his brother, and his team to develop. It also took years for the relationship between Ione and Liria to develop so for their characters to to have everything neat and tidy in one book seems too fast. I took half a star off because the second half of the book got confusing with the struggles between the hybrids and the gods. I know this is a romance but HEA does not need to be marriage, since this is a fantasy romance, it can be the start of a deeper romantic relationship.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
3 1/2 stars
Spoilers just to be safe. I have always loved the ancient worlds of the Greeks and Egyptian, the Merged worlds where human/fantasy hybrids populate the world with a society also hybridized to have ancient and futuristic technology was great. I took of one star because character relationship between Raiden and Liria was disconnected at times. It took years for the relationship between Raiden, his brother, and his team to develop. It also took years for the relationship between Ione and Liria to develop so for their characters to to have everything neat and tidy in one book seems too fast. I took half a star off because the second half of the book got confusing with the struggles between the hybrids and the gods. I know this is a romance but HEA does not need to be marriage, since this is a fantasy romance, it can be the start of a deeper romantic relationship.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 18, 2021
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Liria Atlannon is a shadow and is bound to the will of Princess Ione, who has travelled to Egypt to marry its pharaoh. Liria will always remain Ione's shadow...or she's supposed to. But the pharaoh's brother, Prince Raiden, sees her for what she is and what she can be. Unfortunately, anything that grows between them will have to survive the gods turning Egypt in a battleground.
This was a delightful dark fantasy novel with an Ancient Egyptian bent - I have always had a soft spot for those gods and any book that makes use of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt like I had to fan myself even when Liria and Raiden were sharing innocuous scenes! And Ione is one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered. I kind of wished I could dive right into this book and live there, though obviously I'd prefer not to encounter someone like Set...!
Liria Atlannon is a shadow and is bound to the will of Princess Ione, who has travelled to Egypt to marry its pharaoh. Liria will always remain Ione's shadow...or she's supposed to. But the pharaoh's brother, Prince Raiden, sees her for what she is and what she can be. Unfortunately, anything that grows between them will have to survive the gods turning Egypt in a battleground.
This was a delightful dark fantasy novel with an Ancient Egyptian bent - I have always had a soft spot for those gods and any book that makes use of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt like I had to fan myself even when Liria and Raiden were sharing innocuous scenes! And Ione is one of the most complex characters I've ever encountered. I kind of wished I could dive right into this book and live there, though obviously I'd prefer not to encounter someone like Set...!
March 14, 2021
The Heart of a Shadow was a fantastic melding of myths and legends. I love stories of Atlantis and Egypt, so the combination of both myths was rapture for me. Primarily the setting is Egypt, and I love how realistic it was, I could visualise it in my head as I read.
I enjoyed how the authors creativity knew no boundaries and really captured the readers attention from the start.
We have twists and turns within this lovely plot and the sub plots left me speechless at times.
I liked the voice used and narrative as well.
This story was engrossing with characters rich with back stories so tight, I just didn't want this
book to end.
Make sure you have time to read this book as it does require your attention.
I enjoyed how the authors creativity knew no boundaries and really captured the readers attention from the start.
We have twists and turns within this lovely plot and the sub plots left me speechless at times.
I liked the voice used and narrative as well.
This story was engrossing with characters rich with back stories so tight, I just didn't want this
book to end.
Make sure you have time to read this book as it does require your attention.
April 22, 2021
The Heart of a Shadow is the first book in Samantha Marshall’s Merged Worlds with a multifaceted and intriguing storyline and complex and fascinating characters. This is an exciting paranormal world where Gods, Angels, Mayans, Vampires (to name a few) and some nefarious elements all combine to enchant readers in this fantasy where romance abounds, and evil lurks awaiting the chance to pounce. The story is exceptionally descriptive and provides the reader with a beautiful visual of this captivating, if dangerous world. The Heart of a Shadow is not my usual type of story, but it was thoroughly entertaining and a wonderful read as long as you aren’t relying too much on relationships.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 11, 2021
Lovely flow, lovely story
I enjoy reading the books by this author because she has a lovely flow to her pages and has the ability to manipulate words into wonderful descriptions.
The characters are always likeable and often very endearing although there are also a couple of not so pleasant ones we love to hate but then they provide the action and we do get plenty of that spread throughout.
A feature that does stand out for me in this first of her new series is the clever weaving of the Gods from different worlds into the world we enter with this book. Making it work would not be an easy feat but Samantha Marshall manages it with flare.
A very enjoyable reading experience.
I enjoy reading the books by this author because she has a lovely flow to her pages and has the ability to manipulate words into wonderful descriptions.
The characters are always likeable and often very endearing although there are also a couple of not so pleasant ones we love to hate but then they provide the action and we do get plenty of that spread throughout.
A feature that does stand out for me in this first of her new series is the clever weaving of the Gods from different worlds into the world we enter with this book. Making it work would not be an easy feat but Samantha Marshall manages it with flare.
A very enjoyable reading experience.
May 28, 2021
Angels, demons, Egyptian gods, dessert sands, supernatural murder, a god with a hidden agenda, and a neurotic princess who just can't let go. Samantha Marshall's fantasy story is a delight to read. Full of action, elaborate exotic settings, and surprises. It's also a love story and a journey of self-discovery for the two lead characters: an angel transformed by the blood of the gods and a 'shadow' who desperately needs to be given back her 'self'. Their love grows and is tested throughout the action packed plot, and allows the healing required, touching both heart and soul.
Definitely a good read which I thoroughly recommend.
Definitely a good read which I thoroughly recommend.
April 19, 2021
I was lucky to read an advanced reader copy of The Heart Of A Shadow, and it is one epic adventure!!
Marshall has woven a world filled with myth and wonder as skilfully as any master-weaver. Her characters leapt from the pages with their passion and all-round badassness and I have to confess to falling a little in love with Liria, and a whole lot in love with Raiden.
If you like your romance hot, your worlds rich & full of wonder, and your stories fast and action-filled, then this is a must read!
Marshall has woven a world filled with myth and wonder as skilfully as any master-weaver. Her characters leapt from the pages with their passion and all-round badassness and I have to confess to falling a little in love with Liria, and a whole lot in love with Raiden.
If you like your romance hot, your worlds rich & full of wonder, and your stories fast and action-filled, then this is a must read!
March 20, 2021
Liria the shadow, a woman who’s been a slave her entire life, shackled and tormented by the one who owns her soul, arrives in the merged world of Egypt. There she finds the angel Prince of Egypt, Raiden, an advocate against slavery and the biggest threat to her heart, a heart she never believed she could share. Together they battle the darkness of a lost god to become more than each of them ever thought possible. Fans of Nalini Singh will love the start to this series.
April 2, 2021
Another fabulous read by the talented author Samantha Marshall. The Heart of a Shadow, is a well written, fantastic storyline, with great world building and characters, you will love. When half angels meet a handmaiden - Shadow to a Princess, who is more than she appears to be. What can go wrong when the God Set, is determined to play havoc revealing Liria - the Shadow is not just a handmaiden but a lethal weapon.
I recommend The Heart of a Shadow.
I recommend The Heart of a Shadow.
April 22, 2021
This is a wonderfully written romance that blends many elements of history to make up an incredible world. I really loved this book and am looking forward to more in this series.
April 23, 2021
Well written read with an varied paranormal world and plenty of action, danger and romance. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 3, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this take on Egypt, Mu and the Gods made real.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews