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The Silent Touch of Shadows (Shadows from the Past Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.3 out of 5 stars 1,981 ratings

What will it take to put the past to rest? Professional genealogist Melissa Grantham receives an invitation to visit her family’s ancestral home, Ashleigh Manor. From the moment she arrives, life-like dreams and visions haunt her. The spiritual connection to a medieval young woman and her forbidden lover have her questioning her sanity, but Melissa is determined to solve the mystery. Jake Precy, owner of a nearby cottage, has disturbing dreams too, but it’s not until he meets Melissa that they begin to make sense. He hires her to research his family’s history, unaware their lives are already entwined. Is the mutual attraction real or the result of ghostly interference?A haunting love story set partly in the present and partly in fifteenth century Kent. Winner of the 2012 Best Historical Read award from the Festival of Romance.

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There are 4 books in this series.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008834GRY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Choc Lit
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 31 May 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.6 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1906931889
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 4 ‏ : ‎ Shadows from the Past
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 1,981 ratings

About the author

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Christina Courtenay
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Christina Courtenay lives in Herefordshire in the UK and is married with two children. Although born in England she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden. In her teens, the family moved to Japan where she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East.

Christina is a Vice President and former chairman and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA). She won their Elizabeth Goudge Trophy for a historical short story in 2001 and the Katie Fforde Bursary for a promising new writer in 2006.

Her novels have been shortlisted for and won several awards - 'Trade Winds' (Sept 2010) was short listed in 2011 for the RNA's Award for Best Historical Fiction, 'The Scarlet Kimono' won the Big Red Reads Best Historical Fiction Award the same year, 'Highland Storms' won the Best Historical Romantic Novel of the year award (RoNA) in 2012, 'The Silent Touch of Shadows' was shortlisted for the 2013 RoNAs (Historical) and won the Festival of Romance Award for Best Historical. 'The Gilded Fan' won the RoNA for Best Historical 2014. Echoes of the Runes won the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 and Hidden in the Mists was shortlisted for the same prize in 2022.

Christina also writes contemporary YA and 'New England Rocks' was shortlisted for the RNA's awards in 2014. The other three books in the series were published under a different name - Pia Fenton.

When she's not writing, she spends her time tracking down elusive ancestors for her family tree, and her other hobbies include archaeology (the armchair variety), listening to loud rock music and collecting things.

Website - www.christinacourtenay.com

Follow Christina on Twitter - www.twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
1,981 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a captivating novel with a romantic story involving the unnatural, and they appreciate how the past and present are interwoven throughout the narrative. The time travel elements receive positive feedback, with one customer describing it as a supernatural time-slip novel. Customers praise the character development, with one noting there are not too many characters with similar names. The book maintains a steady pace, with one customer mentioning there's no lag in the narrative.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

94 customers mention ‘Readability’91 positive3 negative

Customers find the book excellent and very readable, describing it as a captivating novel that's a good page turner.

"...to solve this 600 year old mystery, makes for an exciting and very interesting story...." Read more

"...moves at a fair rate, revealing, in flashback, the dramatic events of passion and revenge. Enjoyable romantic romp." Read more

"If you like a good historical novel with a difference please read this book its a lovely story and in these times a nice heart warming read." Read more

"A traditional timeslip story of a knight and his lady from the 15th century and a modern day woman haunted by his ghost...." Read more

26 customers mention ‘Romance’26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romantic story involving the unnatural, finding it thrilling and intriguing, with one customer highlighting the enduring love that spans centuries.

"...they have to go to to solve this 600 year old mystery, makes for an exciting and very interesting story...." Read more

"...Intriguing, the plot moves at a fair rate, revealing, in flashback, the dramatic events of passion and revenge. Enjoyable romantic romp." Read more

"...Gripping story of love, secrets and threats with a happy ever after for all" Read more

"Enjoyed this romantic story involving the unnatural. Hard to put down once I got into it. Full of research into family history" Read more

18 customers mention ‘Storyline’13 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the storyline of the book, with several noting how the past and present are interwoven throughout the narrative. One customer describes it as a cross between a time travel and ghost story, while another mentions how it demonstrates how the past can affect the future.

"...The characters are well drawn and became real in my mind - I was thinking about them when not reading the book, this is how much the characters got..." Read more

"...please read this book its a lovely story and in these times a nice heart warming read." Read more

"I found this book extremely interesting even if a little predictable at times...." Read more

"Sometimes, you read a book & feel that it touches you so deeply. This is what The Silent Touch Of Shadows did for me...." Read more

17 customers mention ‘Time travel’15 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the time travel elements in the book, with one customer highlighting its dual timelines and another noting how past and present collide to create a mystifying experience.

"...The story is written in two time zones, present day and 15th century and one of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that the different..." Read more

"...Gripping story of love, secrets and threats with a happy ever after for all" Read more

"...enjoy Christina Courtney 's novels and this is no exception, loved the dual timelines with love at the heart of both,highly recommended." Read more

"...times, sadness and despair, hope and happiness with an added bit of mystery and intrigue...." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Character development’9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them plausible, with one customer noting there are not too many characters with similar names.

