Giffen, a human seer in the service of the elf queen, has become rather bitter.  He’s waited for years to meet his destined elven mate without success and he’s having increasingly disturbing visions involving the death of a friend.  Things only get more complicated when an incubus, Derek, arrives and takes an interest in him.  On top of everything else, when Giffen goes to see the queen, he discovers that his destined mate is a traitor Unseelie who’s bent on destroying everything and everyone he cares about.  He sets off alone to try and stop the Unseelie plot, but Derek follows.  Can Derek be trusted?  And more importantly, can Giffen find the strength to resist his attraction to the evil Unseelie elf and save his friends?

I’ve been a fan of Ms. Veinglory’s Maewyn’s Prophecy series since the first book, and this installment doesn’t disappoint.  I was hooked from the very first chapter.  A Heart in Shadows has action, suspense, fantasy, and some very well-written love scenes.  In previous entries of the series, Giffen’s bitterness and bad attitude annoyed me a bit, but in this book it becomes clear why he acts the way he does.  Giffen is a deeply flawed hero—bitter, cynical, standoffish, rash at times, and often insecure.  Despite those flaws, however (or perhaps in part because of them), Giffen is a character I related to and rooted for throughout the story.  I really wanted him to find love and be happy at last.  The uncertain motivations of the various characters surrounding Giffen provided suspense and kept me eagerly reading to the very last page.  This was an excellent conclusion to a wonderful series!