What do you think?
Rate this book
Dark Dominion
How could such a love have died?
Caroline asked herself the useless question. Her marriage to the distinguished lawyer, James Fox, had been nearly ideal. Now there was nothing between them but cold contempt.
In her loneliness Caroline turned to her old friend Jake Redway, the successful actor. He offered companionship - and was willing to offer much more.
But she could not relinquish the austere, driven husband who had once held her heart. He had become brutal, icy; every encounter with him was dangerous. Caroline had to save him - no one had ever needed her more!
Caroline asked herself the useless question. Her marriage to the distinguished lawyer, James Fox, had been nearly ideal. Now there was nothing between them but cold contempt.
In her loneliness Caroline turned to her old friend Jake Redway, the successful actor. He offered companionship - and was willing to offer much more.
But she could not relinquish the austere, driven husband who had once held her heart. He had become brutal, icy; every encounter with him was dangerous. Caroline had to save him - no one had ever needed her more!
190 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1979
12 people are currently reading
618 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
261 books314 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
January 15, 2022
I loved this book and it left me speechless. 😭🚬 But unfortunately for everyone else, any period of time when I am rendered speechless never lasts long so Imma bitch a little bit about how much this book made me feel because oh boy did it make tingles run down my spine. Ms. Lamb dragged me through hell to heaven by forcing me to watch in rapt fascination how she brings this toxic, dysfunctional couple together.
'Don't touch me,' he said through his teeth. 'My God, can't you get it into your head? I'm not normal where you're concerned.'
If you think that the hero of this story, James, might have exaggerated slightly his mental abnormality that relates to his Caro (h), think again, my friend. This man reshapes, redefines and transforms bland words like "jealous" and "obsessed" into a living and fire-breathing monster.
I mean, James does not want to have babes with Caro because HE WAS NOT READY TO SHARE HER WITH ANYONE ELSE. Sick? Mental? You ain't seen nothing yet.
He drew a long, shaken breath. His hands lifted from her shoulders, touched her face, his fingers stroking her hair back from her temples.
'And me?' he asked huskily. 'What do you feel for me, Caro? You make all this sound like a business proposition.'
She laid her hands on his chest, pressing them against him, feeling his heart leaping under them. Leaning forward, she touched her mouth softly against his throat and his arms came round her, holding her.
Sounds sweet, no? Do yourself a favor and don't believe this quote even for a second because the book titled Dark Dominion could be anything but cloying.
At the beginning, the story immerses readers into the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the unhappy marriage between a cold-hearted, ambitious barrister (aiming to claim the judge's bench) and his miserable shadow of her former self wife who had given up her dreams of becoming a famous actress in favor of family life.
6 months ago she lost her unborn child and by the looks of it, this delivered a mortal blow to once deceptively blissful marriage that was already tearing apart at the seams at the time. A big and beautiful house in the suburbs of London that they live in has become a gilded cage... a dark repressive prison for Caroline. The dark dominion.
As luck would have it, the day Caro, in desperate need of a change of air, arrives in London, she meets one of her old theatre friends, Maggie. Their encounter reveals the messed-up truth about her married life and opens our eyes to the fact that her husband has alienated Caro from all her old friends and any kind of social life with her tacit acquiescence.
The same day Caroline has a long-overdue heart-to-heart with her friend and undergoes a drastic makeover that propels her to visit James at his office. There she inadvertently witnesses the scene that finally brings her out of her fragmented haze: not only does the hero express his desire to divorce her, but he also seems to be romantically involved with an equally ambitious and career-driven colleague of his.
Caro flees the scene undetected and comes to realize, with her rose-colored glasses shattered, that her marriage is well and truly over.
But the real fucked-up kind of fun starts that same beautiful and serene (lol) day at the party that sees to the birth of the most infuriating love triangle ever by introducing another one of the trio, Caroline's childhood friend Jake (OM): rake, womanizer, arrogant superstar actor and cunning insufferable bastard who wants her for himself since forever. Just take a look at the telegram he dared to send our clueless as fuck Caroline on her wedding day: I'll never forgive you, stop. I love you. Stop. Jake.
Jake, oh Jake. Never have I ever wanted to bitch slap, then kiss, then stab viciously a secondary character so much.
'We both know what this is about,' she said. 'Your pricked ego! You set out to have fun with me today. You took those clothes off with a grin from ear to ear.'
'Why the hell shouldn't I?' he asked. 'It's not often you get paid for doing something you've wanted to do for a long time.'
He oh-not-so subtly enjoys ruining Caro's marriage and feeding James' jealousy throughout the whole books and towards the end I was silently begging someone for a gun so I could just shoot his crazy ass already.
You don't come into your beloved woman's house in her husband's absence and nonchalantly drink his whisky while shamelessly trying to carve your way into her marital bed, okay? Oh Lord, help me. THE AUDACITY OF THIS MAN. 😈🤌🏻
Honestly, I was tempted beyond all measure to feel sorry for Caroline. She must have been terribly overwhelmed when two overbearing, possessive and crazy as fuck alpha males were fighting over her like two savage dogs over the bone. Sounds so, so, so incredibly horrible and disgusting... can you imagine what she must have felt, poor little thing?
But gotta say with a happy smile on my face that this heroine herself was no angel. The further immersed into the story I was, the more aware I became of just how selfish, greedy, obsessive, indecisive and vindicative this girl could be when she chose to. Did it make me dislike her? Like hell it did. 😈🤌🏻
📍 She had a sleepover at her friend's house without doing her husband a favor and informing him about her whereabouts. The poor fellow was frantic all night obsessing over the terrifying thought that she could have been killed under a car or a train.
📍 She stopped taking the pills, even though James expressed explicitly that he did not want children. Does the queen need male consent to get pregnant? 💋
📍In a fit of jealousy and rage, she reveled in hurting her husband James.
Glancing vaguely upwards a few moments later, she found she could see James in a gilt-framed minor hanging on the wall above their table. He was drinking, leaning back in his chair, his eyes on their table... Deliberately she let her eyes drift towards him and saw his hand shake. The glass hit the table as he put it down, spilling wine in a golden fountain. He dabbed at it with his napkin, head bent, and she saw colour run along his hard cheekbone elated her to have this effect on him.
📍 She was torn by indecision for the most part of the book. At one point, this girl made me doubt who the actual hero of the story was... her indecisiveness could confuse the sanest among us.
'You know what I'm saying,' she said, staring at him.
'Put it in black and white, for God's sake'
'I want both of you,' she said. James stood up, his chair crashing to the floor. (erase James' name and insert mine)
📍 She felt strong sexual attraction to Jake (OM).
📍 She had a very ✨intense✨ kissing session with Jake.
📍Meanwhile she was as crazy about James (H) as he was about her. (doesn't make sense, right? Unless Ms. Lamb makes it make sense)
📍 The cold obsessive thing James felt towards her that would make any normal girl shiver uncomfortably and run screaming? She was fuckin' thrilled and elated to discover he had it for her. lmao.
There was a brooding darkness in him which frightened her, drew her and frightened her at one and the same time.
📍 Her reasoning for staying with her husband, in the end, was uTtErLy InSaNe but also PeRfeCtLy uNdErStAnDabLe.
📍 She knew when and how to pull a seductress card.
'I'm hungry,' she said, stretching, and his hand stole up the curve of her back, fingering the line of her body as though he found a sensual pleasure in the touch of her.
📍 She was ready to overlook James' sick behavior as long as she felt lurved, desperately needed and his one and only...🌚
which makes me wonder... who is the craziest of two.
If I am being honest, this book contains an insane number of jealousy scenes, especially for a story that features no actual cheating.
And no, I do not give a single flying fuck about the fact that she kissed another guy while being married. The bitch was hurting and in her own right.
Periodt.
Unbelievable as it may sound, I normally hate the ow/om drama in books, but here? I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
I don't know how Ms. Lamb managed to do it, but she excelled at mixing disturbingly sick elements with the most tender, sensual moments. This insanely classy and contradictory combination never fails to lull me into a false sense of contentment and a heartwarming cocoon of bliss. What can I say? I am easily manipulated.
When he asked her to marry him, she did not hesitate. His proposal had a clipped, almost withdrawn ring which surprised her at the time, but when she accepted James drew a strange, fierce breath and swept her into his arms, kissing her throat, his body shaking.
...
His arms tightened and they stood there, pressed together for a long time, not speaking, merely needing the closeness and security of each other's body.
P.S. It is adorable how innocently vintage authors operate with words like "threesome", "foursome" and "make love". My dirty mind...
TW: rape by the hero, OTT drama
Possible side effects: brain bleach
The publication date may be considered as a warning in itself.
'Don't touch me,' he said through his teeth. 'My God, can't you get it into your head? I'm not normal where you're concerned.'
If you think that the hero of this story, James, might have exaggerated slightly his mental abnormality that relates to his Caro (h), think again, my friend. This man reshapes, redefines and transforms bland words like "jealous" and "obsessed" into a living and fire-breathing monster.
I mean, James does not want to have babes with Caro because HE WAS NOT READY TO SHARE HER WITH ANYONE ELSE. Sick? Mental? You ain't seen nothing yet.
He drew a long, shaken breath. His hands lifted from her shoulders, touched her face, his fingers stroking her hair back from her temples.
'And me?' he asked huskily. 'What do you feel for me, Caro? You make all this sound like a business proposition.'
She laid her hands on his chest, pressing them against him, feeling his heart leaping under them. Leaning forward, she touched her mouth softly against his throat and his arms came round her, holding her.
Sounds sweet, no? Do yourself a favor and don't believe this quote even for a second because the book titled Dark Dominion could be anything but cloying.
At the beginning, the story immerses readers into the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the unhappy marriage between a cold-hearted, ambitious barrister (aiming to claim the judge's bench) and his miserable shadow of her former self wife who had given up her dreams of becoming a famous actress in favor of family life.
6 months ago she lost her unborn child and by the looks of it, this delivered a mortal blow to once deceptively blissful marriage that was already tearing apart at the seams at the time. A big and beautiful house in the suburbs of London that they live in has become a gilded cage... a dark repressive prison for Caroline. The dark dominion.
As luck would have it, the day Caro, in desperate need of a change of air, arrives in London, she meets one of her old theatre friends, Maggie. Their encounter reveals the messed-up truth about her married life and opens our eyes to the fact that her husband has alienated Caro from all her old friends and any kind of social life with her tacit acquiescence.
The same day Caroline has a long-overdue heart-to-heart with her friend and undergoes a drastic makeover that propels her to visit James at his office. There she inadvertently witnesses the scene that finally brings her out of her fragmented haze: not only does the hero express his desire to divorce her, but he also seems to be romantically involved with an equally ambitious and career-driven colleague of his.
Caro flees the scene undetected and comes to realize, with her rose-colored glasses shattered, that her marriage is well and truly over.
