My fave book....novel ini benar2 mampu mengaduk2 emosi.novel ini sangat kompleks. cinta, keluarga dgn rahasia2 terkelam didalamnya hingga mengungkapkan pembunuhan yg terjadi 10 tahun yg lalu di davencourt.Roanna Davenport kehilangan ke 2 orang tuanya saat berusia 7 tahun. neneknya, lucinda tallan davenport, menerimanya di rumahnya davencourt & dibesarkan bersama2 dengan sepupu roana, jessie sang crown princess & webb talan, keponakan lucinda dari keluarga tallan.webb sejak kecil dibesarkan untuk menjadi penerus lucinda. & sbg penerus lucinda webb diharapkan akan menikah dengan jessie.hal yg terjadi bgt mereka menginjak usia dewasa.namun pernikahan sang heir & sang putri tidak spt dalam cerita2 dongeng.jessie adl gadis egois & selalu melakukan apapun sekehandak hatinya jg semena2. dia merasa sbg cucu kesayangan lucinda & istri dari sang heir hingga sanggup melakukan apapun termasuk selingkuh & mengandung bayi pria lain.sedang Roanna adl gadis canggung & kikuk, ceria & tidak bisa diam yg tumbuh dibalik bayang2 jessie.satu2nya pembela & orang yg memperhatikannya adl Webb. karna itulah roanna & webb sangat dekat.suatu saat jessie memergoki roanna yg sedang mencium webb membuat mercon langsung meledak, dasarnya jessie suka memperbesar masalah jadilah pertengkaran besar2an antara webb & jessie.yg berakhir pada roanna menemukan jessie tewas bersimbah darah.orang yg pertama dituduh adalah webb.tidak ada yg membela web membuat webb sakit hati hingga saat roanna mengulurkan tangan dukungan langsung ditolak mentah2 oleh webb.kematian jessie, tuduhan pembunuhan hingga dukungan yg tidak didapatkannya membuat webb meninggalkan davencourt.10 tahun berlalu, lucinda berada diakhir masa hidupnya karna penyakit yg dideritanya meminta roanna untuk membawa kembali webb & mengembalikan webb sbg the heir of davencourt.roanna menyanggupi & menemui webb walo sudah 10 tahun mereka tidak pernah berhubungan lagi.oh ya webb memang kembali. bagi orang lain terlihat kembalinya webb untuk mengambil alih kembali davencourt empire namun sebenarnya bukan itu alasannya.webb ingin berdamai kembali dengan lucinda juga ingin mencari tau apa sebenarnya yg terjadi dengan roanna hingga membuatnya menjadi wanita yg tak mampu tersenyum & emotionless.kembalinya webb membuat geger. lucinda dengan jelas mengumumkan siapapun yg tidak dapat menerima webb kemabli ke davencourt boleh keluar.roanna yg sejak dulu sadar davencourt bukan miliknya (lucu deh pdhl 1-1nya keturunan davenport yg tersisa ya hanya roanna) tidak pernah menentang kedatangan webb walo itu artinya dia kehilangan semuanya.roanna sejak dulu tidak suka bisnis. dia terlibat bisnis karna webb tidak ada & lucinda tidak mampu melakukannya sendiri.keinginan roanna sebenarnya adl melakukan segala sesuatu yg berhubungan dengan kuda.roanna sangat mencintai kuda.webb tau kedatangannya menimbulkan banyak pro & kontra tp dia tidak peduli. yg dipedulikannya hanyalah membuat roanna tersenyum & tertawa lagi spt dulu.apalagi sejak mendengar cerita lucinda betapa kepergian webb dulu membuat roanna hampir kehilangan nyawanya & membuat roanna berubah total.dari remaja yg tak pernah bisa diam & selalu tertawa menjadi pribadi yg tertutup yg tidak pernah lagi tersenyum & tertawa selama 10 tahun.aduhhhh bener deh aq dah mo nangis sejadi2nya waktu lucinda cerita keadaan roanna sejak kepergian webb.nelangsa banget roanna.sejak kecil terpisah dari orang tua kandungnya. hidup bersama nenek & sepupunya ternyata tidak lebih baik. sang nenek tidak memperhatikannya sedang sepupunya malah semena2 padanya.satu2nya batu sandarannya hanyalah webb tp webb pun meninggalkannya.sejak kecil roanna memang hidup di davencourt tp sejak awal sudah jelas davencourt bukan untuknya.ya ampun roanna walo sudah kerja keras selama 10 tahun tp akhirnya sang nenek tetep melimpahkan semuanya ke webb, kasian banget ga sih??? sampe roanna sudah merencanakan untuk membeli rumahnya sendiri, usahanya sendiri, segala miliknya yg tidak akan diambil orang lain.aaaaaaa kasiannya roanna,selalu harus mendahulukan kepentingan orang lain diatas kepentingannya sendiri.sebenarnya lucinda bukan tidak memikirkan roanna, lucinda percaya walo dia menyerahkan segala kuasa ke webb tp webb pasti tidak akan menyia2kan roanna tp roanna khan beda pemikiran karna sejak dulu lucinda tidak pernah menunjukkan kasih sayangnya pada roanna. selama ini yg diperhatikan hanya jessie & webb.kasian banget ya roanna.lucinda juga keterlaluan.untungnya webb sangat mencintai roanna. baginya roanna adl cahaya dalam hidupnya.hanya webb yg mampu membuat roanna tersenyum & tertawa kembali.bener2 novel ini menyayat kalbu tp top abissssss.berapa kalipun dibaca ga akan pernah bosan.cinta roanna yg tanpa syarat & tidak egois.cinta webb yg kuat.mereka saling melengkapi.
