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Betrayal Road by Christine Feehan – Review & Giveaway

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Betrayal Road by Christine Feehan – Review & Giveaway

 

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Description:
The stranger frequenting Azelie Vargas’s local coffee shop is a sight to behold. He’s tall, dark, muscular, and a complete distraction. She’s worried one look from his striking silver eyes will have her acting a fool. But it’s not a look that sets Azelie aflame—it’s the way he boldly tells her every dark, dirty thing he’d like to do to her. She should be scandalized. Instead, all she wants to do is say yes.

Andrii “Maestro” Federoff is in San Francisco on club business. Torpedo Ink needs information to bust up a human trafficking ring, and Maestro has found his mark. After weeks of stealthy observation, he’s not sure if Azelie is involved directly, or if she’s just working for some bad people. What he does know is that he needs to get close to her fast, and soon he can’t get enough.  

What began as a setup quickly turns real. But no matter how hot they burn, Maestro’s betrayal could leave their hearts smoldering in the ashes.…

 

 

Barb’s Review:
Betrayal Road by Christine Feehan is the 9th book in her wonderful Torpedo Ink series.  Refresher:  Czar is the president of Torpedo Ink, and together with the men and women he brought with him to Sea Haven they built their Torpedo Ink MC club in Casper, which is close to Sea Haven.  Each of these members have suffered terrible abuse in their childhoods in Russia, being forced to all become lethal assassins; each still very much trying to find the light inside their darkness.  They are all determined to protect each other, and also work secretly to save children that have become part of human trafficking, as well as pedophiles.

Azelie Vargas, our heroine, works at the local coffee shop, goes to school; since she is a numbers expert, she also works as a bookkeeper for a bad man, who wants her keep things private. Azelie is a victim of a violent past, as her family was killed, leaving her alone. In the coffee shop, there are a few elderly ladies who treat her like their granddaughter, always encouraging her to find a boyfriend.  Azelie was very close to her coffee shop ladies, as they watched over her; Azelie also was always helping others.

Andrii “Maestro” Federoff, our hero, is trying to get information about a human trafficking ring, as the Torpedo Ink club needs find a way to save the women that have been kidnapped. Andrii starts coming to the coffee shop, as he wants to see if Azelie is involved with the bad man or just working as the bookkeeper.  Azelie is quickly drawn to Andrii, but she feels she has no chance with a strong hunk of a  man; but Andrii finds himself totally enamored with her. It will take Andrii time to prove to Azelie as she is beautiful, kind, caring, and always helps others: as his support and belief in her was wonderful, and soon she will totally fall deeply in love with him.  They made such a fantastic couple; loved them together. I will say that there was a lot of sex scenes, but the story line was intense.

As their relationship grows, Andrii is convinced that Azelie is only the bookkeeper, and begins to explain everything about his life all those years ago; Azelie sympathizes and quickly worries that her boss would try to kill him.  She knows something was going on inside her office, as she heard screaming, but she could never find anything.  Andrii is able to get some information how to enter the building, and when the team plans to find the ladies, Andrii insists that Azelie must stay home and lock up the apartment.

What follows is an exciting and violent adventure, as well as a highly streamy romance between two people who would be together.  This was really a beautiful love story that captured our heart, as I ended up loving both Andrii and Azelie. I enjoyed seeing all the Torpedo Ink family; especially the men who were determined to free the women in human trafficking ring.  The ending was wild, and Andrii was desperate to save Azelie, who was kidnapped, as suffered some damage.

Betrayal Road was a dark, emotional, exciting, tense and steamy story line, that kept me glued to my kindle. This story was a fantastic read.  Betrayal Road was so very well written by Christine Feehan.  If you enjoy this series, do not miss this one.

 

Sandy’s Review: BETRAYAL ROAD is the ninth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult TORPEDO INK erotic, slightly paranormal, romance series focusing on the members of the MC Torpedo Ink. The Torpedo Ink series is a spin-off from the author’s Sea Haven series but you do not have to have read the original series to understand or follow Torpedo Ink. This is Torpedo Ink musician / construction worker/ assassin Andrii ‘Maestro’ Federoff, and book keeper Azelie Varga’s story line. BETRAYAL ROAD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary

NOTE: Most of the characters including Torpedo Ink club president Victor ‘Czar’ Prakenski, were first introduced in the final instalment of the author’s Sea Haven Series BOUND TOGETHER.

WARNING: BETRAYAL ROAD contains graphic reflections of , and makes reference to violence, rape, murder, torture, child prostitution, and abuse against children, women and men, and may not be suitable for more sensitive readers. The violence is a part of the history and lives of the Torpedo Ink crews. The eighteen (plus one) original Torpedo Ink members are the sole survivors of a Russian pedophile ring, and as such work towards rescuing children and women in similar situations.

SOME BACKGROUND: At the age of ten years old, Victor ‘Czar’ Prakenski set about to save and rescue over three hundred children from a Russian child sex-slave operation but in the end only eighteen survived. The Torpedo Ink series focuses on the survivors: their stories, their history, and their happily ever afters.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Andrii and Azelie) BETRAYAL ROAD follows Andrii aka Maestro as he sets about to seduce our story line heroine. Azelie Varga’s past is mired in the murder of those she once loved but meeting a man whose darkness envelops her like a blanket of warmth pushes Azelie to fall for a man whose need for Azelie is more than she thought. Azelie works for a man Torpedo Ink suspects is involved in human sexual trafficking, and Andrii is determined to seduce our heroine in an effort to uncover the truth but as Azelie slowly falls under the illusion of friendship and love, Andrii puts a plan into motion to take down the people in charge. What ensues is the building relationship between Andrii and Azelie, and the potential fallout as Azelie is caught in the cross-fire of power and control.

The world building follows several paths including the backgrounds and history of our story line couple. We are up close and personal with the losses suffered by our story line heroine; and the ritual abuse and training of children too young to understand the how and why.

The relationship between Azelie and Andrii begins as a lie. Andrii aka Maestro is desperate for information and needs access to the club for which Azelie works, and therefore, targets our heroine in his effort to get close. Azelie’s issues of low self esteem make her the perfect target but Andrii quickly realizes there is more to Azelie than he could have ever imagined. The $ex scenes are passionate and provocative.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and familiar secondary and supporting characters many of whom we have met in the previous story lines-Code, Steele and Breezy, Keys, Player, Savage, Destroyer, and Lana. We are introduced to the neighborhood coffee clatch-Penny Atwater, China and her sister Blanc Christian, and their protectors Doug Parsons and Carlton Gray, as well as Azelie’s boss Alan Billows. Christine Feehan like to us triplets whenever she is able.