But the real fucked-up kind of fun starts that same beautiful and serene (lol) day at the party that sees to the birth of the most infuriating love triangle ever by introducing another one of the trio, Caroline's childhood friend Jake (OM): rake, womanizer, arrogant superstar actor and cunning insufferable bastard who wants her for himself since forever. Just take a look at the telegram he dared to send our clueless as fuck Caroline on her wedding day: I'll never forgive you, stop. I love you. Stop. Jake.
Jake, oh Jake. Never have I ever wanted to bitch slap, then kiss, then stab viciously a secondary character so much.
'We both know what this is about,' she said. 'Your pricked ego! You set out to have fun with me today. You took those clothes off with a grin from ear to ear.'
'Why the hell shouldn't I?' he asked. 'It's not often you get paid for doing something you've wanted to do for a long time.'
He oh-not-so subtly enjoys ruining Caro's marriage and feeding James' jealousy throughout the whole books and towards the end I was silently begging someone for a gun so I could just shoot his crazy ass already.
You don't come into your beloved woman's house in her husband's absence and nonchalantly drink his whisky while shamelessly trying to carve your way into her marital bed, okay? Oh Lord, help me. THE AUDACITY OF THIS MAN. 😈🤌🏻
Honestly, I was tempted beyond all measure to feel sorry for Caroline. She must have been terribly overwhelmed when two overbearing, possessive and crazy as fuck alpha males were fighting over her like two savage dogs over the bone. Sounds so, so, so incredibly horrible and disgusting... can you imagine what she must have felt, poor little thing?
But gotta say with a happy smile on my face that this heroine herself was no angel. The further immersed into the story I was, the more aware I became of just how selfish, greedy, obsessive, indecisive and vindicative this girl could be when she chose to. Did it make me dislike her? Like hell it did. 😈🤌🏻
📍 She had a sleepover at her friend's house without doing her husband a favor and informing him about her whereabouts. The poor fellow was frantic all night obsessing over the terrifying thought that she could have been killed under a car or a train.
📍 She stopped taking the pills, even though James expressed explicitly that he did not want children. Does the queen need male consent to get pregnant? 💋
📍In a fit of jealousy and rage, she reveled in hurting her husband James.
Glancing vaguely upwards a few moments later, she found she could see James in a gilt-framed minor hanging on the wall above their table. He was drinking, leaning back in his chair, his eyes on their table... Deliberately she let her eyes drift towards him and saw his hand shake. The glass hit the table as he put it down, spilling wine in a golden fountain. He dabbed at it with his napkin, head bent, and she saw colour run along his hard cheekbone elated her to have this effect on him.
📍 She was torn by indecision for the most part of the book. At one point, this girl made me doubt who the actual hero of the story was... her indecisiveness could confuse the sanest among us.
'You know what I'm saying,' she said, staring at him.
'Put it in black and white, for God's sake'
'I want both of you,' she said. James stood up, his chair crashing to the floor. (erase James' name and insert mine)
📍 She felt strong sexual attraction to Jake (OM).
📍 She had a very ✨intense✨ kissing session with Jake.
📍Meanwhile she was as crazy about James (H) as he was about her. (doesn't make sense, right? Unless Ms. Lamb makes it make sense)
📍 The cold obsessive thing James felt towards her that would make any normal girl shiver uncomfortably and run screaming? She was fuckin' thrilled and elated to discover he had it for her. lmao.
There was a brooding darkness in him which frightened her, drew her and frightened her at one and the same time.
📍 Her reasoning for staying with her husband, in the end, was uTtErLy InSaNe but also PeRfeCtLy uNdErStAnDabLe.
📍 She knew when and how to pull a seductress card.
'I'm hungry,' she said, stretching, and his hand stole up the curve of her back, fingering the line of her body as though he found a sensual pleasure in the touch of her.
📍 She was ready to overlook James' sick behavior as long as she felt lurved, desperately needed and his one and only...🌚
which makes me wonder... who is the craziest of two.
If I am being honest, this book contains an insane number of jealousy scenes, especially for a story that features no actual cheating.
And no, I do not give a single flying fuck about the fact that she kissed another guy while being married. The bitch was hurting and in her own right.
Periodt.
Unbelievable as it may sound, I normally hate the ow/om drama in books, but here? I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
I don't know how Ms. Lamb managed to do it, but she excelled at mixing disturbingly sick elements with the most tender, sensual moments. This insanely classy and contradictory combination never fails to lull me into a false sense of contentment and a heartwarming cocoon of bliss. What can I say? I am easily manipulated.
When he asked her to marry him, she did not hesitate. His proposal had a clipped, almost withdrawn ring which surprised her at the time, but when she accepted James drew a strange, fierce breath and swept her into his arms, kissing her throat, his body shaking.
...
His arms tightened and they stood there, pressed together for a long time, not speaking, merely needing the closeness and security of each other's body.
P.S. It is adorable how innocently vintage authors operate with words like "threesome", "foursome" and "make love". My dirty mind...
TW: rape by the hero, OTT drama
Possible side effects: brain bleach
The publication date may be considered as a warning in itself.
July 30, 2021
-4.25 stars-
Most people... prob won't like this. Or maybe you would idk your taste 🤔 But for moi? OOOoooo it was so good y'all 😚😚😚 the jealousy, the ott-ness, the soap opera-like drama, pLUS the classic Charlotte Lamb term of endearments sprinkled on top 🥰
Oh muh god it breathed life into my veins. So this book begins with us learning that Caroline (h) is in an unhappy marriage with her husband James (H). She fell into a depression after they lost their unborn baby 6 months prior, causing them to grow apart, but their marriage was on the ropes long before that due to James controlling nature.
👨🎤-SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT-👨🎤
So Caroline comes out of her depression and decides to go visit James at work, ready to bridge the gap between them and begin to work on their marriage, only to get there and overhear him speaking to a woman who has a 'sultry voice'🙄😡🤮 in his office with James saying all kinds of wild shit like he should never have married Caroline and he 'can't take it anymore' 🔪 and I'll be honest, during that scene I was ready to end that mans whole career 🔫🔫🔫🔫
but it set this book up perfectly for a spiteful heroine, a love triangle w the most shameless OM there ever was, a hero that is suffering in jealous agony the entire book, toxic fights, dub con, (*coughs* why am i lying to you and myself, it's noncon 🤡), and about every other thing you could ever need for a ✨wholesome✨ book with 10/10 mentally sound characters. trust me 😌 i'd never lie
after Caroline sees James w the OW, she reunites with her old friends, one of which is Jake (OM). He's always had unresolved feelings for the heroine, in fact he went as far as to send the bride and groom a letter on their wedding day (since he was out of town and couldn't crash it in person) begging the heroine not to go through w it and oOOo the way this book was already so juicy and dramatic by page 10 i'm-
So while the hero is an adulterous abusive hoe, this OM Jake is a complete prince, an angel👼🏼 actually-
Did ya hear that? that would be Ms. Lamb coming through w another feminist 👑king👑 to add to her resume 🙇🏽♀️ She is so dynamic 🤧 She also described Jake as 'handsome-ugly' and idk, I just had to mention it cause I'm obsessed w that now. The way we all understand exactly what she was trying to convey w that adjective... the charismatic unconventional hits different jenny say qua of ✨ugly-hot✨
Anyway, eventually it comes out that there is no OW and Caroline misconstrued what was going on in James office that day, and he is faithful and hideously obsessed w her to the point that the reason he was unbothered by her miscarriage was bc he didn't wanna share her w anyone, INCLUDING HIS OWN BABY 🤡🤡🤡 i can't w him. but this newfound knowledge doesn't rectify the fact that Caroline is pinky toe deep in this romance with Jake, so she proceeds to tell James she wants them both and SKSKSNWSK 💀💀💀when i tell you this flip flopping bitch had me by my hair. Where does one find the AUDACITY. She changed her mind every other page I could not keep up w her, the messy queen.
Even tho I was thoroughly entertained by this scholarly piece of literature ✌🏽, up until the last chapter I still thought Savage Surrender was my fav CL book thus far, maybe cause you just always remember your first 😍 But James fully won me over as my fav CL hero in the last chapter. He was quite frankly adorable... and not him turning me onto dilfs 🤚🏽🤚🏽 I'd held out for so long.
We love the character development 😌 And also the fact that he'll probably always be a bit crazy 😏😏😈 Sprinkle on that insanity like a spice, James knows how it's done. It also helped me that the version of this I downloaded had a comical amount of typos, prob like 10+ a page and honestly it only added to the experience. Fantastic read, thank u again Aunty Irunía👺 for putting it on my radar 🖤
Most people... prob won't like this. Or maybe you would idk your taste 🤔 But for moi? OOOoooo it was so good y'all 😚😚😚 the jealousy, the ott-ness, the soap opera-like drama, pLUS the classic Charlotte Lamb term of endearments sprinkled on top 🥰
“You adulterous little bitch," he said, breathing hoarsely.
Oh muh god it breathed life into my veins. So this book begins with us learning that Caroline (h) is in an unhappy marriage with her husband James (H). She fell into a depression after they lost their unborn baby 6 months prior, causing them to grow apart, but their marriage was on the ropes long before that due to James controlling nature.
👨🎤-SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT-👨🎤
So Caroline comes out of her depression and decides to go visit James at work, ready to bridge the gap between them and begin to work on their marriage, only to get there and overhear him speaking to a woman who has a 'sultry voice'🙄😡🤮 in his office with James saying all kinds of wild shit like he should never have married Caroline and he 'can't take it anymore' 🔪 and I'll be honest, during that scene I was ready to end that mans whole career 🔫🔫🔫🔫
but it set this book up perfectly for a spiteful heroine, a love triangle w the most shameless OM there ever was, a hero that is suffering in jealous agony the entire book, toxic fights, dub con, (*coughs* why am i lying to you and myself, it's noncon 🤡), and about every other thing you could ever need for a ✨wholesome✨ book with 10/10 mentally sound characters. trust me 😌 i'd never lie
after Caroline sees James w the OW, she reunites with her old friends, one of which is Jake (OM). He's always had unresolved feelings for the heroine, in fact he went as far as to send the bride and groom a letter on their wedding day (since he was out of town and couldn't crash it in person) begging the heroine not to go through w it and oOOo the way this book was already so juicy and dramatic by page 10 i'm-
So while the hero is an adulterous abusive hoe, this OM Jake is a complete prince, an angel👼🏼 actually-
“I did some thinking," she said faintly.
"God, women should be banned from it!"