Roanna has been in love with Webb for as long as she can remember. As a child, it was a sort of hero worship, but as she grew older, the love matured into something more real. So it broke her heart when Webb married her spoiled cousin, Jessie.Then one day, everything falls apart. Roanna spies Jessie with another man, but she doesn't want to tell Webb, because she's afraid of hurting him. She does lose her mind, however, and kisses him, a kiss that Jessie interrupts. Jessie and Webb fight, and later that night, Roanna finds Jessie's body. Webb is convicted in the eyes of public opinion, even if there is no proof, and he leaves.Ten years later....I loved this story. I did think the setup (which I summarized for you) was just a bit slow, but worth it to get through to the good part, when Roanna and Webb meet again. Both Roanna and Jessie were orphaned as children (when Roanna was 7 and Jessie 13), and taken in by their grandmother, who loved Jessie more. Roanna was a challenge, and had to fight to be worthy of love in her family's eyes. She never measured up in anyone's eyes except Webb, the second cousin who was also her protector. Her life came with consequences, chief among them an eating disorder (anorexia), which nearly killed her after Webb left. Roanna and Webb were wonderful characters, and this book was full of both passion and love. (Not the same thing!) I highly recommend this to romance readers. Or heck, I recommend just about anything by Linda Howard. She's one of those authors I just pick up -- no questions asked. I don't even bother reading the back of the book; if I find a new Linda Howard book (or an old one I haven't read), I'll be reading it within a few days, regardless of what's waiting on my nightstand!www.christineamsden.com
What do You think about Shades Of Twilight (1997)?
~~~~~~ 4.5 STARS! ~~~~~~Wow. Linda Howard is quickly becoming one of my fave authors. This book was so consuming, so thorough in its ability to make me cry, hate, despair and feel joy. It had a very epic feel to it although the events transcend 20 years in total. I loved the characters, even the bad ones. Roanna was a girl that lost her parents as a child only to live with her grandmother at Davencourt, the estate her father's family established.She's also loved her second cousin, Webb---this didn't disturb me at all---for as long as she remembers. But Webb is slated to take up the reigns of Davencourt, and will also marry his second cousin, Jessie, first cousin and nemesis to Roanna. But eventually tragedy strikes Davencourt, forcing Webb to abandon his hold on it and everyone in it, including Roanna. The book is divided into 3 parts: The three as children, then as young adults and finally as adults. I really liked Roanna and empathized with her as a child then as a woman very different from who she used to be. She's grown cold and remote, hiding her feelings under layers of ice. Her only weakness is and will always be Webb. When she seeks him out requesting he return home, Webb can't believe the fine woman she's become. But she also ignites his long buried feelings of abandonment and he says some pretty vicious things. But Roanna loves him beyond reason and brings him home, the prodigal son, if you may.The romance was a nice slow build that explodes between two people holding their feelings in restraint. Webb and Roanna are so similar and feel so strongly for each other that it became frustrating for me waiting for them to finally act on their desires. The suspense was fantastic and I was honestly stumped till the bitter end. The person I thought responsible was soon eradicated from my list and I found myself mystified by who actually committed the crime. That raw sensuality I've come to correlate with LH's writing was here once more. She writes love scenes on such an intimate level. There's no over the top smexy time that seems orchestrated, there's no derogatory expletives used to induce orgasm....it's just a sensuality I don't see often enough, making me wish authors were more attuned to the importance of that.OBVIOUSLY I will continue reading LH's other works! Sometimes you think an older book or an author being around for years won't deliver. You might think there'll be too much fade to black scenes or old fashioned ideas...Well, I'm never abiding by that ridiculous notion again. These books may have been around for years but they have the advantage of longevity because they're written so well the stories become timeless. Loved this.Thanks for the rec Sophie! xx
—Didi
What can I honestly say about this book that hasn't been raved about numerous times already? I guess I could share that I've read this at least 7 times and don't think I'll every stop rereading it. I could also state that the love Roanna has for Webb in this story is so strong, resilient and touching that it moves me each time I read it. And if I'm sharing all that, I need to also say that Webb's protectiveness and evolving feelings for Roanna is just heart clenching. "...just what in the hell have you all done to Roanna?" That single line still makes me heart squeeze and causes a shiver to run through me. The suspense was great, but it was the journey and love story that makes this story a classic for me. Truly Linda Howard at her absolute best.
—Heather
A heartwrenching and dramatic love story that has all the elements that brings to Dallas and Dynasty to mind.This is a multiple re-read for me and I still love the story. Lots of turmoil, conflict and absolutely delicious scandals pack this book, scandals that spans generations.My favorite (AND most hated) theme is here. The delicate and fragile but STILL independently strong heroine matched up with the uber alpha male whose goal in life is to shelter and protect his delicate, independent darling. Okay. I can feel the eye rolls coming from you. I understand! I also feel the same way most of the time! But this is my all-time guilty pleasure. It's usually not done well and I get very annoyed when the heroine becomes a whiny, entitled brat. Linda Howard does this theme superbly. It is a popular theme for contemporary romance, but most don't do it well and I often get irritated by the heroine's behavior. Thus far, I have been charmed by most of Howard's heroines.I willing get swept away by the drama every time. Glorious and utterly indulgent.
—Pamela Su
