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Valley of Shadows
Ellery James, a celebrated author of historical romances, shuns the spotlight, preferring the solitude of his small town sanctuary to risking media scrutiny. He harbors a closely guarded secret that is not only the bane of his existence, but the source and inspiration of his bestsellers.
His strictly proscribed existence goes south and sideways when the grimly dangerous Boone Dantrell blazes into Ellery's life. Ellery is alarmed to experience a tentative but undeniable connection to the haunted, mysterious stranger with secrets of his own, and the burgeoning attraction between them grows almost as swiftly as the danger dogging Boone.
They’ve barely met before their secrets and worlds collide, thrusting them both into unimaginable peril. The battle they must wage together spans this world—and the next—and losing it could cost them not only their lives, but their very souls.
His strictly proscribed existence goes south and sideways when the grimly dangerous Boone Dantrell blazes into Ellery's life. Ellery is alarmed to experience a tentative but undeniable connection to the haunted, mysterious stranger with secrets of his own, and the burgeoning attraction between them grows almost as swiftly as the danger dogging Boone.
They’ve barely met before their secrets and worlds collide, thrusting them both into unimaginable peril. The battle they must wage together spans this world—and the next—and losing it could cost them not only their lives, but their very souls.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2010
2 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 18, 2013
I am incredibly torn about this book. On the one hand, I loved it. Ellery is adorable, Boone is adorable, the story is intriguing, moving, and very interesting. On the other hand, the author/narrator constantly gets in the way of the story. At times it is almost stream-of-consciousness writing, meaningless babble. It starts off slow, and I'm convinced I will never get in to it, then it picks up and I have hope that I'm falling in love despite the flaws, and then by the end I'm all irritated again.
If you can forgive the writing for being all over the place, and don't mind never fully understanding what the heck is going on, despite several intense info-dumps, then this book offers a very sweet couple, an intriguing world and some nice action. If you prefer coherent narration and like focused, clear writing, this book will irritate you to no end. The characters and story are too awesome to make me hate the book, but the meandering writing and disappointment of feeling like the story never quite filled me in or let me fully understand holds me back from actually liking it too much.
If you can forgive the writing for being all over the place, and don't mind never fully understanding what the heck is going on, despite several intense info-dumps, then this book offers a very sweet couple, an intriguing world and some nice action. If you prefer coherent narration and like focused, clear writing, this book will irritate you to no end. The characters and story are too awesome to make me hate the book, but the meandering writing and disappointment of feeling like the story never quite filled me in or let me fully understand holds me back from actually liking it too much.
August 25, 2020
I really liked this story. I enjoyed tremendously the magnificent trove of pop culture wove inside the whole story; and although I can understand that other people might find it annoying, I also enjoyed a lot to be inside Ellery's head. Yes, he is scattered and a lot of the time he is confused (and confusing!) but he is also very endearing.
I enjoyed the way in which we learn about what really is going on in little bits and piece, and I simply adore this Universe filled with spooky things neatly catalogued by Ellery :P
And bondmates! I LOVE stories with bondmates!
I'll be reading more of this author :D
I enjoyed the way in which we learn about what really is going on in little bits and piece, and I simply adore this Universe filled with spooky things neatly catalogued by Ellery :P
And bondmates! I LOVE stories with bondmates!
I'll be reading more of this author :D
December 17, 2010
This book is very clever. It has a wonderful paranormal/sci fi bent that just feeds my imagination. It is a stunning story that held my interest on every page, with a satisfying resolution. It isnt an easy read, the author uses turns of phrase that needed thought, and the internal monologues that Ellery is fond of sometimes turn from a fascinating insight to something not necessary. I adored Ellery, those same internal thoughts mean you really get to know the character. Boone was a little less defined in my head, but i think this is mainly because the book is written in first person and also Ellery is such an incredibly strong written character. The descriptions of the *energies* are brilliant and i laughed at loud at one scene (you will know it when you reach it) and the use of the word *zoink*.
This book starts as a reclusive author story, segues into a ghost story, and end up with a touch of sci-fi...certainly recomended for anyone who loves Doctor Who (UK SciFi programme), because this whole book is sprinkled with the same magic that a Doctor Who story has.
I look forward to reading Ms Emrys' next book...
This book starts as a reclusive author story, segues into a ghost story, and end up with a touch of sci-fi...certainly recomended for anyone who loves Doctor Who (UK SciFi programme), because this whole book is sprinkled with the same magic that a Doctor Who story has.
I look forward to reading Ms Emrys' next book...
