Dark Desires: a gothic romance with a mysterious twist

Dark Desires by Eve Silver is a gothic romance set in London in 1828. Darcie Finch is alone in the Whitechapel area of London as she runs from a dangerous situation in search of somewhere safe. Her sister directs to find Dr. Damien Cole and seek employment in his household as a maid. Darcie is warned to keep her nose out of the doctor’s secrets. She is hired and quickly hears about the mysteries surrounding the doctor. A maid that suddenly left without a word. The doctor keeps late hours and has strange books in his study. On a whim, Darcie draws a sketch in his sketchbook and the doctor realizes her talents are needed elsewhere and she begins work as his assistant. Darcie cannot help being drawn to the handsome and mysterious Dr Cole. As word spreads of horrific murders in the Whitechapel area, Darcie fears her employer could be involved. While her head cannot help but notice the strange coincidences between the murders and the doctor’s late-night activities, her heart tells her something different. Will she follow her head or her heart? Will the mysterious murderer be uncovered?

Dark Desires started slow but once the mystery gets going, it draws you in and becomes an exciting page-turner. I loved the dark and brooding Dr Cole who is haunted by his secrets and Darcie who kept help but try to help him through his pain. While I figured out some of the mysteries, the reveal why still surprising especially Dr Cole’s reasons for his strange behaviors. If you like dark, gothic romance and mysteries, you may enjoy Dark Desires. It is the first book in the Dark Gothic series. I look forward to continuing the series in the future.

Dark Desires

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Neverwhere: a fantastical adventure of London Below

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is a fantastical story of an ordinary, mundane life turned upside down for an unbelievable adventure. It is the story of Richard Mayhew who works at an ordinary job, who has a pretty but overbearing fiancee and he was content. Until one evening when an act of kindness erases everything he was known. He must fight to get it back.

Richard is an ordinary guy who moves to London. The night before he leaves, he is greeted by an old woman who tell him his fortune. She tells him that he is about to begin a journey ahead of him that starts with a door. And that his good heart won’t see him safely on his journey. Dismissing this crazy woman, he leaves for London. After 3 years, he enjoys his life. During an argument with his fiancée, he sees a young girl begging for help. He stops and renders aid, despite his fiancée’s warning to stop. He learns that her name is Door and that she is being hunted by men who want to kill her. He sees her safely to her home and he soon discovers that no one remembers who he is and according to the world, he never existed. He must find a way to get his life back. He soon joins Door, The Hunter and other characters from the underworld of London in order to avenge Door’s family, stop an evil plot and get his life back.

I really enjoyed Neverwhere. It was an exciting adventure which kept my interest with its twists and turns. And just when you thought you have the plot figured out, Gaiman through a twist that you never saw coming and it grips you even more. Neverwhere is one of Neil Gaiman’s first novels. Even though I recently read it, I found it to be the same exciting story as his books. I like to see that an author’s style hasn’t weakened with time as he produces more and more books. I highly recommend Neverwhere for an adventure in a world which exists below us.