Originally Published: 08-31-2020
Shadow Song is a true stand-alone novel by Dorothy Keddington.
Book Details
Shadow Song was published with this hard cover edition in 1985.
I have the softcover edition (below), published in 1985. This edition is a 8.5×5.5 size book with 256 pages. And sadly my book is so old that it’s falling apart.
This story is also written in 1st person, in the POV of the female lead, and it’s done very well. It’s a good example of a well-written story even though it’s in 1st person.
1985 ed
And while you can find this book on GoodReads, you won’t find it on Amazon!! It’s that old!!
So to classify it, this is my opinion.
I think it’s a contemporary romance with the language and customs and thoughts of the characters that would be ideal for the 80s and 90s. This is where a relationship and marriage come before sex and not after.
It’s a romance about finding love in an unlikely place and choosing to hang on to that love and to not let go.
But instead to let go of past hurts and issues so that you can have that love that’s right in front of you.
It’s called Shadow Song because the main character, Cole McLean is a singer/song writer, and wrote a song for Megan and Shadow Song is the name of the song.
Book Summary
This is the story of Megan Collier and Cole McLean.
Megan is a young, beautiful journalist working for a magazine. She’s described of having a troubled past, but that only comes out when she starts getting serious with Cole.
The whole of this story takes place in a very short period of time from when they met to when they decide to get married.
Megan has been assigned to write a serious of articles about different art shows in Colorado. So as she traveling around, she’s watching these concerts and then doing a review of sorts for the magazine.
One of these concerts is the young, popular and charismatic Cole McLean. He’s a singer and a song writer and he has a very diverse audience.
Her boss even scored an interview with him when many have failed.
On her way there, though, she’s the witness to a tragic accident of a hit and run of a cyclist and a horse trailer that’s toppled. This horse trailer belongs to none other than Cole McLean, but she doesn’t find that out till later.
During this accident, and while Cole must take care of his beloved horses, Megan takes care of his young son, Cody. And she’s dubbed the cookie lady!
It’s at Cole’s concert that she finds out that they are one and the same man. And that makes her very nervous and apprehensive. Mostly because his music touches her in ways that she’s unable to explain, hence the trouble trying to write an article.
After another chance meeting, Cole finds out that she’s the journalist that he has an interview with and impulsively decides that she’s to come to his home and have lunch with him and his son.
It’s there at his ranch and recording studio that she meets Obulus, a controversial rock band that has ties to Satan worshipping.
And this is where it gets interesting.
The romance between Megan and Cole happens quickly, in a matter of days. And at first Megan runs away because she’s afraid of loving someone.
Meanwhile, Obulus has plans of their own. As a controversial rock band, they want to affect the rising generation with a bloodless revolution.
Unfortunately for them, Megan is witness to many of their activities and the one that figures things out to not only protect Cole and Cody, but also to show the world what they’re up to.
By the end, Megan does come to terms with the issues that she has and decides that to live without the love of Cole and Cody would be far worse than to give into her fears.
It does end happy but it takes a bit to get there and it’s an ending that you have to read.
Conclusion
Because the romance moves quickly, the story is also fast-paced and thrilling. There’re plenty of moments where you’re wondering what’s going to happen while you’re sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for it to happen.
The character development and growth is compelling and interesting. I did find tho that even though Megan’s character was supposed to be around 25yrs, she actually appeared to be older and much more mature than that age.
That didn’t deter from the poignant romance that developed between Cole and Megan. It’s definitely one of those stories that stays with you long after you’re finished reading. And I read this story more than 25yrs ago and it has stayed with me for a long time.
Most of Keddington’s books are worth reading again and again.
