Review: Her Dark Baron

Scottish marauders, incensed at England's King Charles I and emboldened after achieving the upper hand in the Bishop's War of 1640, wreak havoc on the inhabitants of Northumberland, England, and Lady Mariel Hayes finds herself at the mercy of the land hungry Baron Harold Flanders after her father is killed in a border raid. Powerless to save herself from being forced to wed the vile Flanders, Mariel prays for divine intervention. But when her salvation comes, it proves more terrifying than comforting as Mariel learns that by order of the crown, she is to wed the dark and mysterious Baron Gervace Daltry, known far and wide as the Hound of Hell.

Mariel seeks to accept this new life with her dark Baron, a man whose secrets haunt her even as his touch inflames her body. But before her mind can reconcile the sinner she knows him to be with the seductive lover she willingly surrenders to, Mariel must confront the fears that whisper to her, as evidence mounts that her life may soon be forfeit, and decide whether to trust the man she begins to love, or betray the man rumored to be the Devil's instrument of destruction.

Again, my lack of romance oriented experience sent me into the book with a degree of built in bias. I was expecting a long, drawn out, over exaggerated love story. In my mind, on the off chance there would be any plot it would have been lost among all of the mushy sex stuff.

However, I was incredibly wrong in my preconceptions. Her Dark Baron was much more than just mushy sex stuff. Yes, there were sex scenes and yes they were very good (style points for Nadja on execution), but there was also character depth and a visible plot.

The pacing was also a perfect fit. When I first picked up the book I kind of looked at it like "who writes a book this short anymore?" It was like a midget in giant land, but it truly is quality over quantity. Her Dark Baron might have been short compared to other books, but for this story the length was just right. There was plenty of room for detailed explanations, a leisurely pace, and , and any longer and the story would have started to drag, boring the reader.

Yet again, I also enjoyed the little details that Nadja wove into the story. It's those little things that really sold the story for me.


-Aaron