BETRAYAL ROAD is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies,love and loss, acceptance and family. The character driven premise is intriguing, dramatic and gritty; the romance is impassioned ; the characters are determined, animated and stubborn.

The moment Andrii entered the shop, she was acutely aware of him in the room. She didn’t have to look up to know he was there. She knew exactly where he was every minute. He had such a presence. She sat at her usual table, a small one for two people only, toward the back of the shop. She had a good view of the windows and could see two streets, as the coffee shop was on a corner. Instead of looking at the views-or at Andrii-she brought up the book she was currently reading. She hoped the novel would keep the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach.

With one finger, Azelie pushed back the glasses threatening to slide from her nose. The thick black frames annoyed her when they insisted on falling right when she was reading something exciting. She loved books and the adventures they could take her on. It wasn’t like she was ever going to be leading a wild and crazy life, so reading about exotic places and heroes and heroines appealed to her-especially ones that were monogamous. And happy endings were always important, no matter if there was murder, mystery or mayhem.

It was impossible to shut out the giggles of the merry widows. For no reason at all, color swept up her neck into her face. She was certain the women were gesturing wildly toward her. Sighing, she glanced up over the top of her glasses, blinking rapidly several times to bring her surroundings into focus. Her gaze collided with a pair of eyes more liquid silver than gray and very intense. His lashes, very black and thick, didn’t take away from his chiseled features. The fact that he wore his black hair longer, and it was streaked with fine threads of silver, only enhanced the entirely masculine vibe he had going. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t an ounce of fat anywhere on him.

Her stomach clenched. Her sex clenched. Her entire body wanted to seize. He was intimidating just because he was so gorgeous.

“Would you mind if I join you? As you can see, the shop is filling up quickly.”

She blinked up at him again, trying to catch her breath. Just looking at him made everything she had want to run. She had to look away, afraid she’d make an utter fool of herself if she tried to speak. She looked around the coffee shop. It was nearly empty.

“Zelie.”

His voice was smooth. Like the brush of velvet against her skin. She’d never heard a voice like his before. Not ever. He had the kind of voice that made her shiver in anticipation of . . . what? Hot blood rushed through her veins and under her skin, coloring her face a bright red. There was no controlling that wild blush any more than there was controlling the flutter in her sex. And Zelie? No one called her Zelie. It was always Azelie. But she liked the way he said Zelie. Still . . .

“How did you know my name?” To her horror, her voice came out small, not at all like she wanted to sound. A whisper. As if she were inviting him to be intimate with her. She never sounded like that. She might avoid men, but when she spoke to them, she was decisive.

The table was small, and he moved the chair close to her-too close. His thigh brushed along hers. Warm. No, hot. She was suddenly very aware of herself as a woman, every nerve ending springing to life. He was definitely a man.

“The barista calls your name when your order is ready,” he said simply. “I’m Andrii Federoff. I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful woman lost in her own world.”

No one called her beautiful. She wasn’t beautiful. She was . . . ordinary. Mousy even. There wasn’t a single thing remarkable about her. Not that she was complaining. The fact that no one noticed her helped her to disappear into the woodwork, where she could observe those around her without having to participate.

“Azelie Vargas,” she managed to get out without making more of a fool of herself. She couldn’t drink her coffee; her hands were shaking too bad. She threaded her fingers together tightly in her lap, wondering why a man as gorgeous as Andrii would choose to sit with her.

Excerpted from Betrayal Road by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2024 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.

The Reading Cafe and Berkley are graciously offering a copy of BETRAYAL ROAD to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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Leopard’s Hunt (Leopard People 15) by Christine Feehan-review

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Leopard’s Hunt (Leopard People 15) by Christine Feehan-review & excerpt

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 20, 2024

Gorya Amurov might be known as his family’s peacekeeper, but the leopard inside him wants nothing more than to claw to the surface and unleash hell. A harsh life has shaped him into a vicious fighter with a calm exterior, but Gorya knows it’s only a matter of time until he loses all control. Deep down, he truly believes he’d be better off dead, and that no woman will ever accept him as a mate….

Maya Averina has spent years hunting the criminals who destroyed her life, and she always takes down her prey. She keeps to herself, stays under the radar, and never loses focus. But with her body burning up and her mind distracted by her first heat, an ambush takes her by surprise. Now she’s trapped, an unmated female shifter about to be sold off to the highest bidder. Maya is ready to fight her way out—until the most dangerous, powerful man she’s ever encountered arrives to set her free….

••••••

REVIEW:LEOPARD’S HUNT is the fifteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult LEOPARD PEOPLE erotic, paranormal, romance series. This is Bratva Leopard Gorya Amurov, and Maya Averina’s story line. LEOPARD’S HUNT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary..

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Gorya and Maya) LEOPARD’S HUNT follows in the wake of the rescue of our story line heroine. Maya Averina has lived a dark and lonely life since she was a very young child but she never expected to be rescued by a leopard with one of the most violent reputations. The Amurov Leopards are noted for their speed and ability to kill but no one knew the secrets that Maya kept close to her heart. Along with her own leopard ‘Wraith’, Maya was about to enter the Han Vol Dan, and would come to discover her would-be rescuer is her fated mate. Enter Gorya Amurvo, the man with whom Maya will fall in love but a man determined to end his life of violence, one way or another. Working together alongside leopard shifters Gedeon Volkov, and Meiling Chang, Maya and Gorya would place a plan into motion to take down an elite sexual and human trafficking ring, one run by a team of leopard shifters. What ensues is the building relationship between Maya and Gorya, and the potential fall-out as our couple must face the demons that refuse to die.

The world building is detailed and complex. We are up close and personal with the tragic and dark events of the past, a past that would frame and construct the lives of two shifters who have seen the worst of the worst.

The relationship between Maya and Gorya begins as a rescue but will quickly turn into a relationship between fated mates. Both Maya and Gorya’s leopards know but Gorya believes himself beyond repair, and Maya feels just as broken as the man with whom she will fall in love. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful and familiar secondary and supporting characters including but not exclusive to the Amurov Leopard Crime Family -Timur and Ashe, Sevastyn, Meling and Gedeon, Jake Bannaconni, and Drake Donovan, as well as several cameos by and mentions of the Tegre Leopard(Evangeline, Josh); Kyanite Boston, and Matvei Jarvis, and several extended Bratva and Russian shifters. The requisite evil has many faces.

