Love's Shadow by Nichole Van

Synopsis:

Branwell D’Angelo . . .

Six years ago, I fell in love with Lucy—my brother’s girlfriend. Stupid of me, I know, but sometimes the heart doesn’t listen to reason.
Six years, I’ve lived on the sidelines. Seeing him love her, be with her, bask in her sunshine . . .
I watched her break his heart and then cleaned up the shattered pieces of him she left behind.
She’s the one woman I can’t have but still the only one my soul wants.
Now she’s back in our lives and needs the unique help only us D’Angelos can give.
He’s not emotionally strong enough to face her. So he’s sending me instead . . .

When tragedy strikes Lucy Snow on a visit to Italy, she can’t bring herself to call any of the D’Angelo brothers for help. There are consequences for falling in love with your ex-boyfriend’s brother. But Lucy desperately needs Branwell’s paranormal skills and his gift of Sight. And if seeing him will negate at least three years of therapy? Well, it’s a price she is willing to pay.

Thrown together in a desperate bid to save an innocent life, Branwell and Lucy struggle against their shared past, only to realize that something even more dangerous is reaching through the weight of time to stalk their every move . . .

My Review: 5 Stars

Six years. It has been six years since Lucy and Branwell met and fell in love. But theirs is not a happy story. Their story is filled with heartache and pain. You see, their love can never be. There is someone who stands in their way. Tennyson, Branwell's brother and Lucy's ex-boyfriend. Their love is forbidden. No one, including each other, can ever know how deep their feelings run. Branwell is fiercely loyal to Tennyson and Lucy would never dream of coming in between the two brothers. 

Locking their feelings up tight, they do what they have to in order to move on and live life the best they can... alone. 

But when tragedy strikes and Lucy's niece, Grace, comes up missing, Lucy has no other option but to turn to the D'Angelo's for help. One D'Angelo in particular... Branwell. From the moment she sees him again, she realizes that her feelings for him have only grown stronger. How will she ever be able to walk away from him again? One thing's for sure... she's going to need lots of therapy to get past this blip in the road. But she will do anything and everything she can to bring Grace home alive.

Branwell knew seeing Lucy again would be hard. His love for her is stronger than ever. One look at her and he knows he can never deny her anything. So he will help her find Grace. And when she is home, safe and sound, he will do what he has been doing for the last six years. He will lock his feelings up tighter than ever and go back to just existing without her. 

Thrown into a world of unknown, Lucy and Branwell work together to uncover the mystery behind Grace's disappearance. But the closer they get to figuring everything out, the stranger things become. They find themselves fighting against other worldly beings who are out for blood and Branwell seems to be the target. 

With danger lurking at the surface, Lucy and Branwell find it harder and harder to keep their feelings for each other hidden. So when disaster strikes again, Lucy breaks and can't keep her feelings for Branwell quiet any longer. One day. They just wants one day to feel normal, to not hide their feelings, to shower each other with all the love in the world. But once they both get a taste of what could be, will one day be enough?

But that one day is shattered in a blink of an eye. With Grace still missing, Tennyson's mental state hanging in the balance, and attacks of the paranormal kind, there is no way they can figure out where they stand. 

Will they find Grace before it's too late? Will they be able to uncover the mystery and be able to stop the attacks? And when all is said and done, will Lucy and Branwell be able to find their HEA? 

*dreamy sigh*

Oh. My. Gosh! The feels! The feels are most definitely real! My emotions were all over the place while reading this book! I laughed, I yelled, I got teary eyed, I growled in frustration, I let out little dreamy sighs and fell in love right along with Branwell and Lucy. I can't even begin to describe the amazingness of this book! One of my favorite parts of this book are the sour "punny" bears! *giggles* Oh! I can't forget about that epilogue! Love... love... LOVE! And talk about swoony! *dreamy sigh* I had the hardest time putting this book down! I have discovered a love/hate relationship with real life. Haha. 

In case you are wondering, Ms. Van has become an instant favorite! I am absolutely loving this series! I can't wait to read the next book! And I am DYING for Tennyson's book! Eeeeeeeek! I hope I don't have to wait too long! Haha. 

And my casting... *le sigh* I. Am. In. Love! What do you think?!

Content: Mild swearing.