Customer Reviews

The Dark Viscount (Harlequin Historical)

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I am a big Deborah Simmons fan, but this book didn't even seem to be written by her. It seemed prudish and clumsy compared to much of her other work. She is usually so wonderful in creating those arrogant, acerbic heroes that you just have to love, but the "hero" in this novel failed to make me like him, let alone fall in love with him. On the whole, the book was boring and aggravating in turns. My advice would be to check out the de Burgh series if you are going to take a foray into the writings of Simmons...

This novel suffers from an convoluted mystery, prickly characters and a romance that was lacking passion. It tried hard to be a gothic novel and succeeds in many ways but the author lets the romance simmer way too long on the back burner.

Kit and Sydony, (BTW Sydony is the heroine) Marchant have recently lost their scholarly father and have inherited from an elderly great aunt an estate. When they reach the mansion it is run down and spooky with no servants. Within days the Marchant's neighbor from their old home, Viscount Barto Hawthorne arrives.

There are several ties to Barto beyond the three being childhood friends, namely their fathers were riding to London and killed in a carriage accident. There is a mystery about why the Marchant's father was with Barto's father that terrible day and Barto is looking for clues from the siblings about his father's accident; he believes that an ancient book holds the answers to his sire's death. He reveals none of this to the Marchants though and quite frankly this is not explained to the reader very well either because it comes in bits and pieces throughout the story.

Sydony has always had an infatuation with Barto but she sees him now as a cold uncaring nobleman and she is rude and at times hostile to him. She wants him gone but her brother does not and this irritates her.

Sydony is intrigued by the huge maze behind the house and hears rumors of strange lights and other types of unnatural things happening at the house. She investigates this with her brother and Barto, sometimes rushing in foolhardily.

Her romance with Barto is practically non existent. They squabble and butt heads and even manage to engage in an embrace once or twice. Suddenly Sydony realizes she loves the man who stole a kiss from her when she was a young teen (she has never forgotten nor forgiven him for it). The epiphany of her feelings comes near the end of the book along with a mysterious stranger who holds the key to the mystery of the maze and her father's death. There are druids, sacrifices, skulls, scary mazes and bumps in the night but not much heartfelt words or deeds between the leads.

I don't believe this book was as bad as some of the other reviewers have let on. It was different than her previous books, with a very gothic slant to it (gothic like gargoyles and hedge mazes and haunted mansions not black makeup and clothes) instead of the medieval turn that we all know and love. Sydny was too suspicious and sometimes you wanted to knock one of the characters upside the head, but that's in every book. And true, it didn't move me like other books have, but it was not a waste of money and time. It was enjoyable and I am so glad that she is writing again. I can't wait until Reynold's book comes out!!

I'm a big Deborah Simmons fan and love her characters and her work and was so excited she had finally published again. I was loving this book thoroughly till the end. It was rushed and anti-climatic. It left a feeling of disappointment when the whole book was building so well. The end ruined it. I was so disappointed.....