Customer Reviews

The Dark One (The Wild Wulfs of London)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Rosalind Rutherford was desperate. With her life spinning out of control and her sadistic and hateful stepbrother now orchestrating her every move she would have to court scandal as a means to escape the plans he had for her. The scandal she would need was to chose, and attempt to seduce the notorious Armond Wulf, Marquess of Wulfglen, and Earl of Bumont into ruining her!

Armond Wulf and his three brothers were cursed and all had vowed never to marry, rather than unleashing the beast each held within them. From the moment he saw her, Armond's senses were aroused and the self-control he held firmly in check was warring with his body by the sheer presence of the young woman who had boldly approached him. To him she was 'pure sin' packaged deceitfully in the guise of innocence and he was totally ensnared. Her proposal was nothing short of shocking and after one very sensual waltz he was ready to teach her a lesson in not daring to trifle with the dangerous Wild Wulf's she knew nothing about. After giving her a very sensual taste of what passion was all about, Armond stopped himself from letting the beast within him ruin her and returned a very disappointed yet awakened Rosalind to her home.

As events and unsolved murders all began hinting at Armond as the villain responsible, Rosalind, who knew him to be innocent, stepped forward to save him and in the process Armond was compelled to marry her. Rosalind while half in love with the enigmatic man accepted his proposal even though he declared that though they might share a bed - she would never have his love nor his child. It soon became apparent that the self-control Armond prided himself with was fast deteriorating and the desire and feelings for his wife were winning the battle as the beast within showed signs of breaking free, unless Rosalind could decipher the clues to break the curse.

-- This was an absolutely spectacular read and the series `The Wild Wulfs of London' are sure to catapult this authors new paranormal series right up there with the likes of Kenyon and Feehan! Armond was a totally divine and dreamy kind of hero. The author did a fabulous job of depicting a very vivid description of how his body began metamorphosing into the werewolf that sent shivers up my spine. The parallel plot depicting Rosalind's heinous and evil stepbrother added greatly to the dangerous edge-of -the-seat suspense the story took on and kept me turning the pages throughout the night. This well-written tale complete with fascinating characters, an utterly romantic love story, and divine sensuality captivated me from the very beginning to the heart-stopping ending. I highly encourage lovers of paranormal romance to grab a copy of this new series and hang on for it's sure to become a classic!
[...]

Fluff, you might say? Maybe so, but if this is what some readers consider fluff, then I am pleased to say that I enjoy "fluff" books very much. "The Dark One" is my intro into Rhonda Thompson's version of the werewolf world and I couldn't have come away more pleased with the results. I didn't fully read the back cover when I bought the book, so I was unaware I was getting a werewolf tale. When I did read the back cover I moaned and groaned to myself, thinking it would be another "typical" werewolf book, with the deep hidden wolf society and the big bad usual werewolf types, blah, blah, blah. Much to my relief, what I read turned out to be very refreshing and enjoyable.

Armond Wulf is the oldest of four brothers, all tainted with the rumors of madness that supposedly run through their family. Unbenownst to society, thank goodness, their secret is much more forbidden and dark than mere insanity. An ancestor of long ago was cursed by a woman he had thought to have loved, a powerful witch, that curse him and all males of his family that followed with the full moon affliction of the wolf. Determined never to give into the curse, the brothers have vowed never to marry, never to love, certainly never to have children and possibly pass the curse onto any sons. Rosalind Rutherford is a woman in dire straits. Terrified of living under her stepbrother's roof and what plans he may have for her future, she is determined to escape by the only means she knows how - by making sure her reputation is ruined beyond repair. She sees Armond as her ticket to freedom and propositions him at a ball. Thoroughly intrigued by the young woman, Armond wants to help her, but alas is too honorable a man. Once he has met the delectable beauty though, he cannot stop seeing her, knowing somehow that all is not right in her stepbrother's household. What ensues is a whirlwind situation that lands him with a woman he knows not what to do with. Should he love her and forsake all he knows to be true about the family curse? Of should he turn tail and run, turning his back on the one person who may be the answer to all his problems?

This was a very quick read due to the fact that the story had me completely in it's grip. The suspense leading up to Armond's transformation was so consuming it was next to impossible for me to put the book down till I had finished it. Armond longed to avoid dark side of his cursed nature and to be with his wife, but he always held back from her, never wanting to succumb to any feelings for her less it cause him to turn. Rosalind, while confused for most of the book as to why her husband acted so strangly determined to keep their relationship distant, nevertheless was just as determined to have him love her. Her gutsy bravery was a blessing in disguise for the poor tortured Armond.

I just loved this intro book into the Wild Wulfs of London series! We're introduced to two of the other brothers, Gabriel and Jackson, both of whom promise to be enigmatic heros in their own right. If I had to hazzard a guess my prediction would be for seeing Gabriel's story next. Expertly developed main characters, a wonderful cast of colorful supporting characters and powerful emotions make "The Dark One" a good solid five star read. Abolutely superb romantic "fluff".

This long awaited series is everything and more than I expected. Ms. Thompson has outdone herself in creating a touching story that anyone would love, whether you love paranormals or historicals. It's a perfect blend of both. The characters are wonderful, the hero, Armound, is to die for and a dream, the heroine, Rosalind, strong and loyal. Take it from one reader who's a hard sell. You cannot go wrong with THE DARK ONE. It's packed with emotion, intrigue and mystery. You'll also get a peek at the other two brothers, Jackson and Gabriel, who both snatch a piece of your heart and make you groan when you think how long you have to wait between books, which really isn't long but sure will feel like it. If you buy any book this fall or try any new authors to you, this is the book to buy. You won't be sorry.

