The Scarletti Curse by Christine Feehan

THE BEAST
Strange, twisted carvings and hideous gargoyles adorned the palazzo of the great Scarletti family. But a still more fearful secret lurked within its storm-tossed turrets. For every bride who entered its forbidding walls was doomed to leave in a casket.

THE BRIDE
Mystical and unfettered, Nicoletta had no terror of ancient curses and no fear of marriage…until she looked into the dark mesmerizing eyes of Don Scarletti. She had sworn no man would command her, had thought her gift of healing set her apart, but his was the right to choose a bride from among his people. And he had chosen her.

THE BARGAIN
Compelled by duty, drawn by desire, she gave her body into his keeping, and prayed the powerful, tormented don would be her heart's destiny, and not her soul's demise.

Christine Feehan is one of my favorite authors. She always brings so much life to her characters (haha, little joke, because a lot her books are about pseudo-vampire guys called Carpathians). In this particular novel I think she does a wonderful job of making her book a very much Gothic style romance without making it too dramatic or unrelateable. I mean, you do have to be open to reading a book where the two main characters are 'paranormal' - both Nicoletta and Don Scarletti have telepathic powers, and Nicoletta in particular has the power to heal people. But together, their happy ending is always something the reader roots for. There are hidden enemies and memories which may or may not be true, and through it all you never lose touch with the romance at the heart of this tale. Nicoletta may be the innocent maiden but she does understand desire, and Don Scarletti shows the best of himself when he is with her and allowed to express his feelings and desire for her freely. I highly recommend this book, no matter what kind of romance, or non-romance, book you might think you tend to, because Feehan does a great job of making every reader feel welcome.