Review: Fantastic Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 4, 2013
Don't let the short number of pages deceive. This is a pithy, chock-full-of-action, sizzling love story that keeps one's attention big time.Gwendolyn Adams feels like she was made for the purpose of handling Dorian, Earl of Rawsley, with his neurological disease and aberrant behavior. She also sees her opportunity to have the hospital that she wants so very much--a hospital where she can use her own methods to treat people with mental health problems. As the Countess of Rawsley, she would have money and power to make her dream come true.Gwen had me in her corner early on when she ignored Dorian's raging and threats and told him that a witch would be drummed out of the coven in disgrace to go away on mortal's orders. Moreover, she declared that she would never get anything accomplished if she did what she was told as she continues to drag him out of the quicksand whether he wants to be dragged out or not.Dorian became the Earl of Rawsley pretty much by default. He feels he is irreparably flawed. He suffers miserably with his malady. But he is physically fit--a gorgeous man with yellow, predator eyes that gleam brightly at the unsinkable Gwen. He is amazed when he cannot browbeat or frighten her. Instead of showing fear, she says he is handsome beyond any man she's ever seen and looks at him in a "bone melting way".The secondary characters are no match for the dynamic Dorian and Gwen once they join forces. How she manages his malady and how they manage the would-be-controllers of his life make riveting and often humorous reading.The tried and true friends Hoskins, Bertie, Dain, and Dr. Evershaw add a new dimension to the story while relatives and even Dr. Kneebones, Dorian's longtime doctor, raise red flags with their mindsets.The back story of Dorian's family, the unusual love scenes mesmerize; plus how Gwen takes care of Dorian and how he takes care of her sweep the reader along apace with no side trips to distract.Loretta Chase does a phenomenal job of revealing the complexities of the characters and the situation as she grabs the reader's emotions, assails the senses, and races long with the reader in tow toward a splendid happy-ever-after. Her concise, focused writing style keeps one in the action with the primaries.Originally posted at Long and Short Reviews