Shadows in the Spring Spotlight and Review

Two souls bound together but lost in time. Until now.

AD 80

Duro of the Iceni tribe escaped life as an enslaved gladiator and is now finally home in Britannia with one thing on his mind: vengeance. For 20 years he has sought the Roman legionary who destroyed his family. What he didn’t expect was Gisel: a fierce Germanic woman with long white-blonde hair, forced into slavery by the Romans. Hypnotised by her spirit and her beauty, Duro frees Gisel and slowly tries to win her trust as they work together to complete his quest.

Present Day

Mackenna Jackson returns to Bath  with a broken heart, thanks to rockstar Blue Daniels. Luckily she can still count on Blue’s former bandmate Jonah Miller as a listening ear. But Jonah has secretly been fighting stronger feelings, drawn to Mac’s quiet confidence and gorgeous white-blonde hair. As they explore the area, memories they can’t quite explain flood them both.

Is the spark between Mac and Jonah in fact a sign of something much deeper – a love enduring through millennia – or can it all be an illusion?

Purchase Link - https://geni.us/SITS

Author Bio 

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a Vice President and former Chair and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. SHADOWS IN THE SPRING
(dual time historical romance published by Headline Review 24th April 2025) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

Social Media Links –

Website:  http://www.christinacourtenay.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor?fref=ts

Twitter/X:  https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ChristinaCourtenayAuthor/

Bluesky:  https://christinacourtenay@bsky.social

My Review

Once again Kristina Courtenay draws us into her world - in this case, two worlds, as she seamlessly moves from Roman Britain to the present day, with alternating chapters. Unlike most of the books I've read and enjoyed by this author, Shadows in the Spring is not a 'time slip' per se, but this story has a hint of re-incarnation and there is a definite connection between Duro and Gisel in Roman times and Mack and Jonah in the present day. As always, Kristina Courtenay immerses the reader in both worlds and the characters are beautifully drawn and easy to relate to. The re-incarnation aspect is never overstated, but as their relationship deepens into romance, and artifacts such as a gold coin, and the ring Mac inherited from her aunt, lead them to realise that perhaps love lasts through the ages, not just for one lifetime and that they might have a mystical connection with Duro and Gisel. The story is obviously very well researched, and at times I felt that I was travelling back to Roman Britain myself, and the descriptions of the buildings, food and day to day life were totally believable. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and have no hesitation in recommending it and giving it five stars.