Shadow of Shame

The Shadow Series, Book 1

By: Barbara Goss

Narrated by: Tom Jordan

Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Ivy Jeffries falls hopelessly in love with Jonas Armstrong, a man who has forced himself into a somewhat reclusive lifestyle owing to his sordid past. Ivy is elated when he finally lets his guard down and kisses her. She thinks they are now moving forward into a relationship, until he tells her it meant nothing to him. How could a kiss like they shared mean nothing to him, when it meant the world to her? Then she discovers he is pulling away for a reason, to protect her. Is the love they share enough to withstand his past and the child he is protecting?

©2016 Barbara Goss (P)2017 Barbara Goss

Surprisingly good, a fast read, hooked in for more

At only four and a half hours long, lots of ground is covered, yet you don't feel rushed. I can appreciate this as occasionally books really only have this much material but stretch it out into much longer. That said, this is part 1 of a series, so more is coming, but I feel like I went on a journey with the characters just in this initial book. Initially I wondered if I would keep up and catch the plot, but the story quickly settles in and you're not letting go. There were only a couple free moments to catch your breath, but otherwise the story is a great way to commute or binge in your free time.

Some stories make a mental image so clear and original in your head that I think it's better than any movie Hollywood could hope to string together, with all the necessary sexiness or action to keep some men or short attention spans interested.

This story was not something I would've sought out on my own, but was offered a copy in exchange for an honest review, and now I'm very glad I did. I blasted through the story in a day and am looking forward to seeing more of Tom's work. The story does well on its own, but the diction, seamless transitions between accents for characters, and pace were excellent. This is important when it's not explicitly pointed out who's talking in the story. Hard to believe this is Tom's first major work here on Audible. He already just released Book 2, so I look forward to hearing more.

I feel like others who've already written reviews have done a fine job of summarizing the story so I'll refrain from that redundancy, other than to say this was a more tasteful and moving experience than I knew to expect.

I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Well now...

Would you listen to Shadow of Shame again? Why?

Maybe, The narrator wasn't exactly great.

What did you like best about this story?

The lesson it taught.

What aspect of Tom Jordan’s performance would you have changed?

Kept the characters straight, sometimes the voices changed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I sighed a lot.

Any additional comments?

The story is great, but the performance wasn't great. I didn't really enjoy the narrator at all. The cover is quite misleading as well. I was expecting one thing and got another. I thought it was a contemporary piece when in fact it really wasn't. Still not a bad listen.

A Christian Romance..

Any additional comments?

A clean romance about Ivy, the female lead, and Jonas, the male lead.

Overall, an interesting read with a few twists.

Tom Jordan did well with the narration.

Note:
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."

Great start to the series

Great start to the series. I loved the characters that I could relate to. The book is filled with morals and values that everyone can use. The story flowed nicely. It never stalled or was too much. The audio reader of this book did very well.

Recommended for readers of American West stories

Would you consider the audio edition of Shadow of Shame to be better than the print version?

Yes

What about Tom Jordan’s performance did you like?

Very smooth and easy to understand

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was moved by the hero's decision to take care of the baby.

Any additional comments?

I recommend this book. An exciting western romance with great characters
and plot. It has so many loves: the love for a man and a woman, the love
for a child and love for God. In my opinion, this is one of Ms. Goss' best.
I must add that listening to Tom Jordan's narration is like watching hot fudge
pouring over a dish of ice cream. So smooth!

Clean, sweet romance

I got this book in exchange for an unbiased review, and I loved it.

Barbara's books are wonderful, really, and I love how she always gets new narrators as main characters change from book from book. Tom did a wonderful job as a narrator and when reading the lines, injecting just the right amount of emotion.

I love romances, and it's so amazing to find gems that hold precious values and also have a dreamy narrative!

Haunted by his past

We have all made mistakes in our past and that is true of Jonas in this story. Even after living a reformed life for 5 years he is reluctant to court Ivy Jefferies because of his past. Ivy is attracted to Jonas and does almost everything she can think of to spend time with him.

When the past rises up Jonas doesn't hesitate to face it head on, but he must trust that Ivy will understand what he must do to make his past right and hopefully she will consider marrying him when the dust settles.

I think this is one of my favorite books by Goss. The characters were compelling, the plot was interesting and kept me listening intently to the end. Tom Jordan's narration enhanced the story and brought the characters to life. I would highly recommend this book!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.

Loved the message and romance

Any additional comments?

The title sure does fit this book which is full of surprises, is spiritual but not over powering, a clean read, excitement, learning to forgive yourself, those around you, learning to love in so many ways, along with starting over and hopefully able to love again. There are a few things I never saw coming along with a thrilling read with an important message.

This was the first time I have listened to any of Mr. Jordan’s work. I was very impressed from his even tones to his character voices. I had no trouble feeling what each character was going through. Mr. Jordan had no trouble delivering the important message that the author gives in a way that pulls you in as it breaks your heart. He had no trouble carrying off female or children voices they are a delight that makes you smile as he puts so much emotion in them that you can really feel the excitement, pain, sorrow and thrills as he delivers an outstanding audio. There are no background noises, no repeat of words, no changes in volume, if any breaks were taken I could not tell. This is a very clean, clear and crisp audio that I got lost in from the deliverances to the plot it was an outstanding listen. I found his tones to be right on the money delivered with such emotion and feelings. His male voices are just as wonderful as his female ones. This was an outstanding audio that I just loved. The narrator has a very pleasant voice that you can get lost in making you forget you are listening as he pulls you in to the plot. I look forward to listening to more of his work.

What really pulled me into this story is the plot and the message it sends. All people are equal and should be treated the same. There are so many powerful messages here that are not over powering but meaningful. To tell you too much would give the whole surprise of the plot away. I loved how the message of God is delivered in a meaning way but not over powering. It is part of the plot but not the big part which makes it very nice to hear. I went through my childhood with a grandmother who went overboard with religion that it is nice to really get the meaning and not feel overpowered. I find Ms. Goss books to be a delight with meaningful message you can relate to that really pulls you in without getting heavy. In this one she gives you one man who makes many mistakes that caught up with him, making him make more mistakes which he cannot forgive his self for. One lady who tries her best to make him get over his past in return giving her the love she so wants. We all make mistakes yes God forgives but the hardest part is forgiving ourselves. This was a delightfully clean romance that has meaning, ups and downs, which will just about bring a tear to your eye with one small child and all she goes through. It is a story you have no trouble relating to as I am sure some of you have gone through something of this nature yourselves. I totally enjoyed this from start to finish and can’t wait to listen to the next in this series.

A wonderful Clean story

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series. Barbara Goss has written a good book.

sweet read!

enjoyable quick listen. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher