Dark Whisper (Dark).Carpathians 32) by Christine Feehan-Dual Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 11, 2022

Vasilisa Sidkorolyavolkva is a Lycan of royal blood. She knows what is expected of her, but all she wants is to be out from under her family’s watchful eyes. There is a fire inside her that is building. A restlessness coupled with a sense of growing dread. Every day she feels the weight of the legacy passed down through generations. The prophecy that says a man will come to claim her as his mate, and that she will guard his soul. She knows nothing about him except that he is hers. But nothing seems real until the night she meets him in the flesh….

Afanasiv Belan is a Carpathian, an ancient one. In all the centuries of his existence, no one has ever affected him like Vasilisa. He can see into her mind and feel what is in her heart. They are so alike, warriors bound by honor and plagued by secrets. They both know they must reveal the darkest parts of their souls if they hope to survive and protect the ones they love.

But if they claim each other as lifemates, it will change them down to the bone. They will become something more—something feared by both of their kinds.

•••••••

Sandy’s Review:

DARK WHISPER is the thirty-sixth instalment (or thirty-second depending upon where you look) in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult DARK /CARPATHIANS erotic, paranormal, romance series. This is ancient Carpathian warrior Afansiv Belan, and Royal Lycan Vasilisa Sidkorolyavolkva’s story line. DARK WHISPER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: All Carpathian males must find their lifemates before they turn vampire or greet the dawn. Without a lifemate, the males no longer see in color, feel pain or experience emotions. A lifemate is the light to their dark. She is the keeper of his heart and the keeper of his soul. As the unmated Carpathian male ages, the darkness begins to envelope his soul, eventually turning the male vampire or forcing him to greet the dawn.

Told in five parts, leaning strongly on the belief of the Tarot, using third person perspectives DARK WHISPER follows another ancient Carpathian warrior as he finds his lifemate. Afansiv ‘Siv’ Belan is much more than an ancient Carpathian, and it is his heritage that makes him a target of Lilith and the Underworld but meeting his fated lifemate brings Siv into a world of color, sounds and emotions, a world in which he is about to come face to face with his tormented path. Vasilisa Sidkorolyavolkva is a Lycan of Royal blood, and with it comes the powers bestowed by DNA and prestige but through the years, Vasilisa has had the opportunity to share blood with a female Carpathian, and in doing so, makes Vasilisa a Sange rau-a hybrid of mixed blood, no longer pureblood, a Lycan often discriminated against by their own kind. Vasilisa has always known she carries the other half of a Carpathian soul, and with it, readily accepts our hero as her Carpathian lifemate but all is not well in the world of the Lycan, when her brothers are trapped in the Underworld, becoming something or someone Vasilisa no longer recognizes. Along with several ancients, as well as Dimitri and Skyler, Razvan and Ivory, and the few remaining Dragonseekers in the area, Afansiv must undertake a spiritual and psychic journey into the depths of H*ll, in an effort to save the Royal Lycan bloodlines, and stop the master vampires from killing them all.

DARK WHISPER continues to focus on a new enemy, Lilith and the demons of H*ll, an enemy controlled by a former foe who is alive yet not, whose existence was once thought dead and gone. The four portals to H*ll continue to be guarded by four ancient Carpathian females, females who have yet to find their lifemates but powerful woman whose job it is to protect and defend.

The relationship between Siv and Vasi is one of fated mates. Vasilisa is a warrior unto herself, trained to fight and to kill the vampire, with most of the same abilities as the Carpathian people. Afansiv Belan is an ancient but has accepted, to some degree, the modern women’s need for independence but like all lifemates, his duty is to protect and defend the woman he loves.The $ex scenes are limited but passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including many of the Dragonseeker lineage and their mates-Dimitri and Skyler, Razvan and Ivory; Ancients Petru Cioban, Nicu Dalca, and Benedek Kovac; as well as the introduction of Vasilisa’s brothers: twins Garald and Grigor, and their ruler Andros Sidkorolyavolkva, their Aunt Olga, and several members of various Lycan families including Andros’ girlfriend Lada, the rogue Sacred Circle, and Gaia, a young Carpathian woman kidnapped and forced into H*ll, a woman who refuses to leave behind the ‘demon’ that saved her life.

DARK WHISPER reveals a new concept in the world of the Carpathian-ancients with tattered souls, thickened with dark scars through years of battling the vampires, and the fear of turning demon, not only vampire, but a demon meant to serve in the Underworld. The entertaining premise is detailed and complex- awash in numerous action-packed fight scenes with both vampires and demons, Carpathians and Lycans, magic and power. The romance is limited, not the main focus on the story line, almost an afterthought to the overall premise-I didn’t feel the attraction, it was a relationship based on fate. The characters are powerful and charismatic.

Love Love Love the cover !

_____________

Barb’s Review:
Dark Whisper by Christine Feehan is the 32^nd book in her wonderful Dark/Carpathian series. We meet at the start, Vasilisa (Vasi) Sidkorolyavolkva, our heroine, a Russian Royal Lycan, who is an important member of this family of Lycan’s, with three brothers; as they take care of their people, both human and wolf. Vasilisa is a very powerful warrior, having been trained to use her supernatural skills, by her mother as a child; she is also a demon hunter.  Vasi has been sensing her soulmate, who is in deep danger, fighting vampires; she begins to have mental contact with him, trying to help him.

Afanasiv (Siv) Belan, is an ancient Carpathian, who spend many years at the monastery, with other ancients; protecting the innocent as they fight demons and vampires. Siv has almost given up in finding his lifemate, until he feels the connection to his fated mate; as the world changes when he begins to see colors again.

I loved meeting Vasi and Siv, as they were so good together.  Vasi accepted her bond to Siv, and he was absolutely awesome respecting her wonderful powers. Siv will constantly keep her close and safe throughout the danger they must face in the coming war of the Russian terrorists, as well as the demons from the underworld.  Vasi’s brother, Andros is the oldest brother who is the leader of their family and their people.  She has two other brothers (twins), Garald and Grigor, who are always there for both Andros and Vasi. They are under assault from evil enemies who want to take over her brothers and their village. Siv’s cohort of other Ancients comes to help as well as Lycans and Dragonseekers.

Dark Whisper begins the story of the remaining 4 ancients to find their Lifemates, with Siv being the first one. We can expect the remaining three men (Benedek, Petru, and Nicu ), to have stories upcoming, as they played a major part in this story.  I loved seeing so many of our previous favorites, who were there to help when the danger escalates.  It was so great to see Dimitri, Skyler, Ivory, Razvan, Fen, Tatijana, Branislava, just to name a few.  Loved seeing them all. We learn that the underworld and mages, desperately want a Dragonseeker, which Siv is also one.

Dark Whisper was an exciting, tense and fun story, with a fantastic couple in Vasi and Siv, as well as all the wonderful secondary characters. The action was non-stop, with battles throughout against the demons, as well as the Russian group trying to destroy the royal family.   Dark Whisper was very well written by Christine Feehan.  If you are a Dark/Carpathian fan, you need to read this book.

 

Copies supplied by the publisher

 

 

 

He framed her face with both hands and looked into her vivid blue eyes. She had beautiful eyes. Eyes a man could drown in. He brushed kisses gently over both eyes, the tip of her elegant nose and then the corners of her mouth. “I’ll add my safeguards to yours,” he murmured against her soft lips. “The weaves will be in my mind for you to follow.”
He ran the pad of his thumb over the curve of her bottom lip, etching the feel and texture of it into his soul for all time. Then he took her mouth. Gentle. Coaxing. Tender. Promising. Tasting her as she opened for him. The rush started. The heat. The flames. The fire. He wasn’t certain if he was the match or she was. They came together in a fiery explosion that was never-ending. He didn’t want it to end. It was the most feeling he’d ever experienced. Overwhelming. Good. Paradise. His brain turned off, so there was no real ability to think. He had Vasilisa and the way she made every nerve ending in his body come alive. Hot blood rushed through his veins and thundered in his ears, roared in his groin, pooling to make urgent demands.
He didn’t know who pulled back first, but suddenly he felt very much bereft, his mouth just scant inches from hers. “I know I was supposed to go somewhere and do something very important, but that’s gone up in flames.”
Her laughter was low, her blue eyes soft. Her fingers traced his bottom lip gently. “I believe you were about to go off on a rescue mission to retrieve my brothers from the depths of hell. Something easy like that.”
He nodded and captured her hands. “Be safe, Vasilisa. Don’t take any chances. Anyone coming to the cabin—anyone at all—related to you, looking like one of your friends, could easily be someone compromised.”
She nodded her head. “I’m well aware. I won’t allow anyone in, no matter the circumstances.”
“They can get inventive. Wolves devouring someone right outside your door.”
“They could try that, but I control the wolves. If they didn’t obey me, I would know immediately that it was a setup. Go before the sun is up.”
“Seal the fault after me. Leave one tiny space my spirit will come through that only you know of. Do not share with me.”
He saw the uneasiness on her face. “You cannot. We need to take precautions. A part of you will be with me, so you’ll know if you will need to escape quickly. This is a dangerous place. I cannot emphasize that enough. I have demons in me; you do not.”
She nodded. “Go then. Hurry back to me.”
He turned away from her, one of the most difficult things he’d ever had to do. He knew what it was like in the underworld. It hadn’t been easy escaping. He’d been there with his physical body. This time he was only taking his spirit. That gave him both advantages and disadvantages. He lay down on the cot, stretching out to full length and, without allowing further thought on the subject, shed his physical body.
Vasilisa touched his mind. Afanasiv felt her entrance, that sweet feminine brush along the walls of his brain. So light. Not tentative. She was never that. She knew what she wanted, and she acted with confidence most of the time. She generally filled every empty, lonely space with her energy, making him feel whole and complete. Right now, she found a very small space, barely there, and fit her spirit inside it.

Excerpted from DARK WHISPER by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2022 by Christine Feehan. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 70 published novels, including five series; Dark Series, Ghostwalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, the Sisters of the Heart Series and Torpedo Ink. All of her series have hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestselling list as well. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature (PEARL) in 1999. Since then she has been published by various publishing houses including Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7 more PEARL awards since Dark Prince.

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Christine’s Feehan’s publisher Penguin/Random House/ Berkley Romance is graciously offering a paper copy of DARK WHISPER to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE Christine Feehan on Facebook

4. Please LIKE/FOLLOW The Reading Cafe on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

5. Please LIKE and FOLLOW Berkley Romance on Facebook for an addition entry.

6. LIKE The Reading Cafe on Twitter for an additional entry.

7. Please FOLLOW The Reading Cafe on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

8. Please follow The Reading Cafe on Tumblr

9. Giveaway open to USA only

10. Giveaway runs from October 11-15, 2022