Did ya hear that? that would be Ms. Lamb coming through w another feminist 👑king👑 to add to her resume 🙇🏽♀️ She is so dynamic 🤧 She also described Jake as 'handsome-ugly' and idk, I just had to mention it cause I'm obsessed w that now. The way we all understand exactly what she was trying to convey w that adjective... the charismatic unconventional hits different jenny say qua of ✨ugly-hot✨
Anyway, eventually it comes out that there is no OW and Caroline misconstrued what was going on in James office that day, and he is faithful and hideously obsessed w her to the point that the reason he was unbothered by her miscarriage was bc he didn't wanna share her w anyone, INCLUDING HIS OWN BABY 🤡🤡🤡 i can't w him. but this newfound knowledge doesn't rectify the fact that Caroline is pinky toe deep in this romance with Jake, so she proceeds to tell James she wants them both and SKSKSNWSK 💀💀💀when i tell you this flip flopping bitch had me by my hair. Where does one find the AUDACITY. She changed her mind every other page I could not keep up w her, the messy queen.
Even tho I was thoroughly entertained by this scholarly piece of literature ✌🏽, up until the last chapter I still thought Savage Surrender was my fav CL book thus far, maybe cause you just always remember your first 😍 But James fully won me over as my fav CL hero in the last chapter. He was quite frankly adorable... and not him turning me onto dilfs 🤚🏽🤚🏽 I'd held out for so long.
“A funny thing happened to me when I saw her," he said softly. "I discovered that love is like the amoeba—divide it, and it multiplies, the more you stretch love, the further it goes ... it's elastic stuff.”
We love the character development 😌 And also the fact that he'll probably always be a bit crazy 😏😏😈 Sprinkle on that insanity like a spice, James knows how it's done. It also helped me that the version of this I downloaded had a comical amount of typos, prob like 10+ a page and honestly it only added to the experience. Fantastic read, thank u again Aunty Irunía👺 for putting it on my radar 🖤
April 8, 2021
My brain is fried but I survived
April 17, 2017
This certainly isn’t a romance in the usual sense. It’s an intense marriage in trouble story between a neurotic, beautiful actress heroine who is a tad self-centered and a jealous, insecure, successful man who doesn’t know how to cope.
I’ve read this one before and I think I liked it better this time. I really didn’t like the hero all that much the first time I read it – he’s not meant to be a likeable character and that’s the strength and weakness of this story. The heroine’s actions seem perfectly reasonable the first time you read it. You think – oh, poor dear – her husband’s so cold. She’s had a miscarriage. He kept her from her friends. Now he’s making it with a fellow lawyer at work.
So it’s okay to stay out all night and not let anyone know. It’s okay to let the hero think she’s having sex with the bff. It’s okay to talk about how she doesn’t know which one she wants. It’s okay to pretend to stroke egos and to star in your own drama so that you have two guys growling over you.
*sigh *
I know the two rapes by the hero are considered shocking and horrible – and they are. But reading them again, these two encounters were also points of connection for the heroine. That indifferent cool husband of hers was putting her front and center and showing her his feelings. (I’m not apologizing for the rapes. To me, CL is using them to show the H’s state of mind and the heroine’s craving for connection.) It also seemed the heroine reveled in the pain during and after the attacks. There’s a point where she talks about being glad to feel again after the six-month depression she had been in – even if the feelings were painful.
The hero seems to be the opposite – he feels everything and tries to control it by not showing his emotions. That they come out in violent ways is all the more surprising and dangerous. If this guy weren’t at the top of the socio-economic pyramid, he’d be in jail for these antics. I find it ironic he’s aiming to be a judge when he can’t get his own life sorted out.
The bff (his HEA comes later in A Secret Intimacy) is an actor and someone who likes to create drama wherever he goes. I didn’t get the feeling he cared the same way as the H for the heroine. He loved her as friend and fancied her – but that was it. Part of his pursuit of her seemed to be about getting a rise out of the hero as it was about getting the heroine into bed. He backed off easily and seemed to enjoy the heroine’s discomfort, which is not hero behaviour, imo.
That the baby is the catalyst that allows the hero to realize that love isn’t a fixed amount seems like such an unsophisticated idea for these sophisticated brittle people. And for the hero to realize that the bff is the only person who would be just as enthralled with the baby as he is – well – it’s almost unbelievable. But then you realize this hero is really a primitive guy behind this sophisticated façade. Charlotte Lamb uses the word “tribal” to describe the camaraderie of these theatre people – and, ironically, I think it’s the hero who yearns for that sense of belonging even more than the heroine. Seeing him again in A Secret Intimacy, I think that’s what CL was going for – he’s the lonely one, the judged one, the introvert who hides behind his intellect and status. The heroine is starting to understand this at the end of DD.
This is an interesting psychological character study with plenty of blame to go around for the shakiness of their marriage. Heroine needed to grow up and learn her own mind. Hero needed to express his feelings using his inside voice. It’s not a feel-good story – although the dad and baby scene is sweet and touching at the end.
For those who wonder about these things - the hero never cheated on the heroine. She overheard something and misunderstood.
The heroine never went to bed with the bff, but she did kiss him and was tempted. She was a virgin when she married the H.
I’ve read this one before and I think I liked it better this time. I really didn’t like the hero all that much the first time I read it – he’s not meant to be a likeable character and that’s the strength and weakness of this story. The heroine’s actions seem perfectly reasonable the first time you read it. You think – oh, poor dear – her husband’s so cold. She’s had a miscarriage. He kept her from her friends. Now he’s making it with a fellow lawyer at work.
So it’s okay to stay out all night and not let anyone know. It’s okay to let the hero think she’s having sex with the bff. It’s okay to talk about how she doesn’t know which one she wants. It’s okay to pretend to stroke egos and to star in your own drama so that you have two guys growling over you.
*sigh *
I know the two rapes by the hero are considered shocking and horrible – and they are. But reading them again, these two encounters were also points of connection for the heroine. That indifferent cool husband of hers was putting her front and center and showing her his feelings. (I’m not apologizing for the rapes. To me, CL is using them to show the H’s state of mind and the heroine’s craving for connection.) It also seemed the heroine reveled in the pain during and after the attacks. There’s a point where she talks about being glad to feel again after the six-month depression she had been in – even if the feelings were painful.
The hero seems to be the opposite – he feels everything and tries to control it by not showing his emotions. That they come out in violent ways is all the more surprising and dangerous. If this guy weren’t at the top of the socio-economic pyramid, he’d be in jail for these antics. I find it ironic he’s aiming to be a judge when he can’t get his own life sorted out.
The bff (his HEA comes later in A Secret Intimacy) is an actor and someone who likes to create drama wherever he goes. I didn’t get the feeling he cared the same way as the H for the heroine. He loved her as friend and fancied her – but that was it. Part of his pursuit of her seemed to be about getting a rise out of the hero as it was about getting the heroine into bed. He backed off easily and seemed to enjoy the heroine’s discomfort, which is not hero behaviour, imo.
That the baby is the catalyst that allows the hero to realize that love isn’t a fixed amount seems like such an unsophisticated idea for these sophisticated brittle people. And for the hero to realize that the bff is the only person who would be just as enthralled with the baby as he is – well – it’s almost unbelievable. But then you realize this hero is really a primitive guy behind this sophisticated façade. Charlotte Lamb uses the word “tribal” to describe the camaraderie of these theatre people – and, ironically, I think it’s the hero who yearns for that sense of belonging even more than the heroine. Seeing him again in A Secret Intimacy, I think that’s what CL was going for – he’s the lonely one, the judged one, the introvert who hides behind his intellect and status. The heroine is starting to understand this at the end of DD.
This is an interesting psychological character study with plenty of blame to go around for the shakiness of their marriage. Heroine needed to grow up and learn her own mind. Hero needed to express his feelings using his inside voice. It’s not a feel-good story – although the dad and baby scene is sweet and touching at the end.
For those who wonder about these things - the hero never cheated on the heroine. She overheard something and misunderstood.
The heroine never went to bed with the bff, but she did kiss him and was tempted. She was a virgin when she married the H.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2022
I read it months before so I don't remember the story much.
But something about the slap ...
He slaps her doesn't he ??
F no
But something about the slap ...
He slaps her doesn't he ??
F no
January 22, 2023
***Major SPOILERS under PLOT & Sexual History***
Good writing of realistic marriage matters 2 years after a whirlwind marriage of a couple who’s romance is desire-based and lacked open communication.
Liked the point Lamb made for a 1979 HP that a woman can be in love with her husband yet still feel some attraction to other men. Also quite advanced of Lamb to show the more darker side of sex with h liking H’s roughness with her although H was the 1 who felt bad about it but wish it was addressed again @ the end when they reunited as either a mutual part of their sex life or H resolving his jealousy issues. Liked H’s jealous-posessiveness over h but not how rape-y and violent & accusing he was with her. Lacked character growth since no satisfying resolution by the end & h’s view of H softening up because he looked at their baby with love was not good enough indicator of his change. Good pacing/S chem/emo.
PLOT:
@1%--H&h already distant in the last 6 months during their 2-yr marriage after a whirlwind courtship/@10% h sees H kissing his coworker after she overhears him mentioning his marriage frustrations with OW
@15%--h stays at her old friend’s place & sees her male friend OM again since more than 2 years ago
@23%-- H is greeted by OM when he comes for h & punches OM after accusing h of adultery/@30% H catches h packing at their house & rapes her after she tells H she wants a divorce & lies to him re: OM being her lover since he won’t believe her denials about OM not being her lover (h tells him “no” but he meant to “have her” anyway)
@35%-- h moves in with her BFF & takes the acting job offer that OM pulled strings for her
@47%-- h makes out with OM & seriously considered sleeping with him due to their sex chemistry but reconsiders after OW advises her to not divorce H yet due to his potential judge upgrade & tells h that she was only H’s confidant & have never had an affair with him
@60%-- h&H openly talk about their issues including H’s jealous obsession over h & h’s sexual attraction to OM and H agreed to move to London & let h pursue acting while h assures H that she will only be friends with OM & she frankly tells OM of it
@80%-- they smex but roughly due to H’s jealousy over OM coming over their house while he was away & H accusing h of cheating on him despite h denying it but h liked it rough and told H that after they got done smexxing & H was apologetic over how aggressive & out of control he became with h then told H he wanted a separation to figure out his lack of control & jealousy when it came to h
@82%--h moves in with her BFF while getting acting jobs & going back to her friendship with h and soon learns that she’s preggo from H’s rape months ago
@91%--@ending months later with h giving birth to their baby girl & she’s surprised at how H seems to taken with their daughter & has become softer overall like the man she fell in love with when they met.
Sexual History:
23yo theatre-actress h was a virgin when she married 36yo British lawyer H 2 years ago after a brief & passionate courtship. She & H had a sexually satisfying marriage until she miscarried from the pregnancy she pushed for after he explicitly told her he didn’t want kids but she thought having a baby would help her not feel so bored with her new life as a housewife. H raped her after she told him she wanted a divorce, after she witnessed what she appeared to be H kissing his coworker OW. About 1 week or so after she left H to stay at her BFF’s place, she let OM kiss her & she was quite turned on by him and considered sleeping with him that night of the party if not for H showing up there too. No info on H”s sexual or dating past but that he had many female admirers. He’d only been with h since they met and he’d been secretly very obsessed with her. He didn’t kiss OW.
