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To Love a Dark Lord
James Killoran is a dark and dissolute Irish lord bent on retribution, and saving Emma, who has just accidentally killed her uncle, is merely an accident. But she keeps turning up, and he decides she’s the perfect instrument to enact his revenge. He just didn’t count on falling in love with her. Nominated for countless award, this is a timeless romance of darkness and redemption.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 1994
125 people are currently reading
2278 people want to read
About the author
Anne Stuart
204 books2,063 followersAnne Stuart is a grandmaster of the genre, winner of Romance Writers of America's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, survivor of more than thirty-five years in the romance business, and still just keeps getting better.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 231 reviews
November 30, 2022
A wicked, good book! Let's face it, no one writes unrepentant rakes like Anne Stuart! She outdid herself with the H in this book. He was a disillusioned, clever libertine. The character reminded me of the H inThese Old Shades. He intends to use the h to get revenge on the villian.
The h was also well written. She was strong, smart, and TG in control of her emotions. She doesn't sit down and cry nor was she an easy conquest for the H.
The secondary characters were okay. Anne Stuart always has to have that second romance. I could care less about the other couple. The villians were a little campy, but entertaining!
Problems: The H continually telling every character that he had no soul. We got it! You're the Devil! I don't need to be reminded every chapter.
The h was also well written. She was strong, smart, and TG in control of her emotions. She doesn't sit down and cry nor was she an easy conquest for the H.
The secondary characters were okay. Anne Stuart always has to have that second romance. I could care less about the other couple. The villians were a little campy, but entertaining!
Problems: The H continually telling every character that he had no soul. We got it! You're the Devil! I don't need to be reminded every chapter.
July 20, 2022
This book was written in 1994 and the plot has been copied numerous times by others since then, the unrepentant rake with the heart of gold. Killoran reminded me a bit of the Duke in These Old Shades written about the same time period. The villains were truly despicable. The feisty heroine was fine...the character that I liked the most Nathanial as he has some of the best lines in the book. He is an adult in the sea of crazies. He has honor and listens and understands others. Don't get me wrong...I love a bad boy but Killoran tells me how bad he is sooooooooo often it became a bit too much. I liked the book and give it a 3.5.
November 8, 2016
Reminded me of Elizabeth Hoyt's Duke of Sin, which I just read, but not as good. This is the diet version of that book. Setting is later, 1775.
The female mc, Emma, is saved multiple times by the male mc, Lord Killoran. Not because she's TSTL, but because she has bad luck and is oft preyed upon by men. Killoran helps her out of these jams because it amuses him and he's always bored.
The whole romance is about the mc's begrudgingly liking each other, rather against their common sense that says no, bad idea. Emma shouldn't like Killoran because he's a scandalous rake, he drinks, gambles, and whores, and worst of all...he's Irish! ::gasp::: Being Irish is the worst of his sins to the English aristocracy's thinking. Killoran shouldn't like Emma because she's innocent, good, young, and kind....everything he usually scorns. The whole opposites attract thing happens here. But it's a lot of back and forth between those two and maybe that's why I didn't really feel connected to this book.
The villains were good. They had motives and tried more than once to be villainous.
The secondary characters of Nathaniel, Killoran's cousin staying with him, and Lady Barbara, a courtesan, have their own story. I wasn't really a fan of either and found their storyline tedious. Barbara would've been more interesting with a fuller backstory.
In terms of the smut, this was PG-13 and Duke of Sin would be TV-MA.
All in all, not a bad book, but it didn't wow me. It lacked the oomph I was looking for and I didn't feel the romance between the characters. Maybe her contemporary books are better.
The female mc, Emma, is saved multiple times by the male mc, Lord Killoran. Not because she's TSTL, but because she has bad luck and is oft preyed upon by men. Killoran helps her out of these jams because it amuses him and he's always bored.
The whole romance is about the mc's begrudgingly liking each other, rather against their common sense that says no, bad idea. Emma shouldn't like Killoran because he's a scandalous rake, he drinks, gambles, and whores, and worst of all...he's Irish! ::gasp::: Being Irish is the worst of his sins to the English aristocracy's thinking. Killoran shouldn't like Emma because she's innocent, good, young, and kind....everything he usually scorns. The whole opposites attract thing happens here. But it's a lot of back and forth between those two and maybe that's why I didn't really feel connected to this book.
The villains were good. They had motives and tried more than once to be villainous.
The secondary characters of Nathaniel, Killoran's cousin staying with him, and Lady Barbara, a courtesan, have their own story. I wasn't really a fan of either and found their storyline tedious. Barbara would've been more interesting with a fuller backstory.
In terms of the smut, this was PG-13 and Duke of Sin would be TV-MA.
All in all, not a bad book, but it didn't wow me. It lacked the oomph I was looking for and I didn't feel the romance between the characters. Maybe her contemporary books are better.
May 30, 2009
I need to reread this to give it the review it deserves. Stuart did it again, for certain. I shouldn't have liked this book because I don't like unrepentant rakes, but I did anyway. In fact, I loved it. This book really showcases the Georgian period in all its debauched, over the top glory, and has shades of Dangerous Liaisons, just enough for a fan of this book/movie to get a happy fix. Great secondary romance as well, with a female counterpart of Killoran in Barbara (Killoran's sometime lover), who was turned into a sex object at a very young age, and has learned that using her charms to control and ruin men is the only way to go. She falls in love with a younger, innocent country gentleman who is fresh to the wild, wicked city. Despite Barbara thinking she has men all figured out, he melts her heart of ice and looks into her heart to find the hurt child there and the lonely woman she had to become to survive. Other touches I loved were the fact that Emma is unashamedly Junoesque, and Killoran definitely embraces her tall and bounteous curves. Emma might be innocent, but she's a great match for Killoran, seeing something to love in him. And because she does, I was forced to look deep and find the good core in this dissipated, seemingly amoral libertine. If you like dark romances, give this one a read. Yet there is no question that there is happiness to be found for Killoran and Emma, for this book has the best epilogue I've ever read, particularly if you like the sappy, totally Happy Ever After epilogues.
June 20, 2018
Unfortunately, this was another miss from Stuart for me.
I think I don't enjoy her writing anymore. I've read enough of her books to recognize that there are several tropes she relies on for her heroes, and it's become rather tiresome for me. Her heroes always say things "lazily" or "in a dreamy voice" to prove that they don't care about anything. They're oh-so-bad but end up having the softest of hearts. They go through astounding mental gymnastics to convince themselves they don't care about the heroine, only to end up mauling her halfway through the book. Their thought process goes a little something like this:
"I am so dissolute, with no heart. I care nothing for females. They can't even arouse me anymore. Ah, except this one. She's certainly lovely, although not quite in fashion. I won't sleep with her, though. Oh, I COULD, but I won't. Well, maybe... No. She's surprisingly arousing, but my revenge/dissipation/pigheadedness is more important. I'm definitely not going to bone her— Oh crap. I'm boning her."
Honestly, this gets SO OLD. Her writing tends toward repetition, and it's really predictable. No reader could possibly believe the things the heroes tell themselves—it's just not convincing in the slightest. The best part of romance novels is watching the leads fall in love, but in Stuart's books that part isn't satisfying in the least. They argue and bicker and then just randomly decide they're in love.
I need a really good romance to get me out of this rut.
