Dark Enchantment

Catherine de la Fer is cursed like her relative Simone who we read about in Night Fires. Catherine has a different affliction- she is not a vampire. She is cursed with the Stigmata- she bleeds the wounds of Christ on her back and hands in the presence of evil. Her road to redemption and reclaiming her life is fraught with danger, intrigue and winning the heart of an unlikely hero. Strong writing. Good visual descriptions and an novel premise make this a strong addition to any paranormal romance collection. My favorite by Karen Harbaugh remains The Vampire Viscount ( SImone has a brief cameo in that one)

In 1659 Paris, Sir Jack Marstone rescues the muddied filthy Catherine de la Fer from assailants. She remembers little of her past, but he provides her a safe haven while she heals at least physically. When she recovers from her injuries, he teaches her how to use a sword and other skills so she can defend herself. However, his kindness and nurturing cannot protect her from the nightmares she suffers from every evening.Jack realizes he must escort his ward to her family and betrothed, the vile Marquis de Bauvin, but is reluctant to do so. Instead he feels a need to keep Catherine safe, something he believes would not occur if he handed her over to the Marquis, rumored to be an evil sorcerer. As Jack and Catherine fall in a forbidden love, they know that soon they will have to confront the sorcerer who plans to use her to obtain her family's supernatural powers that will enhance him to levels so superior to mankind they will seem like ants to be stepped on. Only Catherine the skilled swordswoman and her lover stand in his way.Showing the width of her talent (to the chagrin of her Regency devotees), Karen Harbaugh provides a strong paranormal romance that hooks the audience because the otherworldly environs seems so real in the author's mid seventeenth century Europe. The story line is the classic good vs. evil theme with the twist being that one of the good guys (gal in this case) is slated to be the mate of the malevolent menace. As she did with NIGHT FIRES, Ms. Harbaugh enchants her audience with a dark tale lightened by the goodness of love.Harriet Klausner