LEOPARD’S HUNT is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, madness and murder, delusion and infatuation, acceptance and love. The premise is dark, gritty, haunting and tragic; the romance is impassioned; the characters are animated, broken but determined to thrive.

Take note of the warnings, there are many triggers.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Wild Rain
Burning Wild
Wild Fire
Savage Nature
Leopard’s Prey
Cat’s Lair
Wild Cat
Leopard’s Fury
Leopard’s Blood
Leopard’s Run
Leopard’s Wrath
Leopard’s Rage
Leopard’s Scar

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Gorya was back to using his hand like a seductive weapon, his palm stealing around to the nape of her neck, where his fingers settled in her thick hair. It was impossible not to be aware of the way he gathered the mass into his fist, and she slowly tilted her head up toward his.
“Kissing. I’m going to kiss you.”
Thunder roared in her ears, nearly drowning out his soft murmur. She was sure she hadn’t heard him correctly. “Kiss me?” she echoed faintly. She should have expected it.
“Yeah, baby, I’m going to kiss you. If I don’t, you’re going to start thinking about it and you’re going to panic again.”
He was right, but she might panic now. “I don’t know how to kiss.”
“That’s fine. We’ll learn together. We’ll just practice until we get it right.”
His head had come closer to hers. Much closer. She could see the fine lines etched into his skin. Those lines

represented the trauma he’d suffered as a child. Just seeing those creases settled her. She identified with him. She wasn’t threatened by him. She was needed by him.
His lips curved as if he knew what she was thinking. His warm breath reached the left corner of her mouth. Her entire body went taut in anticipation. Every nerve ending came alive. Little goose bumps rose on her skin. His lips brushed hers lightly—a delicate touch, but she felt it like a brand. Her stomach fluttered. A thousand butterflies lifted in flight.
Kissing was so intimate. She should close her eyes, but she was mesmerized by the way his eyes continued to change color, darkening with desire to a deeper blue, the silver ring around the blue thicker. This time she could read the stark passion mixed with growing affection for her. Growing need. Not just the need of a lover. There was that, but it was so much more. Like her, he wanted a much deeper relationship. He wanted something real with her.
Her hands came up of their own volition. She wasn’t going to be passive and put this all on him. He didn’t kiss women. Like her, he found kissing others much too famil- iar. If they were in this together, she was participating fully. She was terrified that she wouldn’t be able to be sexually intimate with him. She was the one afraid her past experiences would prohibit her from having a normal relationship. He was being gentle. Taking care to intro- duce her to their world of shared intimacy and vulnerability slowly and carefully.
His lips merely feathered along hers. Teased and coaxed. Always gentle. Little flashes of flickering flames seemed to touch her and were gone, leaving her wanting more. He didn’t try to rush into kissing her. He took his time, savoring the taste of her. The feel of her. Outlining the curves of her lips with his tongue. Memorizing her. She caught the images in his mind. All the while, he never

closed his eyes, staring into hers as if he could see right into her soul.
Maya had never been so aware of another human being. He was everywhere. Surrounding her with his strength. His heart. Letting her into his mind. Pouring into hers slowly. Carefully. It wasn’t an invasion or a takeover. It was a joining. A promise. He deliberately shared himself with her. Opened himself up to her. Made himself vulnerable.
Maya did the same, staring into his eyes. Giving herself to him the same way. A vow to him that he would be her only. She would give him everything she was. There was no expectation of perfection. Both accepted the other for the broken, damaged person they were. They were going into the relationship with their eyes wide open.
He slanted his head, and his mouth settled on hers. Her lashes fluttered down as he rubbed his lips over hers and then traced the seam with his tongue. The floor tilted and rocked. She gripped his shoulders, needing an anchor so she wouldn’t go spinning off into space.

Excerpted from Leopard’s Hunt by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2024 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.

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DARK MEMORY (Dark/Carpathians 37) by Christine Feehan-reviews

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DARK MEMORY (Dark/Carpathians 37) by Christine Feehan-dual review & excerpt

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 3, 2023

Safia Meziane has trained since birth to protect her tribe, the family she holds so dear. All along she told herself the legends she was raised with were simply that. But now, she must call upon all of her skills to fight what lies ahead. Evil has come to their small town on the cost of Algeria, evil that Safia can feel but cannot see.

She is terrified she will not be able to protect the ones she loves. As her family’s “chosen one,” she has always believed she would face this task alone—until her family reveals she has been promised to a warrior who will join her. An outsider. A Carpathian. . . .

Petru Cioban is one of the oldest Carpathians in existence, and he has spent all that time without the soothing presence of his lifemate. For two thousand years he has waited for this woman to be reborn, only to find her in the sights of a monster he has fought before, a vampire risen again to finish a battle started centuries ago.

Now, Petru must face his greatest enemy and his greatest shame. He has no hope that Safia will forgive his betrayal once the memories of her past life return to her. But he will not make the same mistake again, even if he has to sacrifice everything for the woman who has claimed his immortal soul.

••••

Sandy’s REVIEW: DARK MEMORY is the thirty-seventh instalment (33 plus 4 novellas) in Christine Feehan’s adult DARK CARPATHIAN erotic, paranormal romance series focusing on a group of powerful warriors known as Carpathians. This is ancient Carpathian Petru Cioban, and Safia Meziane’s story line. DARK MEMORY 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 several parts from dual omniscient third person perspectives, once again leaning strongly on the Tarot cards, DARK MEMORY follows the building relationship between Petru and Safia. Thousands of years earlier Petru found his lifemate, a five year old child, then lost her to a vampire’s madness. Fast forward to present day Petru has been told his ‘lifemate’ is alive in the current timeline, a woman who is very aware of the vampire’s existence. Safia Meziane has been trained in the ways of killing vampires and demons who escape from behind the gates of the Underworld, gates that are guarded by three powerful and ancient Carpathian women. When Petru comes face to face with his lifemate, he will discover that the danger is already present and he must claim our heroine before it is too late. What ensues is the quick building relationship between Petru and Safia, and the potential fall-out as Lilith was determined to take control

Safia Meziane has been trained to kill with a magical sword; to take down a vampire, a demon and all sorts of evil that threaten the lives of her family and friends. With the aid of Aura, an ancient Carpathian, a female whose duty it is to guard the gate to the Underworld, Safia is more than aware of the coming war, and the man that is about to take control of her world.