"...The characters are well drawn and became real in my mind - I was thinking about them when not reading the book, this is how much the characters got..." Read more

"Involving characters. Romantic and delightful. Difficult to put down. An absorbing read. Will look out for more from this author." Read more

"...The character's pull you in, I loved this book and on the strength of this one alone downloaded the others in the series-each one of which is as..." Read more

"...The characters were beautifully drawn, evocative and the emotional journeys were involving. An absorbing and entertaining read." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Gripping’9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very gripping, with one mentioning it keeps them riveted.

"...myself and others I found the book had a very interesting story, very gripping, and the research was very well done, hope Christina writes more of..." Read more

"This book had me gripped from start to finish. Can't wait for the next one to be written in the series" Read more

"What a story. It was a gripping read each chapter was better than the next. It had everything that I love history, ghosts and romance...." Read more

"This is the first book I've read of this Author, keeps you riveted, would recommend it and will read more of her novels" Read more

9 customers mention ‘Pacing’9 positive0 negative

Customers like the pacing of the book.

"First time I have read Christina Courtenay. I found The Silent Touch of Shadows excellent from beginning to end. Really impressed." Read more

"The silent touch of shadows..." Read more

"The Silent Touch of Shadows..." Read more

"The silent touch of shadows..." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Pace’5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one noting that the plot moves at a fair rate and another mentioning that the time slip element is well-executed without confusion.

"...Intriguing, the plot moves at a fair rate, revealing, in flashback, the dramatic events of passion and revenge. Enjoyable romantic romp." Read more

"...Simple plot, the pages whizzed by though and I would look to read this author again. Predictable but enjoyable read." Read more

"...Touch of Shadows four stars as I did like it and enjoyed the time slip element of the story. But I did find it over dramatic...." Read more

"...to "now" and "then" throughout the story so that there was no lag in the narrative. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2015
    Genealogist Melissa is finding it hard to get her life back on track after her husband has not only left her for another woman, but started a new family too. When the offer to visit her great aunt's ancestral manor house in rural Kent appears out of the blue, Melissa jumps at the change of scene. From first sight she is drawn to the house, and she and her twelve year old daughter Jolie decide to accept her aunt's kind offer and move in with her. Before long Melissa starts experiencing very real dreams where she is visited by Roger, a handsome knight from the 15th century - he is pleading for her to help him. Meanwhile Melissa meets Jake the father of Jolie's new friend Amy. Jake is the local vet and unbeknown to Melissa at the beginning, he is also experiencing strange dreams, his featuring a red haired beauty, also from the 15th century. How their dreams are linked and the lengths they have to go to to solve this 600 year old mystery, makes for an exciting and very interesting story.

    The story is written in two time zones, present day and 15th century and one of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that the different times are entwined together in small chunks - so you don't get fully engrossed in one time zone and lose track of the other, as can often happen with books written in different time zones. In this book, the short chapters are alternative past and present.

    The characters are well drawn and became real in my mind - I was thinking about them when not reading the book, this is how much the characters got inside my head. An unusual and beautifully written story. I recommend it without reservation.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2025
    Melissa finds herself haunted by a mysterious ancestor. Coming to terms with her divorce, she moves to the country with her daughter and finds herself tasked with a search to uncover a family mystery. Intriguing, the plot moves at a fair rate, revealing, in flashback, the dramatic events of passion and revenge. Enjoyable romantic romp.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2025
    If you like a good historical novel with a difference please read this book its a lovely story and in these times a nice heart warming read.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2025
    A traditional timeslip story of a knight and his lady from the 15th century and a modern day woman haunted by his ghost. Can Melissa, a genealogist, get to the bottom of the story of the ghost that haunts her Great Aunt's house? Very well written.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2025
    OK book ,not my usual type
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 January 2025
    You have to suspend your disbelief to get the most out of this tale of love and hate which transcends time.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 August 2024
    Searching for her true parents brings danger with hidden secrets that pose threats to her safety upon discovery of her lost family. She finds happiness in discovery of her true parents but someone wants to quiet her. Gripping story of love, secrets and threats with a happy ever after for all
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 December 2024
    I loved this story with it's twist an.d turns. Great writer to have come up with this plot and I love that the brothers got their just deserts

Top reviews from other countries

  • Piedad Botero
    5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT!
    Reviewed in the United States on 31 March 2025
    Another lovely book from your brain! Thank you so much! I’ve been reading your books; gobbling them down like bonbons! God bless you for giving me such incredible stories to make me dream again!
  • Deidre Midolo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely story of love and murder.
    Reviewed in Australia on 29 January 2025
    I really enjoyed this book of love ❤️ intrigue and murder by
    Christina Courtenay.
    Great characters of courage and strength and add time shifting, it creates a most enjoyable story. Can't wait for the next one. Thanks Christina.
  • Maria
    5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL STORY!
    Reviewed in Canada on 10 February 2025
    This book was very well written. I can’t imagine how the author wove the two stories into one. It was exciting at times and sad at others. I usually don’t read this type of book but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
  • Penny Hill
    4.0 out of 5 stars Strange but very compelling
    Reviewed in the United States on 10 February 2014
    Now that I have read this book I realised I really enjoyed it. Ghosts aren't my "thing" but this story grabbed my interest. I always have loved historical romances and this is certainly one with the present day mixed in. A strange way of writing but it worked very well to my way of thinking. A good read and recommend it.
  • RIS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read.
    Reviewed in Canada on 11 February 2025
    A very well written story. I both wanted to continue reading and to pause to make it last. Liked the transition between past and present, flowed well. Enjoy!

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