I think I don't enjoy her writing anymore. I've read enough of her books to recognize that there are several tropes she relies on for her heroes, and it's become rather tiresome for me. Her heroes always say things "lazily" or "in a dreamy voice" to prove that they don't care about anything. They're oh-so-bad but end up having the softest of hearts. They go through astounding mental gymnastics to convince themselves they don't care about the heroine, only to end up mauling her halfway through the book. Their thought process goes a little something like this:
"I am so dissolute, with no heart. I care nothing for females. They can't even arouse me anymore. Ah, except this one. She's certainly lovely, although not quite in fashion. I won't sleep with her, though. Oh, I COULD, but I won't. Well, maybe... No. She's surprisingly arousing, but my revenge/dissipation/pigheadedness is more important. I'm definitely not going to bone her— Oh crap. I'm boning her."
Honestly, this gets SO OLD. Her writing tends toward repetition, and it's really predictable. No reader could possibly believe the things the heroes tell themselves—it's just not convincing in the slightest. The best part of romance novels is watching the leads fall in love, but in Stuart's books that part isn't satisfying in the least. They argue and bicker and then just randomly decide they're in love.
I need a really good romance to get me out of this rut.
Read
November 8, 2017For the most part I love Anne Stuart’s heroes as they are so horrible and they revel in their awfulness. They rarely reform or evolve other than to let the heroine in.
I ended up skimming on this one for some reason as it seemed Killoran was just phoning in the evil-doing deeds. The heroine was pretty plucky as she was either killing someone, injuring someone, climbing out a window, or doing something else totally inappropriate but amusing.
Ultimately these fun elements didn’t jell with me. Not to mention there wasn’t enough backstory to explain why Lady Barbara was so promiscuous, but maybe I missed it in the skimming.
I ended up skimming on this one for some reason as it seemed Killoran was just phoning in the evil-doing deeds. The heroine was pretty plucky as she was either killing someone, injuring someone, climbing out a window, or doing something else totally inappropriate but amusing.
Ultimately these fun elements didn’t jell with me. Not to mention there wasn’t enough backstory to explain why Lady Barbara was so promiscuous, but maybe I missed it in the skimming.
December 19, 2014
This book reminded me of The Serpent Prince which I also didn't like. The heroes in both are bent on revenge from start to end, are foppish Georgian lords, full with their laces and jeweled heels, and dark, tormented men underneath a cold veneer.
In this one, the hero plans to use the heroine to attract his enemy even if it means putting her in danger. So, after taking the responsibility if a murder SHE commited and rescuing her from another's man clutches, he takes her in his house, dresses her in provoking clothes and flaunts her in the ton as his mistress. This draws out his enemy, but also her fanatical cousin who wants to kill her so he may win her inheritance. But the heroine believes there is something good in him (=the hero) and that he really does care for her. He seems determined however to get his revenge even if it takes her sleeping with his enemy to achieve it... but can he go through it in the end?
There's also a very interesting secondary romance between the hero's distant cousin, an innocent, idealistic country gentleman and a debauched, cynical lady of the ton. I actually found their romance more captivating that the main story:)
To be honest, I was bored reading this, even when the last 60-80 pages were filled with action and suspense as both villains tried to kill the heroine with the hero on their heels. I guess I'm not too much on revenge-at-all-costs plots after all as the hero's ruthlessness was too much for me. However people who are, will probably enjoy this one.
In this one, the hero plans to use the heroine to attract his enemy even if it means putting her in danger. So, after taking the responsibility if a murder SHE commited and rescuing her from another's man clutches, he takes her in his house, dresses her in provoking clothes and flaunts her in the ton as his mistress. This draws out his enemy, but also her fanatical cousin who wants to kill her so he may win her inheritance. But the heroine believes there is something good in him (=the hero) and that he really does care for her. He seems determined however to get his revenge even if it takes her sleeping with his enemy to achieve it... but can he go through it in the end?
There's also a very interesting secondary romance between the hero's distant cousin, an innocent, idealistic country gentleman and a debauched, cynical lady of the ton. I actually found their romance more captivating that the main story:)
To be honest, I was bored reading this, even when the last 60-80 pages were filled with action and suspense as both villains tried to kill the heroine with the hero on their heels. I guess I'm not too much on revenge-at-all-costs plots after all as the hero's ruthlessness was too much for me. However people who are, will probably enjoy this one.
July 15, 2021
(3.5 stars) I had never read Anne Stuart before her House of Rohan trilogy (RUTHLESS, BREATHLESS, and SHAMELESS), so, out of curiosity, I ordered this ebook version of an early work of hers. The heroes (antiheroes) of the House of Rohan series did not sit well with me. They're a bit too dark and disturbing, too predatory and too unfeeling, so I was wondering what her 1994 version of a dark lord would be.
Turns out I like him much more than her 2010/2011 HR dark heroes. He's still dark, still predatory and seemingly unfeeling, but his back story is believable and helps you to understand why he is the way he is. I also very much enjoyed the road to redemption he travels helped by the heroine here.
Jaded Irish nobleman James Killoran, now living in London, lives an empty, dissolute life and suffers from ennui. Emma Langolet is a non-blue-blooded heiress living with her unloving Uncle Horace and Cousin Miriam since the deaths of her parents. Killoran and Emma meet at the Pear and Partridge Inn, where Killoran is waiting to pick up his young cousin Nathaniel, son of a country squire, who has been sent to London for some "town bronze". Emma is there with Uncle Horace, who has a lust both for Emma's body and her money. As he attempts to "have his way with her", Emma defends herself and accidentally kills him.
Killoran is the first to discover her with the body and takes the blame for the murder, knowing that as a peer he will not face any repercussions for the act. Now, Killoran does not do this for any altruistic reasons. He's just bored and likes to manipulate people. With the arrival of cousin Nathaniel and the rescue of Emma he has two possible entertainments to pull himself out of his ennui: 1) Introduce his innocent young cousin to the attractive vices and evils of London life to corrupt him, and 2) Use Emma, who feels gratitude to him, as a means of revenge against an old foe.
So the reader goes along for the ride. There will be a secondary romance, for Nathaniel with Lady Barbara, the young "fallen" daughter of an earl, a woman who beds any man of the peerage yet doesn't seem to derive any pleasure from her promiscuous ways. Barbara's back story is also informative of her present way of being and she becomes quite a sympathetic character.
One inconsistency in the story for me was Killoran's obsession with avenging a certain young woman's death. (His reason for getting involved with Emma is the part he wishes her to play in all this.) Killoran is an unfeeling, cold character. One wonders why he cared so much about this. The woman was not even, as far as I could see, the great love of his life. I had to ignore that little puzzle to fully enjoy the novel.
All in all, if I had read this book when it was first published I would have been quite impressed. As it is, there have been so many dark, fallen heroes in HRs since then that they subtract from Killoran's impact. However, I do feel that his character is more believable and sympathetic than Stuart's House of Rohan antiheroes or Anna Campbell's dark heroes of her early work such as CLAIMING THE COURTESAN or MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION.
Turns out I like him much more than her 2010/2011 HR dark heroes. He's still dark, still predatory and seemingly unfeeling, but his back story is believable and helps you to understand why he is the way he is. I also very much enjoyed the road to redemption he travels helped by the heroine here.
Jaded Irish nobleman James Killoran, now living in London, lives an empty, dissolute life and suffers from ennui. Emma Langolet is a non-blue-blooded heiress living with her unloving Uncle Horace and Cousin Miriam since the deaths of her parents. Killoran and Emma meet at the Pear and Partridge Inn, where Killoran is waiting to pick up his young cousin Nathaniel, son of a country squire, who has been sent to London for some "town bronze". Emma is there with Uncle Horace, who has a lust both for Emma's body and her money. As he attempts to "have his way with her", Emma defends herself and accidentally kills him.