As per usual, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful, powerful and often dangerous secondary and supporting characters: many of Safia’s extended family and friends; Carpathian ancients Nicu Dalca, and Benedek Kovac, Tomas, Lojos and Mataias, as well as Lilith who commands the demons, the vampires, the mages from the Underworld; and a not so surprising Master vampire

DARK MEMORY continues to focus on a new series arc, one that now follows a form of reincarnation; the Tarot cards that tell the ancients of the existence of a mate, gate keepers, demons and demon slayers, hellhounds and the Underworld, as well as the woman in charge. The arc also renegotiates the death of a lifemate; the scarring of a Carpathian, and vampires that continue to work with someone else. The slow building, action-packed premise is intriguing and captivating but also familiar with a very prolonged fight scene; the romance is insta-lust to love, provocative and intense; the characters are charismatic and determined.

 

Barb’s REVIEW:  Dark Memory by Christine Feehan is the 33rd book in her fantastic Carpathian series.  I absolutely loved this book, as Dark Memory was fascinating and thrilling from start to finish.   Dark Memory continues the story of the remaining 4 ancients to find their Life-mates, Petru is the hero in this book, with Benedek and Nicu still to come in future books. We meet at the start, Safia Meziane, our heroine, who is an important member of her family, who live in Algeria.  Safia has trained her entire life to defend against demons, to protect her family, as she is a demon hunter. Safia worries that she will not be able to protect her family, as she is the ‘chosen one’; she is very independent, devoted to her family, and has extraordinary abilities to fight evil. She can sense the evil coming, she learns from her grandfather that she is not alone; since years ago,  she was promised to an Ancient Carpathian warrior, who will join her, with some other warriors to help in the battle.

Petru Cioban, our hero, is one of the oldest Carpathians, knowing that 2000 years he found his life mate, who was still a child, only to have lost her to the evil vampires under control by Lilith. Petru waited all these years for her to be reborn, and is determined to get there in time to help her fight another evil battle, but this time he will do anything to keep her safe.

Even though Safia, senses her life mate on his way, she manages to stop an early attack, using her ability to control animals/insects, as well as mind control others (vampires/hounds). As soon as things escalate, Petru and his group (Benedek, Nicos, Mataias, Tomas, Lojos) appear and they stop the onslaught for now; but evil Lilith is even angrier and will bring everything she has soon.   Lilith and her demons, hellhounds, vampires will use everything to kill Safia, Petru and all the family.  Can they survive?

Petru and Safia get to know each other, and in a short period, they both know they were destined to be together.   Petru was wonderful with Safia’s family, and together they all made plans on how to defeat this horrific evil. Petru marveled at how Safia had amazing mind control abilities, and knew she would always want to be able to use her powers when needed; and he easily worked closely with her. I got a kick out of Petru teaching Safia how to shift into a small bird. I love that Petru was sweet and caring, giving her time to accept their bond; I loved Petru and Safia together, as they were so good.  I did like that Safia near the end, would be able to read the cards, letting the other 4 men know they do have life-mates.

What follows is an exciting, intense story line where both Safia and Petru were in constant danger, with lives on the line.  Dark Memory was a pulse-pounding, edge of your seat thriller, that kept me unable to put the book down.  Safia and Petru were such an amazing couple, not to mention all the wonderful members of her family, who would join the battle against evil.  Dark Memory was another masterpiece by Christine Feehan. If you are a Dark/Carpathian fan, you need to read this book.

 

Petru drank in the sight of her. Her hair was sleek, shiny and dark from the water. It hung thick and long down her back. The moon seemed to spotlight her beauty, the oval of her face with her dark lashes framing her large, jeweled eyes. It was impossible to keep from looking at her full lips and not imagine kissing her, which was a little shocking to him. He didn’t have thoughts like that, not in the middle of a crisis.
Safia wore a royal blue one-piece bathing suit that hugged her figure like a second skin. Petru had dulled the brightness of colors to keep from hurting his eyes, but even with keeping them blurred, it was impossible to stop the vivid beauty of her from nearly blinding him. She shone like the brightest star. More, she had a natural sensuality in every line of her body that appealed to him.
There was no way to stop himself from putting his hands on her hips to hold her steady in the rough water. The moment his palms settled around her and his fingers pressed into the contours of her feminine shape, his body reacted. Discipline was gone. Unexpected fire swept through his veins every bit as hot as the blue flames in her crystal sword. Her green gaze jumped to his, confusion mixed with reluctant desire.
“Have you been here all along?” Her gaze didn’t leave his.
He realized he had to be very careful. “Yes, we have no knowledge of these demons or how to best fight them. You are the expert, and we thought it best to learn from you. We did not give away our presence for fear of distracting you.” He hoped it didn’t occur to her that he could just pull the knowledge from her mind the way he did from everyone else around him.
Benedek and Nicu both made some disparaging sound in his mind, which could have been a snicker on their private ancient path established in the monastery.
Petru thought it best to ignore the brethren and concentrate on his lifemate. Evidently, he’d given her the best answer possible. Her eyes lit up briefly, despite the wariness she was exhibiting.
“I think it best, Safia, if we allow Petru and these men to help,” Izem said. “I have little air in reserve, and if the last sea centipede is a giant, you’ll need to rest and regain your strength before you take on that large of an opponent.”
Carpathian males never allowed interference when it came to their lifemates, but Petru had gone to Safia’s father and oldest brother to ask for their advice. He was aware he knew nothing of relationships or humans. He had hurt her feelings once already through careless words. He knew she felt less than confident around him, even though those emotions were buried deep. He knew the vampire had planted those seeds in the child for Lilith. Now he kept quiet and was grateful for Izem taking control.
“But Izem . . .” Safia gave a halfhearted protest.
Izem gave her a stern look. “I don’t wish to argue over this. I will wait with Mataias for you. Rest on the boat while the demon is led farther from the harbor. Gain strength and then destroy it. Hopefully vampires stay away this night.” He leaned over, gripped his sister’s forearms and then looked at Petru. “I leave her in your care.”

Excerpted from Dark Memory by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2023 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.

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Shadow Dance by Christine Feehan – Dual Review & Giveaway

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Shadow Dance by Christine Feehan – Review & Giveaway

 

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Description:
As the head of the New York City Shadow Riders and his branch of the Ferraro family, Geno bears the weight of dual responsibilities on his broad shoulders. There’s nothing more important to Geno than protecting his territory and his famiglia. So when his own parents become the latest victims in a string of vicious murders, Geno is ready to go scorched earth. He thinks he has the assassin in his sights, but he’s unprepared for the firestorm their connection ignites….

