Dark Desires: Historical Gothic Mystery Romance (Dark Gothic Book 1)

Honestly I think it could have gone darker, and the ending was a bit sugary, but the reading experience is as delightful as a slice of dark chocolate cake and fine earl Grey tea. The historical details were accurate to my knowledge, and the references to medical history were super cool. The quality of the prose was excellent and altogether atmospheric. I really enjoyed the romance as well, and there were good nuances to the characters. The plot also surprised me when I thought I had it figured out. Honestly, I didn't think I'd like a book in this genre so much, but a few bits made me laugh out loud as well. The sex scenes are pretty masterful, and the erotic tension was on point, too. Darcie makes for a good protagonist, not too much a shrinking violet and not anachronistically bellicose, either. I could have used less mortal terror and shade over the sex workers and their profession at first, but there were nuances there, and a focus on names and humanity that tend to get ignored with Jack the Ripper retellings. Instead of focusing on the monster, we hear about the victims and survivors, and I really appreciated that. If you want a lush and decadent read with nuanced characters, this is a good choice.

There is so, so very much to love about this story. Eve Silver has crafted a slow-burning, chilling mystery interspersed with hope and romance and daring. From the beginning, Darcie is an underdog that you just can't help but cheer for. Coming from the very bottom of the barrel, she continues to strive to better her life. Beaten down, broken, exhausted, she still perseveres. She is determined and dogged in her progress every step of the way. Her every triumph feels like a triumph for the reader. Her every setback is painful to read. Darcie is truly a character to capture your heart and never give it back. When she is introduced to Damien and secures a position in his home as a servant, her life takes a dramatic leap forward. She is suddenly clothed and fed and has a warm bed to sleep in each night. She even has a friend! But strange things are happening that make her fearful. Strange people, strange injuries, strange deaths. As her working relationship with Damien grows and changes, she starts to harbor a secret fear that something is wrong. She knows that Damien is not all he appears to be. This is a man who has secrets. Part of her wants to learn them all. Part of her wants to run away. I really loved this read. I found Darcie to be a complex character with great depth. Though Damien was a central character, he actually did not appear a tremendous amount throughout the book. I felt that this was more Darcie's story than anything, and that worked well. Start to finish, a fabulous read, if a bit simple at times. I highly recommend.

How mesmerising was this story, I was swept away with the old fashioned ways of old England. The story was written with such heart from the old ways and when an author can sweep you off your feet and make you feel as if you were right there amongst it all. Feeling,smelling and seeing everything that it describes is one incredible feeling. The story at hand is exciting,mysterious and thrilling! So much is going on and we meet fascinating characters that each hold a special candle light of there own right in this story coming together. My heart pounded,my stomach squeezed with anxiousness. I lost my breath with each word I read,the feelings were real and I have not lost myself in a mystery like it in quite some time. I was fascinated from beginning to the end. A read I will remember for quite some time. Assassins Reading Reviewing Group ~

As an avid fan of Victorian Gothic tales with multi-dimensional characters and creepy locales, Dark Desires is a book I wanted to enjoy. Many Amazon reviewers praised this story and these same 5 star comments inspired me to take a chance on a new author and buy this book. Subsequently, these same glowing reviews haunted me as I read and they made me question why my reading experience was so different from others. Written in the tradition of a Jack the Ripper tale, the beginning of Dark Desires was strong with the introduction of a darkly enigmatic Dr. Cole paired opposite a simpering heroine who, in my opinion, lacked qualities that made me care about her welfare. By the 31% mark on my Kindle, Darcie's voyeuristic habit of slinking about the halls peeking in to rooms irritated me to such an extent that I fought the urge to delete this title from my device. I can't put my finger on why this book fell flat. Ms. Silver's talent to write is evident. There is plenty of blood, gore, dead bodies, mutilated organs and sexual titillation designed to intrigue the ardent Gothic devotee. The plot was unique, the writing strong, surely I was missing something. Whatever it was, I just couldn't get in to this book. I sped through page after page on my Kindle, only reading the bottom lines and that was actually enough to get the gist of how things shook out in the end. Yes, I made it to the end. But it was an exhausting journey, one I won't be taking with Dark Desires sequel again.

Suspenseful serial killer mystery. Damian is more than he seems, but is he dangerous? Darcie finds him intriguing, especially when she discovers what he studies in his lab. Despite her doubts, Darcie is attracted to this enigmatic stranger and drawn into his dark obsession. I like the buildup of suspense, and the revelations about Mrs. Feather, the girl in the picture on Damian's desk, the men hauling the heavy trunk, and the missing maid. Interesting details are revealed throughout the story that made me want to keep reading. This historical romance includes mystery and some unexpected anatomy lessons. I wonder what surprises the next novel holds. Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of this title. I submit this review voluntarily.

This Victorian Gothic romance novel pushes all the right buttons: brooding doctor, creepy setting, mysterious secrets, multiple suspects, romantic push and pull and cornered heroine. It has been hard to find a Gothic romance in the tradition of Victoria Holt, but with a more sensual edge. This book by Eve Silver fit solidly into that category. Darcie is the down-on-her-luck woman sent by her sister to serve in the household of the enigmatic Dr. Damien Cole. He does mysterious, bloody things in the shed at the back of the property, and it is clear the servants of the household are afraid of and/or do not approve of the handsome but remote doctor. Soon, Darcie finds herself closely involved in the doctor's work, but only told as much as necessary to complete her tasks. Is Dr. Cole hiding information or just being fastidiously discreet? The dreary London location comes through clearly in the book, as does the danger. Women are being horrifically murdered, and Dr. Cole seems some how connected. The relationship between Damien and Darcie is charged with attraction, but fairly abruptly tips into more. Darcie moved very quickly from skittish mouse to secure siren, and it struck me as a little unrealistic. I was also disappointed in the TSTL decision made by Darcie near the end of the book. Sure, she had grown into a more confident woman, but sadly I didn't think she had become a stupid one at the same time. I had hoped Ms. Silver would not stoop to such a common plot device, but I was disappointed. Regardless, the end was exciting and climactic and had a thorough and pleasing epilogue. If you are looking for an overtly sensual romance paired with a moody, suspenseful Victorian historical featuring touches of horror made popular at the time by Mary Shelley, then I recommend you pick up this first book in the Dark Gothic series by Eve Silver.

Read synopsis of novel and ignore poor reviews. Reason why I almost didn't get the book, was due in part to few reviews I read. Too long, too dark, or mentioning the fact of women's position in society during this era! I've read the intro to José Marti poems circa 1890/ 1900 and know what was to be expected of women. It is easy to understand why the heroine would fight feelings towards the hero of the novel. It can be hard to love someone you don't fully trust. Not lies. Withholding part of the past can lead to uncertainty and mistrust. Especially when one is around the gossiping types. As far as the sex scenes, leave that to your imagination. It wasn't "graphic". I thought it was a lover's sensual, intimate moment. The comments about detailed graphic scenes was the reason why I almost didn't get the book. Other bad reviews were because it wasn't detailed enough. Ugh! Romance doesn't mean it has to be porn on paper. Nor sweet, naive like in some Young Adult novels. As far as the story, I started late afternoon. Even doing shores and taking a sleeping pill, did not deterred me from finishing the novel. I couldn't. I did read AND listened. Hard to put it down. I even leveled up fighting MHW monsters in PS4 trying to fight the darn sleeping pill. With the Audible, who could stop!? It was an excellent theatrical performance! That's the best I can describe it. Yep. Finished purchasing the whole series. Both, Kindle and Audible. These go under favorites. At least I got Audible Escape for a month. Crazy returning book to be able to purchase. Thank you. The writing, the narration.. could not have been better. Thank you again for such an exciting night and morning.

Darcie has nothing but the clothes on her back and one last hope - to find a job as a lady of the night working for her fallen sister. But her sister sends her to the brooding Dr. Damian Cole's home to work as a maid, with the warning that Darcie best not dig into his secrets. But his secrets seem to find Darcie. While she is developing feelings for the tortured doctor, Darcie is also wondering if he could be the brutal murderer of women. And if so, is he after her? 'Dark Desire's' captures that delicious spookiness that all good gothic romance need. There's suspense, mystery, and an angsty hero. Who could ask for more? Well, okay, so I could ask for a bit more. The heroine, Darcie, is not the brightest light, that's for sure. What passes as naivete early on, arcs to complete idiocy later. Classic eye-roll worthy melodramatics too. This chick has a nasty habit of getting worked up and collapsing on the floor in a lump, her legs just giving out. Scary scene? Why not sit on the floor in the hallway for a tick? Thats just an example. Then, we have the insta-love. Blech. The story was pretty darn good up to the part where they get together once. Then it all goes downhill. Darcie turns into this obsessive near stalker who can't say "I love you" unless he says it too. First, she ruminates for page after page after page about whether he is the killer or whether she loves him or whether he's a killer that she loves or... yawn. But boy oh boy, once that instalove kicks in, they will just about get killed so they can gaze lovingly into each other's eyes. Overall, the writing is good, the tone perfect, nothing anachronistic. It is a good story to lose yourself in for a few hours, but it was not nearly so fulfilling as the beginning led me to believe it might be. Still, not a bad way to spend a lazy summer afternoon.