The heroine suddenly finds herself shamed and disgraced by society after a fellow artist lies about an affair and paints her nude. In a bid to save face, her family arrange her marriage to a titled gentleman. The hero reputation isn't much better after the death of her brother and guilt that convinces society that it was he who murdered him. Though their marriage was a hasty arrangement, they instantly find comfort in each other and develop feelings for one another after their wedding night. The hero receives many ghostly visitations by her dead brother and his sister in law who are contacting him in order to save the life of their child. But the hero is convinced that they only want him to atone for his sins and it puts a dark atmosphere and strain on his new marriage. He has periods of sever anger and aggression, never directed towards the heroine or his nephew but he does break things or lash out at others. It's when these fits start to appear in an otherwise calm, sane man that the heroine becomes nervous around him. She loves him enough to work through it and help him find peace but there were times during the beginning that she doubted the hero's innocence. Also, it's quite clear though that despite the heroes guilt, he had nothing to do with the death of his brother. Instead it was the typical story or the character being a martyr and punishing himself. Honestly, he brought most of their problems on himself and if he'd only confided in his wife earlier, the easier it all would have been. I loved that in their arranged marriage, the hero started out as being the less fortunate one. He's broke, he's shunned by society due to the rumors and his new wife is said to be a whore who seduces men. He felt better about himself knowing his wife is just as bad as he was. But when it comes out that everything being said about her is a lie and she's a virgin, he suddenly realizes just how lucky he is. The heroine finds her problems disappearing with her marriage yet it's her husbands problems that linger for much longer. The hero is tortured over the idea that he doesn't deserve this kind woman who brings light into his dark world. It's a nice story, a little over kill with the angst but a good read. ( )

A pleasant read.

It seems strange to call this book pleasant, what with the ghosts and all, but that was my lasting impression. Chase did an excellent job of creating a book with a haunting atmosphere. Her vivid descriptions and great secondary characters fleshed out the world inhabited by the hero and heroine. I especially enjoyed the housekeeper, Mrs. Dorn and her obsession with keeping the manor house in perfect condition.

The main characters didn't particularly impress me. Grayson annoyed me. He was inconsistent and his torment seemed mostly self-inflicted. Sure he was haunted, but his ghosts really just wanted everyone to be happy. I hated his attitude towards Nora when he was acting in the mistaken belief that she was no longer a virgin. While I did not enjoy reading the wedding night seduction, Chase must be commended for staying away from the purple prose. Her sex scenes, along with all other scenes, were very well written.

Our heroine, Nora, was just a little too good to be true. She was able to win over Grayson, bond immediately with his traumatized nephew and adapted to her new life seemlessly.

Her interest in art added a welcome ingredient to the story. I love to learn, and always enjoy a novel that contains additional information. In fact, I enjoyed Nora's lectures on art appreciation enough that I elevated my rating of this book a grade.

While this is not a book I am planning to read again, I will definitely seek out more of Allison Chase's work in the future.

A wonderful gothic romance in the manner of Victoria Holt or Daphne Du Maurier, but with a good bit more sex. This has all the classic elements of the genre - the sexy, tortured hero with the slightly scary temper; the plucky heroine determined to uncover his dark secret; the lonely manor house on the rocky coast of Cornwall; and yes, even a ghost or two. This is a very promising new author. Daphne would be proud! ( )

The year is 1830, and our tale begins in London. Nora Thorngoode's reputation has been ruined by her painting mentor, who hoped he could force her parents into allowing him to marry her. Her father arranges a quick marriage to Grayson Lowell, who's suspected of murdering his brother (at least among the gossips) and whose estate has sunk deep into debt. He needs her dowry, and she needs someone who's willing to marry a woman with a ruined reputation. Each of them expects the worst of the other.

This isn't my sub-genre of choice. I never found plot points revolving around ruined reputations to be interesting. I also don't tend to be a fan of romances where the thing keeping the two parties apart is largely a series of misunderstandings with a hefty dose of pride mixed in. I find it gets old after a while. That said, I know that combination of elements is a popular one, and I think it's carried off well here.

This is a very visual story that draws the reader in to its fascinating locales. Many of the characters are fun & interesting; Nora's father is a fantastic personality, and her mother turns out to be quite a card, too. The mystery surrounding the death of Grayson's brother turned out to be more complex and far more interesting than I thought it would be; I don't want to give anything away, but suffice to say it's worth your time to unravel this tale.

Dark Obsession might not have bowled me over, but for a sub-genre I'm not all that enamored of I enjoyed it quite a bit.

For a longer version of this review, visit Errant Dreams. ( )

"Dark Obsession" by Allison Chase has a very gothic feel to it. There is plenty of passion and a few fairly frank love scenes for a gothic novel. The story is set in 1830s England and most of the plot takes place on the heaths of Cornwall. There is a scandalous, yet innocent woman who marries a scandalous, maybe innocent man. He is tormented by ghosts and guilt and will need all of her passionate belief in him to overcome the mysteries surrounding the death of his brother. There's a nasty housekeeper, a possibly murderous peer, and a pair of spooky ghosts. If you enjoy gothic novels and wished they had a bit more spice, this one should be right up your alley.

Chase's next gothic novel will be released in Nov08, "Dark Temptation". ( )