Amaranthe Aubert’s lithe dancer’s body conceals a spine of steel. Even held captive and faced with the threat of lethal interrogation, she’s not about to cave under pressure. She had nothing to do with the murders, no matter what the ruthless man in front of her believes. But before Amara knows what’s happening, Geno connects to her in the shadows, stripping her bare of all artifice. Now, she has no way to hide her true reason for being in New York–and nowhere to run from the man who’s very presence steals the very breath from her lungs….

 

 

Barb’s Review:

Shadow Dance by Christine Feehan is the 8th book in her fantastic Shadow Riders series. I have note that I loved this book, as we got to meet the New York Ferraro family, and throughout the whole book we spend so much time with all of our favorite Chicago family.  So much fun and entertaining. Refresher:   Shadow riders have the ability to blend themselves to the shadows wherever they are, making themselves invisible to anyone.  The Ferraro family runs a legitimate business; they use their ability to help others in need to solve various problems and dispense justice.  They are an extremely powerful and close-knit family that is totally loyal to one another, also protecting the people that in live in their community.

We meet Geno Ferraro, the head of the New York Shadow Rider family. He protects his territory, and his two brothers.  Geno senses something is amiss, with a number or murders against shadow riders all over the US & Europe. He thinks he has found an assassin, and calls Stefano to help him interrogate this person. 

We meet Amaranthe (Amara) Aubert, our heroione, who is a famous dancer, now in New York to perform in the upcoming Romeo and Juliett show.  Amara, is captured by Geno, as he threatens her, thinking she is one of the murderers.  But soon he realizes with Stefano’s help, that she is a shadow rider working for the Archambault family to secretly find the enemies.  Amara knows that she needs to reveal her true reason for being in New York, especially with two powerful Shadow Riders leaders. Geno realizes that Amara is the one for him, and their attraction to each other is immediate, though Amara will not open up her heart, as she is determined to complete her mission. In a short period, Amara begins to fall hard for Geno, as well as his two fun brothers.  The romance between Geno and Amara was fierce and inspiring, as they were fantastic individuals, with Amara also being a powerful shadow rider.  Everything changes for both of them, as Geno never thought he would find the woman of his dreams, and Amara never had a family. 

As noted above, all the members of the Chicago Ferarro’s played such a big part in helping fight the enemy, as well as other riders from various states.  I just loved seeing all of my favorites, and the fun they had teasing each other. Amara was an amazing heroine, with her fast-moving ability within the shadows, including at one time saving Stefano’s life. 

Shadow Dance was an emotional story on many levels; the danger and threats from the evil shadow riders, as well as the sizzling romance between Geno and Amara, not to mention the wonderful bond all the Ferraro’s have for each other.  Geno wasn’t thrilled that Amara wanted to continue be a shadow rider, but he knew that any fears he had, resulted in her own fears for him. I will not give spoilers, as I do not want to ruin it for you; especially since this was a masterpiece. 

Shadow Dance was a captivating, exciting, suspenseful, action-packed from start to finish; especially the fantastic last third of the book; where all the Ferraro family was is in danger.  Their romance was sizzling and I did love Geno and Amara together. This was an awesome addition to this series, and I was very happy that we will get more Shadow Riders stories from other families.

Christine Feehan once again gives us a fabulous story, which was so very well written.  This is a fantastic Paranormal series (quickly becoming my favorite series).  If you have not read this series, you need to start with the first book.  If you have read them all, you will love this one.

 

Sandy’s Review:

SHADOW DANCE is the eight instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult SHADOW RIDERS paranormal, erotic, romance series focusing on the Ferraro Crime Family. This is Shadow Rider Geno Ferraro, and ballet dancer Amaranthe “Amara’ Aubert’s story line. SHADOW DANCER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

SOME BACKGROUND: The Shadow Rider male must find his mate –a woman who is capable of riding the shadows-or at the very least with the ability to bear children with the shadow-riding gene. Within the family, the Ferraro siblings are tasked with finding a mate, fated by DNA, who is capable of continuing the family line. People with the ability to ride the shadows are few and far between, and future generations are at risk if no mates are found with the shadow-riding gene. The Ferraro’s are also part of the Chicago Underworld-a crime family linked to both legal and criminal activity.

Told from third person perspectives SHADOW DANCER follows in the aftermath of the murder of Geno’s parents Eugene and Margo Ferraro. Someone is killing Shadow Rider couples, and Geno is about to discover the Ferraro family has been targeted. Enter ballet dancer and elite investigator Amaranthe Aubert, the woman with whom Geno will fall in love. As Amara and Geno begin investigating a series of attacks against anyone connected to the Ferraro family, our couple will discover that all is not well in the world of the Shadow Rider, past sins are about to reveal a darkness that has targeted the Ferraro family. What ensues is the building relationship between Amara and Geno, and the potential fall-out as Geno’s need to protect Amara threatens their future and their own happily ever after.

The world building continues to focus on the world of the Shadow Rider: their ability to ‘ride the shadows’, and those who are trained to serve justice when a ‘rider’ cannot be sentenced through regular law enforcement. As each member of the Ferraro finds their own happily ever after, secrets will reveal a past haunted by neglect and abuse.

The relationship between Geno and Amara is one of fated mates but Amara has been tasked with investigating the people or person’s responsible, having been lead to believe the Ferraro’s may be the key. When Geno’s ‘shadow’ entwines with our story line heroine’s, Amara knows immediately that separating from Geno could mean death to them both. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and powerful secondary and supporting characters including most if not all of the previous story line couples, even if just by way of mention of total involvement. We are reintroduced to Geno’s brothers Salvatore and Lucca, and Dario Bosco, a non-rider who is aware of the Shadow Rider’s existence. The requisite evil has many faces.

SHADOW DANCE is another dramatic story of family and relationships, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, fate and love. The premise is edgy, detailed, complex and dark; the romance is spirited and provocative; the characters are impassioned, desperate, powerful and determined.

