Book Review: A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White
Published July 2015
Montlake Romance
One-sentence summary:
Olivia survived her attempted murder 12 years ago and now lives a quiet existence at a ranch; an existence that’s in danger when the killer comes back to finish the job.
A Dark Lure delivers a satisfying range of emotions.
Suspense, disgust, even a dash of tears.
The one part that irritates me is the cop’s horrible judgment in luring a killer right to Olivia’s doorstep. I’m not spoiling anything here – White establishes this plot point early in the story. It’s a grievous and almost unforgivable misstep.
I was surprised to find A Dark Lure classified as romantic suspense. It struck me more as suspense with a smattering of romance.
While we’re on the subject, though, I’ll say a word in favor of the romance genre. Sometimes people look down on romance novels as if they’re less worthy of literary praise than other genres.
It’s a bunch of hooey.
This is where I queue a video of Heart singing the power ballad “What About Love?!?!”
But really, what about love? Is it somehow seen as softer and less intelligent? It’s reminiscent of the “chick-lit” moniker in which people dismiss most any novel featuring a female protagonist can as chick-lit.
I can just imagine the tagline: It’s lit lite for the woman with a baby on her hip and a Starbucks cup in her hand.
It goes to a deeper a somewhat condescending view of women and how they spend their time. Since the romance reading demographic is heavily female, it’s easy for people to shrug off the books and their readers as frivolous and floofy-minded.
Romance writer Tessa Dare explained this perfectly in a Twitter thread last week.
She goes on to explain that you don’t have to justify yourself and your reading proclivities. It’s not a guilty pleasure. It’s a book. One you have every right to enjoy without reservation.
Okay, I’m rounding back to A Dark Lure. I do enjoy romance novels, but I didn’t even realize this was one of them. It delivers a nice blend of genres with a compelling story line and satisfying dose of love.
When I say compelling, I mean it. I was the person sitting at the restaurant entrance, reading my Kindle while waiting for a table. No worries about how long it’ll take. In fact, let’s make the wait niiiiiice and long. I’m at a good part.
