The Shadowy Horses

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Sally Armstrong

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

A brooding and atmospheric Scottish tale from a RITA and RT Reviewers Choice Award-winning and New York Times and USA Today best-selling author.

The invincible ninth Roman Legion marches from York to fight the Northern tribes, and then vanishes from the pages of history. When Verity Grey goes looking for them, she may find more than she bargained for.

Archaeologist Verity Grey has been drawn to the dark legends of the Scottish Borderlands in search of the truth buried in a rocky field by the sea.

Her eccentric boss has spent his whole life searching for the resting place of the lost Ninth Roman Legion and is convinced he's finally found it - not because of any scientific evidence, but because a local boy has "seen" a Roman soldier walking in the fields, a ghostly sentinel who guards the bodies of his long-dead comrades.

Here on the windswept shores, Verity may find the answer to one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time. Or she may uncover secrets someone buried for a reason.

A modern gothic historical fiction with elements of mystery, ghosts, and romance from New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Susanna Kearsley.

Fans of Diana Gabaldon, Mary Stewart, Kate Morton, and Daphne Du Maurier will want to join Julia and Mariana on their journeys to love, past and present.

©2009 Susanna Kearsley (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Slow Build Atmospheric Story of Light Rom Susp

A Roman Legion that disappeared in history, an intrepid and varied group on an archeological dig, and a shadowy soldier from the past form the grounds for a captivating tale.

The Shadowy Horses sets up steady, but sure. The reader is introduced to the characters, the setting, and the situation at the same time as the main character, Verity Grey. Verity is a solid thinker and sensible though she has a developed sense of humor. I enjoyed having her tell the story as she observes nuances well. She doesn't easily believe in little Robbie's psychic gift or that there is a ghostly Roman legionnaire, but she does sense the atmosphere around her.

The minute I knew this was a suspense set up around a historical mystery and archeological dig in Scotland; I had to read it. Kearsley is already a favorite author and I was confident she would deliver on my expectation. The Shadowy Horses had a slow build suspense with romantic elements. It seems to go along with daily life around Rosehill, the dig, and the local village, but always it reveals the puzzle pieces that Verity and the reader catch and work out how they fit.

There is a large cast of characters surrounding Verity and I enjoyed that some are sources of knowledge while others catch her attention for other reasons. Instead of the presence of her ex-boyfriend adding drama, I found Adrian quite entertaining. Now, David, her romance interest was a great guy and an absolute rock for everyone around him. He is an archeologist and can get wrapped up in his work, but he has a lovely Scottish sense of humor and temperament. He is at the center of things without drawing attention to himself and he doesn't rush things or push Verity when she needs to make up her own mind about things.

I had my suspicions about matters when it came to the mystery, and I was right, but there were some unexpected twists that led to the exciting climax scene. The psychic and paranormal elements were a nice touch that gave this story a bit of extra magic without overtaking the story itself.

This was my first encounter with audio narrator, Sally Armstrong. Loved her Scottish, Irish, and English accents along with her command of this large cast of characters. She had a good sense of the author's writing and the tone of the story.

All in all, this was fantastic. Those who enjoy a lighter romantic suspense with engaging characters and an intriguing atmospheric setting should give this one a try.

I received a free copy of the story.

Kearsley and Armstrong - A winning team!

Where does The Shadowy Horses rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to Rose Garden four times, A Winter Sea three times, and Mariana twice. I know I will listen to The Shadowy Horses just as many times.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Shadowy Horses?

There were many, but I don't want to mention them as to spoil it for those who haven't yet listened to the book.

Which character – as performed by Sally Armstrong – was your favorite?

There were a few, but wee Robbie stole my heart.

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

Yes - that it was so enjoyable that I didn't want it to end!

Any additional comments?

I have tried listening to other books by Susanna Kearsley, but find Katherine Kellgren's voice is not that easy to listen to, and sadly, the next book due out in 2017 is read by Kellgren.

