Tags:

It's a bit of a mess Lawson and I were talking last night about Shadow Music, bestselling author Julie Garwood’s new historical romance. Fans have been crying for her to return to her historical roots for a while now, which made me very interested to read it.

Lawson is a fan, even though she was disappointed in Garwoods last few historicals (and was disappointed I liked The Gift ๐Ÿ™‚ ). I have read about four Julie Garwood historicals and none of her romantic suspense. I have a ton of them tbr because of recommendations from bloggers and LLB.

Lawson and I enjoyed The Bride and The Wedding. They even held up for me, when I reread them after countless scottish rants from Maili (miss you!). She was always a touch peeved at the history, or lack of correct history. I didn’t notice, and Garwood says she has three sources for every historical fact. I am not one to check, so I can’t say.

I found them fluffy and fun. I am very much a character reader, make me like your hero and heroine and there is a good chance you got me. I thought she was a solid writer and have a few I really want to read. I was even sad that she left historicals, of course I am said when just about anyone leaves historicals.

Here is this best selling author, who is beloved by many a fan, who left my subgenre of choice. I was all sorts of shades of happy to hear she was coming home but as I have said before I often wonder if it is true… you can’t go home again.

Book CoverI have to say from what I read, it is possible Julie Garwood can’t. Maybe it was me or maybe she needs a book to find her feet again. Honestly as of right now I don’t even feel I can review the book because I was so disconnect from it.

That is the perfect word for my feelings about Shadow Music – disconnected. I never felt like I was ‘in’ the story. I never cared about the characters. Honestly I am not sure why the heroine cared about the hero.

It didn’t feel like a romance. It didn’t even seem like a book as much as a telling of events. The heroine and the hero spend large chunks of time away from each other. The reader doesn’t really learn what all is happening during these gaps and when they are back together, we basically get a ‘You not going to tell me what happened are you.’ type speech from the heroine.

And where this seems to be a typical romance-author-gone-mainstream-lets-cut-down-on-sex, it completely lacked passion. There was zero sexual tension and I never felt like I was pulled into a story but listening to someone tell me a very boring tale.

Like I said I am not ‘reviewing’ this yet, I may leave that to Lawson. I read the book less than 24 hours ago and really no details have stayed with me. Maybe that is a review in and of itself. I am going to try and read this again because honestly, I want to like it.

question7-73x80.jpgLawson will be picking up her copy tomorrow and I hope gets a chance to get to read this really soon. Even if the book doesn’t end up working for me the second time, I really want it to work. I WANT authors to be able to come home again. I WANT new historicals, make it new historicals from big name hardcover authors and that is wicked cool.
question7-73x80.jpg
What do you think? Shadow Music is will hit the shelves on Dec 26. What are you expecting from it? Or have you, like Lawson just about given up on her historical voice?

Is it a matter of time? Does the sum of our experiences change us so much as people it can’t help but It didn’t seem to work for Linda Howard when she returned to Harlequin this year and I still wonder if we will ever see Karen Robards’ Shameless (or whatever they are calling it now). I would love to see a new historical from Elizabeth Lowell, OMG make it a western and I might die and go to heaven but if it is going to be a watered down version of what once was… I personally would rather them stay in their mainstream hardcover