Dark Carousel by Christine Feehan – Dual Review & Giveaway
DARK CAROUSEL
Dark Carpathians #30
by Christine Feehan
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal romance
Release Date: August 2, 2016
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository
Description:
The moment Charlotte Vintage walks into his club, Tariq Asenguard’s blood is set on fire. The ancient Carpathian had given up hope of finding his lifemate, but now he will do anything to make Charlotte his own. What Tariq doesn’t know is that Charlotte is using herself and her best friend as bait—to try to draw out the bloodthirsty killers who have already murdered Charlotte’s brother and mentor.
Charlotte is familiar with Tariq. Not only is he one of the richest and most eligible bachelors in the city, but he’s also a renowned collector of old carousel horses, which Charlotte restores. Their shared passion opens Charlotte up to trusting him with her life and with the desire she can no longer control. But it also makes her vulnerable to a centuries-old curse that will unite her and Tariq in a war against the enemies of humans and Carpathians alike…
Barb’s Review:
Dark Carousel by Christine Feehan is the 30th book in her Dark/Carpathian series. For those of you who have been reading my reviews on this series, you know I have been disappointed in most of the books Christine has written since my favorite book, Dark Slayer. I did not like most of the heroes (still loved Dimitri), who were abusive/arrogant / macho to their mates for a large part of the story, as well as the books being more erotic then story driven. I also did not like that many of the earlier characters, or villains, such as the Malinovs, did not play much of a part in most of the books. In Dark Carousel I have to say……..CHRISTINE FEEHAN IS BACK. I loved Dark Carousel and I love Tariq. Now to my review. 🙂
We have been waiting for Tariq Asenguard’s story for a long time, and in Dark Carousel he finally gets his story and his lifemate. Charlotte Vintage is our heroine, and we meet her from the start. Charlotte is with her best friend at a club owned by Tarig, where they act as bait to find the men responsible for the death of members of each of their families. Charlotte and her friend, Genevieve were part of a special psychics evaluation that was done for women who have psychic abilities. We did learn many books ago that Psychic women are suspected of being lifemate candidates for the Carpathian warriors. When they leave the club, they are surrounded by dangerous men, who are vampires. Tariq sensed in his club the scent of a woman who pulls on him, and who he suspects is the lifemate he has spent his life looking for. It will be Tariqand his friends who will save Charlotte and Genevieve from the vampires.
Tariq will bring them and Charlotte’s niece to his mansion, where he will protect them. The mansion is also the safe house for a few children that Tariq and his men rescued from the vampires; with most having been tortured, and are in the process of healing. Tariq has assumed responsibility for them, making them his family. Almost immediately after arriving at the mansion, Tariq and Charlotte become a scorching hot couple, with Tariq using his sexual charm and trance to start the lifemate chant. There is no way Tariq will allow Charlotte to get away from him, since she is one person to keep him alive. Charlotte was also falling in love with Tariq, with his loving care of her, and his promise to love her and care for her forever.
What follows is a wonderful story, where Tariq and his Carpathian friends must find a way to save the children in their care, and also save Charlotte, who is in very much danger. It was amazing how we saw all of the warriors work together to heal her from a splinter controlled by a master vampire. As Charlotte’s life hangs by a thread; they had no choice but to convert her early.
This was an exciting, action packed story that brought us back to the days left off in Dark Slayer. The Malinovs are back, with Vadim being the master. Sergey is also there, but so far, Vadim is the one in control. There was a race to the climax to save one of the younger girls that was tortured, and a fight for life against one of Vadim’s other master vampires. I loved how Charlotte adapted to becoming Carpathian and loved her new powers and helping Tariq, and living in his world. Great story, great characters, great couple. The story with the Vadim and Sergey was left open for future books. Welcome back, Christine, I pray we get to see more like Dark Carousel and the rest of the people we just met.
Sandy’s Review:
DARK CAROUSEL is the thirtieth installment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult DARK CARPATHIAN paranormal, romance series. This is ancient warrior Tariq Asenguard, and carousel restorer Charlotte Vintage’s story line. DARK CAROUSEL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Several of the characters including Maxim and Blaze introduced in DARK CRIME found in the anthology EDGE OF DARKNESS (July 2015) play secondary and supporting roles throughout the story.
NOTE: DARK CAROUSEL is a story with brutally, graphic violence and issues of rape and abuse against women and children.
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.
Told from several third person points of view DARK CAROUSEL follows Charlotte Vintage as she endeavors to come to terms with the deaths of several family members and friends seemingly linked back to her visit to a psychic center in Paris, France. As Charlotte and her friend Genevieve return to America, they are being stalked by an unknown source, and find themselves at a nightclub run by Tariq Asenguard-an ancient Carpathian male who has yet to find the woman who holds the other half to his soul. What ensues is the awareness for Tariq when Charlotte’s voice returns his emotions and color, and the quick building romance/insta love between two people connected by the past. While Charlotte struggles with her attraction and need for Tariq, there is something more sinister working behind the scenes. A master vampire is on the hunt, and Charlotte is one of his intended victims.
Like all of Christine Feehan’s male leads, Tariq is over protective and alpha, but in saying this, he is not abusive, not arrogant, not controlling or verging on total domination like many of Christine’s recent male ‘heroes’-a term I use lightly. For an ancient Carpathian, Tariq is quite modern, and willing to accept that his mate is his partner in many aspects of their relationship but fighting vampires is not in her repertoire.
DARK CAROUSEL, like so many of the recent DARK stories, is a graphically violent tale of murder, rape, blood shed, and gore with disturbing scenes and brutal imagery. Christine Feehan’s vampires are evolving into a darker, more sinister species with the ability to think and act independently, where no one is off limits, and children and women are the latest targets as the vampires struggle for power and control.
The large ensemble cast of characters is numerous including the introduction of several new ancients we first met in Dark Promises, who are struggling to retain their honor, as well as the triplets Tomas, Lojos, and Matais. All of the psychic children introduced in Dark Crime are now wards of Tariq Asenquard, and like Sara and Falcon from Dark Dream, Tariq and Charlotte are now the foster parents for several psychic children who are featured throughout the story. One young child will be the saving grace for an ancient Carpathian (reminiscent of Skylar and Dimitri). Vadim Malinov is the Master vampire and, for newcomers to the series, and as a reminder, Tariq reveals some history about the Malinov’s and their battle with the Carpathian people.
Christine Feehan’s DARK CAROUSEL is a welcome return to her earlier writing style and story line presentation including the ongoing battle with the Malinov family, which has been missing for awhile, but the original characters we grew to love are absent and without representation. The Daratrazanoffs are mentioned for their healing abilities but have yet to make an appearance. The up-kick in graphic and brutal violence against women and children is still an issue-one that I don’t see coming to an end with the current direction of the series, and the ever-evolving vampires. The premise has plenty of action, fight scenes and sexual situations; the characters are an eclectic mix of humans, vampires, children and Carpathians; the romance is a quick build to lifemates and love.
For diehard fans of the series, many are aware that the characters from DARK CAROUSEL are part of a ‘lost’ manuscript previously started by the author-the premise has somewhat changed from the recovered text.
Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley
Copy provided by Publisher
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