Eve Silver
Author of Dark Desires
About the Author
Series
Works by Eve Silver
Dark Gothic Boxed Set 1 4 copies
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Short biography
- National bestselling, award-winning author
Eve Silver writes dark contemporary paranormals and historical suspense. As Eve Kenin she writes speculative romance. Her work has garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Awards, and was listed by Library Journal among its Best Books 2007.
Eve holds two post-secondary degrees; she is an instructor of human anatomy and microbiology. She lives with her husband and two sons, along with an energetic Airedale terrier and an enormous rabbit.
Visit Eve's website at www.evesilver.net - Birthplace
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Associated Place (for map)
- Ontario, Canada
Members
Reviews
I really struggled with this book. I love a good gothic novel, and the idea of a naive girl becoming assistant to a doctor who may or may not be a murderer really called to me. I wanted to like it, but the further I got the more distracting the historical inaccuracies became.
Though never explicitly stated, it appears to be set in the late Victorian era, but the context of the novel - the co-existence of both police and resurrection men - means it can't be Victorian at all. It has to be some show more time between 1828 (creation of the London police) and 1832 (anatomy act that ended the need for resurrection men). If you assume this is the time period of the novel, some of the other inaccuracies (such as Darcie being shocked the doctor washes his hands and decries the four humours, or the idea women couldn't study medicine) become less glaring, but introduces other problems, like men commonly wearing trousers and the existence of the Daily Express (not printed until 1900).
On the other hand, as far as my limited knowledge extends, the biological terms seem very well researched.
Now, gothic has a long tradition of ignoring historical accuracies, and the book very carefully dodges anything that would explicitly date it like Prime Minsters or wars. If the style had worked better for me I might not have found the historical issues so distracting, but I just couldn't fully immerse myself in the novel. There were a lot of historical fiction cliches within the characterisation, and I never found Darcie as sympathetic as the plot needed me to.
I think readers who do gel with the writing style won't have nearly as many problems with this book that I had. If you like innocent heroines with tragic back stories, heroes whose pain makes them mercurial, a good dose of melodrama and care more about your biological accuracy than your historical, this book may suit you. For me, it didn't. show less
Though never explicitly stated, it appears to be set in the late Victorian era, but the context of the novel - the co-existence of both police and resurrection men - means it can't be Victorian at all. It has to be some show more time between 1828 (creation of the London police) and 1832 (anatomy act that ended the need for resurrection men). If you assume this is the time period of the novel, some of the other inaccuracies (such as Darcie being shocked the doctor washes his hands and decries the four humours, or the idea women couldn't study medicine) become less glaring, but introduces other problems, like men commonly wearing trousers and the existence of the Daily Express (not printed until 1900).
On the other hand, as far as my limited knowledge extends, the biological terms seem very well researched.
Now, gothic has a long tradition of ignoring historical accuracies, and the book very carefully dodges anything that would explicitly date it like Prime Minsters or wars. If the style had worked better for me I might not have found the historical issues so distracting, but I just couldn't fully immerse myself in the novel. There were a lot of historical fiction cliches within the characterisation, and I never found Darcie as sympathetic as the plot needed me to.
I think readers who do gel with the writing style won't have nearly as many problems with this book that I had. If you like innocent heroines with tragic back stories, heroes whose pain makes them mercurial, a good dose of melodrama and care more about your biological accuracy than your historical, this book may suit you. For me, it didn't. show less
‘Dark Desires’ by Eve Silver was my first experience with a gothic romance novel, and like a true neophyte, I was a bit worried that the story would be a too dark and gruesome for me. However, although many of the scenes were cast at night in disreputable parts of the city, with blood seeming to exude out of heavy trunks dragged in the darkness, the allusions that might evoke fear, are played out more in the imagination than in the storyline. Darcie Finch is a poor, destitute woman, show more whose sister has already fallen to the dark side of becoming the madam at a house of prostitution. The only way that she can help her sister is by sending her to Dr. Damien Cole where she secures employment as his assistant in drawing up sketches of cadavers for medical study. Although Damien conducts himself with the utmost courtesy, Darcie fears that he might be a murderer when allegations begin to be pointed in his direction. The story is fast-paced and engaging, although it is slightly predictable. Nevertheless, I was entranced with this gothic romance drama, and it was an enjoyable first novel of 2018. show less
I am not sure why, but I have decided to read Eve Silver's Dark Gothic series backwards, starting with number five. I've had some of them on my TBR pile for nearly ten years. Time to jump in!