Killoran is the first to discover her with the body and takes the blame for the murder, knowing that as a peer he will not face any repercussions for the act. Now, Killoran does not do this for any altruistic reasons. He's just bored and likes to manipulate people. With the arrival of cousin Nathaniel and the rescue of Emma he has two possible entertainments to pull himself out of his ennui: 1) Introduce his innocent young cousin to the attractive vices and evils of London life to corrupt him, and 2) Use Emma, who feels gratitude to him, as a means of revenge against an old foe.
So the reader goes along for the ride. There will be a secondary romance, for Nathaniel with Lady Barbara, the young "fallen" daughter of an earl, a woman who beds any man of the peerage yet doesn't seem to derive any pleasure from her promiscuous ways. Barbara's back story is also informative of her present way of being and she becomes quite a sympathetic character.
One inconsistency in the story for me was Killoran's obsession with avenging a certain young woman's death. (His reason for getting involved with Emma is the part he wishes her to play in all this.) Killoran is an unfeeling, cold character. One wonders why he cared so much about this. The woman was not even, as far as I could see, the great love of his life. I had to ignore that little puzzle to fully enjoy the novel.
All in all, if I had read this book when it was first published I would have been quite impressed. As it is, there have been so many dark, fallen heroes in HRs since then that they subtract from Killoran's impact. However, I do feel that his character is more believable and sympathetic than Stuart's House of Rohan antiheroes or Anna Campbell's dark heroes of her early work such as CLAIMING THE COURTESAN or MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION.
December 4, 2017
I loved Killoran. He was so cool and so funny. He cracked me up every single time he made an irreverent and totally politically incorrect comment. He didn't give a F about anything and that was so funny. I enjoyed the dialogue in this novel and wished that more focus had been placed on Killoran and the heroine Emma and less on Barbara and Nathaniel. I didn't really enjoy them so much. I can understand why some readers might feel drawn to all the angst that surrounds Barbara's story but that wasn't why I read this novel. I read this for the hero and the heroine and felt shortchanged a bit by all the split focus on this other couple. And then the author seemed in a rush to tie up all loose ends.
Emma was a sweet heroine though. She was the perfect heroine for a jaded cynic like Killoran. He had lost all hope in life and was merely existing in his superficial little world but Emma gave him purpose. At first he convinced himself that that purpose was just as an instrument of revenge against the incestuous villain Jasper Darnley. Later on he found himself thinking about her too much, to the point where he cannot even bear to sleep with other women. That was just so cute; big bad Killoran can't be the man whore that he is supposed to be because he only desires one woman.
I enjoyed seeing Darnley and Emma's evil cousin Miriam get murdered because they deserved it. The epilogue was fabulous too. It was set about a decade or so afterwards and the MC's have about 4 kids and Emma is pregnant again. Way to go Killoran !
Emma was a sweet heroine though. She was the perfect heroine for a jaded cynic like Killoran. He had lost all hope in life and was merely existing in his superficial little world but Emma gave him purpose. At first he convinced himself that that purpose was just as an instrument of revenge against the incestuous villain Jasper Darnley. Later on he found himself thinking about her too much, to the point where he cannot even bear to sleep with other women. That was just so cute; big bad Killoran can't be the man whore that he is supposed to be because he only desires one woman.
I enjoyed seeing Darnley and Emma's evil cousin Miriam get murdered because they deserved it. The epilogue was fabulous too. It was set about a decade or so afterwards and the MC's have about 4 kids and Emma is pregnant again. Way to go Killoran !
May 20, 2010
This one just may be Stuart's FINEST moment....(and in a career that is busting with "fine moments" that is really saying something)!
Anne Stuart does not disappoint...period. Her books are in a league of their own and her talent is endless. To Love A Dark Lord is a stunning example of this talent. If you haven't read anything by this author....THIS IS THE PLACE TO START!
I won't go into the plot, but what makes this book a masterpiece is Stuart's ability to engage and captivate her audience. This is a violent and revenge-filled DARK book. Many of Stuart's books are this way, but this one in particular stands out. Remarkably, in the midst of one her her darkest heroes (and plots)......Stuart's ability to write humor is perfectly dropped into the "darkness" to create balance. James Killoran may be a "dark" hero, but his dry sense of humor is remarkable. I found myself laughing at odd times throughout this book. It is a talented author that can so seamlessly move you through such a myriad of emotions with such ease. This is a work of pure genius.
The secondary romance is priceless and adds depth and emotion to the story. The romance between Emma and Killoran captivated me, but it was the secondary romance that made my heart weep.
Emma is a truly likeable heroine. Strong, devoted, honest, and perfect for her "Dark Lord". All the characters (good and bad), are fabulous, but it's Killoran who steals the show (again, Stuart's heroes are legendary). His transformation is subtle and the reader has to look beyond his words and deeds to see the gradual chipping away...but once it finally "comes down".....let's just say you'll never forget it!!!
This book is cemented on my keeper shelf. It is unforgettable and worth MUCH to get your hands on a copy.
Anne Stuart does not disappoint...period. Her books are in a league of their own and her talent is endless. To Love A Dark Lord is a stunning example of this talent. If you haven't read anything by this author....THIS IS THE PLACE TO START!
I won't go into the plot, but what makes this book a masterpiece is Stuart's ability to engage and captivate her audience. This is a violent and revenge-filled DARK book. Many of Stuart's books are this way, but this one in particular stands out. Remarkably, in the midst of one her her darkest heroes (and plots)......Stuart's ability to write humor is perfectly dropped into the "darkness" to create balance. James Killoran may be a "dark" hero, but his dry sense of humor is remarkable. I found myself laughing at odd times throughout this book. It is a talented author that can so seamlessly move you through such a myriad of emotions with such ease. This is a work of pure genius.
The secondary romance is priceless and adds depth and emotion to the story. The romance between Emma and Killoran captivated me, but it was the secondary romance that made my heart weep.
Emma is a truly likeable heroine. Strong, devoted, honest, and perfect for her "Dark Lord". All the characters (good and bad), are fabulous, but it's Killoran who steals the show (again, Stuart's heroes are legendary). His transformation is subtle and the reader has to look beyond his words and deeds to see the gradual chipping away...but once it finally "comes down".....let's just say you'll never forget it!!!
This book is cemented on my keeper shelf. It is unforgettable and worth MUCH to get your hands on a copy.
January 13, 2022
If you are looking for a cozy book with sweet characters and a cute romance, this is definitely not the book for you. There was not one sweet or cute moment. This is supposed to be a dark romance, and yes, the theme is dark, but everything so so exaggerated and the hero is so cynical that I had many laughs. Yes, I was laughing reading a dark romance, I must have a problem.
This book shows us how little choices woman of that time had. Even woman with money.
I enjoyed this book even though revenge plots are not my cup of tea. The side characters were great, the bad guys were really bad and the epilogue lived up to the hero's exaggeration.
4 stars.
This book shows us how little choices woman of that time had. Even woman with money.
I enjoyed this book even though revenge plots are not my cup of tea. The side characters were great, the bad guys were really bad and the epilogue lived up to the hero's exaggeration.
4 stars.
November 22, 2023
Reread 11/22/23
Audiobook- The narrator made James sound like the Lucky Charms leprechaun 😮💨
Still my fave Stuart. Dark broody heroes who are emotionally stunted are my catnip. Add in a pragmatic nonsense heroine in dire straits and mustache-twirling villains and I was in HR reader heaven. It's not perfect, I feel like James took too long to come to the conclusion Emma was it for him, I also found the ending rushed. But I still maintain the prologue in this book is the BEST PROLOGUE EVER WRITTEN! I'll take no questions at this time.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🔥/5
Audiobook- The narrator made James sound like the Lucky Charms leprechaun 😮💨
Still my fave Stuart. Dark broody heroes who are emotionally stunted are my catnip. Add in a pragmatic nonsense heroine in dire straits and mustache-twirling villains and I was in HR reader heaven. It's not perfect, I feel like James took too long to come to the conclusion Emma was it for him, I also found the ending rushed. But I still maintain the prologue in this book is the BEST PROLOGUE EVER WRITTEN! I'll take no questions at this time.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🔥/5
January 9, 2022
Incredible but I loved Barbara and Nathaniel's story more than the MCs.
