Kingdom of Shadows

By: Barbara Erskine

Narrated by: Charlie Norfolk

Gorgeous repackage of Barbara Erskine’s first novel, blending history, family legacy and contemporary passion

In a childless and unhappy marriage, Clare Royland is rich and beautiful – but lonely. And fueling her feelings of isolation is a strange, growing fascination with an ancestress from the distant past. Troubled by haunting inexplicable dreams that terrify – but also powerfully compel – her, Clare is forced to look back through the centuries for answers.

In 1306, Scotland is at war. Isobel, Countess of Buchan, faces fear and the prospect of untimely death as the fighting surrounds her. But passionate and headstrong, her trials escalate when she is persecuted for her part in crowning Robert the Bruce, her lover.

Duncairn, Isobel's home and Clare's beloved heritage, becomes a battleground for passions that span the centuries. As husband Paul's recklessness threatens their security, Clare must fight to save Duncairn, and to save herself from the powers of Isobel…

©2021 Barbara Erskine (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Enjoyable, but sorta confusing and frustrating.

Overall I’m glad I listened to it, but if I were pressed to recommend it… that’s a hard maybe. The characters are well fleshed out and the story is interesting. I found it hard to believe that the main character could be so willfully oblivious, and that everyone who should be helping her was instead either gossiping about her, or assuming the worst of her.