59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Christine Feeham has done it again!, January 12, 2002
This was a great book. I have read several of Christine's Dark series so I knew that this would be a page turner and it was. This one is a gothic historical romance. It doesn't have Vampires or Carpathiansin it but the lack of those doesn't diminish this book one bit. This is the story of the village healer, a beautiful girl names Nicoletta and the Fierce, dark and cursed Don Giovanni Scarletti. Nicoletta comes to the Scarletti family home which is known by its nickname Palazzo della Morte, or in English palace of death, to help save Giovanni's young niece. She also has to treat him as he is ill also. She is strangly drawn to him even though she resists. After she returns to the village the Don envokes his right of choosing his bride from the villages on his land. She tries to hide but he finds her and makes her his bride. Together they must fight the evil that is threatening to kill them both and over come the Curse. There is many instances of humor and I found myself wanting to read more after the book was done. There are some very interesting secondary characters that I think would make good heros and heroines for possible future books. Get this book. You'll really enjoy it.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All of the elements I like in a romance, January 27, 2002
As a fan of gothic and paranormal stories, this book appealed to me. True, it had a lot more sex than Victoria Holt or other gothic writer favorites ever included in their books, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.
Nicolette is a free spirit with a secret. She was born with the gift of healing and knowing when somebody needed her.The villagers depend on her healing skills and rally around her to keep her hid from outsiders. They know Nicolette could be burned as a witch, otherwise. Don Giovanni, the dark brooding aristocrat, wants Nicolette the first time he sees her. Though his family lives under a curse that all of their women will die, he is determined to make Nicolette his bride.
I don't believe in giving too much information in a review so I won't say what happens between them. The book is very atmospheric with the castle and it's sinister wall carvings, the brothers and grandfather who have all lost their wives, and last but not least, the hero with his own gift. One thing I liked about the hero is he was arrogant, but not overly so. He had a soft, gentle side that overshadowed his arrogance, at least to me. I hate heros who are overly arrogant simply because they are men.
This was my first book by this author and I am looking forward to reading Dark Prince, another book I have by her.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging page turner!, March 15, 2001
The Scarletti Curse is the story of a young and very innocent healer, Nicoletta, who is chosen to stand beside a powerful Don, the Don Scarletti, whom even the king feared. The story centers around the curse on the Scarletti's, where the women they love end up dead, and where most women who come to the Palazzo Scarletti die, including Nicoletta's mother and aunt. Nicoletta (a healer), herself, is chosen via bride contract by the Don Scarletti (a Telepath), and the story developed from there, with many twists and turns. The characters were well developed and the story line kept you guessing until the end. I was so hooked that I finished it in one night, the same night I got it through the mail.
Christine has done it again. I picked up the "Scarletti Curse", uncertain on what I would find. On one hand, she has been consistent in writing books with great character development and great story lines in her "Dark" series about the Carpathians. On the other, this was a non-Carpathian book, though a Gothic, so I did not know whether she could make the transition. She made the transition extremely well and created another keeper for my keeper shelf.
Christine has proven that she can write differently and Scarletti Curse was refreshingly interesting. I am anticipating and hoping that she will expand this into a series. (Spoiler here: Christine has hinted that Nicoletta and Giovanni have some relation to her Carpathian series. I look forward to her exploring that in more detail)
I really hope that Christine explores Antonello's character. He was a secondary character and very mysterious, the only character that Christine did not explore in depth. He quite fascinated me. I would also like to see some explanation as to where Giovanni and Antonello got their telepathic abilities.
Thank you, Christine! Keep up the great work, and I hope that the publisher will release a lot more books of your books A LOT faster, as I will buy every one.
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