I love Gothic romances, this one being set in Regency England. Ooo, and it was dark. Gruesome even, with a sick and twisted killer on the loose. Catherine, the heroine, is summoned to Cairncroft Abbey to care for her ailing childhood friend, Madeline. Poor Catherine brought some very heavy emotional show more baggage with her. Madeline's cousin, Gabriel, is lord of the manor, and the two have an uneasy relationship. Catherine soon finds out that mysterious Gabriel is just as damaged as she, but that doesn't stop her obsession with him.
I enjoyed this book very much. The writing was smart with sophisticated language, and I loved how everything came full-circle, from the unnerving opening scene to the exciting ending. Woven into the plot were many twists, surprising revelations, and red herrings that kept things interesting. What else to say, other than I'm looking forward to reading the previous books in this series. show less
I love Gothic romances, this one being set in Regency England. Ooo, and it was dark. Gruesome even, with a sick and twisted killer on the loose. Catherine, the heroine, is summoned to Cairncroft Abbey to care for her ailing childhood friend, Madeline. Poor Catherine brought some very heavy emotional show more baggage with her. Madeline's cousin, Gabriel, is lord of the manor, and the two have an uneasy relationship. Catherine soon finds out that mysterious Gabriel is just as damaged as she, but that doesn't stop her obsession with him.
I enjoyed this book very much. The writing was smart with sophisticated language, and I loved how everything came full-circle, from the unnerving opening scene to the exciting ending. Woven into the plot were many twists, surprising revelations, and red herrings that kept things interesting. What else to say, other than I'm looking forward to reading the previous books in this series. show less
His Dark Kiss
4 Stars
The Jane Eyre-like overtones in this book are striking. Similar to Jane, Emma Parrish is a young, unloved orphan who travels to the wilds of Wales to take up the position of governess to a small motherless boy. She becomes caught up in the mysteries of the dilapidated castle and its enigmatic yet seductive master, Lord Anthony Craven.
A wonderfully atmospheric gothic romance highly recommended for lovers of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece.
Although not as amoral as Edward show more Rochester, Anthony Craven is the epitome of the dark, moody and arrogant Byronic hero. The sexual chemistry he shares with Emma is palpable and their scenes together are intimate and intense.
Emma is endearing and her love for Craven's sweet son, Nicholas, is heartwarming. The main problem is her skittish nature and tendency to faint at the slightest provocation. My preference is for heroines with more backbone.
The mystery is intriguing with a very well written red-herring and a surprising twist at the end. The identity of the culprit caught me completely by surprise.
All in all, a quick and engaging romance. show less
4 Stars
The Jane Eyre-like overtones in this book are striking. Similar to Jane, Emma Parrish is a young, unloved orphan who travels to the wilds of Wales to take up the position of governess to a small motherless boy. She becomes caught up in the mysteries of the dilapidated castle and its enigmatic yet seductive master, Lord Anthony Craven.
A wonderfully atmospheric gothic romance highly recommended for lovers of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece.
Although not as amoral as Edward show more Rochester, Anthony Craven is the epitome of the dark, moody and arrogant Byronic hero. The sexual chemistry he shares with Emma is palpable and their scenes together are intimate and intense.
Emma is endearing and her love for Craven's sweet son, Nicholas, is heartwarming. The main problem is her skittish nature and tendency to faint at the slightest provocation. My preference is for heroines with more backbone.
The mystery is intriguing with a very well written red-herring and a surprising twist at the end. The identity of the culprit caught me completely by surprise.
All in all, a quick and engaging romance. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 24
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 2,682
- Popularity
- #9,574
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 118
- ISBNs
- 132
- Languages
- 6
- Favorited
- 8
