Customer Reviews

Dark Obsession: A Novel of Blackheath Moor (Signet Eclipse)

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Want to read a fabulous twist on Gothic Romance? Well, you couldn't do better than Dark Obsession. Allison Chaise strikes all the right chords when creating mood, raising the tension of the storyline, and writing heroes who are lovable and flawed (sober, self-sacrificing, guilt-ridden and possibly dangerous). Her descriptions of 19th century London society and the ruggedly beautiful countryside and seacoast of Cornwall, especially when seen through the eyes of the artist/heroine, are engrossing and fill the story with you-are-there details. The romance that blooms tentatively in the face of possible madness, sorrow and mystery is marvelously written.

The main characters marry in desparation and then learn to love, and, almost as importantly, trust one another through a series of set backs. But the heroine's gumption and her unflagging loyalty prove well-founded.

There's an aura of Wuthering Heights afoot, with all the gloom and bad weather you'd expect but with more humor (which ultimately heightens the dramatic tension, shows the characters growing closer and elevates the reader's interest in the relationship).

Even the minor characters (Nora's parents, Grayson's friend, nephew and servants) are well developed and potential suspects for mischief.

I'm thrilled that Ms. Chase has another Dark novel being released soon. Here she's woven a tale of shadows and sensuality and I look forward to losing myself in her next breathtaking, romantic adventure.

What a great gothic tale. This novel has all the ingredients, a spooky manor, whispering apparitions, a haunted hero and a courageous heroine plus an intense romance.

Nora, a tradesman's daughter, has received the worst public humiliatio, her art mentor and teacher has painted a scandalous portrait of the two of them engaged in a naked embrace. She never posed for the painting and is as stunned as the rest of London society. No matter that she is an innocent; her parents insist she must marry.

Grayson Lowell has his own unsavory reputation in Londo, he is accused of murdering his brother the Earl. His brother's son has stopped speaking and the ton takes his silence as proof that the young Earl saw his uncle commit the crime. Gray's brother left a ton of debt and now he must marry Nora to fill his family coffers.

These two have quite a wedding night filled with lots of laughter due to Nora's parents and steamy lovemaking too. Quickly though, Gray hears a voice sending him back to the ancestral seat of Blackheath, where his nephew lives and where his brother died.

This journey is hard for Gray. His last words to his brother were full of rage after his brother admitted to losing the family money. He fell to his death immediately after Gray and he argued.

At the Manor ghosts appear to both Nora and Gray. He believes he is losing his mind and asks Nora to leave with his nephew but Nora is made of sterner stuff than that and insists on staying. An apparition has begged her to find the truth of what happened at the manor.

Nora is wonderful with Johnny, the nephew. She is an artist and uses art as a way to communicate. She is protective and fiercely loyal.

This book is rich in detail. The characters are well developed and the spooky house feels dark and mysterious. The romance is tension filled with wonderful moments of tenderness and passion. I look forward to reading Miss Chase's next novel.

A wonderful gothic romance in the manner of Victoria Holt or Daphne Du Maurier, but with a good bit more sex. This has all the classic elements of the genre - the sexy, tortured hero with the slightly scary temper; the plucky heroine determined to uncover his dark secret; the lonely manor house on the rocky coast of Cornwall; and yes, even a ghost or two. This is a very promising new author. Daphne would be proud!

In 1830 London, a nervous but ecstatic Nora Thorngoode looks forward to the showing of her Portrait of a Southward Madam at the Marshall Street Art Gallery. However, she and her outraged parents see a scandalous painting instead. Nora's mentor artist Signore Alessio di Paolo tells her this is proof of his love for her and informs her parents they must marry. He father says she will be a wife and widow in seconds.

Grayson Lowell needs money for his dilapidated estate on Blackheath Grange. Though he loathes wedding the Paramour Painting model, he accepts her father's terms. Nora has no say in the matter while wondering if her fiancé killed his brother as rumored. They wed in a marriage of convenience, but Nora is attracted to her kindhearted spouse. That is until he takes her to his foreboding home on the Moors. There he becomes distant making her wonder if he did murder his sibling. However, she hears the whispers and sees the ghosts that only tickled his senses. She believes her beloved Gray is innocent and that the ghosts are begging her to prove he is and to uncover the real culprit.