Good writing of realistic marriage matters 2 years after a whirlwind marriage of a couple who’s romance is desire-based and lacked open communication.
Liked the point Lamb made for a 1979 HP that a woman can be in love with her husband yet still feel some attraction to other men. Also quite advanced of Lamb to show the more darker side of sex with h liking H’s roughness with her although H was the 1 who felt bad about it but wish it was addressed again @ the end when they reunited as either a mutual part of their sex life or H resolving his jealousy issues. Liked H’s jealous-posessiveness over h but not how rape-y and violent & accusing he was with her. Lacked character growth since no satisfying resolution by the end & h’s view of H softening up because he looked at their baby with love was not good enough indicator of his change. Good pacing/S chem/emo.
PLOT:
@1%--H&h already distant in the last 6 months during their 2-yr marriage after a whirlwind courtship/@10% h sees H kissing his coworker after she overhears him mentioning his marriage frustrations with OW
@15%--h stays at her old friend’s place & sees her male friend OM again since more than 2 years ago
@23%-- H is greeted by OM when he comes for h & punches OM after accusing h of adultery/@30% H catches h packing at their house & rapes her after she tells H she wants a divorce & lies to him re: OM being her lover since he won’t believe her denials about OM not being her lover (h tells him “no” but he meant to “have her” anyway)
@35%-- h moves in with her BFF & takes the acting job offer that OM pulled strings for her
@47%-- h makes out with OM & seriously considered sleeping with him due to their sex chemistry but reconsiders after OW advises her to not divorce H yet due to his potential judge upgrade & tells h that she was only H’s confidant & have never had an affair with him
@60%-- h&H openly talk about their issues including H’s jealous obsession over h & h’s sexual attraction to OM and H agreed to move to London & let h pursue acting while h assures H that she will only be friends with OM & she frankly tells OM of it
@80%-- they smex but roughly due to H’s jealousy over OM coming over their house while he was away & H accusing h of cheating on him despite h denying it but h liked it rough and told H that after they got done smexxing & H was apologetic over how aggressive & out of control he became with h then told H he wanted a separation to figure out his lack of control & jealousy when it came to h
@82%--h moves in with her BFF while getting acting jobs & going back to her friendship with h and soon learns that she’s preggo from H’s rape months ago
@91%--@ending months later with h giving birth to their baby girl & she’s surprised at how H seems to taken with their daughter & has become softer overall like the man she fell in love with when they met.
Sexual History:
23yo theatre-actress h was a virgin when she married 36yo British lawyer H 2 years ago after a brief & passionate courtship. She & H had a sexually satisfying marriage until she miscarried from the pregnancy she pushed for after he explicitly told her he didn’t want kids but she thought having a baby would help her not feel so bored with her new life as a housewife. H raped her after she told him she wanted a divorce, after she witnessed what she appeared to be H kissing his coworker OW. About 1 week or so after she left H to stay at her BFF’s place, she let OM kiss her & she was quite turned on by him and considered sleeping with him that night of the party if not for H showing up there too. No info on H”s sexual or dating past but that he had many female admirers. He’d only been with h since they met and he’d been secretly very obsessed with her. He didn’t kiss OW.
December 14, 2025
Again, I'm left wondering if this was a HEA or a tragic ending
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
April 11, 2010
I had a stress-related migraine by end of Friday & this legendary classic was the best OTC remedy. I wouldn’t say it’s mindless ‘cuz it’s haunting, fascinating, provoking & for a 188-page controversial magnet, it packs quite a punch. So then I went on a tear & read 3 more HPs in a 24-hour span ‘cuz outta the blue I had an insta HP craving & my TBR skyscraper was looking scarily tall. Madness indeed, ‘cuz it’s contagious LOL… Now I see wot the fuzz is all about. This oldie has all the ingredients that should hold v. li’l appeal on paper yet it’s oh so unputdownable, revolving around a hero who’s a lean, mean prick & breaks his code of honor by committing the most heinous crimes in romancelandia (raping & bitch-slapping his wife, all in the name of the sacred jealous rage) & a heroine who only bears it & justifies his actions ‘cuz she’s a glutton for punishment, e.g.
<<@ the back of her head a little voice asked warningly if she could take this endless effort to soothe his jealousy, but she brushed it away.>>
This problematic couple is unable to break free from their toxic relationship. H/H are textbook example of why they should stay far, far away from each other, yet thru’ a tumultuous journey, they still end up w/ a dubious HEA. If there’s such a thing as a 12-step jealousy management program, James should be the 1st one in line & on lifelong meds. He keeps her in a gilded cage. He systematically isolates her from her circle of friends. He’s cold & tight-lipped. He scares the bejesuz outta her, to the point that she has to rehearse in advance what she wants to ask him. The significance of that symptom alone shoulda been a major “Mayday… Mayday” red alert, alas, this chick’s not the brightest crayon in the box. She has no freakin’ idea that all this time her mental case hubby has been harboring unhealthy, disturbing, jealous-possessive thoughts & his inner rage boils over the moment he meets Jake @ last. He didn’t wanna impregnate her ‘cuz he wanted her body, mind & soul & was not too keen on sharing her w/ their baby. Some books reach the wall-banger hall of shame if they have a deal-breaker (hero can’t keep it in his pants due to estrangement / wifey’s inability to enjoy marriage bed after such a harrowing trauma of losing her baby). This book has a heroine that almost strays. James is a hotshot barrister on the rise, whose flinty, professional persona frightens the daylights outta her, the 1 & only time she witnesses him in action. Caro was an aspiring actress. It’s insta’ luv for both H/H when they bumped into each other on the street. The book opens w/a glimpse to H/H’s sad state of marriage. He makes a disparaging comment ‘bout his wife’s drab, ghost-like appearance & suggests her to do some shopping. It gets better & better, w/ a familiar I-can’t-look-away-from-this-hypnotizing-trainwreck-‘cuz-it’s-so-bloody-intense formula, which makes this a purrfect guilty pleasure. Caro’s been existing in a vacuum for months. She got preggers & plunged into months of deep post-miscarriage depression. A chance encounter w/ a former BFF snaps her outta her trance. Her friend gives her a physical & emotional makeover. Caro hooks up again w/ her platonic thespian pal, Jake, who pulls some strings & gives her the 1st acting gig since she gave up her career for marriage. She starts to realize that he’s always carried a flamin’ torch for her since dwama school & she’s the only 1 in the universe who wasn’t aware of it. Things get more chilly @ home. The heroine’s conviction (in terms of which of the 2 men she has more feelings for) was as deep as a broken fingernail. @ times I actually felt sorry for the poor bloke (the violently jealous hubby) ‘cuz of course he keeps a tight lid on his insecurities & vulnerabilities. She was stringing both men along for way too long. For the men’s sakes, she shoulda put ‘em outta their misery by not being so wishy washy. It seemed to me that Jake had more screen time than James. I didn’t quite grasp Caro’s rationale in not making a clean break w/ 1 or the other @ times. There’s a vibe that she was eff-ing w/ both men’s minds, which was so wrong on so many levels =)~. @ the most pivotal juncture of decision-making :
<< She still did not know which of the men she preferred, but something in her nature turned finally towards the dark uncertainties of James’s character, partly because she knew in her heart of hearts which of them needed her, wanted her the most.>>
I gathered that the decision she tentatively made, was NOT based on which man SHE luved more, her foundation was : which man was more needy / pitifully obsessed w/ her ? I scratched my crooked wig. Is it urban myth that gals tend to be more attracted to the dark allure of bad, domineering boyz ? Keep in mind, that’s just my interpretation. This must be why all those romance books w/ the word ‘Dark” on the covers, are perched on top of bestseller list ‘cuz they sell like pancakes. I think if it were me, I hope to hell I’d have the option of ducking under a witness protection program & change my identity B4 losing my health & sanity over 2 men (unless they’re hawt like Giulio Berruti & Brandon Routh hehee..), ‘cuz the maintenance would be too damn exhausting in the long run.
<<”James, if you seriously think that keeping me away from Jake will alter the way I feel you’re blind… emotions aren’t altered by circumstances. If I loved Jake I would go on loving him even if I never saw him.”>>
I kinda disagreed w/ Caro’s B.S. ‘cuz methinks in some cases, removing yourself from the ultimate temptation is the key to success in making relationship work. Even if love doesn’t enter into the equation, human beings are not always resilient in the face of temptation. Sometimes peeps end up together due to circumstances or proximities or whatever. In all fairness to James, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. He reveals that his dammed-up insecurities stem from the fact that Caro subconsciously mentioned Jake’s name innumerable times pre-marriage. Now that Jake & Caro hang out again, Jake hounds her after being given the greenlight by her reaction to his kisses, not respecting that she’s married. Outta consideration for her hubby, Caro shoulda found another gig that precluded Jake, esp ‘cuz she & hubby were going thru’ a rough patch. She obviously never heard that 3 in a marriage is a crowd, but what the hell. None of my beeswax. The purpose of reading a book was only to work out the kink in my nerves. All my niggling doubts made no difference in the end, ‘cuz it’s still a stupefying, thrilling, pure escape, tho’ I gotta say I didn’t quite buy the hero’s drastic turnaround (“luv is like the amoeba” theory). I figured that anytime she so much as blinked @ another man or noticed another chap in her peripheral vision, he’d go off the deep end again & the vicious cycle would go on. Sharing has been his weakest link. If there’s a more epic HP saga featuring a wobbly, dysfunctional H/H who got nuthin’ in common but chemistry, I’d luv to read ‘em, only as a scientific character study, of course < wink wink >. James takes “morbidly jealous heroes” to another dimension. Coincidentally, this was the 1st of 3 books I’ve just read in a row that have gray-eyed heroes & 2 of ‘em were Brrrutal w/ heroines. Whazzup w/ that ? If U like alpha / gamma heroes, knock yourself out. It’s an addictive, dwamatic, memorable tale of “WTF H/H gone wild”. There’s nuthin’ more romantic than when a hubby professes his undying luv for his dearest wife by threatening to kill her, numerous times (not that I counted) =^2 They do lotsa damage to each other’s psyche. Caro tries to delve deeper into his background, in her vain attempt to find a reason for his barbaric thoughts & actions, but there’s no family neglect / abuse / anything, it’s just him. That’s all, folks. I thought she sold her soul by letting him shape her into his ideal wife. She’s a walking, talking poster gal for domestic violence victim.
This female empowerment saga has high tension. Luv it / hate it, it’s the kinda stuff that makes readers like me fall in luv w/ HP all over again ‘cuz it’s so good.
