Sunday, January 12, 2014

Review: The Dark Lord by Patricia Simpson



The Dark Lord (Forbidden Tarot #1) by Patricia Simpson

Release Date: December 23, 2004
Genre: Romance, Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 374
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Goodreads • Amazon


Dangerously appealing Simeon, who has awakened her long-dormant sexuality, and Michael, the brooding son of her late mentor. Rae and Michael have each inherited half of his father's estate, and are sharing a large house as they renovate it.

Being around Michael has rekindled the torch Rae carried for him as a young girl-but when Rae is with Simeon, everyone and everything else fades into the background, including the creepy souvenir Rae brought back from her Egyptian vacation.

Rae was warned the deck of tarot cards was dangerous. She was told to throw the cards into the sea, to not look upon them lest she set free evil spirits. The psychic she consults insists that the dark spirit of the Tarot has taken form as one of the men in Rae's life.

Rae must figure out whether the Dark Lord of the Forbidden Tarot is Simeon or Michael before she loses her heart... and possibly her life.



Hello, readers! Don’t be mislead by the title, this is not a biography on the Life and Lies of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I kind of wish such a thing existed, though!

This was supposed to be one of those joke books for me to read…. Kind of like An Original Sin, but I totally fell in love with this book!

I was severely mislead by the title, the cover and the summary and thought this book would be be a sappy romance novel—it’s not, and it’s totally awesome!

The Dark Lord is a classic geek-girl gets the jock, but with a paranormal twist. Fay Rae Lambers (I know, Mary-Sue name), usually referred to as Rae, is troubled by a dark childhood and crippling disease, which have hindered her from pursuing relationships in the past. However, after finding an ancient deck of Tarot cards during her trip to Egypt, all that manages to change! Strange occurrences surround her. Her old colleague, and father of her high school flame, Thomas Gregory dies mysteriously and leaves his beautiful mansion to Rae and his son, Michael.

At the same time, Simeon Avare comes sauntering into her life, promising her the world and a cure for her painful disease, in return for something her mentor has left for her. Rae must dig up the past, reunite with her old friend and crush Michael Gregory and all the while babysit her sister to find whatever has caused all these happenings.

Rae finds herself drawn in two directions: back to her old relationship with Michael and to the magnetic presence of Simeon. As she struggles to keep her emotions in check, she finds that everything and everyone are not as they seem. In the end, she must choose what life to pursue and will either save or condemn everyone she loves.

The plot of this book is actually riveting and pretty gosh darn original. Granted, 99% of my love for the entire concept stems from my childhood obsession with Egypt. What can I say—I really loved The Mummy growing up!

The romance isn’t over-the-top and is even pretty sweet, given the circumstances. Basically, I giggled like a little schoolgirl during some (most) parts, and that is rare for me.

The only criticisms I can give is that sometimes it can get cheesy, but I didn’t really mind that in the scheme of things, and that it is definitely a little dated. At one point Michael mentions a wireless router and everyone thinks it’s the coolest thing. It was pretty endearing actually. Also, apparently cellphones weren’t really a common thing when this story takes place, which can be a little hard to imagine nowadays!

I would strongly recommend this book to Emily and Caroline and to you guys as well! I think y’all would enjoy it—especially if you go for the YA paranormal romances like most of us do.

All I can say is that I’ll probably reread this book at some point and am seriously intending to read the rest of the Forbidden Tarot series! Interpret this information as you will!


Do svidaniya, my darlings!




About the Author

Patricia Simpson grew up in the wilderness of Western Montana, where it meant a 3-1/2 hour drive just to buy shoes. When she was young, the iPad hadn't yet been invented, and there were no radio stations in the area, so on the many long drives for shoes, Patricia amused herself by reading novels or creating her own stories in her head. She was encouraged to write by her sister, who always asked to be read what she had written so far that day, her Egyptian-born English teacher in junior high, and then again by a creative writing professor at the University of Washington. Instead of seeking a writing degree, Patricia chose to pursue a BA in Art and has worked as a graphic artist/web developer at the University of Washington since 1982. Patricia still enjoys painting almost as much as she loves to write.

Ms Simpson has won numerous awards for her fiction, including Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, Career Achievement Award, and has been a finalist in the RITA awards and for Best Indie Paranormal of the Year.



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