I came here for some historical romance and what I got was boobs being sliced off and ignorant white people.
It was frustrating to read about he main protagonist defending England’s oppression of India. I understand why she believed it but I don’t care for my main characters to be that ignorant and brainwashed.
Also Julian, does not care for consent. When he forcibly holds Emma and she repeatedly asked him to let her go that man was 100% dead to em, I don’t find it sexy and he did it multiple times. They’re relationship also took a bad turn and never recovered for me.
I didn’t find this romantic at all and the graphic violence was not for me. ( )

Although I really liked this book, I was not prepared for it to be so tame, seeing as how it's listed with some of the other more explicit historical romance books in the "people who like this book also like..." list.
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Originally posted here at Yaoi Radius.


At first glance, The Duke Of Shadows seems like standard fare for a mass market paperback romance: the combination of the tagline - promising a story of an noble "outcast" who can only be tamed by the "dangerous passion" of our heroine - and the covert art depicting a handsome well-built young man with his shirt open set against an open window overlooking the setting sun - suggests something of the Harlequin variety, some kind of brain candy bodice ripper where everything is exotic and exciting and the romance is fast, passionate, and with no regrets. Except that it's not. For one thing, this particular romance novel takes place during company rule in India, at a time when tensions between India and its occupying force are at dangerous highs, and there's nothing at all clean-cut or simple about the romance that takes place between Emma and Julian - hell, not even their respective back stories, which through some skillful writing refuses to fall back into tired tropish territory, are really as paint by the numbers as most pulpy romance books would have you read.

As a novel that takes place when it does - in the middle of the 1800s when the British East India Company still has control over India and her resources - it is surprisingly respectful of the Indian culture and light on the potential race!fail that seems so inherent in similar books of the same genre, books that willingly and unapologetically shaft their chosen setting's civilization as a backdrop for the romantic angsts of upper-class white people, often shoving aside potential characters of depth that happen to be on a darker complexion as side notes in their own country. This is not to say that The Duke Of Shadows is perfect in how it handles being situated in India for half of the action; it occasionally dips into the kind of cultural appropriation typical of white tourists in a strange land, especially its liberal use of the word 'exotic' to describe things new to Emma's experience (one could imagine that, were this set in China rather than India, there might be a good tossing around of the word 'Oriental' that would only be semi-ironic). These moments are overwhelmed by the utter respect the story pays not only to the lifestyle and society of nineteenth century India, but also to the fact that hey, brown people can be a worthwhile addition to the cast too! See, as an example, Deven: as Julian's cousin, Deven is his reminder that he still owes loyalty to his Indian heritage and family. Deven is extremely proud and not afraid to talk back to his cousin, and is an example of the mixture of fear and anger his fellow Indians feel towards their English oppressors. The main cast is packed with a supporting cast both Indian and English, and in a romance novel (where the focus is usually dead center on the main couple) it is nice to see a wide array of viewpoints and life experiences within its secondary cast.

Amid all the bloodshed and stark visuals of a war with no clear winner or loser is the enthralling romance between Emma and Julian, both outcasts of society in their own rights. Theirs is not an easy courtship, but it is a very involving one; as soon as they first meet, you cannot help but hope something will form between them that will turn substantial and keep them together, even if the events that follow seem to forever threaten such a thing from happening - from the outbreak of warfare in Delhi to the mystery of Emma's paintings in London. As their personalities (and, yes, their very bodies) clash and mix together in very pleasing and exciting ways, Emma and Julian's explosive relationship drives the plot of the book and keeps the pages turning onwards until the very end. People looking for an atypical romance that takes a good hard look at war and race relations and classism but also brings the heat like any good romance should - well, what are you waiting for? You've got yourself a copy of The Duke of Shadows to hunt down and devour. You might want to clear a good chunk of time to dedicate to reading it, though; once you start reading it, it's going to be hard to try and put it down.
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Reread 10/28/18: I have no more words nor desire to try to sum this up. I’ll keep my 50 quotes to myself for now.

