Like most of my sisters, I’m on deadline at the moment, which means that I’m not doing anything much but plotting, writing, thinking about plotting and writing, and angsting about how slowly said process is progressing. So I thought since I’m not reading at the moment (I don’t read while I write), I’d go to my keeper shelf and share a favorite book with you all.
As you know, I’m a huge fan of Mary Stewart (no don’t panic, I’m not going to tell you about another of her books). What I am going to share is another writer who tells her stories in much the same way. Her name is Susanna Kearsley( http://www.susannakearsley.com ). And I adore her writing. I own all of her books, but one of my favorites is called The Shadowy Horses. In it is a fade to black sex scene that I honestly believe is one of the sexiest non-sex scenes I’ve ever read. And her descriptive passages are really strong as well.
Definitely in the gothic vein, the story summary is as follows:
Verity Grey has never been a woman who recoils from a challenge. But when she is invited to a windy coastal town in Scotland to work on an archaeological dig, she wonders if she has stepped over the line.
It’s not the ancient Roman history that intimidates Verity—even when that history takes the ghostly form of a slain Roman sentinel—it’s her co-worker David Fortune, who frustrates her with his remoteness.
As the group of archaeologists strives to uncover the truth of the mysterious Roman campsite, science must contend with the paranormal. The ghost’s appearances become more urgent and more chilling until Verity can no longer deny its message—someone is in great danger. Could the deadly warning be for her or for David? Somehow they’ll have to communicate with each other, which is proving to be the biggest hurdle they face at the dig site…
The wild Scottish landscape is a perfect backdrop for intrigue, as Verity learns that outside the scientists laboratory the shadowy horses of history carry messages from the past. 
I really do adore this book as well as another called Mariana a time-travelling historical with a wonderfully enigmatic heroine. Unfortunately, her older books can be hard to find. But the good news is that she has a new book out coming out in December. The Winter Sea. I’ve already pre-ordered it!
So what’s one of the favorite books on your Keeper Shelf?
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