November 30, 2020
"To Love a Dark Lord" is the story of Emma and Killoran.
A tale of wild romance between a fiery redhead heroine and her savior, the brooding anti hero. When she murders two men to save herself from their lecherous paws, it is the hero who rescues her. But while he has no plans of divesting her of her virginity, he does use her as a flag to lure his enemy. As pressure mounts on the heroine's life, they are forced to finally acknowledge their attraction in this deadly game of forbidden love. There is secondary romance between the hero's very innocent apprentice and his very scarred friend, which provides a good contrast to our MC's denial one.
I enjoyed this book and especially the VERY fertile epilogue! It's not a dark romance, but a very intriguing one.
Safe
3.5/5
A tale of wild romance between a fiery redhead heroine and her savior, the brooding anti hero. When she murders two men to save herself from their lecherous paws, it is the hero who rescues her. But while he has no plans of divesting her of her virginity, he does use her as a flag to lure his enemy. As pressure mounts on the heroine's life, they are forced to finally acknowledge their attraction in this deadly game of forbidden love. There is secondary romance between the hero's very innocent apprentice and his very scarred friend, which provides a good contrast to our MC's denial one.
I enjoyed this book and especially the VERY fertile epilogue! It's not a dark romance, but a very intriguing one.
Safe
3.5/5
March 8, 2011
Anne Stuart sure knows how to get me involved in these dark, dastardly, unlovable men she creates. I sure got sucked into this one. Killoran was about as cold and dark as you can get, but once he meets Emma, you just know where this is going to go. Loved it!! Great Epilogue as well.
July 26, 2021
I was in the mood for something dark, and ooh boy, did this fit the bill. No fluff or warm fuzzy romance here 😈 The story had a little bit of a Dangerous Liaisons vibe, which I really liked, and an epilogue that left me smiling. A very fitting addition to my “Wicked, Debauched and Delicious” shelf.
August 9, 2023
Anne Stuart’s dark heroes never disappoint!
September 24, 2022
I am pleased to be kicking off Fall 2022 with an angsty, slightly gothic romance with lots of character trauma, lol.
Anne Stuart specializes in that '90s brand of romance where there's a lot of angst, it's a little dark, intense and moody, and the heroes have their moments of downright villainy. Figured I'd try this out because I'm in such a reading slump and was feverishly starting and then stopping books unsatisfied, until I got to this one.
Emma is found by Lord Killoran in an inn they're both staying at covered in blood, with a dead man beneath her feet. Killoran gleans that Emma killed him (her uncle) in self-defense because he was going to rape her. Killoran is a man who ~slightly~ terrifies everyone because people insist he has no heart. He does things purely to entertain himself regardless of their moral implications which leads him to be a bit of a dastardly person. Because the situation he found himself in is interesting, he takes the fall for Emma's murder which ends up saving Emma because she would be in big trouble with the law if people thought she did it. Killoran insists he did what he did not for any noble reasons, but because he was bored. But he then figures Emma can be used as a pawn in his revenge against another man, and he takes her in.
So first thing, Killoran wasn't too evil. If the morality spectrum is wholly evil to angelic good, Killoran probably falls somewhere in the middle. He doesn't do what he does for the sake of honor, but he's not a sadist either. He actually just feels nothing and likes to play with fire since he's so disillusioned by his life. He lives life purely to be entertained. Mainly the whole book he refuses to believe he actually cares for Emma when it's obvious that she's the one who made him feel something once again. (Ahhh, historical romance.)
One thing about this style of book is that I couldn't really connect to our main characters that much. Emma is an average character, she sticks up for herself but is pretty much at the mercy of Killoran (or other less savory folk) for the rest of the book and she's just a bit too much of that desperate damsel for my taste. In particular I felt like I couldn't connect to her. In a way I also thought this about Killoran, but at least his problematic personality kept things interesting.
I wish there was more development in their relationship as the whole book was pretty much all of the same: Killoran seeming to be selfish and terrible, while clearly starting to care about Emma. He denies his feelings up until the bitter end. And Emma was basically just in love with him for half of the book and was pretty much waiting for him to admit his feelings, despite all of the questionable and/or mean things he said.
Still, I liked Killoran but he's not my favorite dark/problematic hero I've ever read. I did feel really bad for him because of course he's the way that he is because of ~trauma~ that he's never really coped with. Honestly, everyone just needs therapy and that would fix everyone's issues.
I will say that I was strangely 100% here for the secondary romance. Often in Anne Stuarts books there's the main romance and then there's a side romance with two side characters and for whatever reason the side romance really buttered my bread from the page that it was introduced. We have the honorable and kind Nathaniel, (who Killoran reluctantly likes but also wants to kinda break bc who can be that much of a nice guy?) and the beautiful prostitute Lady Barbara, who has her own very tragic past. The whole opposites attract thing was chef's kiss and I honestly liked Lady Barbara's character much more than I liked Emma's.
Anne Stuart is a connoisseur of dark anti-heroes/borderline villains with a lot of angst. I think it was a great autumn book with some of the gothic themes as well.
CW:
Anne Stuart specializes in that '90s brand of romance where there's a lot of angst, it's a little dark, intense and moody, and the heroes have their moments of downright villainy. Figured I'd try this out because I'm in such a reading slump and was feverishly starting and then stopping books unsatisfied, until I got to this one.
Emma is found by Lord Killoran in an inn they're both staying at covered in blood, with a dead man beneath her feet. Killoran gleans that Emma killed him (her uncle) in self-defense because he was going to rape her. Killoran is a man who ~slightly~ terrifies everyone because people insist he has no heart. He does things purely to entertain himself regardless of their moral implications which leads him to be a bit of a dastardly person. Because the situation he found himself in is interesting, he takes the fall for Emma's murder which ends up saving Emma because she would be in big trouble with the law if people thought she did it. Killoran insists he did what he did not for any noble reasons, but because he was bored. But he then figures Emma can be used as a pawn in his revenge against another man, and he takes her in.
So first thing, Killoran wasn't too evil. If the morality spectrum is wholly evil to angelic good, Killoran probably falls somewhere in the middle. He doesn't do what he does for the sake of honor, but he's not a sadist either. He actually just feels nothing and likes to play with fire since he's so disillusioned by his life. He lives life purely to be entertained. Mainly the whole book he refuses to believe he actually cares for Emma when it's obvious that she's the one who made him feel something once again. (Ahhh, historical romance.)
One thing about this style of book is that I couldn't really connect to our main characters that much. Emma is an average character, she sticks up for herself but is pretty much at the mercy of Killoran (or other less savory folk) for the rest of the book and she's just a bit too much of that desperate damsel for my taste. In particular I felt like I couldn't connect to her. In a way I also thought this about Killoran, but at least his problematic personality kept things interesting.
I wish there was more development in their relationship as the whole book was pretty much all of the same: Killoran seeming to be selfish and terrible, while clearly starting to care about Emma. He denies his feelings up until the bitter end. And Emma was basically just in love with him for half of the book and was pretty much waiting for him to admit his feelings, despite all of the questionable and/or mean things he said.
Still, I liked Killoran but he's not my favorite dark/problematic hero I've ever read. I did feel really bad for him because of course he's the way that he is because of ~trauma~ that he's never really coped with. Honestly, everyone just needs therapy and that would fix everyone's issues.