This engaging late Regency gothic paranormal romance with a touch of amateur sleuth suspense will hook sub-genre fans once the newlyweds leave London; as Gray becomes a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Nora is fabulous as the innocent heroine who comes to live in the foreboding home with her dark beloved. DARK OBSESSION is an enjoyable historical.

Harriet Klausner

Dark Obsession is wonderful. I always liked historical gothic mysterious romance and this novel is spellbinding. I couldn't put down this book as it really draws the reader into a world of such aching love and real feelings between the main characters. It is not overblown,just sexy enough, and I dont really want to give too much away in this review about the true mystery and the satisfaction of a story that brings everything into a logical conclusion that made me really hate to come to the last page and bid adieu. I cant wait for the next novel this author writes and have already preordered it....Dont miss this book....

I was very impressed by how well this romance was written. The descriptions, the dialogue, the plot developments, the characterizations are all first rate.
The novel starts out with a kind of lame device, but that is the only part I did not warm up to. Nora Thorngoode, who is a talented artist, is thrown into a scandal by a jilted suitor who paints a nude portrait of her at what was supposed to be a showing of Nora's own paintings. Her loving parents devise a plan to save her reputation by marrying her off to a titled gentleman who is in desperate need of money, Sir Grayson Lowell, Earl of Clarington. She feels she has no choice but to marry a man who is rumored to have murdered his own brother.
As soon as the couple arrive at the ancestral home of Blackheath Grange along the rugged and dangerous Cornwall coastline, the young couple are thrown into a maelstrom of ghosts, visions, mysterious occurances that keep the reader on edge. Through it all, Nora's loving heart, her loyalty to her husband and her desire to save the crumbling Clarington clan, leads her into stormy nights, midnight chases after spirits and solving the mysteries that eventually save her marriage and her beloved husband Grayson. Grayson is the ideal gothic hero. Handsome, loving, haunted, guilt ridden, he prowls the caves and beaches of Cornwall with masculine strength and virility.
A great gothic mystery romance!

Forced into a marriage to save her reputation and his estate, Grayson Lowell and Nora Thorngood must trust that the rumors concerning each other are false. When their community refuses to let them reestablish their lives, they move to Blackheath Moor, Lowell's family's estate. Met by a mysterious housekeeper, a mute nephew, and two ghosts, the newlyweds forge into a mystery that has cost Grayson his finances and has his sanity teetering on the edge of an abyss.

Ms Chase does a fabulous job of weaving her characters together in a story that will keep you glued to the pages. I rooted for Gray and Nora from the minute they entered the scene and held my breath until the end. The secondary characters enrich the story and will keep you offset as to who did the deed. Equally important is how and why it was done. I worried that I would get to the end and it would be an easy finish. Not so. The conclusion was very satisfying.

I am not a fan of paranormal books, but I do enjoy a good ghost story. In the tradition of JANE EYRE, DARK OBSESSION will satisfy lovers of Gothic novels. This book is a must read.

CarolASpradling.com author

This isn't my sub-genre of choice. I never found plot points revolving around ruined reputations to be either romantic or interesting. I also don't tend to be a huge fan of burgeoning romances where the thing keeping the two parties apart is largely a series of misinterpretations and misunderstandings with a hefty dose of pride and spitfire mixed in. I find it gets old after a while.

That said, I know that combination of elements is a popular one, and I think it's carried off well here. So if you do enjoy that blend, I think you'll find Allison Chase's Dark Obsession to be a fine specimen of the genre.

There were several things that appealed to me about this book, and caused me to enjoy it quite a bit despite it not being a genre of particular interest to me. For one, the details are quite good. It's a very visual story that draws the reader in to its fascinating locales. For another, many of the characters are fun & interesting; Nora's father is a fantastic personality, and her mother turns out to be quite a card, too. Finally, the mystery surrounding the death of Grayson's brother turned out to be more complex and far more interesting than I thought it would be. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice to say it's worth your time to unravel this tale.

