Customer Reviews

A Dark Love

5 star:		(16)
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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a huge fan of suspense novels and this is one of the best that I have read in a long time. From the first few pages I was rooting for Caroline to escape her past and was unable to put the book down until I finished - driving my own family crazy! Margaret Carroll draws her reader in and paints such a realistic picture of her characters that you quickly feel as though you know them. I cannot wait for her next release and have already become a big fan.

When the book arrived, I only had time to read the first two pages. But that's all it took. For the rest of the day, I couldn't wait to crawl into bed with this book, and it didn't disappoint. Every time I looked at the clock, knowing I needed to turn out the light, I'd think, just one more page. I finally forced myself to go to sleep, only to wake early and grab the book from my bedside table and begin reading again. I haven't come across a thriller that has captivated me like this for a long, long time. The writing is great, characters are very believable and the story line makes this book a page turner.

From the moment I opened this book, I could not put it down. Margaret Carroll's ability to draw the reader in is amazing. I could feel myself in each scene, right there with the characters, as this story developed. The plot was well constructed and gripping; the characters alive and engaging. I took this book with me when I had to leave my reading chair... all in the hopes that another few moments of reading time would present itself to me and I could continue reading while the lives in this novel continued to unfold. Amazing, fun, suspenseful and exciting... a must read! The romance was awesome!

In A DARK LOVE, author Margaret Carroll takes suspense to a new level of intensity with her character Dr. Porter Moross, a highly respected psychoanalyst. He is a man with the type of complex intrinsic psychological makeup that far exceeds any amount of reasoning or normal comprehension. It far exceeds even the mental disturbances of his own patients.

Dr. Porter Moross loves his wife, Caroline, to a dangerous degree. He will not live without her. More accurately, he really cannot live without her.



Caroline knows the extent of her husband's madness. Divorce is not an option, not if she wants to live. So, she runs. She moves to a different part of the country, lives under a new name, finds a new home and a new job. She even meets a new man.



Ken Kincaid is handsome, strong, family-oriented and, above all else, patient to a fault. His attraction to Caroline may be immediate and obvious, but he doesn't push her. He may very well be the perfect match for her, if her husband doesn't find them. If he does, there's no telling what he may be driven to do.



I recommend A DARK LOVE by Margaret Carroll for anyone that loves a good psychological thriller. The romance blossoms through the story and adds an extra flair. The plot will keep you sitting at attention as the inner workings of a mentally disturbed man unwinds and comes to light. This antagonist might even feel a bit too real for comfort. Give it a read and see.


This review is courtesy of Romance Junkies.

From the first chapter when Caroline painstakingly plans her escape from her wacko, psycho husband, to the last chapter, this book is hard to put down! I found myself breathlessly waiting to see what wierd and creepy thing her husband would do next, and stayed up way too late finding out! Every time Caroline's husband inched closer to her hiding place my skin crawled.

The author creates images that are haunting and descriptive. The book was fast paced and never slowed down. Any reader of romance and suspense will love this book. Even people who don't read romance will find this a great read. I recommend it 100%! I bought this book after reading a great reveiw in the Sunday News and now I can't wait for the next book from Ms. Carroll.

In DC Caroline Hughes knows she has had enough from her famous martinet husband, Dr. Porter Moross whose abuse could leave her dead. She believes that if she gets a new identity and relocates in some isolated area across the other side of the Mississippi he would not stalk her Though he will search for her, Peter would never give up being Freudian psychotherapist to a Washington who's who.

On a Greyhound Caroline makes good her escape, accompanied by Pippin the Yorkie, finding shelter two thousand miles from DC as Alice Stevens. There she meets divorced football player Ken Kincaid; both have reasons to not see one another, but the attraction is strong. However, Caroline miscalculated Porter's obsession or his panic attacks as he is coming ever closer paying a PI to find her and willing to give up his practice to take care of personal business.

