Lynn Coddington, Shadowheart review, ContraCostaTimes

Posted on Sun, Apr. 18, 2004, ContraCostaTimes.com

LYNN CODDINGTON: ROMANCING THE TOME

'Shadowheart' is dark, yet riveting

IT'S APPROPRIATE that New York Times best-seller Laura Kinsale, mistress extraordinaire of the wounded hero, returns with "Shadowheart" (Berkley, $7.99, 502 pages) in this season of the renewal festivals of spring. "Shadowheart" is the tale of Allegreto Navona, whom readers last saw 11 years ago as the youthful, treacherous assassin in "For My Lady's Heart" (in current rerelease from Berkley, $7.99). As befits Allegreto's dynamic, morally ambivalent character, "Shadowheart" is often unexpected, even uncomfortable, and entirely riveting.

Elayne wants simple things. She dreams of marrying a knight and living happily in Savernake Forest under the protection of her powerful godmother, Lady Melanthe, Countess of Bowland. Elayne, however, has grown up in ignorance of her true name and station. A suitor's petition for her hand reveals her as the Princess Elena di Monteverde, the last heir to the noble house that ruled the small, prosperous and strife-torn alpine state, Monteverde. Once Elayne is known, even Lady Melanthe cannot keep her from a betrothal to the present ruler of Monteverde, Franco Pietro Riata.

Long journeys in the 14th century being perilous, Elayne soon finds herself captive to a pirate of the Mediterranean island of Il Corvo. She isn't sure exactly who he is, one moment a black angel, the next an unmitigated devil. He is a sorcerer, an astrologer, a scholar. He is also a manslayer, trained to kill with cold efficiency. Beautiful beyond words, he is "dark as sin, as gorgeous and corrupt as Lucifer himself." In time, Elayne learns he is Allegreto Navona, the last, bastard scion of the third of the powerful ruling families of Monteverde. Exiled, excommunicated and unrepentantly ruthless, he is the most terrifying man she has ever met.

Navona and Riata both want Elayne. By taking her to wife, one will secure control of Monteverde. To that end, Allegreto claims her.

At this point, Kinsale takes us into realms that may be uncomfortable for some. Allegreto's love talk is appalling. Holding her gently, his hands barely touching her, he tells her "If you had a poison ring, you could kill me with a scratch."

Elayne is as baffled as she is furious with him, as furious as she is with herself for being aroused by a scoundrel who threatens her, then speaks of his fear of being defenseless in a lover's embrace. Their passion explodes in a wild kiss, and she bites him. Hard. Things grow wilder still, and by the end of the scene, Allegreto tells her "You may hurt me, if you take delight in it."

Oh, dear.

Allegreto as a submissive lover. Who would have guessed. His complement, the spirited Elayne, emerges as Prima Elena, a queen to be reckoned with in and out of her bed.

"Shadowheart" develops as a refined character study that is also meticulously plotted and beautifully written. Allegreto is heartbreaking in his violence, and resolute in his fear of hell. He isn't a contemporary man, and his longing for the absolution of the church marks him deeply. Sexually, he and Elena stumble into territory that puts their souls in peril, as they see it, yet they are as compelled as they are undone. The love and trust required for them to face each other in sexual dominance and submission is shattering.

When they go further, taking the courage they find there into the morass of Monteverde politics. Elena claims her power absolutely, and in doing so demands that Allegreto surrender his. Whatever they have learned in the bedroom of these dynamics does not make their choices easier.

Kinsale never strays from the emotional core of Allegreto's and Elena's growth, and the torturous paths they follow through both love and duty to the beleaguered people of Monteverde. The sex scenes will be erotically charged for some readers, uncomfortable for others, and they are profoundly moving. "Shadowheart" demonstrates the purest essence of the romance: the depth of intimacy that inspires trust, faith and ultimately sacrifices made in love. It requires artistry and hard work to find the right balance for any lovers, fictional or real. Kinsale masters this art in "Shadowheart." It is a novel of corruption, damnation and courageous sacrifice, astutely conceived, and brilliantly executed. It is a novel to read again and again, savoring the layers and subtleties lurking beneath its initial rocking impact.