A DARK LOVE

Author: Margaret Carroll ISBN: 9780061652783 9/2009 CONTEMPORARY SUSPENSE Publisher: AVON

Only Caroline knows the truth about her husband, the brilliant psychoanalyst whose list of patients includes some of Washington, D.C.'s, most celebrated. Caroline has seen the darkest side of this cruel, controlling psychopath who watches her every move. With only a few precious minutes allotted to her, escape is now or never. Caroline must run for her life . . . as far and fast as she can. But even two thousand miles isn't far enough. A new identity, new town, and new love—rugged pro-footballer-turned-outdoorsman Ken Kincaid—won't protect her. Because Caroline knows Porter will never stop until he's hunted her down. And there will be a reckoning . . .

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Margaret Carroll writes a great romantic suspense with A DARK LOVE.  From the first page, I was completely taken in by the plight of this woman who was so horribly abused by her psychotic husband.  She is terrified, and yet strong enough to stash money for months and then completely change her entire identity and  look, and even her dog’s name to get out of Dodge.  The first few chapters of the book I was on pins and needles, scared her crazy husband was going to find her! 

Caroline runs clear across the country and moves into the mountains of Colorado to escape her husband, always knowing in the back of her mind that this will not be her last stop.  One day he will find her, and when he does, he will kill her.  Even finding a new love interest and making new friends doesn't stop the thoughts and fears that plague Caroline.  She knows she will never be safe as long as Porter still breathes. 

I only had two beefs with this story.  My first being that there were so many downright weird, creepy things that happened between Caroline and Porter when they were first dating (literally the FIRST date) and the beginning of their marriage, I was a little confused as to why any woman would waste her time on a man who seems emotionally unstable on the very first date.  I think that would be a red flag and a good reason for any woman to walk.   The book does explain a little bit about Caroline wanting to help him and her feeling bad for him, but not enough to help me understand why she would even date him in the first place, so it was a little bit frustrating.  I mean, but honestly, we needed a villain to make this storyline work, and Porter is the PERFECT villain so I wasn’t frustrated for too long. 

Secondly, while I loved Ken's role in Caroline's reinvention, I was a little put off by the fact that after having traveled 2000 miles in constant fear for her life from the lunatic she has been married to and abused by for years, she would immediately be attracted to Ken.  I would have liked to see their relationship grow a little slower than it did, just out of respect to Caroline's own mental and emotional issues related to her abusive husband.

Margaret Carroll is a wonderful writer; this storyline flows beautifully, and her characters are very well developed.  I liked the idea of the ex-sports-star turned fishing guide that instantly appealed to Caroline because he was so much different from the awful man Caroline had married—he was almost like a part of her reinvention. 

All in all, A DARK LOVE is a very good book with nice, solid writing.  If you can overlook two minor (IMO) issues that I had with the book, then this is the perfect book to settle down with for an evening of interesting reading. 

Kristal Gorman