Review of Love in the Dark by Cora

Genre: Billionaire

Total chapters: 492

Writer: Cora

Update status: Ongoing

Synopsis: Zoey Jenner enters into an arranged marriage with wealthy businessman Laurence Scott as the latter offers her the money she needs to pay for her mother's hospital bills. However, as it turns out, she had already fallen in love with him before the fact, while he remains mostly unmoved for the most part. Zoey eventually gets disappointed with Laurence just as he slowly develops feelings for her. Is Zoey going to give him a second chance?

Author Introduction | Cora

So far, "Love in the Dark" is Cora's first fiction work for GoodNovels, and so far, it has gotten good ratings and feedback. As of this present writing, we have no further information on who Cora is or where she comes from.

Theme: Love is Unpredictable

"Love in the Dark" has an awfully predictable yet captivating theme: Unrequited love. It's something that happens overwhelmingly often in real life. Nonetheless, at the same time, we're presented with a more outlandish yet not wholly unprecedented scenario of a "bought marriage," a situation where the expectation of love between the coupled involved is typically deemed less likely.

Likewise, we get a very interesting twist midway where the roles are reversed, so the unloved party becomes the object of affection just as the other party's past feelings wane. This narrative device is commonly found across various literary and audiovisual works, but it definitely adds an extra layer of appeal to this novel.

Characters: The Loved and Unloved (and Vice Versa?)

Meet the protagonists of this exhilarating tale: Zoey and Laurence. Let's outline them in more detail!:

Zoey Jenner

Zoey is a timid woman with some self-esteem issues. She has been in love with Laurence since her high school days and feels unworthy to be with him. She always tries to please him, fearing he might reject her one day.

Zoey is a woman with a strong emotional demeanor and great empathy. She strives to appear strong, although she lets her feelings ultimately overcome her.

Laurence Scott

Laurence is a businessman with lots of sex appeal to boast about.

He was among the most popular boys in Zoey's high school, and women would drool over him (including Zoey). He didn't intend to commit to any single woman, but his mother pressured him to do so, so he decided to pay someone to marry him.

He is the total opposite of Zoey, often described as cruel and coldhearted. In his mind, everything in life boils down to business, and he is skeptical of things such as genuine love.

Point of View: A Narrator in the Dark

The story is related by an unknown narrator who remains largely outside the scope of the novel yet is aware of all the nitty-gritty of its events.

The Plot: Love in the Dark.

In "Love in the Dark," Zoey and Laurence get married in a strange set of circumstances. The only reason Laurence wanted to "tie the knot" was in order to appease his mother, who was constantly trying to arrange blind dates for him. Tired of these farces and his mother's persistence, he proposed to Zoey in exchange for money.

On the other hand, Zoey needed the money to cover her mother's hospital bills. Logically, this would have been assumed as the main driving factor behind her acceptance. Notwithstanding, it so happens that she always had a crush on him, to begin with, so it wasn't really all that hard for her to acquiesce to the terms he proposed.

In the meantime, Laurence already has a long history with Sarah (Zoey's haughty half-sister), but he remains oblivious that they're both related.

Now, more than six months after the marriage, Zoey finds out she's pregnant, even though she assured him she was taking her contraceptive pills.

Abortion and the Aftermath

Laurence eventually finds out about Zoey's pregnancy and insists she's too immature to beget and raise a kid. Although initially hesitant, she sorrowfully ends up yielding to Laurence's pressure and goes through an abortion surgery. Utterly disappointed, she feels she wants nothing more to do with Laurence and leaves town.

However, upon her return sometime later, Laurence starts showing some "enthusiasm" towards her (strangely enough). Now, the ball is in her court, but will she take him back?

The Chapters You'd Probably "Love" the Most

"Love in the Dark" is known to have a slightly slow pacing. That said, the novel gets increasingly exciting from chapter 43 onwards.

We ought to highlight chapters 44-48, in which the heartbreaking abortion scene takes place, and where we also witness Zoey's sad realization that her relationship with Laurence will never go beyond the confines of a mere contractual agreement. If that wasn't enough, towards chapter 48, we see Laurence displaying a range of emotions even he didn't know he had. and readers will notice a transition from his former heartless self to a more relatable version.

Writing Style in Love in the Dark

"Love in the Dark" is filled with colorful descriptions and metaphors, as well as compelling lines. The author (Cora) goes into great detail on how each character reacts during dialogues, to the point where you can conceivably imagine these reactions in your head as they happen.

To Love or to Hate Love in the Dark?

"Love in the Dark" is a GoodNovel jewel that delivers in more areas than one. The writing is polished and nearly spotless, with lots of enticing imagery and heartfelt candor. The characters (especially Laurence) undergo a fantastic arc and development, leaving a profound impact on readers. Some scenes are even capable of jerking a tear or two.

On a slightly more negative note, the pacing can be a bit on the slow side, though still tolerable for the most part.

As a whole, "Love in the Dark" is a solid net positive, and you can read this alluring romance in its entirety on GoodNovel!

FAQs

Q: Is "Love in the Dark" for people of all ages?

A: "Love in the Dark" is generally safe for people of any age, though it does contain some adult subjects and themes that may be hard for children to digest.

Q: Can I read "Love in the Dark" for free?

A: You can read the first 14 chapters free of charge over at GoodNovel. However, you must unlock the following chapters via credits.