*********************

There are a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head. First, I caught this book as a BR - I was having trouble bringing myself to read it otherwise for some reason so it was just the push I needed.

I'll probably recycle some thoughts from that forum as well as borrow upon others as a result. Also, spoilering for sake of that...


So, when I went to bed after reading this late into the night last night, shadows and depth were two things that stuck with me from this book. Obviously that one is right there in the title, but as motifs, I thought they were masterful. Both characters are dealing with these 'shadows' and being so different and set apart. And both characters have unseen depths by others-and likely each other...and really the two go together so brilliantly and heartbreakingly in this book. Because this book did break my heart.

Julian noticed Emma in a garden and she looks bored, unwell, and miserable. Neither of the characters seems to fit in their relative place, and Duran shows how the lack of fit when all appearances indicate you should fit can be a bit awkwardly painful and make one feel more alone. Julian is between world in a heartbreaking situation. And in each other, they find a match. Emma is, by her own declaration, fierce. Julian is sensitive and empathetic and sweet. The book is filled with lovely dialogue that would feel out of place in other books, but fits so well here. Duran delicately demonstrates the heartbreak each character has had to endure that led them to this place, to their vulnerabilities and ultimately connection with one another.

I'm at risk of rambling on, and I just might eventually. I still have a lot of processing to do. Because if the first half of the book was in tone delicate and brutal, yet hopeful somehow, the second half was gut-wrenching.

Normally if a character felt or did what Emma did in the second half of this book, I'd be so annoyed. In this case, you understand. You understand her brutal loneliness, her heartbreak, and the ultimate conclusion that she'll never be over it. Meanwhile, Julian thinks her dead with good reason and I really was cringing before their first reunion. As I was reading it, I was thinking "there are so many ways this could go that I won't like. I will be angry at one or the other of them" and guess what? I wasn't. His approach to her was flawless. His utter disregard for others; her reaction was equally realistic. After all, by their own admission, (don't get me started on the globe: ("You want my whole itinerary? I won't give it! I have given you enough!") he looked for her everywhere but in London. And that doesn't make things easier. At this point, of course Julian is completely devoted even if 'she won't have him.' He tries different tactics, confuses her, we get some great insight into Lockwood. In the process, we can feel his pain too. She seems cold, resigned to her loneliness.

Emma struggles to both deny and accept him. She's still so heartbroken and afraid since she's faced so many terrors, and was so incredibly let down by him. And her fear is completely understandable. So here, instead of veering into "God, get over it already" it stayed very much in the "Yep, I get it" territory.

Anyway, as I still process, I feel I'm only doing a plot recap & reaction of what I felt was an incredibly effective, heartbreaking, beautiful romance. It felt so very unlikely yet so very real. I haven't mentioned how masterfully Meredith Duran says things like
"I am not blind. Words are not the only way we communicate. They never were."
And things like "You are not the only one who took that journey."

Or "Water under the bridge" "Then a very stagnant river"

I am just so impressed at how I could feel their heartbreak and their tenderness. Simply beautiful, elegant, and brutal. ( )

Duke of Shadows

An incredibly well written story with a fascinating setting, appealing protagonists and a simply lovely romance.

Set in India during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Meredith Duran manages to convey the horrific nature of the events and the devastating consequences for both sides without descending into excessive depictions of gratuitous violence.

Caught up in the danger, Emmaline Stone, newly arrived in India and betrothed to a British officer, and Julian Sincalir, a man of mixed Indian British heritage who belong in neither world, are forced to work together to survive the uprising and find themselves discovering an intense intimacy and passion.

Thankfully, the misunderstandings that come between them are not too drawn out and the couple overcome their differences without too much unnecessary angst.

In sum, this is my 2nd Meredith Duran novel and she has a knack for writing realistic stories with engaging characters and believable romances. Looking forward to my next one.
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