<<@ the back of her head a little voice asked warningly if she could take this endless effort to soothe his jealousy, but she brushed it away.>>
This problematic couple is unable to break free from their toxic relationship. H/H are textbook example of why they should stay far, far away from each other, yet thru’ a tumultuous journey, they still end up w/ a dubious HEA. If there’s such a thing as a 12-step jealousy management program, James should be the 1st one in line & on lifelong meds. He keeps her in a gilded cage. He systematically isolates her from her circle of friends. He’s cold & tight-lipped. He scares the bejesuz outta her, to the point that she has to rehearse in advance what she wants to ask him. The significance of that symptom alone shoulda been a major “Mayday… Mayday” red alert, alas, this chick’s not the brightest crayon in the box. She has no freakin’ idea that all this time her mental case hubby has been harboring unhealthy, disturbing, jealous-possessive thoughts & his inner rage boils over the moment he meets Jake @ last. He didn’t wanna impregnate her ‘cuz he wanted her body, mind & soul & was not too keen on sharing her w/ their baby. Some books reach the wall-banger hall of shame if they have a deal-breaker (hero can’t keep it in his pants due to estrangement / wifey’s inability to enjoy marriage bed after such a harrowing trauma of losing her baby). This book has a heroine that almost strays. James is a hotshot barrister on the rise, whose flinty, professional persona frightens the daylights outta her, the 1 & only time she witnesses him in action. Caro was an aspiring actress. It’s insta’ luv for both H/H when they bumped into each other on the street. The book opens w/a glimpse to H/H’s sad state of marriage. He makes a disparaging comment ‘bout his wife’s drab, ghost-like appearance & suggests her to do some shopping. It gets better & better, w/ a familiar I-can’t-look-away-from-this-hypnotizing-trainwreck-‘cuz-it’s-so-bloody-intense formula, which makes this a purrfect guilty pleasure. Caro’s been existing in a vacuum for months. She got preggers & plunged into months of deep post-miscarriage depression. A chance encounter w/ a former BFF snaps her outta her trance. Her friend gives her a physical & emotional makeover. Caro hooks up again w/ her platonic thespian pal, Jake, who pulls some strings & gives her the 1st acting gig since she gave up her career for marriage. She starts to realize that he’s always carried a flamin’ torch for her since dwama school & she’s the only 1 in the universe who wasn’t aware of it. Things get more chilly @ home. The heroine’s conviction (in terms of which of the 2 men she has more feelings for) was as deep as a broken fingernail. @ times I actually felt sorry for the poor bloke (the violently jealous hubby) ‘cuz of course he keeps a tight lid on his insecurities & vulnerabilities. She was stringing both men along for way too long. For the men’s sakes, she shoulda put ‘em outta their misery by not being so wishy washy. It seemed to me that Jake had more screen time than James. I didn’t quite grasp Caro’s rationale in not making a clean break w/ 1 or the other @ times. There’s a vibe that she was eff-ing w/ both men’s minds, which was so wrong on so many levels =)~. @ the most pivotal juncture of decision-making :
<< She still did not know which of the men she preferred, but something in her nature turned finally towards the dark uncertainties of James’s character, partly because she knew in her heart of hearts which of them needed her, wanted her the most.>>
I gathered that the decision she tentatively made, was NOT based on which man SHE luved more, her foundation was : which man was more needy / pitifully obsessed w/ her ? I scratched my crooked wig. Is it urban myth that gals tend to be more attracted to the dark allure of bad, domineering boyz ? Keep in mind, that’s just my interpretation. This must be why all those romance books w/ the word ‘Dark” on the covers, are perched on top of bestseller list ‘cuz they sell like pancakes. I think if it were me, I hope to hell I’d have the option of ducking under a witness protection program & change my identity B4 losing my health & sanity over 2 men (unless they’re hawt like Giulio Berruti & Brandon Routh hehee..), ‘cuz the maintenance would be too damn exhausting in the long run.
<<”James, if you seriously think that keeping me away from Jake will alter the way I feel you’re blind… emotions aren’t altered by circumstances. If I loved Jake I would go on loving him even if I never saw him.”>>
I kinda disagreed w/ Caro’s B.S. ‘cuz methinks in some cases, removing yourself from the ultimate temptation is the key to success in making relationship work. Even if love doesn’t enter into the equation, human beings are not always resilient in the face of temptation. Sometimes peeps end up together due to circumstances or proximities or whatever. In all fairness to James, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. He reveals that his dammed-up insecurities stem from the fact that Caro subconsciously mentioned Jake’s name innumerable times pre-marriage. Now that Jake & Caro hang out again, Jake hounds her after being given the greenlight by her reaction to his kisses, not respecting that she’s married. Outta consideration for her hubby, Caro shoulda found another gig that precluded Jake, esp ‘cuz she & hubby were going thru’ a rough patch. She obviously never heard that 3 in a marriage is a crowd, but what the hell. None of my beeswax. The purpose of reading a book was only to work out the kink in my nerves. All my niggling doubts made no difference in the end, ‘cuz it’s still a stupefying, thrilling, pure escape, tho’ I gotta say I didn’t quite buy the hero’s drastic turnaround (“luv is like the amoeba” theory). I figured that anytime she so much as blinked @ another man or noticed another chap in her peripheral vision, he’d go off the deep end again & the vicious cycle would go on. Sharing has been his weakest link. If there’s a more epic HP saga featuring a wobbly, dysfunctional H/H who got nuthin’ in common but chemistry, I’d luv to read ‘em, only as a scientific character study, of course < wink wink >. James takes “morbidly jealous heroes” to another dimension. Coincidentally, this was the 1st of 3 books I’ve just read in a row that have gray-eyed heroes & 2 of ‘em were Brrrutal w/ heroines. Whazzup w/ that ? If U like alpha / gamma heroes, knock yourself out. It’s an addictive, dwamatic, memorable tale of “WTF H/H gone wild”. There’s nuthin’ more romantic than when a hubby professes his undying luv for his dearest wife by threatening to kill her, numerous times (not that I counted) =^2 They do lotsa damage to each other’s psyche. Caro tries to delve deeper into his background, in her vain attempt to find a reason for his barbaric thoughts & actions, but there’s no family neglect / abuse / anything, it’s just him. That’s all, folks. I thought she sold her soul by letting him shape her into his ideal wife. She’s a walking, talking poster gal for domestic violence victim.
This female empowerment saga has high tension. Luv it / hate it, it’s the kinda stuff that makes readers like me fall in luv w/ HP all over again ‘cuz it’s so good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2015
read this because I thought it was going to be full of the crazy old skool. But it failed me. I didn't like the heroine. I didn't like that she was wishy washy about who she loved after having been married for 2 years. That's not what I'm looking for in my HPs. And while he was jealous he lacked a bit in the follow through. Some of the spots where it seemed that he might be the most unreasonable, he was all talky and communicative. They spent most of the book apart.
Nope not a fan. Gotta read the next one though to see what happens with Jake. And by the way thank goodness there was an actual other man who challenged the hero instead of the other man having a weak chin or a job as an accountant or a wandering eye etc., as so often happens in the HP world.
Nope not a fan. Gotta read the next one though to see what happens with Jake. And by the way thank goodness there was an actual other man who challenged the hero instead of the other man having a weak chin or a job as an accountant or a wandering eye etc., as so often happens in the HP world.
Read
May 25, 2021
I really don't know what to feel and it's been over 20 hours
September 3, 2022
Writers of today’s “dark romance” theme really should read CL.
Then again, I think authors either have it or they don’t, because CL practically revolutionised the confident, cruel tortured alpha male who obsesses over the sometimes equally cruel, beautiful and imperfect heroines. With her convent schooling background. I reckon she was born with her gift for penning “taboo romance” because, while she had full use of the convent library, I doubt it’s merely from that where she learned her craft. Nope, I’m convinced it was ingrained in her makeup.
So to those authors who persist in creating the heroine who will sit on her virgin laurels while her hero sows his wild oats: here’s a self-made best selling author who threw the book at society that thought the MAIN aim of romance was to get the hero to admit his love to the h. <— THAT should not be the climax of a romance. A romance is more than just the hero and his eventual caving in.
Before I got on my soap box I meant to just say that this is probably one of the most underrated OTT obsessed anti-heroes with one of the most ridiculously normal therapy-needing heroines I’ve read. She’s a cheating stubborn can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees heroine and his brilliant brain cannot fathom (nor deal with) his uncontrollable fixation on her. His emotions are fried and he makes stupid weak choices. He’s also a lawyer aiming to be a judge, for God’s sake. He’s always in control except when it comes to this woman.
Then she has the gall to get involved with someone else…..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I stressed throughout this re-read but it was worth it.
🧷 no cheating by H
🧷 kissing and emotional cheating by h but no sex with om
Then again, I think authors either have it or they don’t, because CL practically revolutionised the confident, cruel tortured alpha male who obsesses over the sometimes equally cruel, beautiful and imperfect heroines. With her convent schooling background. I reckon she was born with her gift for penning “taboo romance” because, while she had full use of the convent library, I doubt it’s merely from that where she learned her craft. Nope, I’m convinced it was ingrained in her makeup.
So to those authors who persist in creating the heroine who will sit on her virgin laurels while her hero sows his wild oats: here’s a self-made best selling author who threw the book at society that thought the MAIN aim of romance was to get the hero to admit his love to the h. <— THAT should not be the climax of a romance. A romance is more than just the hero and his eventual caving in.
Before I got on my soap box I meant to just say that this is probably one of the most underrated OTT obsessed anti-heroes with one of the most ridiculously normal therapy-needing heroines I’ve read. She’s a cheating stubborn can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees heroine and his brilliant brain cannot fathom (nor deal with) his uncontrollable fixation on her. His emotions are fried and he makes stupid weak choices. He’s also a lawyer aiming to be a judge, for God’s sake. He’s always in control except when it comes to this woman.
Then she has the gall to get involved with someone else…..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I stressed throughout this re-read but it was worth it.
🧷 no cheating by H
🧷 kissing and emotional cheating by h but no sex with om
March 20, 2021
4.5 stars
November 11, 2021
One of the best book I've recently read.
First: the style is excellent. I'm sorry for present writers, but those were the writers, artists that didn't write what their publishers wanted or their readers expected, but what was in their minds and in their hearts. They followed their flair, and you can see the result.
No boring moments here, you have to read it all at once.
Second: the angst. I really had to stop it sometime because of the very high angst level.
Third: A wonderful description of a man obsessed and with delusional jealousy.
Fourth, and for this one I'm very grateful: a heroine which for once is attracted to OM, for real, and doesn't sacrifice herself on the shrine of a hurtful and bastard sob of a hero but tries to go on. And this happens in the 80s.
Ok, I'm so fully satisfied.
Careful, it is so not politically correct and has so many triggers that if you are not confortable with rape, manhandling, slut-shaming, threats, obsessive jealousy, physical and psychological abuses, you'd better leave it.
