Liquid Silver Books, $5.95, ISBN 978-1-59578-536-7
Paranormal Romance, 2009
Shadows of an African Sun is a genuine sequel to Echo of Distant Thunder, with the same main characters and a plot that is a continuation of the one in the previous book, so I’d advise you not to read this one unless you have read the previous book.
When this one opens, Diana Glendower is in Zanzibar on a trip to gather appropriately rare and unique artifacts for an exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She also needs some time away from her husband Graeme Shepherd as they both need some time to deal with the events that happened to them in the previous story. Yet it won’t be long before Peter Oberon shows up to catalyze a reunion of all three characters for another round with an old foe of the two men.
Shadows of an African Sun is much better paced and therefore more interesting than the previous book. The sex scenes that involve all three characters as well as Peter and a secondary character can still be distracting as they can cause the plot to come to screeching halt and kill the momentum of the story, but at the same time I enjoy the way the author develops the dynamics between the three characters. This is no simplistic “We love each other equally!” threesome romp – the three characters are distinct individuals and the relationship they have with each other can be quite complicated at times. I am interested in seeing how things will turn out, especially now that Graeme is willing to cross paths with Peter instead of playing the meek follower like he tended to be in the past. As for Diana, she’s turning out to be a pretty interesting heroine – a cool and level-headed woman that can hold her own very well and even overshadow the two men at times in this story.
A much better read than the previous book, Shadows of an African Sun is definitely a step in the right direction for the series.
