This is another book I reviewed for the May edition of Historical Novels Review Magazine.
This is Book 2 of the In Spite of Lions series set in 1840s Africa and England. It can be read as a standalone. Catherine Kensington, an unmarried heiress, has been manipulated back to England from Africa by her abusive and violent mother, Lady Kensington. After her mother’s scheming caused great harm to Catherine’s friends in an African village, Catherine has gone back to deal with her and find her missing twin brother. She knows that sometimes to survive a lion attack, you must run straight at the lion.
This Victorian-era adventure is much more than a romance. It becomes almost a psychological thriller as Catherine engages in a long game of deception to outsmart her mother while her friend/protector, Mebalwe, searches for her brother. They are also trying to find a stolen child, Motsasi. Catherine’s love, Captain Ashmore, is desperate to protect her from the evil Lady Kensington, who has no qualms about harming her children to get what she wants. The characters are complex, and the battle of wits between Catherine and Lady Kensington is mesmerizing. This is a mother/daughter battle to the extreme. I truly enjoyed this book and will definitely read Book 1 and any others to come in this series. Four and a half stars. Rounded up to 5 on sites with no half star option.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scarlette is a mother of three, wife to one, and friend to many. In her spare time she enjoys scuba diving and gardening – sometimes at the same time! Pike is also interested in emotional health for kids and she writes children’s books with True Worth Books under her real name – Jamie Jensen.
BUY SHADOWS OF LIONS
BUY BOOK 1: IN SPITE OF LIONS
*Kindle Unlimited Subscribers can download both books for free or they are both priced very low to buy outright. Book 1 is only 99 cents and Book 2 is 2.99 (ebook only).
Bonnie Reads and Writes 