I will say that I was strangely 100% here for the secondary romance. Often in Anne Stuarts books there's the main romance and then there's a side romance with two side characters and for whatever reason the side romance really buttered my bread from the page that it was introduced. We have the honorable and kind Nathaniel, (who Killoran reluctantly likes but also wants to kinda break bc who can be that much of a nice guy?) and the beautiful prostitute Lady Barbara, who has her own very tragic past. The whole opposites attract thing was chef's kiss and I honestly liked Lady Barbara's character much more than I liked Emma's.
Anne Stuart is a connoisseur of dark anti-heroes/borderline villains with a lot of angst. I think it was a great autumn book with some of the gothic themes as well.
CW:
May 2, 2021
Woah this was good. AS heroes are the greatest villain of all, they never redeem themselves even in the end. The heroine is naive and innocent, she accidentally murders her uncle who was assaulting her. The hero sees her and decides to save her telling he killed the man himself. Afterwards he gives her shelter because she’s running from her evil aunt who only wants her money (she’s a heiress) the hero decides to use her against his worst enemy, this man has a knack for redheads. The hero is a rake, a broken man who saw his family murdered because of him and his choices. He’s a rebel and is cold, but we soon understand that the heroine with her innocence will melt his heart. In the end he saves her from her evil aunt and he’s severely wounded, and even if he chooses to stay away from the heroine for her sake, he is unhappy and feels that his life has not a meaning anymore. They meet again when he’s recovered and the heroine asks him if he wants her to go away. Never, he answers. Cute epilogue with several children and a home in Ireland where the heroine is constantly pregnant and the hero is a family man. The passion and angst in this book are impossible to describe, the characters are strongly attracted to each other even if they are opposite ( or maybe because of it) there’s also a minor story with other two characters, nice. I recommend it, even if as has heroes who are not romantic ( but they are so charming!)
December 31, 2022
4 Stars
Ah, Anne Stuart, she breaks your heart and puts it back together again, and again, and again. In the end, you are left confused about the happiness you feel because what you read was not all that happy!
She is like Chuck Lorre, she has her characters verbalise the seething emotions of anger, contempt and resentment that we just think of but never say.
Highlights...
- A murderess, a rake that gives the word jaded a new meaning, a secondary love story and a crazy villain and a fanatic. This story had it all, and in spades.
- Excellent, engaging writing.
- Brilliantly developed characters.
- Morally grey plot.
- An insane hero that you love and question yourself for loving.
- A heroine with supreme fortitude.
- A powerful ending.
- Quite an interesting secondary love story.
PS - Game of Thrones already made incest a household word, why not Anne Stuart as well? Although, I think this book predates GoT.
Quotes...
“But he accepted the imminent arrival of one Nathaniel Hepburn with a kind of cool grace, for one simple reason. He was bored. The cards always fell his way; the women did the same.”
“He wanted sex and silence, and he had no objections to paying for them. There was a certain honesty about such arrangements, devoid of the tiresome and false declarations of affection or even interest outside the bedroom.”
“The blood on her hands only added to her allure.”
“What if I choose the streets?"I doubt I'd let you go."You said I had a choice."I lied.”
“And James Michael Patrick, the fourth Earl of Killoran, the man without weakness, honour, or decency, closed his eyes in quiet desperation.”
“Don't you know people can't be saved? They each go to hell by their own choosing, and neither you nor anyone else can stop them.”
Ah, Anne Stuart, she breaks your heart and puts it back together again, and again, and again. In the end, you are left confused about the happiness you feel because what you read was not all that happy!
She is like Chuck Lorre, she has her characters verbalise the seething emotions of anger, contempt and resentment that we just think of but never say.
Highlights...
- A murderess, a rake that gives the word jaded a new meaning, a secondary love story and a crazy villain and a fanatic. This story had it all, and in spades.
- Excellent, engaging writing.
- Brilliantly developed characters.
- Morally grey plot.
- An insane hero that you love and question yourself for loving.
- A heroine with supreme fortitude.
- A powerful ending.
- Quite an interesting secondary love story.
PS - Game of Thrones already made incest a household word, why not Anne Stuart as well? Although, I think this book predates GoT.
Quotes...
“But he accepted the imminent arrival of one Nathaniel Hepburn with a kind of cool grace, for one simple reason. He was bored. The cards always fell his way; the women did the same.”
“He wanted sex and silence, and he had no objections to paying for them. There was a certain honesty about such arrangements, devoid of the tiresome and false declarations of affection or even interest outside the bedroom.”
“The blood on her hands only added to her allure.”
“What if I choose the streets?"I doubt I'd let you go."You said I had a choice."I lied.”
“And James Michael Patrick, the fourth Earl of Killoran, the man without weakness, honour, or decency, closed his eyes in quiet desperation.”
“Don't you know people can't be saved? They each go to hell by their own choosing, and neither you nor anyone else can stop them.”
September 21, 2024
How did Anne Stuart manage to write a book that is so high camp but also super dark? I don't know, but I am obsessed with it and am unable to criticize it even a little bit.
It just hit the sweet spot for me: First, it is set in 1770s England, and I do love a Georgian romance. Second, Killoran, our Irish lord MMC, is as close to a vampire as you can get without being an actual vampire, with his pale skin and black hair and flamboyant black-and-silver clothing and general stunning beauty. (His arch laconic delivery puts me in mind of Jason from Layton's The Duke's Wager and Justin from Heyer's These Old Shades.)
There is our FMC, Emma, who we meet shortly after she has killed her lecherous uncle after he tried to assault her in an inn. His daughter, Miriam, is an ultra-religious loon who, we soon discover, does not care WWJD. She is deliciously evil.
There is a moment at 15% where I laughed with delight at the sheer bananas-pants of it all.
There is Nathaniel, a brilliantly upright and honorable relative of Killoran's who has been sent to Killoran to acquire "town bronze," whose relationship with Killoran is somehow tender and hilarious at once.
There is another villain, Darnley, who is absolutely hideous and provides much of the truly dark material Stuart gives us later in the book.
There is a very hot sex scene at 72%.
There are plenty of content warnings, including r*pe (threatened and actual, off page) and child SA (also off page).
It's an odd book, because it starts off full of dark humor, with Killoran doing his level best to convince Emma, and us, that he is a Very Bad Man. He might as well do an evil laugh and sweep his cape around as he exits a room. (But Daddy, I love him!) Later, though, the story gets truly dark, albeit with high camp elements throughout.
To Love a Dark Loed won't be for everyone. But if you're in the mood, and if you want to go for a RIDE, and you love gothic melodrama, it can't be beat. I had an absolute blast reading it.
It just hit the sweet spot for me: First, it is set in 1770s England, and I do love a Georgian romance. Second, Killoran, our Irish lord MMC, is as close to a vampire as you can get without being an actual vampire, with his pale skin and black hair and flamboyant black-and-silver clothing and general stunning beauty. (His arch laconic delivery puts me in mind of Jason from Layton's The Duke's Wager and Justin from Heyer's These Old Shades.)
There is our FMC, Emma, who we meet shortly after she has killed her lecherous uncle after he tried to assault her in an inn. His daughter, Miriam, is an ultra-religious loon who, we soon discover, does not care WWJD. She is deliciously evil.
There is a moment at 15% where I laughed with delight at the sheer bananas-pants of it all.
There is Nathaniel, a brilliantly upright and honorable relative of Killoran's who has been sent to Killoran to acquire "town bronze," whose relationship with Killoran is somehow tender and hilarious at once.
There is another villain, Darnley, who is absolutely hideous and provides much of the truly dark material Stuart gives us later in the book.
