SILKEN SHADOWS

Author: Jennifer St. Giles ISBN: 9780425217948 12/2007 HISTORICAL/PARANORMAL Publisher: Berkley
Time Period: 1880 England

When Gemini Andrews laid eyes on Captain Deverell Jansen, she didn’t need her psychic abilities to know that he would soon be hers. It was just a matter of convincing him. So when Gemini learns of his voyage to Northrope in search of a vicious killer whose victims are left strewn among the Druid Stones, she hatches a plan. Knowing she can help—and with hopes of growing closer to Dev—she stows away on his ship… Dev is shocked to discover Gemini, knowing what this kind of stunt could do to her reputation. Yet after learning of her powers, he realizes he does need her, in more ways than one. These murders could be the work of notorious killer Jack Poole—but from beyond the grave? Together they are thrust into the realm of the supernatural, and Dev must trust in the love that Gemini is so certain of—or else there’s no hope of withstanding the strength of a killer’s thirst…

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

SILKEN SHADOWS is the third book about the Andrews sisters. To some degree, the "big bad" is the same, but this book can easily enjoyed without having read MIDNIGHT SECRETS or DARKEST DREAMS.

The heroine of SILKEN SHADOWS is nineteen-year-old Gemini Andrews. When she was a child, she had conversations with a ghost. Her mother found out and was horrified, so Gemini never talked to ghosts again until she and her sisters started having adventures. Her talent came in handy when she met Captain Deverell Jansen, who is haunted by two ghosts.

More women have been found dead, despite the apparent death of the bad guy from the first two books, and Gemini stows away on the captain's ship so she can help find the murderer. She can relive the murders in the presence of the murdered women's ghosts. In the process though, she makes enemies and ends up in a marriage of convenience with the enticing captain. Will he accept her or push her away for reasons of his own?

This first person story seems less gothic and more paranormal than the first two in the series. It's also something of a high seas adventure since part of the book takes place on a ship. If you like books with psychic heroines, you'll love SILKEN SHADOWS. For me, it was an enjoyable fast read, though it lacked some of the sparkle of the amazing first two books in the series.

Heather Hiestand