I am sorry to disagree with other reviews on this book but I was horribly disappointed. I love Sherrilyn Kenyon, MaryJanice Davidson, Christine Feehan etc and reading these reviews on Wild Wufs of London (love this subtitle) I was so excited to run out and purchase this book.
It is slow, the dialogue stilted, the characters completely one dimensional. What the hero sees in the heroine is beyond me.I was hoping for more ambience, more interaction between the characters. Why they fall in love other than being physically attracted to each other, you never see.

The cover was the best part of the book. Though the historical aspects were beautifully described the plot itself was average & predictable and the characters were too similar to so many other paranormal romance heroes. There was really nothing new here.

To thwart her step - brother's evil scheme to sell her to the highest bidder and use that money to pay off his gambling debts, Lady Rosalind Rutherford plans to ruin her reputation and make herself unsuitable for marriage. Her chosen agent of ruination is Lord Armond Wulf, a man reputed to be cursed with madness. He resists her plan, marrying her himself. In all things, he is an utter gentleman, though he does tempt her, but no more so than she him. However, he can not allow there to be more than the basest form of love between them, and dares not give his heart to her or take hers. For Wulf is not mad, he is in fact, a wolf, at the full moon, as are all the men in his family. The curse stands between him and his brothers and love, but perhaps there is a way to break it. Yet, before this is over, Wulf and Rosalind will owe their lives to the wolf.

**** This is a compelling read that we've been waiting for for some time. The gothic atmosphere is conveyed perfectly in this fast paced paranormal. I look forward to seeing Armond's brothers get their own stories. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

I thought it was much better than some of the nonsense I've been reading by Christine Freehan. It's historal paranormal romance with werewolves. The werewolf concept definitely takes a back seat for those of ya'll who enjoy reading about strange creatures. As a matter of fact, the character doesn't give into/turn into a werewolf until the very end of the book. The fact that it could happen is considered a curse to the family that they want to get rid of, but first they have to solve the poem that tells them how. This is not even the major plot followed throughout the story, that one is about an abused young woman who is trying to escape her phyically abusive step-brother, whom she is the ward of.

I liked it and definitely plan to read more in this series.

as other reviewers mentioned this is a fairly good paranormal romance set in a historical time period. As someone who reads primarily historical romances I really liked that it was set in regency times as most paranormals are set in modern day-which I'm not that interested in.

The book does have some problems-my main problem being the situation between Rosalind and her lady's maid Lydia. Lydia was raped and brutalized by Rosalind's stepbrother (Rosalind was also being beaten by him), was begged not to confront him, but Rosalind does anyway, causing Lydia's death. I don't understand why female authors have to make female characters act so stupidly like this-doing something that would obviously cause pain to the person who took them into their confidence.

Besides the above stupid action-the book was exciting and I enjoyed the fact that the villains were truly villainous-very cruel and sadistic-but that makes their overthrow all the better:). I found Rosalind to be a strong heroine-she behaves a bit stupidly a couple of times-but redeems herself in the end by literally standing by her man. Armand is everything a paranormal or Gothic hero should be-dark and brooding that hides a wounded facade that the heroine must uncover. The love scenes are highly sensual but interspersed with enough romance to take the "edge" off.

The storyline is interesting done as the 4 brothers are not werewolves in the traditional sense but under a curse. The secondary characters are what make the story and have interested me enough that I want to read the others in the series.

All in all-not the best paranormal I've read but exciting enough that I would recommend it to Historical Romance fans and Paranormal fans looking for something a bit different.

3.5 stars.

I chose this book at random online due to the special deal Amazon was offering at the moment. I read it all in one day! Although I do tend to read books fast, I have never read an entire book in one day. It totally captivated me, sucked me in, made me want more and more -- much the same as the two main characters in the story, Rosalind and Armond. They felt the sort of passion, heat, and love that all of us would strive to feel at some point in our lives. There was a Romeo and Juliet quality to it as well, i.e., forbidden love. I found in some parts I could barely breathe as I read the words, and kept reading as I had to see if they would finally ever be together (I won't spoil the end by saying one way or another). There was a lesson here as well -- how society looks upon each individual, and how that individual copes with the image perceived. And it's also a sad testament that we humans are, at least in some way, shape, or form, superficial in our values -- however small or large it may be. It takes a very courageous and strong individual to overcome that and seek out that which may not be widely accepted, but will bring true happiness. This novel made me wanting more -- in more ways than one. I have every intention of reading every novel in this series if this is what I have to look forward to with the rest of them. Wow! I'm breathless again just thinking about it.

Once in awhile, a book comes along that pulls you into it completely. You forget everything else and just read. For a writer, a book like this is rare. We pick books apart and often get yanked out of a story by a simple phrase that we would have written differently.

The Dark One by Ronda Thompson is one of those rare books. I was swept away by the story of Armond Wulf and Rosalind Rutherford. Armond comes from a family cursed by werewolfism. However, the paranormal elements don't overshadow the story. Yes, they're important but not so central that they are the story.

Armond is a delicious hero. Dark, brooding, mysterious and yet, he's a man of principles. He stands up for what he believes in and does things by an upstanding moral code. He's exactly the kind of man a woman could fall in love with. Which is exactly what Rosalind does. Sometime after she marries him.

I don't believe in spoilers so that's all I'm telling you. Well, that and you must read this book when it's released in November ('05). It's one of the most wonderful tales I've gotten my hands on in a long time. I'm so thankful Ms. Thompson decided to make this a series. The Wild Wulfs of London will definitely be on my "must buy" list!