She nodded, never looking away from his dark gaze. She did love his eyes. “I’m very sure. I’m not going to doubt us again.”
His smile was slow in climbing to his eyes, but when it reached them, it lit up the deep blue until her stomach began to perform loops and somersaults.
“You’re lethal to women, Geno.”
“Just to you, I promise.”
He cupped the back of her head gently and bent to brush his lips across hers, featherlight, before she could protest that she was wearing lipstick. As kisses went, it was fairly virtuous. It shouldn’t have made her heart pound like a drum out of control, but it did. He didn’t stop there. He shifted her, easily bringing her onto his lap, urging her to straddle his thighs.
Amaranthe knew better, but she couldn’t help herself. He mesmerized her. Large hands at her waist, he lifted her, and she settled one knee on either side of his thighs. His lips moved on hers again and again. Barely there. Whispering. Never hurrying. So light. Coaxing her with tenderness as if he knew everything she said was bravado. She was still afraid to go into his world with him.
Geno had kissed her with fire, but not like this. Not with tenderness. Not so she could taste raw emotion. He was giving her a gift—showing her how he felt. Her lips trembled beneath his. This was a terrifying moment even as she reveled in it. His chest was hard as it rose and fell against the softness of her breasts. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips, and her heart contracted.
I want you for myself, Danzatrice Ombra. You’re the only thing I’ve ever wanted for me. The only woman I’ve looked at and known I had to have, or it would be no one. If you turn me down, there will be no arranged marriage. No children with another rider. You are my partner, Amaranthe. I feel it with every breath I take. Feel it, too. Want me the way I want you.
He whispered poetic words like that into her mind, and she knew she would never be able to resist him. It didn’t matter that he was so far out of her league, and she had no idea how to be with a man like him, she knew she couldn’t walk away from him.
She saw his absolute resolve. He meant every word he said. His life had been dictated to him, his every path, his every breath and step. He was done with giving every aspect of his life to everyone else. He would choose his wife. The woman he would marry. If he couldn’t have the woman he loved, he would choose to be alone. She saw that determination in him. When Geno made up his mind, he was absolute steel.
I’m so afraid I’ll embarrass you, Geno. I have no idea what to do or say around these people. I don’t belong with them.
His mouth brushed across her lips again. Gently. Coaxing. So tender her stomach did a slow somersault and her sex clenched. She held herself very still, frozen in place, but the need for flight was paramount. Every inch of the front of her body was pressed tightly against him. His masculine scent enveloped her so that each time she inhaled, she took him deep into her lungs.
You don’t need to belong with them, Amara. You belong with me. I’m the one who needs you, not them. I don’t belong. Haven’t you noticed? I’m not the same as the rest of them and I make them uneasy. I’ve never minded, but I don’t want you to feel that way. I don’t want you uneasy around me.
How could he think that? Did she make him think it was him? She slid her palms up his chest and linked her fingers behind his neck, her mouth moving under his in answer.
It isn’t you I’m afraid of, Geno. I love being with you, and I’m comfortable with you. It’s the others in your world.
His teeth teased at her lower lip, tugging very gently while his palm curled around the nape of her neck and his thumb swept along her cheek.
Give yourself to me, la mia danzatrice ombra. I swear, you’ll always be safe with me. I’ll make you happy.
There was no resisting him. She didn’t even want to resist him. He was right.
I want you to know you will always come first. Always.
Excerpted from Shadow Dance by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2023 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.

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Ghostly Game (GhostWalkers #19) by Christine Feehan-Review & Giveaway

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Ghostly Game (GhostWalkers #19) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 2, 2023

Gideon “Eagle” Carpenter is used to rolling with the punches life has thrown at him. It’s the only thing that’s kept him alive. He and his team of GhostWalkers have seen and experienced it all. He does his best to live with all the sins written on his soul. Then he hears the laughter of a woman with the ability to erase—even for a few precious moments—the darkness of his past.

Laurel “Rory” Chappel has always been a nomad. She’s accustomed to taking care of herself, despite the physical challenges she lives with. She thinks she’s too weak to find real love, but that doesn’t stop her interest in Gideon from turning into a full-on addiction. He’s all rough edges and danger contrasted with a tenderness that makes her feel safe. Still, after a life spent in motion, she’s not sure she knows how to stay in one place.

Gideon hopes he can persuade Rory to take a chance on him with every electric touch. But soon, life conspires against him, forcing the GhostWalker to risk everything to protect the woman he loves….

••••••

REVIEW:GHOSTLY GAME is the nineteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult GHOSTWALKERS erotic, paranormal romance series focusing on an elite group (4 teams) of enhanced men and women known as the GhostWalkers (GW). These ‘super soldiers’ were once part of an unauthorized government experiment performed by Dr. Peter Whitney. The original GhostWalkers struggled without a female anchor, a female whose genetic and enhanced powers were often in tandem with the men involved. This is GhostWalkers Gideon ‘Eagle’’ Carpenter, and bartender Laurel ‘Rory’ Chappel’s story line. GHOSTLY GAME can be read as a stand alone but for back story I recommend reading the series in order, or at the very least book one SHADOW GAME where the reader is introduced to the world of the GhostWalker.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Gideon and Rory) GHOSTLY GAME follows with Gideon’s discovery of the woman he believes is his fated mate. Laurel ‘Rory’ Chappel rarely stays in one place or city for very long but has found a home and friendship in San Francisco. A series of break ins and murders in her apartment building finds our heroine the target of police, police she begins to suspect are on the wrong side of the law. Meanwhile, several mysterious and dangerous men begin to follow our heroine from work to home, where she will come face to face with her future in the guise of GhostWalker Gideon Carpenter. What ensues is the building but trepidatious relationship between Gideon and Rory, and the fall-out as Rory’s issues of trust implode when secrets and lies push her out of Gideon’s life.

Rory Chappel has no idea she is a GhostWalker: a part of Peter Whitney’s orphaned girl experiments, experiments of which have left Rory with no memory of her early life, or the torture and pain that had been inflicted as a child but the more time she spends with Gideon, using their telepathic abilities, Rory’s memories and powers begin to tear at the fabric of her mind, a tear that can only be healed by a psychic physician.

Gideon Carpenter has not been forthcoming about who he is, and what he can do but it is his team of GhostWalkers that threatens his growing relationship with our story line heroine. Mack McKinley, Gideon’s team leader, suspects Rory is the enemy, sent by Dr. Peter Whitney, and as such has the entire team looking at Rory as an assassin, biding her time to destroy them all. As Rory continues to struggle with issues of trust, she begins to pull away, suspecting she has more than one target aiming to take her down. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters from GhostWalkers Team Three headed by Mack McKinley and his wife Jaime: Javier Enderman, Kane Cannon, Paul Mangan, Rhianna Bonds, Ethan Meyers, Lucas Atherton, Marc Lands, and Brian Hutton but saying that we are not witness to their powers or their strengths with the exception of Paul Mangan. We are introduced to Rory’s friends and neighbors: Lydia Sawyer, Janice DeWitt, Pam Williams, Cindy Atler and Sally Hudson, and Rory’s boss Brad Fitzpatrick, and Detective Warren Larrsen. The requisite evil has many faces.

