Official Review: Moon Dark by Patricia Barletta
Posted: 25 Feb 2019, 15:49
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Moon Dark" by Patricia Barletta.]
4 out of 4 stars
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In the Catholic countries, the carnival season is in full swing around now. The masks worn in Venice can be mysterious and even sinister. Moon Dark, a paranormal romance by Patricia Barletta, is set in that city of black cloaks and canals.
The year is 1797. Sabrina Barclay, a young widow with a child, has come to Venice to live with her late husband’s uncle, Harold Dunfield. He is smuggling art to the English king and forces Sabrina to earn her keep by delivering secret messages. Her missions are often dangerous, and she narrowly escapes being stabbed when a shadowy figure rescues her. Dunfield also wants to marry Sabrina off and insists that she should accept the attentions of notorious womanizer Prince Alessandro of Auriano. What Sabrina doesn’t know is that Alessandro and her shadowy rescuer are one and the same – he is cursed to shift into shadow form with the phases of the moon, progressing back to human through a brutal phase called the Hunger. As her relationship with Alessandro develops, Sabrina sometimes senses an evil presence, and attacks follow. Who wants to harm her and why? How did the piece of the Sphere of Astarte, which was in her late husband’s art collection, disappear from inside its casket? She not only experiences Alessandro’s supernatural powers but also discovers that she has strong magic of her own.
Power, both magic and otherwise, is an important theme in the novel. Alessandro often seems arrogant and forceful. Although he cannot control himself when the Hunger is upon him, he is not always under its influence. Another theme is that of being trapped, whether by social circumstances or supernatural forces. However typical Alessandro’s attitude is for his time, and while Sabrina’s environment binds her as tightly as the stays that she wears, I still didn’t always appreciate the gender roles depicted.
In his pursuit of Sabrina, Alessandro becomes her cicisbeo – a constant companion. I particularly disliked certain scenes where she tries to “punish” him by teasing him sexually, only to anger him and face humiliation. Despite this, I believe the author truly meant to portray Sabrina as a strong and independent woman thirsting for autonomy. She has no choice but to rail against social constraints and grows in strength as she starts to master her magical gifts.
As Sabrina grows more formidable, Alessandro also emerges as a man of integrity and honour. Golden-eyed and muscular, he is as hot as any Italian prince of anyone’s dreams. The sex scenes are sensual yet tasteful – crude language is avoided.
Other descriptions are also a great strength of this book. Singing gondoliers and moonlit canals might seem clichéd, but I found it all so delightful to imagine that I didn’t care. Many details about the layout of Venice and its palaces are included. Barletta has an eye for the fashions of the day, and I enjoyed her descriptions of Sabrina’s gowns. She gives equal attention to the silks and velvets worn by the men.
Perhaps it is thanks to the descriptions that the book is never exhausting despite its galloping pace and sometimes disturbing events. It could be enjoyed by historical fiction and paranormal romance fans alike. The relationship between Sabrina and Alessandro is pivotal; the sex scenes are only occasional and complement the plot. They are graphic enough to make this book suitable for a mature audience.
In the end, I did not deduct a star in connection with the scenes where Alessandro puts Sabrina in her place because the plot and characters are not limited to questionable gender roles. My rating for this enjoyable and well-edited book is 4 out of 4 stars. This book is the first in a series. Its major plot points were satisfactorily resolved by the end, but certain characters and magic artefacts clearly still have potential. I look forward to reading the sequel.
******
Moon Dark
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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In the Catholic countries, the carnival season is in full swing around now. The masks worn in Venice can be mysterious and even sinister. Moon Dark, a paranormal romance by Patricia Barletta, is set in that city of black cloaks and canals.
The year is 1797. Sabrina Barclay, a young widow with a child, has come to Venice to live with her late husband’s uncle, Harold Dunfield. He is smuggling art to the English king and forces Sabrina to earn her keep by delivering secret messages. Her missions are often dangerous, and she narrowly escapes being stabbed when a shadowy figure rescues her. Dunfield also wants to marry Sabrina off and insists that she should accept the attentions of notorious womanizer Prince Alessandro of Auriano. What Sabrina doesn’t know is that Alessandro and her shadowy rescuer are one and the same – he is cursed to shift into shadow form with the phases of the moon, progressing back to human through a brutal phase called the Hunger. As her relationship with Alessandro develops, Sabrina sometimes senses an evil presence, and attacks follow. Who wants to harm her and why? How did the piece of the Sphere of Astarte, which was in her late husband’s art collection, disappear from inside its casket? She not only experiences Alessandro’s supernatural powers but also discovers that she has strong magic of her own.
Power, both magic and otherwise, is an important theme in the novel. Alessandro often seems arrogant and forceful. Although he cannot control himself when the Hunger is upon him, he is not always under its influence. Another theme is that of being trapped, whether by social circumstances or supernatural forces. However typical Alessandro’s attitude is for his time, and while Sabrina’s environment binds her as tightly as the stays that she wears, I still didn’t always appreciate the gender roles depicted.
In his pursuit of Sabrina, Alessandro becomes her cicisbeo – a constant companion. I particularly disliked certain scenes where she tries to “punish” him by teasing him sexually, only to anger him and face humiliation. Despite this, I believe the author truly meant to portray Sabrina as a strong and independent woman thirsting for autonomy. She has no choice but to rail against social constraints and grows in strength as she starts to master her magical gifts.
As Sabrina grows more formidable, Alessandro also emerges as a man of integrity and honour. Golden-eyed and muscular, he is as hot as any Italian prince of anyone’s dreams. The sex scenes are sensual yet tasteful – crude language is avoided.
Other descriptions are also a great strength of this book. Singing gondoliers and moonlit canals might seem clichéd, but I found it all so delightful to imagine that I didn’t care. Many details about the layout of Venice and its palaces are included. Barletta has an eye for the fashions of the day, and I enjoyed her descriptions of Sabrina’s gowns. She gives equal attention to the silks and velvets worn by the men.
Perhaps it is thanks to the descriptions that the book is never exhausting despite its galloping pace and sometimes disturbing events. It could be enjoyed by historical fiction and paranormal romance fans alike. The relationship between Sabrina and Alessandro is pivotal; the sex scenes are only occasional and complement the plot. They are graphic enough to make this book suitable for a mature audience.
In the end, I did not deduct a star in connection with the scenes where Alessandro puts Sabrina in her place because the plot and characters are not limited to questionable gender roles. My rating for this enjoyable and well-edited book is 4 out of 4 stars. This book is the first in a series. Its major plot points were satisfactorily resolved by the end, but certain characters and magic artefacts clearly still have potential. I look forward to reading the sequel.
******
Moon Dark
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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