Dark Obsession might not have bowled me over, but for a sub-genre I'm not all that enamored of I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Brilliant Gothic Romance with memorable characters, ghostly apparitions, haunted mansion and a very dark and tortured hero.
I wont go into plot description as a few other reviewers have done a great job setting the premise.
With a dark past, Grayson Lowell carries the burden and accusation of killing his older brother. With guilt and regrets, he needs to marry into wealth to keep his brother's estate from the edge of ruin and maintain the legacy for his nephew - who has been rendered silent since the death of his father.

Though Nora is ruined by a painting of her posing in the nude - one which she didn't pose for - in the eyes of the Ton she is used goods. She agrees to marry Gray - and on their hilarious and steamy wedding night - Gray finds out that all the rumors concerning Nora are false - as she is still chaste.

Upon their return to his brother's estate - Blackheath Moor, Gray is consumed with guilt and inner turmoil - with horrible nightmares about the death of his brother, whom he believes he killed. Nora has a difficult time dealing with this new side to Gray - gone is the happy time they shared in their wedding night, as Gray refuses to come to Nora's bed because he believes that she doesn't deserve a man so haunted and guilt ridden.

Nora's interaction with 5 year old Jonny is touching and guileless; both take to each other and slowly though Nora's coaxing and loving manner, the little boy, though still silent, starts painting and interacting with the people around him.

Nora is delightful. You will applaud her tenacity and loyalty to stay and keep Jonny safe and save her husband's troubled soul.

The ghosts of his brother and sister in law appear to both Gray and Nora, and though Gray thinks he is going insane, Nora realizes that their apparitions are a portent to solve the death of Gray's older brother - so that both spirits can reunite and rest in peace.

Allison Chase has done an excellent job in DARK OBSESSION. Allegorical, beautifully narrated and creating the perfect setting for a truly haunted house with a mystery to be solved, DARK OBSESSION is a wonderful Gothic Romance with all the necessary elements to keep you at the edge of your seat, not to mention some very steamy love scenes! ENJOY!!!

Dark Temptation: A Novel of Blackheath Moor

STORY BRIEF:
An artist painted a nude picture of Nora from his imagination. People falsely believed Nora had a love affair with him, and she was ruined. Nora's father was wealthy and arranged her marriage to Gray by giving Gray a large amount of money. Gray needed the money to support his estate. Nora and Gray immediately fall for each other, but Gray is back and forth about it. One moment he is close to Nora and the next he is brooding and distant because he is haunted with guilt related to his brother's death. Gray's brother Tom fell off a cliff and died several years earlier.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I did not like it. The voice and writing style did not work for me. The main mystery is about Tom's death. The ghost of Tom's wife has conversations with Nora, but when Nora asks how Tom died, the ghost won't say. Instead the ghost talks in riddles and says Nora and Gray need to discover the answer for themselves. Of course, if the ghost answered Nora, that would end the book. Throughout the story people suspect the wrong people, and Gray keeps saying he did it (which was not true). The story feels like one long vague misunderstanding. I couldn't get into the characters or events.

Some examples of things I did not like are listed below.

Page 169: An example of the ghost's riddle: "You must find the truth that will free you all. You must see it with your own eyes, know it, believe it with your mind and heart and soul." This riddle was not linked to anything. All they needed to learn was who was with Tom when he died. Once someone confesses later, the mystery is solved and the book is over. There was no reason for someone to believe with their mind, heart and soul.

Page 163: Gray tells Nora that he killed his brother (which was a lie). Then he says "Tell me now how you feel about your husband. Will you defend me to the gossipmongers? Will you write your mama about how wildly happy we are? Will you welcome me into your bed at night?" Nora runs off.

Gray loves Nora but he writes a note telling her to leave. Nora loves Gray but she locks her doors so he can't visit her at night.

I did have a favorite line on page 347. Nora says "My love, an artist sees the world with remarkable clarity."

DATA:
Story length: 350 pages. Swearing language: none. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 6. Total number of sex scene pages: 15. Setting: 1830 London and a Cornwall Estate. Copyright: 2008. Genre: historical romantic mystery.