The world building continues to focus on Dr. Peter Whitney and his experiments that have created a super solider, as well as the abuse of a number of little girls under his ‘care’ but use of these powers amongst Team Three is limited throughout the story except in the case of Gideon and Paul. I have to question why the Team would text information to one another when each of them has the ability to talk telepathically between minds.

GHOSTLY GAME is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, abuse, torture and brutality, acceptance and love. The premise is detailed and intriguing; the romance is subtle; the characters are powerful, determined and strong.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpted from Ghostly Game by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2023 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

 

“I’m not getting the GhostWalker vibe off her,” Gideon said, his eyes on the woman talking to one of her many male customers.
It didn’t matter that her hair was piled on her head in a sloppy knot that was falling out tendril by wayward tendril; it was obvious she had masses of hair, and it was dark cherry red. The real deal. Cherry red. He’d never seen that color of hair on anyone before. Every time she moved under a light, it blazed into vibrant life. It was difficult to keep his eyes off her.
She had those eyes. A deep green. Emerald? Jade? No, emerald for certain. Her eyes sparkled when she talked to her customers. She looked directly at them even when she was mixing drinks, her rhythm never faltering. Sometimes she would laugh softly, the sound musical, turning heads no matter how low it was in the noise of the crowded bar.
“You’ve been here several times over the last couple of weeks, Javier.” Gideon made it a statement. It would be difficult to get anything past Javier.
Gideon had held out as long as he could. The doctor hadn’t given him permission to come see Rory in person, but he couldn’t resist the compulsion any longer. Javier wasn’t happy about it, but he’d come along to ensure Gideon didn’t tear open any wounds. In other words, Gideon thought a little ironically, babysitting.
“I’ve watched her closely,” Javier admitted. “I can’t see any indication that she’s a GhostWalker, other than she has extraordinary reflexes. Her bartending skills are amazing. She’s fast and can handle multiple orders. She doesn’t seem to forget faces or names. On the other hand, I’ve followed her home every night, and she doesn’t run or exhibit any kind of behaviors or skills a GhostWalker might under cover of darkness. She walks, Gideon. Even if there’s a threat to her, which, on more than one occasion, I shut down.”
Gideon didn’t like that. The bartender everyone called Rory was a very attractive woman, although she didn’t seem to notice that she was. She didn’t flirt with her customers so much as genuinely try to connect in a friendly, positive way. If a man asked her out, she gave him a grin but refused gently.
Gideon liked the sprinkling of freckles across her nose and her generous mouth. It would be easy to fixate on both. “You did a background search on her?” Javier was a genius with computers. Gideon knew Javier had. He’d read the report multiple times and committed it to memory. He hoped Javier had updated it.
“Not much to find. She moves around a lot. Lost her parents early. Put herself through bartending school and uses that to earn her way. She doesn’t stay in one place very long. She goes to a state, travels within that state for a little while and moves on to the next one.”
“Anyone following her?”
“Not that I can find.”
Gideon slid his fingers around the neck of the beer bottle and rolled it back and forth. “I’m really drawn to her, Javier, more than any woman I’ve ever been around. The chemistry for me is off the charts. That doesn’t happen. Not like this. Not just with the sound of her voice. Her laughter. Now, watching other men around her, my attraction to her could be a little on the dangerous side, and you know I’m really not that man.”
Javier studied him, one eyebrow arched.
“Not over a woman,” Gideon clarified. “How can I trust it? You know Whitney pairs us. Would he pair someone who isn’t a GhostWalker just to experiment?”
Javier shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to do anything, but what would it matter even if he did pair the two of you? Look at Kane and Rose. They’re happy together. Whitney didn’t make that happen. He might be able to make you attractive to each other, but he can’t manipulate your emotions.”
“And if she’s a plant?”
Again, Javier shrugged. “Then she’s an enemy, Gideon, and I’ll kill her. Whitney doesn’t get to have spies in our home.”
Every cell in Gideon’s body instantly rejected Javier’s casual threat. “Not happening, brother. I wouldn’t be able to let you do it,” he admitted. “That’s another black mark to put in the column against her.”


 

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.

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11th Anniversary Celebration Giveaway #9-Today’s Prize

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11th Anniversary Celebration Giveaway #9-Today’s Prize

 

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Leopard’s Scar (Leopard 14) by Christine Feehan-Review & Giveaway

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Leopard’s Scar (Leopard 13) by Christine Feehan-Review, Excerpt Giveaway

LEOPARD’S SCAR
Leopard 14
by Christine Feehan
Release Date: November 29, 2022
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, paranormal, romance

 

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: November 29, 2022

The moment Meiling sees Gedeon she knows he’s a leopard shifter—just as she knows she can’t trust him. Meiling doesn’t take chances, life has taught her better than that. So why does she find herself rescuing this deadly, gorgeous man, when she knows she’d be better off leaving him to die?

Gedeon is used to women throwing themselves at him, not throwing his injured body over their beautiful, deceptively strong shoulders and carrying him to safety. He might be embarrassed, if he wasn’t so aroused by the very thought of this feisty lotus blossom.

As they strike up a working relationship that suits them both, Gedeon starts to rely on Meiling for just about everything. But when her hidden nature rises to the surface, the connection that links them shifts into an all-consuming desire. And neither will escape unmarked. . . .

••••••

REVIEW: LEOPARD’S SCAR is the fourteenth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult LEOPARD erotic, paranormal romance series. This is fixer/Leopard shifter Gedeon Volkov, and Meiling Chang’s story line. LEOPARD’S SCAR can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Meiling and Gedeon) LEOPARD’S SCAR follows the building but contemptuous relationship between leopard shifters Gedeon Volkov, and Meiling Chang. Meiling was too late to rescue her ‘cousin’ from a human trafficking ring but the appearance of a Leopard male shifter meant Meiling had only a matter of time to make her escape. A series of explosions destroying the compound and all survivors left Gedeon Volkov temporarily blinded and unable to walk, and Meiling found herself nursing the shifter back to health. Desperate for Meiling’s help, Gedeon offers Meiling a job, a partnership ‘fixing’ that which cannot be fixed but a partnership in business terms only. Gedeon suspects Meiling is a Leopard shifter who has yet to reach the Han Vol Dan (female leopard’s first heat), and in this, Meiling’s continual denial of herself threatens the relationship between our leading couple. Gedeon’s leopard is dangerous, dark and in constant need of sexual gratification but he refuses to cross the line with the woman with whom he will fall in love instead opting for a series of meaningless women, inciting jealousy in our story line heroine. As Meiling and Gedeon work together on a number of search and rescue assignments, Meiling struggles to keep her leopard under control knowing Gedeon is their mate but a man who has issues with a monogamous relationship. What ensues is the slow building relationship between Meiling and Gedeon, and the potential fall-out as the past continues to hunt for our story line heroine.

