The Dark One

Rosalind Rutherford is being introduced to society by her stepbrother and guardian, Franklin Chapman. She encounters Armond Wulf, Marquess of Wulfgren and Earl of Bumont. Armond and his brothers are surrounded by scandal due to their father’s suicide, whispers of madness and recently a dying woman was found in his stables. There are whispers that he killed the woman but there is no proof of it. The Wulfgren family has been cursed by a witch. All the Wulfgren males will turn to wolves unless they can break the curse. His father chose death rather than subject his mother to his change. Armond has chosen to keep his heart free from entanglements but fate has intervened when he meets Rosalind.

Rosalind is a lovely young woman but she is under the thumb of her stepbrother. He wants her to marry well and he has someone in mind for her. He abuses her and forces her to do what he wants. However Rosalind proves to have a stubborn streak as she continues to see Armond. She provides Armond with an alibi when another woman is murdered. They are forced to marry to save her reputation. Armond is a man haunted by his past. He knows he will never have a normal life with a wife and children. He tries his best to solve the riddle and break the curse but hasn’t had much luck. Rosalind and Armond set off sparks at their first meeting. They rub well together and the sexual attraction heats up. Armond tries his best to resist her but Rosalind proves to be irresistible. He tries his best to drive her away but Rosalind is a woman in love. Armond’s fear of physically hurting her causes havoc in their relationship but he must overcome that fear if they are to have a future together.

There are a whole slew of secondary characters most notable are Franklin, Lord Penmore, Armond’s brothers as well as the dowager duchesses. Franklin is fully drawn and as a villain, he ranks up there with the best of them. His treatment of Rosalind will make readers hate him. His interactions with Lord Penmore will give you the shivers as they come across as truly evil. While some of the characters are more fully developed than others, they all enrich the story. We are introduced to Armond’s siblings and this being the first book in the series – I am sure we will be getting to know them better in subsequent books.

The Dark One sets a wonderful stage for this new series by Ms. Thompson. It has all that you could wish for in a darkly romantic story with two delightful lead characters that will sweep the reader into their story. This reader looks forward to the next book in this series, but unfortunately it won’t be until 2006!

Reviewed by: Susan T