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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good, March 26, 2009
This review is from: Dark Temptation: A Novel of Blackheath Moor (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)
This is the second book in a series by this author--this book far outshines the first book in this series. I liked the first book but it was not as captivating as this book. The hero and heroine are both very well developed and the story has twists and turns that made it very hard to put the book down--one wishes to know what will happen next to the couple. This is a good gothic mystery/historical romance book-- I highly recommend it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Passionate, Spooky and Entertaining, November 16, 2008
This review is from: Dark Temptation: A Novel of Blackheath Moor (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)
Passionate characters, mysterious happenings and an old haunted estate are the ingredients for the delicious gothic novel Dark Temptation. Set in Cornwall, this is the second novel of the Blackheath series and is even better than the first novel.
Chad Rutherford, Earl of Wycliffe returns to Edgecombe Manor in Cornwall under some coercion. When his father died at the Manor in a mysterious fire two years earlier, Chad was left with massive debts and no money. To recoup his losses he financed a smuggling operation in Cornwall but Chad was rather ignorant of the violence behind such an operation and when authorities uncovered Chad's shipments and Chad truly discovered all the murder and greed happening in the trade, he assisted authorities and was spared jail time. But now he is told by one of the captive smugglers to go back to Edgecombe and wait for further instructions.
Fleeing her own scandal is Sophie St. James. Rumors flew around London about her, all untrue, but her family insists that she spend the summer with her aunt and uncle in Cornwall. Sophie is a newspaper reporter and Edgecombe Manor holds all kinds of interest for her.
Chad and Sophie meet one night when Sophie believes she sees harbor lights placed in the wrong area and Chad is following an apparition. Instantly Chad and Sophie are drawn to one another. Sophie learns that Chad is living at the manor house and wants to explore the coast line near his home. Chad is also looking for evidence of smuggling so they join forces, somewhat reluctantly (rather Chad is reluctant since Sophie could be in danger) to determine what is behind the strange happenings in the area. Sailors wash ashore dead, and a mysterious ghost haunts Chad.
Even though this mystery is good and even a bit spooky and surprising at times, the interaction between the lead characters is what makes this novel so refreshing. Right from the start they like and respect each other. Chad is a man trying to reform and feels unworthy of Sophia. He does not want to reveal his past associations with smugglers for fear of losing her good opinion. That doesn't stop him from being her protector and hero. Sophia is curious and knows something is amiss, even within her uncle's home and even though she is impulsive, Sophia is quick to recognize that she needs Chad as more than her bodyguard. Both of the leads were multi dimensional, passionate and just plain likeable.
Ms. Chase has written both a sweet romance and a fine gothic mystery. I hope she continues to create these wonderful novels set in Blackheath.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Temptation by Allison Chase, March 24, 2009
This review is from: Dark Temptation: A Novel of Blackheath Moor (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)
For those who like eerie gothic tales with intrepid heroines, a hero to be redeemed and ghostly machinations, "Dark Temptation" should be just what you've been looking for. Allison Chase's second Blackheath Moor novel is just as brooding and mysterious as the moors themselves.
Sophie has been carted off to Cornwall after her efforts to get a scoop on a story for her grandfather's newspaper resulted in a scandal. But the nearby estate of Edgecombe harbors dark secrets that thrill and enthrall Sophie...especially after she meets the lord of Edgecombe, Chad.
Chad has come to his father's favorite retreat to try and pay penance for his unknowing involvement in a murderous scheme. On his way there, he's accosted by a ghost he assumes is a reminder of his guilt. But there are more secrets hiding in this remote area of Cornwall and Chad will have to face his nightmares and new opponents to win both Sophie and peace.
Very gothic, with NC-17 sexual overtones, "Dark Temptation" pulled me back to my preteen reading days when 'horrid novels' were my guilty reading pleasures. Ominous weather, dark secrets, danger in shadowy corners, hidden passages, ghosts, stormy seas, stark cliffs, abandoned mansions, etc are all the hallmarks of these stories and Allison Chase managed to include them all. Not a book for my personal keeper shelf, but not one I'm sorry to have read.
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