September 14, 2014
Ellery Joyce James is a literary success—copies of his latest bestseller are flying off the shelves. His exuberant agent Max—short for Maxima—is dying to know what Ellery is working on now, but he isn’t talking. Largely because he hasn’t started it yet, something he’s not about to share with Max.
Max nags at Ellery to get a bodyguard, but he is adamantly against the idea. He’s moved from New York to the small town of Birchwood, having been left a huge house there in someone’s will. He prefers his solitude, even if Max does think the former bed & breakfast is a monstrosity. But it suits Ellery just fine, for many reasons.
Ellery has a rather unique talent that no one suspects—he can see and communicate with the dead. Which makes it difficult for him to go out in the world—there are so many of them, it’s rather overwhelming. In Birchwood, he’s far less likely to find them. Plus he has his own little old lady ghost, Mrs. Sheridan, who screens access to Ellery. Still, he tries to help the ones he sees. Usually what they want is to send a last message to a loved one, often giving important information that was never passed on in life.
On his way to the diner, Ellery is almost run over by a handsome maniac in a pick-up truck, whose passenger is a pretty little child—who happens to be dead. When he runs into the pair at the diner, the little girl beseeches Ellery to please help her father. Normally, these are the types of situations Ellery works hard to avoid. But something about this one makes him reconsider. He just might be sorry he did.
The story is told in Ellery’s POV, in his voice, and I came to really get to know and like him. There is much more to Ellery than meets the eye, likewise with this story. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, another layer is revealed.
This is not your typical boy meets boy and falls in love tale. No, this is more like boy meets potentially homicidal maniac and fears for his life—so why is he so strongly attracted to him?
Besides Ellery and Boone, there is a supporting cast of supernatural characters you will come to love. I didn’t feel, by the end of the book, that I knew Boone as well as I wanted to, but I feel like I know Ellery. He’s funny and bright, at times self-deprecating, and he has a huge heart.
This multi-layered story was over too soon for my taste. I can only hope and pray there is a sequel in the works. This is my second read by this author, and certainly not my last. Well done, Ms. Emrys, well done!
Max nags at Ellery to get a bodyguard, but he is adamantly against the idea. He’s moved from New York to the small town of Birchwood, having been left a huge house there in someone’s will. He prefers his solitude, even if Max does think the former bed & breakfast is a monstrosity. But it suits Ellery just fine, for many reasons.
Ellery has a rather unique talent that no one suspects—he can see and communicate with the dead. Which makes it difficult for him to go out in the world—there are so many of them, it’s rather overwhelming. In Birchwood, he’s far less likely to find them. Plus he has his own little old lady ghost, Mrs. Sheridan, who screens access to Ellery. Still, he tries to help the ones he sees. Usually what they want is to send a last message to a loved one, often giving important information that was never passed on in life.
On his way to the diner, Ellery is almost run over by a handsome maniac in a pick-up truck, whose passenger is a pretty little child—who happens to be dead. When he runs into the pair at the diner, the little girl beseeches Ellery to please help her father. Normally, these are the types of situations Ellery works hard to avoid. But something about this one makes him reconsider. He just might be sorry he did.
The story is told in Ellery’s POV, in his voice, and I came to really get to know and like him. There is much more to Ellery than meets the eye, likewise with this story. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, another layer is revealed.
This is not your typical boy meets boy and falls in love tale. No, this is more like boy meets potentially homicidal maniac and fears for his life—so why is he so strongly attracted to him?
Besides Ellery and Boone, there is a supporting cast of supernatural characters you will come to love. I didn’t feel, by the end of the book, that I knew Boone as well as I wanted to, but I feel like I know Ellery. He’s funny and bright, at times self-deprecating, and he has a huge heart.
This multi-layered story was over too soon for my taste. I can only hope and pray there is a sequel in the works. This is my second read by this author, and certainly not my last. Well done, Ms. Emrys, well done!
August 14, 2011
OK, so hmm.. This book is hard to review because it is almost like 2 totally different stories that don't mesh. My copy of the book was 245 pages. Until around page 170 the book is pretty hum drum. No huge surprises just a basic paranormal romance with too much focus on the unimportant details and some glossing over the big details. PLus some unanswered questions about Boone. Then all of a sudden the book makes a 90 degree turn and is off in a TOTALLY different direction. A completely different type of story with a mythology and ancient beings and such. But there is not nearly enough detail here. And still at the end of the day a lot was left unanswered.