Their marriage is really a mistake, the heroine is a would be actress, flighty and sparkling, and her friends are just like her, the hero is a serious and brooding solicitor, who as soon as they are married tries to separate her from her previous life and friends, isolating her while he works all day long.
He also refuses to have children, and when she stops the pill and gets pregnant (on purpose) he's mad at her.
But then tragedy strikes and, some days after their quarrel, she loses her child and blames him for it, refusing to sleep with him.
Ok, I have to admit I'm not fond of deceiving people, and this heroine deceived her husband when she decided to have a child, knowing he didn't want.
A child is something both parents must want, and in this case it was not an accident, it was deliberate deception.
So I couldn't sympathize with the heroine here.
The hero was not a lord in his reaction to her pregnancy, anyway.
So after 6 months the heroine is depressed and going out for shopping when she meets one of her former friends, who, after listening to her issues, persuades her to have a total make over, with new dress, new hairstyle, and to go to her husband and have a serious talk.
The description of her depression is also very accurate: she can't sleep, she can't enjoy anything, she doesn't take care of herself and of her looks, she doesn't even go out and doesn't want to see anyone. Very good psychological insight here, indeed.
Then she goes to her husband's office to talk to him and she sees- unseen- him talking (and not only) to one of his colleagues, a young solicitor, and thinks he wants a divorce and is in love with this woman.
Her reaction to this scene is very graphic and angsty, and we understand that, even if she's very angry with him and they have several unresolved issues, she still loves him very much.
Beautiful scene.
Then enter OM, a former colleague and friend of heroine, who is obsviously in love with her and there's the beginning of another misunderstanding because she decides to sleep to her friend (a girlfriend) and the morning after the hero finds her with the OM and thinks the worst of her.
We have then:
- death threats
-manhandling
-rape
-heroine who finds herself attracted to om
-other threats
-slaps
-rape, again
-unexpected pregnancy
-separation
-om talks to H and all is well in the end
Ok, the end is the reason why I gave 4 stars and not 5.
In the end the hero understands he's been over reacting and insanely jealous, and he wants their child and all is well, but I don't believe for a second that he won't behave in the same way in the future.
He repeatedly threatened the heroine and told her that he was afraid that he could kill her, and his behaviour where the heroine is concerned is really insane (he even admits it himself), he couldn't control his jealousy and his anger and I don't think he had therapy (which should be absolutely necessary) so unfortunately I'm afraid those two will be another case of Othello and Desdemona...
The hero is obsessed and insane and I can understand he can be fascinating, because he is a rather cold and controlled man, and seeing him lose all his self control when the heroine is around, trembling, shivering, sweating, is really beguiling (in a professional way).
A man that seems impervious to every kind of passion is a victim of an obsession that completely shatters his self control, and he hates it but can't help it.
The book has really a gothic athmosphere with its doomed characters, its lonely and cold house where the heroine was forced to live- alone- all day, waiting for the hero to come every night after work. Then the threats, the savage and brutal sex, there's not a moment of peace here, not a smile at all between these two.
As you can tell, I enjoyed it very very much.
First: the style is excellent. I'm sorry for present writers, but those were the writers, artists that didn't write what their publishers wanted or their readers expected, but what was in their minds and in their hearts. They followed their flair, and you can see the result.
No boring moments here, you have to read it all at once.
Second: the angst. I really had to stop it sometime because of the very high angst level.
Third: A wonderful description of a man obsessed and with delusional jealousy.
Fourth, and for this one I'm very grateful: a heroine which for once is attracted to OM, for real, and doesn't sacrifice herself on the shrine of a hurtful and bastard sob of a hero but tries to go on. And this happens in the 80s.
Ok, I'm so fully satisfied.
Careful, it is so not politically correct and has so many triggers that if you are not confortable with rape, manhandling, slut-shaming, threats, obsessive jealousy, physical and psychological abuses, you'd better leave it.
Their marriage is really a mistake, the heroine is a would be actress, flighty and sparkling, and her friends are just like her, the hero is a serious and brooding solicitor, who as soon as they are married tries to separate her from her previous life and friends, isolating her while he works all day long.
He also refuses to have children, and when she stops the pill and gets pregnant (on purpose) he's mad at her.
But then tragedy strikes and, some days after their quarrel, she loses her child and blames him for it, refusing to sleep with him.
Ok, I have to admit I'm not fond of deceiving people, and this heroine deceived her husband when she decided to have a child, knowing he didn't want.
A child is something both parents must want, and in this case it was not an accident, it was deliberate deception.
So I couldn't sympathize with the heroine here.
The hero was not a lord in his reaction to her pregnancy, anyway.
So after 6 months the heroine is depressed and going out for shopping when she meets one of her former friends, who, after listening to her issues, persuades her to have a total make over, with new dress, new hairstyle, and to go to her husband and have a serious talk.
The description of her depression is also very accurate: she can't sleep, she can't enjoy anything, she doesn't take care of herself and of her looks, she doesn't even go out and doesn't want to see anyone. Very good psychological insight here, indeed.
Then she goes to her husband's office to talk to him and she sees- unseen- him talking (and not only) to one of his colleagues, a young solicitor, and thinks he wants a divorce and is in love with this woman.
Her reaction to this scene is very graphic and angsty, and we understand that, even if she's very angry with him and they have several unresolved issues, she still loves him very much.
Beautiful scene.
Then enter OM, a former colleague and friend of heroine, who is obsviously in love with her and there's the beginning of another misunderstanding because she decides to sleep to her friend (a girlfriend) and the morning after the hero finds her with the OM and thinks the worst of her.
We have then:
- death threats
-manhandling
-rape
-heroine who finds herself attracted to om
-other threats
-slaps
-rape, again
-unexpected pregnancy
-separation
-om talks to H and all is well in the end
Ok, the end is the reason why I gave 4 stars and not 5.
In the end the hero understands he's been over reacting and insanely jealous, and he wants their child and all is well, but I don't believe for a second that he won't behave in the same way in the future.
He repeatedly threatened the heroine and told her that he was afraid that he could kill her, and his behaviour where the heroine is concerned is really insane (he even admits it himself), he couldn't control his jealousy and his anger and I don't think he had therapy (which should be absolutely necessary) so unfortunately I'm afraid those two will be another case of Othello and Desdemona...
The hero is obsessed and insane and I can understand he can be fascinating, because he is a rather cold and controlled man, and seeing him lose all his self control when the heroine is around, trembling, shivering, sweating, is really beguiling (in a professional way).
A man that seems impervious to every kind of passion is a victim of an obsession that completely shatters his self control, and he hates it but can't help it.
The book has really a gothic athmosphere with its doomed characters, its lonely and cold house where the heroine was forced to live- alone- all day, waiting for the hero to come every night after work. Then the threats, the savage and brutal sex, there's not a moment of peace here, not a smile at all between these two.
As you can tell, I enjoyed it very very much.
April 3, 2021
Holy cow! Tropetastic!
1. Marriage in trouble
2. Miscarriage as a plot device
3. Cheating
4. Age gap
5. Lunatic jealous/possessive hero
6. Dub-con/Non-con
7. Love triangle
Not safe!!
Neither actually cheat, but lots of jealous moments.
1. Marriage in trouble
2. Miscarriage as a plot device
3. Cheating
4. Age gap
5. Lunatic jealous/possessive hero
6. Dub-con/Non-con
7. Love triangle
Not safe!!
Neither actually cheat, but lots of jealous moments.
November 20, 2014
One of the better vintage Harlequins that I've read. At time I thought the heroine would end up with Jake (the other man), but James (her husband) had gray eyes and everyone knows that Charlotte Lamb heroines always love gray-eyed men. The heroine didn't think the hero loved her, but really he acted indifferent to hide his intense, possessive love of her. When Jake came along, she finally gave him something to be jealous and possessive about!
June 15, 2013
This Hero, he is an intelectual? Looking down at others. He is a lawyer, he should be for Justice. Incongruous!!!
Heroine would have fared better with Jake not James!!!
An angsty interesting read, but I cannot give it 5 stars, only 3, as just acceptable "good" read.
Heroine would have fared better with Jake not James!!!
An angsty interesting read, but I cannot give it 5 stars, only 3, as just acceptable "good" read.
June 3, 2020
Ever wonder what happens after the innocent heroine and super-possessive alpha hero reach the HEA and marry? CL does an excellent exploration of this trope in Dark Dominion.
CL does a wonderful job of exploring jealousy and possessiveness here in a very real world way. I am not always a fan of her real-world intrusions into the idealized HP world, but in this book it works wonderfully well. She really broke the mold with a lot of her Harleys, and this is one of my faves by her.
CL does a wonderful job of exploring jealousy and possessiveness here in a very real world way. I am not always a fan of her real-world intrusions into the idealized HP world, but in this book it works wonderfully well. She really broke the mold with a lot of her Harleys, and this is one of my faves by her.
April 13, 2021
Not for me. There’s a reason why I don’t enjoy books on actors and celebrities or models and such. I really cannot put up with their psycho personalities. To me every female is placated and demure as default in a book that I actually would give my time to. I totally cannot fathom with women who are selfish and vindictive and get the highs out of using men. Not in a book at the least.
There are some excellent reviews on it from my friends. To each his own. I absolutely hated Caro. She ruined a friendship, then she ruined her marriage and later she couldn’t choose between her marriage or her life as a theatre actress.
The H was an older brooding mature alpha who needed to put his foot down. I don’t think he has chemistry with the h beyond their physical attraction. A real man does NOT allow his wife to play trollop with another man. The OM was hateful except he seemed to have more chemistry with the h. At least there was conversation between them. With the h and H, there were just brooding silences and misunderstandings.
The h while she’s married makes out with her bff (OM) and also fesses up that she really can’t pick between sleeping with the husband or the bff. That’s it. There is no forgiving for that.
There are some excellent reviews on it from my friends. To each his own. I absolutely hated Caro. She ruined a friendship, then she ruined her marriage and later she couldn’t choose between her marriage or her life as a theatre actress.
The H was an older brooding mature alpha who needed to put his foot down. I don’t think he has chemistry with the h beyond their physical attraction. A real man does NOT allow his wife to play trollop with another man. The OM was hateful except he seemed to have more chemistry with the h. At least there was conversation between them. With the h and H, there were just brooding silences and misunderstandings.
The h while she’s married makes out with her bff (OM) and also fesses up that she really can’t pick between sleeping with the husband or the bff. That’s it. There is no forgiving for that.
March 4, 2024
I must say that it surprised me she didn't mention what she saw in his office. I think he cheated emotionally at the least. I wouldn't have taken the word of the OW! Just stupid. And I really didn't like this book. It just was dark, he was physically and mentally abusive. She was an idiot and the whole Jake situation just pissed me off. She was like oh I love these kisses and then oh I lobe my husband, oh I want Jake no I want.... I hated being in her mind. I can't say I liked the hero and I didn't really like the h either. It was just not for me. I hate that she almost cheated but I also hated that he really raped her too. Just jealousy all over the place. Not a great review I know but the book totally annoyed me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2021
Too realistic but loved the angst and the masochist h!