Both Meiling and Gedeon lost their families to murder at the hands of an assassin leaving our couple the only surviving members of their Leopard clans. Meiling and Gedeon are descended from a long line of powerful shifters, and in this, Meiling has been targeted by the people at the top. Gedeon has been biding his time, exacting revenge against the Leopards who destroyed his family and his Lair but never expected the betrayal to come from someone he knew.

The relationship between Meiling and Gedeon is a slow building relationship predicated upon revenge and betrayal, desperation and need. Meiling suspects Gedeon is her mate but Gedeon refuses to place Meiling in danger knowing his Leopard is demanding and deadly. Refusing to accept Meiling as their mate, Gedeon continues to push away the woman with whom he will fall in love. The $ex scenes are erotic, provocative and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of powerful and familiar secondary and supporting characters including but not exclusive to the Amurov Leopard Crime Family Evangeline and Fyodor Amurov (Leopard’s Blood #8), Timur and Ashe Amurov (Leopard’s Run #10), Elijah Lospostos, Jake Bannaconni, and Drake Donovan. The requisite evil has many faces.

LEOPARD’S SCAR is a story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, greed and hunger, violence and death, acceptance and love. The premise is edgy and dramatic; the romance struggles in the face of perceived betrayal; the characters are numerous, powerful and determined.

Now to address a new ‘revelation’- a species of Leopard with the ability to create and control dragon fire, a group known as the Dragon Throne Justice. I am not sure where the author is going with this new plot twist but it is beginning to sound too much like the Carpathian series.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Wild Rain
Burning Wild
Wild Fire
Savage Nature
Leopard’s Prey
Cat’s Lair
Wild Cat
Leopard’s Fury
Leopard’s Blood
Leopard’s Run
Leopard’s Wrath
Leopard’s Rage

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

Excerpted from Leopard’s Scar 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.

 

 

Her body shook as if she had tremors that were uncontrollable. There was no fixing that, so she just accepted it, as she did anything she couldn’t change, and looked around her. The cabin was gone. Flattened. No, it was a hole in the ground. The forest around it was gone, the trees lying in piles of rubble and leaves everywhere. It looked like a war zone.
She started to turn away when she caught movement under one of the stacks of leaves and branches. It was a human leg and arm moving, the arm trying to throw the branch off the leg. She heard the curse. The groan. The branch settled back over the leg. The man cursed again, and she heard the raw pain in his voice.
Gedeon. Meiling closed her eyes. Naturally he would live through it. He was a leopard and probably had more than nine lives. If she helped him, he would most certainly reward her by killing her. He was Amur. What else would he do? If she didn’t help him, she would forever remember him taking on all those horrid men to free the women. She would never get the sight of him kneeling on the porch weeping from her mind. The latter two things didn’t fit with him being Amur leopard. Now she was the one cursing.
She made her way back to him, picking her way through the debris. “I’ve got a gun, and if you make one wrong move, I’m going to shoot you right through the heart. Do you understand? If you just behave, I’ll move the branch, leave you your clothes and you can go on your way.” Meiling made certain she didn’t speak until she could do so without the slightest tremor in her voice. She was still shaking like a leaf, but he couldn’t see her—at least she hoped he couldn’t.
There was a small silence and then she heard him sigh. “Lady, get the hell out of here while you can. I’m blind. My leg is broken. The branch is too heavy for you to lift, and I can’t help you with my leg like this. I’m naked, by the way. If you did manage to get me free, I got a good look at you and I weigh three times your weight. How are you going to get me out of here? On your back? That’s ludicrous. No doubt there are men on their way right now to see what the hell happened to their moneymaking operation, and you don’t want to be here when they get here. If by some miracle you did manage to save my life and I regained my eyesight and didn’t die of infection, I’d have to hunt you down, which I’m very good at, and kill you because I don’t leave witnesses. On top of everything else, my cat hates everybody and I’m pretty damned weak right now and I might not be able to hold him back. So get out of here.”
“You really aren’t telling me anything new other than the eye thing and broken leg. If you aren’t going to be useful, less talking, please. I’ve got to figure this out fast.” She put his clothes down and considered the branch. It was large, but it was mostly the angle that was going to give her trouble. If she dropped it on his leg a second time after she picked it up, it was going to cause considerably more damage.
She was strong, and unfortunately, the moment she showed him just how strong she actually was, he would guess she was more than she seemed. That meant the moment she could, she would have to run. She’d planned on doing so anyhow, but that knowledge would double his incentive for coming after her.
She caught ahold of the end of the branch, lifted and maneuvered it off his leg, closing her ears to the sound of his hastily cut off groan. The branch was cracked in several places and made horrid creaking and cracking noises, threatening to break into several large pieces, the offshoots shivering, throwing twigs and leaves raining down. She didn’t hesitate at all but kept the thick branch moving until it was completely away from Gedeon’s body. When she dropped it to the ground, it did break into pieces.
For the first time, she allowed herself to look at the man’s face to see if he was telling her the truth. His gorgeous jade-green eyes were definitely damaged in some way. Hastily, she tore a strip from his shirt, soaked it in the water from her backpack and slowly approached him.
“I’m going to tie this around your eyes. It’s all I’ve got at the moment to help. Then I’ll stabilize your leg to move you.”
“Why aren’t you afraid of my leopard?”
“I have a way with them. Is he acting up?”
“As a matter of fact, no.”
Meiling did feel a little smug at that. He sounded shocked. She wasn’t that surprised. She did have a way with large cats.
“How the hell do you think you can move me?” Now he was back to irritable.
“Does it matter? I’m getting you out of here unless you’d rather I leave you the gun and you take care of doing yourself in. Otherwise, stop whining and let me get this done. I don’t want to be here with you any longer than I have to.”
“I have to hand it to you, little doll, you have guts.”

 

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 and The Reading Cafe are graciously offering a paper copy of LEOPARD’S SCAR to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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Dark Whisper by Christine Feehan-Dual Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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

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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 32nd 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.

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9. Giveaway open to USA only

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