Monday 24 April 2017

Review: The Shadow Sister (The Seven Sisters #3) by Lucinda Riley


Travel through the lush English countryside and explore the magnificent estates of the British aristocracy in this next spellbinding love story in The Seven Sisters series by #1 internationally bestselling author Lucinda Riley.

Star D’Aplièse is at a crossroads in her life after the sudden death of her beloved father—the elusive billionaire, affectionately called Pa Salt by his six daughters, all adopted from across the four corners of the world. He has left each of them a clue to her true heritage, and Star nervously decides to follow hers, which leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and the start of a whole new world.

A hundred years earlier, headstrong and independent Flora MacNichol vows she will never marry. She is happy and secure in her home in England’s picturesque Lake District—just a stone’s throw away from the residence of her childhood idol, Beatrix Potter—when machinations lead her to London, and the home of one of Edwardian society’s most notorious society hostesses, Alice Keppel. Flora is torn between passionate love and her duty to her family, but finds herself a pawn in a larger game. That is, until a meeting with a mysterious gentleman unveils the answers that Flora has been searching for her whole life...

As Star learns more of Flora’s incredible journey, she too goes on a voyage of discovery, finally stepping out of the shadow of her sister and opening herself up to the possibility of love.

Kindle Edition, 528 pages
Expected publication: April 25th 2017 by Atria Books

Terri's Thoughts

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Atria via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! The expected publication date is April 25th, 2017.

Those who follow my reviews know that I am a huge fan of historical fiction as well as a fan of Lucinda Riley.  I have anxiously been waiting to get my hands on this book as I was introduced to this series early on with the first book.  It has been rather painful waiting for each release however once they arrive, it is always worth it.

As each story features one of the sisters, this installment of the series tells the story of Star after featuring Maia and Ally in the first two.  This time the story takes us to England's Lake District and London in the early 1900's.

I will not divulge plot, it is worth it to discover it on your own.  What I will say is the Riley has a way of weaving two storylines, one present, one past, and making the reader invested in both.  In this case, the story of Flora had me hooked from the beginning with her strong character as well as the backdrop of a time long since past.  With Star, her story was filled with odd and interesting characters that made me laugh at times.  Also, I fell in love with the bookstore.  I could visualize how it looked and smelled and only wish I could recreate it in my house.  Perhaps someday.

If somebody were to ask me if this could be read as a stand alone, my answer would be maybe, but why would you want to?  There are subtle references to the previous stories, and Ally makes an appearance in this one as all three stories thus far have occurred at the same time.  I loved how Riley managed to make the parts overlap where required (I was wondering if we would see it and she delivered).  Most of all there is the underlying story/mystery of Pa Salt.  I may have mentioned this in my last review but I am dying to unravel his story as you just know there is something interesting there.  I believe I read somewhere that Lucinda Riley knows where this story is going.  I can only assume that it ends with PA Salt (no worries, no spoilers as it is still a mystery!) and I for one can't wait to find out.

Have I mentioned that it is absolutely killing me that I have to wait for the rest of the stories to be written and released?  Once I the series is completed I may have to start back at the beginning just so that I can experience the entire series at once.  Until then I wait until the next story which I believe is The Pearl Sister. 

Do not hesitate to pick this book up!  Start with the first one and work your way through the series.  You will see exactly what I mean!



About the Author


Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland, and after an early career as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four. Her novel Hothouse Flower was selected by the UK’s Richard and Judy Book Club in 2011 and her books have been translated into over thirty languages and sold over ten million copies worldwide. She is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author.

Lucinda’s novels include The Seven Sisters, a seven-book series telling the story of adopted sisters and based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation. The first three books, The Seven Sisters, The Storm Sister, and The Shadow Sister have all been No.1 bestsellers across Europe, and the rights to a multi-season TV series have already been optioned by a Hollywood production company. The fourth book, The Pearl Sister, will be available in November this year.

To read about Lucinda’s inspiration behind The Seven Sisters series, please visit www.thesevensistersseries.com

She is also releasing a number of stand-alone books such as The Olive Tree, a contemporary story based around a family holiday in Cyprus, which will be available in paperback from July. This follows the release of rewritten titles previously published under her maiden name of Lucinda Edmonds such as The Italian Girl and The Angel Tree.

Lucinda lives with her husband and four children on the North Norfolk coast in England and West Cork, Ireland.

When not writing, travelling or running around after her children, she loves reading books that she hasn’t written with a glass or two of Provençal rosé!

No comments:

Post a Comment