There is a very hot sex scene at 72%.
There are plenty of content warnings, including r*pe (threatened and actual, off page) and child SA (also off page).
It's an odd book, because it starts off full of dark humor, with Killoran doing his level best to convince Emma, and us, that he is a Very Bad Man. He might as well do an evil laugh and sweep his cape around as he exits a room. (But Daddy, I love him!) Later, though, the story gets truly dark, albeit with high camp elements throughout.
To Love a Dark Loed won't be for everyone. But if you're in the mood, and if you want to go for a RIDE, and you love gothic melodrama, it can't be beat. I had an absolute blast reading it.
July 9, 2021
4,5 - «Uccidere un uomo è una disgrazia, ucciderne due un crimine.»
Credo di aver letto molti libri di Anne Stuart, ma questo celebre Dark Lord mancava all'appello.
Dico celebre non a caso, poiché, in effetti, devo dire che in lui ho riconosciuto l'antesignano di tanti altri Signori Oscuri successivi, un concentrato di molte caratteristiche divenute poi imprescindibili.
Killoran rappresenta l'essenza dell'eroe sgualcito, l'uomo che da giovane ha subito torti e lutti e ha cambiato pelle per sopravvivere, trasformandosi in un gentiluomo solitario, talora annoiato, talora divertito, che ormai guarda il mondo unicamente come un cinico spettatore, senza più il coraggio di lottare per nessun progetto.
«Dannazione, è un'innocente!»
«Mio caro Nathaniel» ribatté Killoran esausto. «Nessuno è innocente.»
L'unico brivido che può riportarlo in vita è ottenere la vendetta, vincere una scommessa improbabile o magari dedicarsi a una causa persa. Emma è giusto quella causa persa, una giovane donna rimasta senza protezione e in balia di parenti avidi; così come il cugino Nathaniel, un ragazzo morigerato che merita di osare un po' di più; così come lady Barbara, troppo occupata a celarsi dietro il personaggio sfrontato che si è creata.
C'è un mondo intero che gira intorno al Lord perduto e c'è ancora qualcuno che è convinto di poterlo salvare. Ci riuscirà?
Mi sono accorta di aver parlato solo di lui e di non aver detto nulla della trama, ma importa poco; questo è un romanzo che si fa leggere (e amare), Killoran è un malvagio dolce e disperato, che si autocompiace della propria nube sulfurea, a tratti irritante e molto molto cocciuto, però Emma lo è ancora di più, e la Stuart li ha ben assortiti.
Da leggere e da tenere nello scaffale dei romance da andare a sbirciare ogni tanto.
Credo di aver letto molti libri di Anne Stuart, ma questo celebre Dark Lord mancava all'appello.
Dico celebre non a caso, poiché, in effetti, devo dire che in lui ho riconosciuto l'antesignano di tanti altri Signori Oscuri successivi, un concentrato di molte caratteristiche divenute poi imprescindibili.
Killoran rappresenta l'essenza dell'eroe sgualcito, l'uomo che da giovane ha subito torti e lutti e ha cambiato pelle per sopravvivere, trasformandosi in un gentiluomo solitario, talora annoiato, talora divertito, che ormai guarda il mondo unicamente come un cinico spettatore, senza più il coraggio di lottare per nessun progetto.
«Dannazione, è un'innocente!»
«Mio caro Nathaniel» ribatté Killoran esausto. «Nessuno è innocente.»
L'unico brivido che può riportarlo in vita è ottenere la vendetta, vincere una scommessa improbabile o magari dedicarsi a una causa persa. Emma è giusto quella causa persa, una giovane donna rimasta senza protezione e in balia di parenti avidi; così come il cugino Nathaniel, un ragazzo morigerato che merita di osare un po' di più; così come lady Barbara, troppo occupata a celarsi dietro il personaggio sfrontato che si è creata.
C'è un mondo intero che gira intorno al Lord perduto e c'è ancora qualcuno che è convinto di poterlo salvare. Ci riuscirà?
Mi sono accorta di aver parlato solo di lui e di non aver detto nulla della trama, ma importa poco; questo è un romanzo che si fa leggere (e amare), Killoran è un malvagio dolce e disperato, che si autocompiace della propria nube sulfurea, a tratti irritante e molto molto cocciuto, però Emma lo è ancora di più, e la Stuart li ha ben assortiti.
Da leggere e da tenere nello scaffale dei romance da andare a sbirciare ogni tanto.
February 9, 2018
Decent historical. The heroine was well written. The secondary characters were well written too and the secondary love story was good.
September 1, 2019
Me after finishing To Love A Dark Lord
If you have never read Anne Stuart before then don’t read this one to start. It gives you a taste of her style but it lacks any flavour. I think I picked this up after finishing Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, an excellent collection of essays about the appeal of the romance genre. Stuart had contributed an essay on and in retrospect, of course it was about her fetish for decadent gentleman vampire heroes. I can’t help but think Anne Stuart is basically trying to be Anne Rice but in the historical romance genre. Anne Stuart also reminds me of Mary Jo Putney because there is some 1990s woo-woo going on here that is very cheesy and not my type of cheese, unfortunately.
Stuart is a Queen of Darkness and she says that "Killoran was my first hero who was truly over the top." Killoran meets Emma after she murders her uncle at an inn. He decides to use her for a revenge plot against his nemesis, Darnley. He dresses her up as his "sister" to taunt Darnley with and acts scandalously with her in public.
But Killoran is not over the top. He doesn't even bring Emma to the orgy. You'd think Killoran and Emma's whole song-and-dance would have had tension but there were no sparks.
I guess it was dark?
Killoran dressed Emma all in black and the atmosphere is gloomy but NOTHING HAPPENS. Killoran makes vague threats but doesn't carry them out AT ALL. Seriously, there is one sex scene. And Emma is never in any harm. Look, I'm not saying Emma had to be at that orgy but I also couldn't take one more passage where Killoran thinks about how he's a bad guy or, like, drops in on Emma while she's sleeping. Bless his heart, he tries so hard.
Killoran was a bore but if you are resting your hopes on Emma to make it better, don't hold your breath. She was a dud too. I didn’t get how she fell in love with him. We were literally told she realized she loved him but it was an insta-love lightning bolt. It came out of nowhere. This may have been because her inner life was not well described. At least with Killoran, we got inside his head so we could start seeing him fall in love, but with Emma, there weren’t many memorable scenes from her POV. When Emma gives Killoran the remnants of the diamond collar and tells him he is a very good person, it is a surprise to Killoran and to the reader. It is an incredible change to Emma's character that she's decided she'll do anything for him, and it could have been handled a bit better.
The villains are worse. Darnley, Killoran's nemesis, is already half-dead from stomach pain, while Emma's sister is a religious nut. Nobody to take seriously. However, Couple B is truly astounding. Barbara is the Ton bicycle, or at least that's what she keeps alluding to. She lays it on pretty thick because she's one joke away from a psychotic breakdown. I wish Babs was a fun, scandalous character. She still could have undergone that shift in falling in love with Nathaniel, Killoran's innocent country bumpkin relation. But we got Babs, incredibly high strung and unconvincing as a seductress/outrageous personage in society. Babs and Nathaniel are a low point in the story because of their awful characterization.
When all secrets have been revealed, why Babs is weird and why Killoran is sad, it's not worth it.
I don't think I enjoyed anything about this. However, I am not going to write Stuart off completely. Also, I had already bought another of her books on Kindle so I'm hoping that one is better.