The second part of the book needed more time. A story like that usually gets a lot of setup, because mythology and past lives and ghosts all merging into one story and still trying to get a happily ever after for all the story lines in less than 100 pages is really difficult to do well, and I don't feel like that happened here. I felt like the author was going for one of those M. Night type of reveals, but without quite enough backstory and hints to support it.
The narrator of this story has great potential, he's snarky and funny, although sometimes he talks to himself too much and I started to lose track of what he'd said aloud and what was in his head. There were a few times that during a conversation with another character there were 2 responses, one internal, one external for everything the narrator said, which was just too much. I hope there is going to be a second book in this series, to clean up all those loose ends. And I will definitely read it.
The second part of the book needed more time. A story like that usually gets a lot of setup, because mythology and past lives and ghosts all merging into one story and still trying to get a happily ever after for all the story lines in less than 100 pages is really difficult to do well, and I don't feel like that happened here. I felt like the author was going for one of those M. Night type of reveals, but without quite enough backstory and hints to support it.
The narrator of this story has great potential, he's snarky and funny, although sometimes he talks to himself too much and I started to lose track of what he'd said aloud and what was in his head. There were a few times that during a conversation with another character there were 2 responses, one internal, one external for everything the narrator said, which was just too much. I hope there is going to be a second book in this series, to clean up all those loose ends. And I will definitely read it.
January 31, 2011
"I see dead people." Nope it's not Haley Joel Osment. Meet Ellery James, a popular historical romance writer that hides himself and the secret behind his novels in a small town. He is the dead's messenger, their guide, and a friendly ear willing to listen to what they have to say.
He meets, unexpectedly, with Boone Dantrell; a man on the brink after suffering a great loss. An urgent plea manages to sway Ellery to break the rules and help Boone from a tragic decision which has some unexpected consequences. But their connection runs deeper than Ellery knows, and it might just be what saves him and Boone when Evil comes knocking at his door.
This novel was not what I expected, and so I was pleasantly surprised by it because it was exactly what I had been searching for in a book-a story that made me laugh. I loved Ellery, who bears the burden of his gift without losing his optimism. He takes it in stride although he has given up on having any kind of normal relationships, until Boone. And I love Boone because of his unconditional feelings and acceptance (after a little convincing)of Ellery's talents. There are some unanswered questions but I'm hoping this means there's more to come from these guys.
He meets, unexpectedly, with Boone Dantrell; a man on the brink after suffering a great loss. An urgent plea manages to sway Ellery to break the rules and help Boone from a tragic decision which has some unexpected consequences. But their connection runs deeper than Ellery knows, and it might just be what saves him and Boone when Evil comes knocking at his door.
This novel was not what I expected, and so I was pleasantly surprised by it because it was exactly what I had been searching for in a book-a story that made me laugh. I loved Ellery, who bears the burden of his gift without losing his optimism. He takes it in stride although he has given up on having any kind of normal relationships, until Boone. And I love Boone because of his unconditional feelings and acceptance (after a little convincing)of Ellery's talents. There are some unanswered questions but I'm hoping this means there's more to come from these guys.
August 12, 2010
Not being a fan of m/m romance, I decided to read some exerpts from some of the new books on Dreamspinner. I liked the cover of Valley of Shadows so I picked that one to start with. I really didn't know what to expect being a first timer...so to speak. So I picked this one, and carried on.
I liked the developement of the romance between the two characters, Boone and Ellery, and I thought the romance was tastefully done.
The story is interesting and the characters alive and believable. I liked the word play between the two. The plot is interesting and I like the supernatural bent as well. I hope there is going to be a sequel, if there is I will be among the first to grab it. Thanks for a smooth intro into m/m romance.
I liked the developement of the romance between the two characters, Boone and Ellery, and I thought the romance was tastefully done.
The story is interesting and the characters alive and believable. I liked the word play between the two. The plot is interesting and I like the supernatural bent as well. I hope there is going to be a sequel, if there is I will be among the first to grab it. Thanks for a smooth intro into m/m romance.
August 13, 2010
Good paranormal m/m romance about a famous historical romance author who has a big secret: he can see and speak with ghosts. Ghosts who want him to pass on messages to their loved ones so that they can rest in peace. He does so anonymously… until one fateful day. This story took a somewhat odd and unexpected turn about 2/3 through… and I still haven’t decided what I think about it.
Want to read
February 22, 2014I don't know why I'm finding it so hard to get into this book. I've tried to start it 3 times now and can't get past 10 pages in. I think it might be the MC's mind wandering I find offputting?
December 23, 2014
Quiet but powerful paranormal. I want more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews