Intimate Shadows — Linda Chapman

Intimate Shadows is a wonderful blend of science fiction and romance, adventure and ideas, risk and faith. Sally Courtland is a vibrant, intelligent, and headstrong heroine who also has times of doubt, lapses of faith, and hidden fears. She is real. Rescued from a fatal fall by an alien device, she is wrenched from the familiar and trapped in Pendarin's world where she truly “comes alive."
Listening to the pair spar with words and wits is a joy, watching them fall in love is a sensual delight, and the belief they must lose each other is heartbreaking. Like flint and steel, the couple creates flames --- but only after their repeated clashes provoke the sparks. And the fire could burn beyond control, engulfing innocents on the whim of Pendarin's merciless Overlord.
Chapman writes with nuance and subtlety, never underestimating the intelligence of her readers. I reread Intimate Shadows to recapture the wonder of stargazing from above, and the timeless hope of wishing on a star for the perfect soul-mate.

---Blair MacGregor, author of Ancient Promise, Forsaken Souls, and Sheykalán Dawn.



If you're looking for a traditional romance novel, "Intimate Shadows" isn't it. It's more --- a whole lot more.
Don't be fooled by Sally Courtland, the female lead in this story. She may initially seem the helpless female who needs protection, but she has reserves of strength you'll only find out as the plot unwinds.
Meet Pendarin, a mysterious but ultimately charming scientist who aids Sally at a critical point in her life. Does he, however, have another, more sinister, agenda?
A cross-genre novel of compelling depth, "Intimate Shadows" is another example of Chapman's mastery of words --- and of worlds alternate to our own.

---John Hebert, columnist, Voice newspapers.