If you have never read Anne Stuart before then don’t read this one to start. It gives you a taste of her style but it lacks any flavour. I think I picked this up after finishing Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, an excellent collection of essays about the appeal of the romance genre. Stuart had contributed an essay on and in retrospect, of course it was about her fetish for decadent gentleman vampire heroes. I can’t help but think Anne Stuart is basically trying to be Anne Rice but in the historical romance genre. Anne Stuart also reminds me of Mary Jo Putney because there is some 1990s woo-woo going on here that is very cheesy and not my type of cheese, unfortunately.
Stuart is a Queen of Darkness and she says that "Killoran was my first hero who was truly over the top." Killoran meets Emma after she murders her uncle at an inn. He decides to use her for a revenge plot against his nemesis, Darnley. He dresses her up as his "sister" to taunt Darnley with and acts scandalously with her in public.
But Killoran is not over the top. He doesn't even bring Emma to the orgy. You'd think Killoran and Emma's whole song-and-dance would have had tension but there were no sparks.
I guess it was dark?
Killoran dressed Emma all in black and the atmosphere is gloomy but NOTHING HAPPENS. Killoran makes vague threats but doesn't carry them out AT ALL. Seriously, there is one sex scene. And Emma is never in any harm. Look, I'm not saying Emma had to be at that orgy but I also couldn't take one more passage where Killoran thinks about how he's a bad guy or, like, drops in on Emma while she's sleeping. Bless his heart, he tries so hard.
Killoran was a bore but if you are resting your hopes on Emma to make it better, don't hold your breath. She was a dud too. I didn’t get how she fell in love with him. We were literally told she realized she loved him but it was an insta-love lightning bolt. It came out of nowhere. This may have been because her inner life was not well described. At least with Killoran, we got inside his head so we could start seeing him fall in love, but with Emma, there weren’t many memorable scenes from her POV. When Emma gives Killoran the remnants of the diamond collar and tells him he is a very good person, it is a surprise to Killoran and to the reader. It is an incredible change to Emma's character that she's decided she'll do anything for him, and it could have been handled a bit better.
The villains are worse. Darnley, Killoran's nemesis, is already half-dead from stomach pain, while Emma's sister is a religious nut. Nobody to take seriously. However, Couple B is truly astounding. Barbara is the Ton bicycle, or at least that's what she keeps alluding to. She lays it on pretty thick because she's one joke away from a psychotic breakdown. I wish Babs was a fun, scandalous character. She still could have undergone that shift in falling in love with Nathaniel, Killoran's innocent country bumpkin relation. But we got Babs, incredibly high strung and unconvincing as a seductress/outrageous personage in society. Babs and Nathaniel are a low point in the story because of their awful characterization.
When all secrets have been revealed, why Babs is weird and why Killoran is sad, it's not worth it.
I don't think I enjoyed anything about this. However, I am not going to write Stuart off completely. Also, I had already bought another of her books on Kindle so I'm hoping that one is better.
November 19, 2023
format: audiobook
rating: 3,5
I've read this twice, so decided to round up the rating to 4 stars. What is it about Anne Stuart? I don't know, but she's just such great fun. She makes asshole heroes sexy and intriguing. Instead of me finding them infuriating and overbearing as I usually do. It's something about how damaged and messed up they are, and how the plots are so over the top and almost farcical that makes it work.
Our heroine (Emmma) is accidentally quite murderous, and I'm here for it.
Our villains are as mustache-twirling as they can get, and it's hilarious.
Our male protagonist/hero/villain (Killoran) is just as dramatic and tortured as you'd expect from an Anne Stuart male.
When other author's do this I often groan at how forced and silly it feels, but there is something self-aware and comedic about this that makes it work. I don't end up cringing over how silly and over the top it is. Instead I just strap on my seatbelt and buckle up for the ride.
The secondary characters are also pretty good, their romance works as a nice reversal of the roles in the Emma/Killoran relationship. With the heroine in that relationship being the jaded libertine, and the hero being the tender-hearted innocent.
rating: 3,5
I've read this twice, so decided to round up the rating to 4 stars. What is it about Anne Stuart? I don't know, but she's just such great fun. She makes asshole heroes sexy and intriguing. Instead of me finding them infuriating and overbearing as I usually do. It's something about how damaged and messed up they are, and how the plots are so over the top and almost farcical that makes it work.
Our heroine (Emmma) is accidentally quite murderous, and I'm here for it.
Our villains are as mustache-twirling as they can get, and it's hilarious.
Our male protagonist/hero/villain (Killoran) is just as dramatic and tortured as you'd expect from an Anne Stuart male.
When other author's do this I often groan at how forced and silly it feels, but there is something self-aware and comedic about this that makes it work. I don't end up cringing over how silly and over the top it is. Instead I just strap on my seatbelt and buckle up for the ride.
The secondary characters are also pretty good, their romance works as a nice reversal of the roles in the Emma/Killoran relationship. With the heroine in that relationship being the jaded libertine, and the hero being the tender-hearted innocent.
January 31, 2010
The beginning of this book was excellent. I loved that the hero was hard core and wasn't drooling all over himself for the heroine right away. His character was well developed as a heartless hero, but I lost interest towards the end. The secondary romance that the story had was not interesting to me and by the end things started to get too predictable. If the book wasn't so long I probably wouldn't have lost interest but it just didn't have the appeal that it held at the start. I gave it 3 stars because it was very enjoyable for the first 200 pages and I couldn't put it down then.
January 13, 2020
On and on about how black the Hero's soul was. About how he cared only about himself and nobody else. At every chapter. Very tiresome.
And the pace was too slow for my taste.
And the pace was too slow for my taste.
June 25, 2023
This was remarkably boring. I have liked Anne Stuart’s heros but I just wasn’t feeling this book. I did like the one scene where this hero loses his sh*t and does some bodice ripping… but other than that it was kinda a drag. I spent much of the book feeling annoyed by the way the heroine kept being described as “strapping”. I personally relate that word to lumberjacks and rugby players… not heroines in a romance novel and I’m pretty embarrassed by how much it affected my reading experience. 👀😬🤣
October 19, 2015
Anne Stuart was one of the first authors I've read when I started reading romance. She writes a variety of genres and lengths and remains one of my favourite writers till today. I haven't read as many of her books lately as I used to. The TBR keeps growing and I've been more into historical fiction or mysteries and thrillers. So her historical romances or romantic suspense novels keep being left behind. However one of these days I came across a copy of To Love a Dark lord, which I remembered having loved in the past, and I just couldn't resist picking it up for a reread.
I am very glad that I did it. The story is still a very good one and I read it one sitting. What I felt in my reaction to it was that I changed as a reader. Where I once loved the mysterious alpha male with the unhappy past and the tough attitude I now find him a lot less attractive. While he may have come up to scratch for our heroine I keep thinking about all the other women he probably left brokenhearted or ruined just for the fun of it or because they did not attract him in the same way that Emma did.
To be completely honest I understood better why she would feel attracted to him than why he should feel attracted to her. At first it was certainly her resemblance to Maude Darnley but I couldn't see why he would be upset about Maude in the first place. This was a period where there were many women in dire straits, if not exactly like her certainly in similar situations of unhappiness. And Killoran doesn't seem the type of man who would go out of his way to help others... unless he was bored or felt he would be entertained by it.
Having said that it is always brilliant to see a rogue transform himself for the love of a good woman and Killoran, while decided to keep Emma away for her own protection, does end up giving in to the heart he professed not to have and show himself a very different sort of man. Emma is a strong heroine from the beginning. She is resourceful and clever and she doesn't immediately fall for Killoran as is so usual in this type of story. I did enjoy their dialogues and Killoran's sarcasm very much.
Regarding the secondary love story involving Killoran’s cousin and the woman everyone believes to be his mistress, I did enjoy it as much as when I first read it. I wonder if am growing more appreciative of beta heroes or if it's just the fact that Stuart wrote Nathaniel in a way that it is impossible not to like him. Lady Barbara is Killoran's counterpart. She also believes to have a dark and jaded soul but she ends up redeemed by Nathaniel's love...
Having read this made me want to grab my other Stuart favourites, books like Lord of Danger and A Rose at Midnight, and see how well they stand the test of time.
Grade: 4,5/5
I am very glad that I did it. The story is still a very good one and I read it one sitting. What I felt in my reaction to it was that I changed as a reader. Where I once loved the mysterious alpha male with the unhappy past and the tough attitude I now find him a lot less attractive. While he may have come up to scratch for our heroine I keep thinking about all the other women he probably left brokenhearted or ruined just for the fun of it or because they did not attract him in the same way that Emma did.
To be completely honest I understood better why she would feel attracted to him than why he should feel attracted to her. At first it was certainly her resemblance to Maude Darnley but I couldn't see why he would be upset about Maude in the first place. This was a period where there were many women in dire straits, if not exactly like her certainly in similar situations of unhappiness. And Killoran doesn't seem the type of man who would go out of his way to help others... unless he was bored or felt he would be entertained by it.
Having said that it is always brilliant to see a rogue transform himself for the love of a good woman and Killoran, while decided to keep Emma away for her own protection, does end up giving in to the heart he professed not to have and show himself a very different sort of man. Emma is a strong heroine from the beginning. She is resourceful and clever and she doesn't immediately fall for Killoran as is so usual in this type of story. I did enjoy their dialogues and Killoran's sarcasm very much.
Regarding the secondary love story involving Killoran’s cousin and the woman everyone believes to be his mistress, I did enjoy it as much as when I first read it. I wonder if am growing more appreciative of beta heroes or if it's just the fact that Stuart wrote Nathaniel in a way that it is impossible not to like him. Lady Barbara is Killoran's counterpart. She also believes to have a dark and jaded soul but she ends up redeemed by Nathaniel's love...
Having read this made me want to grab my other Stuart favourites, books like Lord of Danger and A Rose at Midnight, and see how well they stand the test of time.
Grade: 4,5/5
March 18, 2020
Emanuela - per RFS
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Anne Stuart è un’autrice che non ha bisogno di presentazioni grazie ai numerosi successi che caratterizzano la sua carriera. I suoi bellissimi libri spaziano dalla moderna spy story al romance di cappa e spada, non mancando mai di lasciare il segno grazie a storie appassionanti e a protagonisti originali e ricchi di carattere.
Questa volta vi parlerò di un classico della sua produzione che, per i temi trattati e la freschezza della storia alla quale giovani autrici hanno attinto a piene mani, non dovrebbe mai mancare nella biblioteca romantica di ogni lettrice. Mi riferisco a “Il lord del mistero” che, a distanza di 19 anni dalla sua prima pubblicazione italiana, ci regala sempre sorprese per la vivacità dei protagonisti e la tensione drammatica ed erotica della storia. Un vero caposaldo del romance storico!
La storia è ambientata nel 1775 e ha inizio in una locanda vicino Londra dove Emma Langolet uccide lo zio con uno spadino per salvarsi da uno stupro e morte certa. La vita della giovane orfana infatti, è in pericolo nel momento stesso in cui entra in possesso una grossa eredità fino a quel momento gestita dall’acido uomo e dalla figlia Miriam, entrambi disposti a tutto pur di impadronirsene.
Per lei, nessuna speranza di evitare la forca se non fosse per il provvidenziale intervento di Lord James Killoran, un nobile irlandese dall’animo nero come i vestiti che indossa, che resta affascinato dal magnifico aspetto e dal carattere della giovane. L’uomo si auto-accuserà dell’omicidio consentendo a Emma di fuggire e andare per la sua strada.
Naturalmente il destino deciderà diversamente e, nonostante egli non voglia avere nulla a che fare con la rossa virago, il loro incontro sarà solo rimandato grazie alla complicità di Nathaniel, un cugino di Sir James venuto dalla campagna e animato da una ferrea volontà di salvare il mondo e le fanciulle in difficoltà.
Il rapporto che nascerà tra Emma e James sarà tormentato, condizionato dalla sete di vendetta del conte nei confronti di una nobiltà vile e assassina con la quale egli ritiene di avere dei conti in sospeso. Ma accanto a sé James troverà una donna forte e capace di conquistare poco alla volta il suo cuore reietto.
Interessanti anche le caratterizzazioni di alcuni personaggi marginali ma significativi come: Lady Barbara, sgualdrina da salotto interessata al letto di Lord James e invece premiata con l’amore di un compagno capace di rispettarla; Nathaniel, un’anti-eroe dal cuore d’oro; la cugina Miriam, capolavoro di follia e perfidia e infine, il pazzo e depravato Lord Darnley.
Un bellissimo romance storico, scritto con uno stile inossidabile e una penna impareggiabile. Imperdibile!
.
Anne Stuart è un’autrice che non ha bisogno di presentazioni grazie ai numerosi successi che caratterizzano la sua carriera. I suoi bellissimi libri spaziano dalla moderna spy story al romance di cappa e spada, non mancando mai di lasciare il segno grazie a storie appassionanti e a protagonisti originali e ricchi di carattere.
Questa volta vi parlerò di un classico della sua produzione che, per i temi trattati e la freschezza della storia alla quale giovani autrici hanno attinto a piene mani, non dovrebbe mai mancare nella biblioteca romantica di ogni lettrice. Mi riferisco a “Il lord del mistero” che, a distanza di 19 anni dalla sua prima pubblicazione italiana, ci regala sempre sorprese per la vivacità dei protagonisti e la tensione drammatica ed erotica della storia. Un vero caposaldo del romance storico!
La storia è ambientata nel 1775 e ha inizio in una locanda vicino Londra dove Emma Langolet uccide lo zio con uno spadino per salvarsi da uno stupro e morte certa. La vita della giovane orfana infatti, è in pericolo nel momento stesso in cui entra in possesso una grossa eredità fino a quel momento gestita dall’acido uomo e dalla figlia Miriam, entrambi disposti a tutto pur di impadronirsene.
Per lei, nessuna speranza di evitare la forca se non fosse per il provvidenziale intervento di Lord James Killoran, un nobile irlandese dall’animo nero come i vestiti che indossa, che resta affascinato dal magnifico aspetto e dal carattere della giovane. L’uomo si auto-accuserà dell’omicidio consentendo a Emma di fuggire e andare per la sua strada.
Naturalmente il destino deciderà diversamente e, nonostante egli non voglia avere nulla a che fare con la rossa virago, il loro incontro sarà solo rimandato grazie alla complicità di Nathaniel, un cugino di Sir James venuto dalla campagna e animato da una ferrea volontà di salvare il mondo e le fanciulle in difficoltà.
Il rapporto che nascerà tra Emma e James sarà tormentato, condizionato dalla sete di vendetta del conte nei confronti di una nobiltà vile e assassina con la quale egli ritiene di avere dei conti in sospeso. Ma accanto a sé James troverà una donna forte e capace di conquistare poco alla volta il suo cuore reietto.
Interessanti anche le caratterizzazioni di alcuni personaggi marginali ma significativi come: Lady Barbara, sgualdrina da salotto interessata al letto di Lord James e invece premiata con l’amore di un compagno capace di rispettarla; Nathaniel, un’anti-eroe dal cuore d’oro; la cugina Miriam, capolavoro di follia e perfidia e infine, il pazzo e depravato Lord Darnley.
Un bellissimo romance storico, scritto con uno stile inossidabile e una penna impareggiabile. Imperdibile!
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