January 31, 2012
This is one of my favorites It has the elements that are expected in an HP. A stuffed shirt who is a barrister and very jealous of his young, artsy wife who is his opposite means fireworks and a lot of misunderstandings. The marriage was not a solid one and when Caroline lost her baby the marriage hit bottom. She became depressed and very lonely and he was not very sympathetic or understanding. Throw in the other woman and the other man you have much tension and a lot of passion of sorts with the husband hanging around though he gives the impression that he wants the marriage to end.
There are so many twists and turns and so much talk about divorce by both the H and h and a lot of leaving and returning, it is enough to give up on these two. CHeating seems to be on the scene which in this case does not turn me off. I have reread this book many times and for some weird reason I like it. There is a sequel A Secret Intimacy that tells Jake' story.
There are so many twists and turns and so much talk about divorce by both the H and h and a lot of leaving and returning, it is enough to give up on these two. CHeating seems to be on the scene which in this case does not turn me off. I have reread this book many times and for some weird reason I like it. There is a sequel A Secret Intimacy that tells Jake' story.
June 29, 2024
3.5 for the writing, rounded up to 4. Charlotte Lamb is excellent as always, her writing flows beautifully and she keeps you reading. Quite insightful too, frightfully so.
That said… the heroine didn’t really need a child. She has a tantrum throwing, single brain cell toddler already. I did not like James at all. He’s a complete moron. And I really enjoy CL for the over the top WTFery that makes me laugh but this one somehow didn’t make me laugh. I hated James. I wished this book was written about how she dumped the idiot and found a better guy. Can’t say Jake swept me off my feet either.
And even though I was glad the heroine developed a backbone -of sorts- “James needs me and can’t live without me” doesn’t sell me on James. James needs a therapist and to start acting like an adult.
Rant over.
Urgh! James! Bleh!
That said… the heroine didn’t really need a child. She has a tantrum throwing, single brain cell toddler already. I did not like James at all. He’s a complete moron. And I really enjoy CL for the over the top WTFery that makes me laugh but this one somehow didn’t make me laugh. I hated James. I wished this book was written about how she dumped the idiot and found a better guy. Can’t say Jake swept me off my feet either.
And even though I was glad the heroine developed a backbone -of sorts- “James needs me and can’t live without me” doesn’t sell me on James. James needs a therapist and to start acting like an adult.
Rant over.
Urgh! James! Bleh!
May 24, 2025
It was good. Loved James’ possessiveness !!! FMC was cute
September 23, 2015
3.5 stars.
This rant may contain spoilers.
I wish there was a warning that things turned rapey. Not just once but twice. And the way the heroine react to the second rapey act was disheartening.
The first one, she got angry and distance herself from the hero. Good for her. But then the hero did that again, plus some slapping, and she forgave him! What? He even knew what he did was wrong and he want to separate himself from her afraid that he might hurt her more but she said it's okay blablabla...I kind if lost interest then but I'm curious how things ended. It's HEA of course, he suddenly overcome his jealousy and possessiveness because the other man called him? After the heroine try to convince him that she loved him and never had an affair with this other man and he didn't believe her, but a phone call from him made the hero saw the light? It would've been more satisfying if the hero go see a therapist to deal with his problems.
It's too bad, because at the beginning I like how this book portrayed the reality of a relationship.
This rant may contain spoilers.
I wish there was a warning that things turned rapey. Not just once but twice. And the way the heroine react to the second rapey act was disheartening.
The first one, she got angry and distance herself from the hero. Good for her. But then the hero did that again, plus some slapping, and she forgave him! What? He even knew what he did was wrong and he want to separate himself from her afraid that he might hurt her more but she said it's okay blablabla...I kind if lost interest then but I'm curious how things ended. It's HEA of course, he suddenly overcome his jealousy and possessiveness because the other man called him? After the heroine try to convince him that she loved him and never had an affair with this other man and he didn't believe her, but a phone call from him made the hero saw the light? It would've been more satisfying if the hero go see a therapist to deal with his problems.
It's too bad, because at the beginning I like how this book portrayed the reality of a relationship.
February 10, 2014
don't care about the hero and heroine. they both are unlikable. it's a wonder they could make a couple.
there's a little bit cheating heroine too. just not my thing.
there's a little bit cheating heroine too. just not my thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2021
Oh boy, where should I start... I loved it.
Dark Dominion is old school and I am sure multiple people would be triggered by the tone, the toxic relationship and the slight cheating going on, but I ate the whole thing up with a silver spoon and even licked the crumbs off.
It is not the old school of too many purple prose, big penises and innocent heroines. In the beginning we fall into the deterioration of a marriage after tragedy stuck. It is heavy and Caroline, the heroine is severely depressed. Her marriage separated her from the world she knew, James made sure of that.
As Caroline comes out of her depression and gets into the dynamics with her two friends from theatre school, the real drama begins. She navigates her marriage, a newfound attraction and the expectation people who knew her before her marriage and of course, her husband. She is a surprisingly astute heroine of her genre. The relationships she has with both her husband and her friends are all driven by the ideas the others have of her, which was interesting to watch.
I have to say, I rooted for the husband. He is a lovable psycho and I will always be on the side of a quiet older man lawyer with violent tendencies.
I also would like to highlight that in this one the rape done by the hero is addressed and not glossed over. There is discussion about it and the shift in the relationship afterwards is fascinating to watch.
All in all, I loved the edgy madness of Dark Dominion. And I regret nothing.
Dark Dominion is old school and I am sure multiple people would be triggered by the tone, the toxic relationship and the slight cheating going on, but I ate the whole thing up with a silver spoon and even licked the crumbs off.
It is not the old school of too many purple prose, big penises and innocent heroines. In the beginning we fall into the deterioration of a marriage after tragedy stuck. It is heavy and Caroline, the heroine is severely depressed. Her marriage separated her from the world she knew, James made sure of that.
As Caroline comes out of her depression and gets into the dynamics with her two friends from theatre school, the real drama begins. She navigates her marriage, a newfound attraction and the expectation people who knew her before her marriage and of course, her husband. She is a surprisingly astute heroine of her genre. The relationships she has with both her husband and her friends are all driven by the ideas the others have of her, which was interesting to watch.
I have to say, I rooted for the husband. He is a lovable psycho and I will always be on the side of a quiet older man lawyer with violent tendencies.
I also would like to highlight that in this one the rape done by the hero is addressed and not glossed over. There is discussion about it and the shift in the relationship afterwards is fascinating to watch.
All in all, I loved the edgy madness of Dark Dominion. And I regret nothing.
August 16, 2012
as much as i enjoy reading about a jealous possessive hero, this one was wayyy over the top
hero was so jealous that he didn't want to have a baby, just so he could have all of the heroine's attention
he wanted her to cut off all relations to her friends
and as a running vein throughout the entire story, he kept saying he loved her so much that he would kill her one day (seriously?!)
AND the final straw was when H was so rough with the h that he caused bruises
he is a 'dark dominion' indeed
but just not for me
hero was so jealous that he didn't want to have a baby, just so he could have all of the heroine's attention
he wanted her to cut off all relations to her friends
and as a running vein throughout the entire story, he kept saying he loved her so much that he would kill her one day (seriously?!)
AND the final straw was when H was so rough with the h that he caused bruises
he is a 'dark dominion' indeed
but just not for me
January 29, 2016
I didn't like the hero because he was abusive said he'd kill her a couple of times and I didn't like the heroine because after two years of marriage you should know who and what you want.
sooooo its a no go for me .....and I usually like a dominant male in my romances but not one that hits and leaves bruises.....those guys belong in jail and they did in 1979 too....just sayin.
AND ...he's a lawyer who want to be a judge....like did I fall down a rabbit hole ?
sooooo its a no go for me .....and I usually like a dominant male in my romances but not one that hits and leaves bruises.....those guys belong in jail and they did in 1979 too....just sayin.
AND ...he's a lawyer who want to be a judge....like did I fall down a rabbit hole ?
October 15, 2021
Good. Disturbing in parts, rather pointless in other parts. But nevertheless, good.
2 domineering men in the life of a puny female lead - a husband and a best buddy. Both torture her with their possessiveness and jealous rants. If you are ok with this sort of a moral dilemma for a married woman, go on and read the book. You will actually like it.
But if you find the concept of a married heroine considering an affair with her best buddy, just to get him out of her system, then you might as well close the book and pick another.
No, she doesn't actually DO IT with the OM, ever. That's forbidden territory in HP land you see ;)
But she thinks about it a lot. And finally settles for the bully hero. Once she realises her fears about the hero cheating on her are unfounded, that's enough for her to turn back from the wildly sexy , popular stage actor OM !!
Not that the hero is blemishless. He is aggressive, physically brutal , sexually dominating and simply retreats into smouldering silences when questioned about his excessive fears about losing the girl.
He does make a strong pitch for himself by declaring that he can't imagine life without the girl. He needs her for his survival, and such. But in the story, the heroine spends an awful amount of time away from him and their marriage.
She tries to rebuild her stage career after walking out, does cozy romantic scenes with the OM, moves in with a girl friend also from the stage. And all that the hero does in this period is fume and fret.
The only stand out aspect of the story is the deeper, subtler aspect of a woman's choice of men. Is it possible to eliminate all the male acquaintances in one's life just because the husband is jealous? On the other hand, if a married woman does really have a serious male admirer, what should be her approach to the situation?
In the end, the hero does manage to come to terms with the OM, as both men realise that their objective is common. They both want the girl to be happy !! And a new born daughter seals the deal :))
Ok read, somewhat thought provoking. But not sufficiently about love or romance, more about needs and desires.
2 domineering men in the life of a puny female lead - a husband and a best buddy. Both torture her with their possessiveness and jealous rants. If you are ok with this sort of a moral dilemma for a married woman, go on and read the book. You will actually like it.
But if you find the concept of a married heroine considering an affair with her best buddy, just to get him out of her system, then you might as well close the book and pick another.
No, she doesn't actually DO IT with the OM, ever. That's forbidden territory in HP land you see ;)
But she thinks about it a lot. And finally settles for the bully hero. Once she realises her fears about the hero cheating on her are unfounded, that's enough for her to turn back from the wildly sexy , popular stage actor OM !!
Not that the hero is blemishless. He is aggressive, physically brutal , sexually dominating and simply retreats into smouldering silences when questioned about his excessive fears about losing the girl.
He does make a strong pitch for himself by declaring that he can't imagine life without the girl. He needs her for his survival, and such. But in the story, the heroine spends an awful amount of time away from him and their marriage.
She tries to rebuild her stage career after walking out, does cozy romantic scenes with the OM, moves in with a girl friend also from the stage. And all that the hero does in this period is fume and fret.