Good Storyline, Fair Narration

I can’t get over the narrator. She’s almost unbearably plummy. The “r”, “sh”, soft “g”, and “lt” (as in “fault”) sound like “ch” sounds. So “shrug” becomes “chrug”, “fault” becomes “faulch”, “shirt” becomes “chirt”, “tapestry” became “tapestchee”, and “drying” becomes “chrying”.
I very much like the story and I enjoyed listening to all the voices and accents that the narrator created. But... it’s just difficult for me to listen to because everything sounds unbearably overpronounced when that “ch” sound keeps popping up.

Did not live up to its promise

While this novel is somewhat of a mishmash of various genres, it is for the most part a chaste romance between two thirty-something archaeologists who meet on a "dig" in Scotland. Although the story mixes in a bit of family psycho-social drama, some supernatural elements, and a bit of Roman history, the biggest flaw is the first person narrator and star of the show, Verity Grey. Her name is nothing if not ironic because there is nothing truthful in this character. She tells us she is a difficult woman and yet she could not be more compliant, gentle and friendly. She claims to be a sought after archaeologist of some repute and yet she spends most of her time flirting, eating, carousing, romancing and sleeping late. Every male character from the 8 year old medium to the 70 year old who owns a mansion conveniently on site at the "dig", to the other worldly "sentinel", are smitten with her. And the attraction is not her mind but her apparent amazing good looks, especially her hair. And of course we must give honorable mention to the hardworking and devoted cook/housekeeper of the mansion who cannot pamper Verity enough and her younger sister who is back in London cleaning and organizing her flat there since apparently the primadonna is not much interested in housework. There is a lot of moving parts, but the action is very simple minded and it is easy to follow. This is a very light listen. Although the reader does a really good Scottish brogue and does male and female characters equally well, her rendition of a breathy, breathless heroine does grate at times. I did finish it at double speed but it is not something I recommend.

Boring!

This book never picked up, halfway through I couldn’t take it anymore. The reader was great, wonderful accents but gosh it was soooo boring, it dragged on with unnecessary details and repetitive nonsense. Everyone who had recommended this as a book like Outlander has got to be kidding. Outlander was engaging, exciting and sexy. This was dry drab and just all around terrible. Sorry but no thanks I won’t be reading another by Susanna Kearsley she moves way too slow for me...

A TRUE & RARE FIND!

Susanna Kearsley is by far one of my favorite authors! I’ve read all her books and find it hard to name my favorite. It’s akin to choosing your favorite child I suppose. But this book captured my heart. This is actually my third read thru… the narrator is excellent! She is my favorite voice to fall asleep with, ponder life’s mysteries with & generally melt into!:) Well done Ms. Armstrong. You’re terrific! Thanks to you both for sharing your story with me. Each time I read it I become more invested in it’s history & stories of life in Scotland. It’s inspired me to learn more about it’s past & hope that one day I will visit there. Visit Rosehill perhaps? Now that would be a wonderful adventure ya?:) I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to everyone that’s got the time to be immersed… because you won’t be able to stop listening until the end! 💕

So close, so very close to a great read!

The story premise is a good one and it could have been terrific. But the author let things get bogged down a bit with backstory, descriptive elements and long conversations between the characters that had little relevance to the story. Not a BAD listen by any means, just a bit slow. Still gets a solid 4 stars.

Fun and A Lot About Scotland

I love listening to the language. Scotts it's called, not Scottish. Loved the descriptions of landscapes. Makes me want to visit Scotland.
Great character development, excellent reader for all the voices. Just a hint of a ghost, a child with sixth sense who can see him. Archeology, some history. For me, a fun listening experience. Worth a second listen at another time.

Enjoyable Romp

Simple, I liked the book a lot. Not pretentious, not to slow, not to much romance, good character development, just enough mystery! Really well written but not to the point that it distracted from the work. Good balance Susanna!. Hook up w/ this work for a good read and meet some interesting concepts and characters. Brilliant narrator by the way, you did not even sense that she was there. Quite a compliment for me. Chuck Solvang, CA
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Amazing. Few stories can hook you in the first paragraph.

I absolutely loved this book. Recommend it highly if you value a great book. I had goosebumps more than once.