This is a super suspense thriller that hooks the audience from the moment Caroline leaves and builds up the tension as readers anticipate Porter confronting her. The romantic subplot between Caroline and Ken feels forced and unnecessary as little Caroline can stand on her own. Fans will appreciate the aptly title A DARK LOVE; knowing the obsessed Peter is coming for his beloved.

Harriet Klausner

The story of an abused wife leaving her husband, trying to hide from him whilst knowing he will be searching for her, isn't particularly novel. There's a great deal of inherent suspense in this kind of story - will she ever feel safe, will she fit into a new life, can she love again.

These aspects do occur in this story, but aren't perhaps as much at the forefront as I might have thought.

Slightly unusually, we spend as much time with the mad, abusive, stalker husband as we do with heroine Caroline Moross. Her husband Porter is a famous psychoanalyst but is also clearly seriously mentally deranged and has made Caroline's life a misery. When she escapes with just the clothes she is wearing and her little dog, Pippin, she makes her way to the town of Storm Pass in Colorado, finding employment looking after an elderly lady and catching the attention of Ken Kincaid, retired football player and outdoorsman.

But Porter is after Caroline. We follow the trail whereby Porter finds out where Caroline is, which partly includes an email correspondence with a former friend, although this aspect of the story isn't adequately concluded. As one would expect there's a showdown during a storm and various other revelations.

I didn't find this book entirely successful, however. Firstly, I wasn't sure what it was about Caroline that so attracted everyone's attention and help. Secondly, I found the bits focused on Porter a bit dull. Thirdly, there were several plot threads that weren't completed. Fourthly... well, there were many other aspects that I didn't like. I did very much like the setting in Colorado which was well described. But there wasn't enough about this book to lift it above the label `average'.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2011

I read all of these wonderful reviews and thought I can't go wrong with this book. But everytime it started to go into some detail it stopped and switched to another scene. Suspence is great if you eventually get some description of what is going on. It was like the author was afraid to write about the taboo topics that were always underlying in the story.
Disappointment is and understatement!

I truly enjoyed reading "A Dark Love." It was always fast paced and suspenseful. I loved how the author explored the characters' emotions and motivations. I loved following Caroline's journey to a new life without fear. I loved her resilience and bravery and how she didn't depend on anyone else to save her. Finally, I loved how Caroline had a hopeful future with a wonderful man at last (Ken).

Margaret Carroll made me feel strongly positive toward certain characters (Caroline, Ken, Gus, Nan) and extremely antagonistic toward Porter. When I read how Porter would take the events of Caroline's childhood trauma and use them against her, I just wanted to hurt him myself. Although a small part of me found it difficult to understand how she could ever fall for someone like Porter, her abusive childhood played a huge role in why she was drawn to someone so damaged. This book was well written. I was thoroughly engaged by Caroline and rooted for her from page one.

My only complaint is that the cover doesn't represent Porter at all because that man is way too hot while Porter was just ... not. On the other hand, it got me to buy the book and I'm certainly glad I did. Five stars for a great read. I'm looking forward to other books written by this author.

When Caroline Hughes was still a carefree college student with hopes and dreams for the future, she met Dr. Porter Moross, who quickly crushed all of them. Years later, Caroline is running for her life from Porter's emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Caroline heads to the peaceful town of Storm Pass, Colorado. It's everything Caroline ever wanted but could never have with Porter. Ex-football player Ken Kincaid and the charming people of Storm Pass welcome Caroline with open arms, but Caroline knows she is on borrowed time. Porter will eventually find her and when he does, he'll kill her and anyone else that gets in his way.

If Porter is the monster in Caroline's nightmares, then Ken is her handsome and charming knight in shining armor. Caroline ultimately saves herself, literally and figuratively. Porter wasn't just abusive, he was psychotic. The glimpses into Caroline's painful past and her abusive marriage to Porter make her self preservation that much more triumphant. While the empathetic part of me feels sorry for any tortured soul, Porter is a very sick and twisted man and it's impossible to show him compassion. Caroline is lucky to have gotten out alive. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for when and how Porter would strike. A Dark Love is a riveting thriller with a heart-warming romance.


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed