His Dark Kiss
by Eve Silver
Published by Zebra Books (November 11, 2006 Release)
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Reviewed by M.K. Dancy
Emma Parrish finds herself rescued from the untenable situation of being sold to the highest bidder by her heartless aunts when she receives an offer from Anthony Craven to come to his home in Wales to act as governess to his young son, Nicholas.
Manorbrier Castle is dark and foreboding and boasts a cast of servants that are deeply loyal to Lord Craven and intimidating to Emma. Upon arrival at Manorbrier, Emma is warned to never venture near the round tower of the castle. It is forbidden.
As Emma goes through her days, she finds herself falling completely in love with Nicky, Lord Anthony Craven's son, who loves her back just as wholeheartedly. More disconcerting, she finds herself incredibly drawn to Anthony. Anthony has many secrets and spends a good deal of every day in the round tower conducting mysterious business. Emma finds herself learning more about him from the servants and from neighbors--and what she finds is terrifying. Many are convinced that Anthony is some sort of ghoul that has a fascination for the dead and is conducting horrible experiments on them. This is contrary to everything Emma has learned about him. He adores his son, can be warm and loving, and during their encounters, Anthony conducts himself as a gentleman, despite his deep attraction to Emma. What is the truth about Anthony, and will Emma still be able to love him once she knows all of his secrets?
His Dark Kiss is a tightly written gothic romance. Silver deftly creates a foreboding atmosphere that colors all of Emma's encounters. The secondary characters are sharply written and interesting and enhance both the mood of the story and the relationship between Emma and Anthony. The story is written exclusively from Emma's viewpoint, so it is fortunate that she's both likeable and smart. Anthony is virile and handsome, but also a loving father, and it becomes easy for the reader to see why Emma falls in love with him.
Armchair Interviews highly recommend this gothic romance.