The only stand out aspect of the story is the deeper, subtler aspect of a woman's choice of men. Is it possible to eliminate all the male acquaintances in one's life just because the husband is jealous? On the other hand, if a married woman does really have a serious male admirer, what should be her approach to the situation?
In the end, the hero does manage to come to terms with the OM, as both men realise that their objective is common. They both want the girl to be happy !! And a new born daughter seals the deal :))
Ok read, somewhat thought provoking. But not sufficiently about love or romance, more about needs and desires.
November 12, 2019
This was one HP that actually made me doubt if the heroine was going to end up with the guy on the cover or if Charlotte Lamb was going to pull a fast one on me and have her end up with the other guy. Hah, no chance. James Fox, the “hero” has gray eyes and Charlotte Lamb fans know the author loooooves gray-eyed heroes. Other than this book, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered an HP since where the heroine actively desired someone else and told the hero “I want you both” to his face. This is a real love triangle, y’all.
Caroline and James Fox, an up and coming barrister, have been married for two years and they’re both miserable, living without sex and affection and barely talking. When Caroline first met James, she was an actress in London and was cheerful, happy, and outgoing, but James didn’t like her outlandish theater friends and he slowly cuts her off from them, refusing to go to their parties, and Caroline stops acting, too, because James didn’t really think much of her profession. She devotes everything to James and ends up getting pregnant, but then she miscarries and she and James continue to drift apart from each other, until one day they both look up and discover they’re strangers. James accuses her of moping around like a ghost and demands that she go to London to get herself new clothes. Something awakes inside of Caroline and she goes to take a bus to London where she gets a makeover and by chance, bumps into her old actress mate, Maggie, with whom she used to live in London. Maggie is throwing a party and wants Caroline to attend, but Caroline wants James to go too, so she tells Maggie she’s going to go to James’ office to invite him because she couldn’t contact him via phone. Uh-oh. Standing outside James’ office, Caroline overhears James—regularly so cool, unemotional, and unattached—practically in tears and sounding so tortured, telling another woman that he’s unhappy in his marriage and he can’t take it anymore. Naturally, Caroline assumes James is having an affair with this woman and takes off back to Maggie’s house, where her good friend Jake Redway, a very sexy and successful actor is waiting for her to come back with open arms.
That night, Caroline doesn’t come home and doesn’t tell James where she went, so he freaks out and acts like an all around jealous and crazy fool, accusing her of being a whore and just totally loses his shit. They go back to their place together and do it violently—James slaps Caroline, but the passion engulfs them both and they get carried away. James is disgusted with himself for treating Caroline so roughly, but Caroline admits that she enjoys his passion and the way he makes love to her. James tells her he is obsessed with her in an unhealthy way and that he doesn’t want to share her with anyone, not even a baby. James and Caroline separate with Caroline moving in with Maggie, where Jake hangs around a lot, and Caroline realizes she has feelings for him, too, and may have always had feelings for him that she never acknowledged in the past.
As it turns out, Jake wrote her a letter on the day she got married to James, which James never gave her because Jake had confessed his feelings to Caroline. Caroline and Jake start hanging around together and she enjoys his kisses, but they just don’t have the dark edge that James’ kisses and embrace do. When James confronts Caroline and tells her to choose between him and Jake, Caroline tells him she doesn’t know because she wants them both. Caroline tells James she doesn’t want the life she had with him anymore because she was dying in it. She hates their drab, gray house and wants to move to London to start up her acting career again. James hates this, of course, because he wants to keep Caroline to himself and he doesn’t want her changing and finding herself or whatever, but he knows he must evolve with her or he would risk losing her forever.
James Fox is a hard hero to like. He’s arrogant, cold, and rude. He’s extremely possessive of Caroline and suspicious of her activities, always accusing her of one thing or another without much evidence. He tells Caroline he didn’t want to have kids because that meant he would have to share her with a baby. He couldn’t even grieve with her when she miscarries the baby because he didn’t know how. James is also slap-happy. He slaps Caroline a couple of times at least in this book and that’s a NO-NO. Jake Redway, the other guy, isn’t much of a prize, either. He wants Caroline to start a sexual affair with him, even though she’s not ready for it because she’s still married to James and her mind and emotions are just a mess. He’s insistent that Caroline must want him because she responds to his kisses, so he begins to pressure her to have a relationship with him.
Poor Caroline doesn’t know her own mind. When she first met James, she was knocked out for a loop because she’d never met anyone like him before. He’s completely different from all of her friends and on paper, they don’t seem to have a lot in common, but as soon as James touches her, she’s on fire. That’s why when he proposes to her within weeks of knowing him, she says yes and jumps right into marriage because she was so crazy about him, but now she thinks maybe she shouldn’t have been so hasty because she really loves the theater and her friends and James made her quit all of that. James doesn’t want a family. James has issues. James is a gloomy puss. Meanwhile, James is realizing he cannot really keep Caroline to himself and was wrong to make her give up her passion, so he compromises, even though he hates it and hates even more than this Jake Redway character is still hanging around.
This was a hard HP to read, especially because of all the physical abuse. James is very rough with Caroline and even though she tells him she likes it, there’s no arguing that he’s actually slapping her around in anger and calling her terrible names. They also spend an awful lot of time apart, with Caroline trying to get her acting career started up in London again and hanging out with Jake. I found myself skimming through the pages where James and Caroline weren’t together because the pages only really came alive again when the book was about them. Anyway, it was nice to read about a heroine with a passion outside of the hero, but I wish Caroline had been a stronger character and didn’t have such a wishy-washy personality. A lot of the book dawdles because Caroline just can’t make up her mind about stuff and James is off somewhere else, brooding, and not being with Caroline. It’s a vintage Charlotte Lamb, so it’s still worth a read for that, but if you want to swoon over the magical love of the hero and the heroine, this book ain’t it. Even at the end, I wasn’t convinced that these two would keep their HEA going long after the last page.
Caroline and James Fox, an up and coming barrister, have been married for two years and they’re both miserable, living without sex and affection and barely talking. When Caroline first met James, she was an actress in London and was cheerful, happy, and outgoing, but James didn’t like her outlandish theater friends and he slowly cuts her off from them, refusing to go to their parties, and Caroline stops acting, too, because James didn’t really think much of her profession. She devotes everything to James and ends up getting pregnant, but then she miscarries and she and James continue to drift apart from each other, until one day they both look up and discover they’re strangers. James accuses her of moping around like a ghost and demands that she go to London to get herself new clothes. Something awakes inside of Caroline and she goes to take a bus to London where she gets a makeover and by chance, bumps into her old actress mate, Maggie, with whom she used to live in London. Maggie is throwing a party and wants Caroline to attend, but Caroline wants James to go too, so she tells Maggie she’s going to go to James’ office to invite him because she couldn’t contact him via phone. Uh-oh. Standing outside James’ office, Caroline overhears James—regularly so cool, unemotional, and unattached—practically in tears and sounding so tortured, telling another woman that he’s unhappy in his marriage and he can’t take it anymore. Naturally, Caroline assumes James is having an affair with this woman and takes off back to Maggie’s house, where her good friend Jake Redway, a very sexy and successful actor is waiting for her to come back with open arms.
That night, Caroline doesn’t come home and doesn’t tell James where she went, so he freaks out and acts like an all around jealous and crazy fool, accusing her of being a whore and just totally loses his shit. They go back to their place together and do it violently—James slaps Caroline, but the passion engulfs them both and they get carried away. James is disgusted with himself for treating Caroline so roughly, but Caroline admits that she enjoys his passion and the way he makes love to her. James tells her he is obsessed with her in an unhealthy way and that he doesn’t want to share her with anyone, not even a baby. James and Caroline separate with Caroline moving in with Maggie, where Jake hangs around a lot, and Caroline realizes she has feelings for him, too, and may have always had feelings for him that she never acknowledged in the past.
As it turns out, Jake wrote her a letter on the day she got married to James, which James never gave her because Jake had confessed his feelings to Caroline. Caroline and Jake start hanging around together and she enjoys his kisses, but they just don’t have the dark edge that James’ kisses and embrace do. When James confronts Caroline and tells her to choose between him and Jake, Caroline tells him she doesn’t know because she wants them both. Caroline tells James she doesn’t want the life she had with him anymore because she was dying in it. She hates their drab, gray house and wants to move to London to start up her acting career again. James hates this, of course, because he wants to keep Caroline to himself and he doesn’t want her changing and finding herself or whatever, but he knows he must evolve with her or he would risk losing her forever.
James Fox is a hard hero to like. He’s arrogant, cold, and rude. He’s extremely possessive of Caroline and suspicious of her activities, always accusing her of one thing or another without much evidence. He tells Caroline he didn’t want to have kids because that meant he would have to share her with a baby. He couldn’t even grieve with her when she miscarries the baby because he didn’t know how. James is also slap-happy. He slaps Caroline a couple of times at least in this book and that’s a NO-NO. Jake Redway, the other guy, isn’t much of a prize, either. He wants Caroline to start a sexual affair with him, even though she’s not ready for it because she’s still married to James and her mind and emotions are just a mess. He’s insistent that Caroline must want him because she responds to his kisses, so he begins to pressure her to have a relationship with him.
Poor Caroline doesn’t know her own mind. When she first met James, she was knocked out for a loop because she’d never met anyone like him before. He’s completely different from all of her friends and on paper, they don’t seem to have a lot in common, but as soon as James touches her, she’s on fire. That’s why when he proposes to her within weeks of knowing him, she says yes and jumps right into marriage because she was so crazy about him, but now she thinks maybe she shouldn’t have been so hasty because she really loves the theater and her friends and James made her quit all of that. James doesn’t want a family. James has issues. James is a gloomy puss. Meanwhile, James is realizing he cannot really keep Caroline to himself and was wrong to make her give up her passion, so he compromises, even though he hates it and hates even more than this Jake Redway character is still hanging around.
This was a hard HP to read, especially because of all the physical abuse. James is very rough with Caroline and even though she tells him she likes it, there’s no arguing that he’s actually slapping her around in anger and calling her terrible names. They also spend an awful lot of time apart, with Caroline trying to get her acting career started up in London again and hanging out with Jake. I found myself skimming through the pages where James and Caroline weren’t together because the pages only really came alive again when the book was about them. Anyway, it was nice to read about a heroine with a passion outside of the hero, but I wish Caroline had been a stronger character and didn’t have such a wishy-washy personality. A lot of the book dawdles because Caroline just can’t make up her mind about stuff and James is off somewhere else, brooding, and not being with Caroline. It’s a vintage Charlotte Lamb, so it’s still worth a read for that, but if you want to swoon over the magical love of the hero and the heroine, this book ain’t it. Even at the end, I wasn’t convinced that these two would keep their HEA going long after the last page.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews