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After someone murders her parents in New York, Chazma Donnelly accepts a job in Brionn, Ireland, a little town just outside Dublin. She’s hired to go there and catalogue books in Lord Jethro McBain’s library—but that’s not the only reason she heads to Ireland. She believes that her parents’ killer might be there, practicing black magic. What she doesn’t expect is to suspect the Lord himself. No matter how attractive she finds him, she still senses that he’s not what he seems.
Jethro McBain knows what Chazma Donnelly is and what’s fighting to take control of her. She may be full of white magic, with Fae blood running through her veins, but something dark inside her wants to get out, too. Jethro cannot let that happen under any circumstances, and he’ll protect the beautiful American with his life.
When women start turning up dead, with the blood drained from their bodies, Jethro and Chazma soon find that they’re not sure who they can trust—not even each other. And what does Jethro have to hide in the forbidden part of Brionn Manor?
Darklove is a pretty good paranormal read, though I would have preferred a spookier atmosphere, less word repetition, and smoother prose. Still, the plot is solid and strong, with just enough mystery to keep readers guessing at the outcome. However, I wanted to know more about the forbidden part of the manor—the part that Chazma was ordered not to enter. A little more time spent on that area of the plot could have bumped up the spookiness of the novel.
Chazma is a smart and headstrong heroine who manages not to look stupid when she defies common sense. Somehow, it just seemed to work for her. She thinks before she acts, and she uses caution in dealing with people whom she may not be able to trust.
Meanwhile, Jethro is every bit of the dark, mysterious Lord of Brionn Manor—yet you’ll sense something good about him. This will leave you wanting to know more as his character intrigues you from his entrance right up to the end of the story. He reminded me of the heroes in gothic romances, of which I could never get enough in my teen years.
Even with its minor technical problems, Darklove is still an entertaining read that will take you out of the real world for a little while and drop you into something dark and mysterious. It’s always fun to explore danger in the safety of your bed as you read, and Ms. Conn does a pretty good job of it with Darklove.
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