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Dark Sentinel (Carpathian / Dark Series #28) by Christine Feehan-Dual Review & Giveaway

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DARK SENTINEL (Carpathians / Dark Series #28) by Christine Feehan-Dual Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

DARK SENTINEL
Carpathian / Dark Series #28
by Christine Feehan
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Genre: adult, paranormal, erotic, romance

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 4,2018

After the devastating loss of her entire family, Lorraine Peters heads to the woods searching for peace of mind and anything to quell the anger in her soul. Instead, she stumbles upon a scene of horrific violence, as one man lies helpless in the face of three attackers.

Andor Katona’s existence has been a harsh one, living for centuries as a monk in the Carpathian Mountains. Unable to find his lifemate, he almost welcomes his release from a colorless and unfeeling world at the hands of the vampire hunters who have mistaken him for their prey. That is, until a whirling ball of fury bursts onto the scene, determined to save him.

In one glimpse, in one breath, Andor recognizes Lorraine as his lifemate, but it will take more than their telepathic connection to convince her of their immortal bond. Lorraine is a lethal combination of cunning and courage. So much so that she captures the attention of a master vampire, one who has already lost what was once irreplaceable to him. One who will strike with deadly precision at Andor and his ancient Carpathian comrades in a war to end all wars.

•••••••••

Sandy’s REVIEW: DARK SENTINEL is the twenty-eighth instalment in Christine Feehan’s CARPATHIANS/DARK erotic, paranormal, romance series. This is ancient warrior Andor Katona, and Lorraine Peters’ story line. DARK SENTINEL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty although there is an ongoing series arc that continues in Dark Sentinel. Several of the previous story line characters play secondary and supporting roles including a number of warriors, from a Carpathian monastery, who have yet to find their lifemates.

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 dual third person perspectives (Andor and Lorraine) DARK SENTINEL continues to focus on a group of ancient Carpathian warriors, nearing the end of their search for a lifemate, who had previously locked themselves away from the world in a monastery high in the Carpathian mountains. A call to help their fellow warriors in America found our hero Andor Katona fighting the evil that had once been a proud Carpathian male. Close to death, Andor would face his future in the guise of human female Lorraine Peters, a woman willing to risk her life to protect a stranger who was telepathically announcing the end of his life. With just a few spoken words from our story line heroine, Andor knew that the brave but stubborn female was his fated lifemate. What ensues is Lorraine’s effort to help heal the man with whom she is falling in love, as a powerful vampire resurfaces in an effort to find his own fated mate.

DARK SENTINEL follows the building relationship between ancient warrior Andor Katona, and Lorraine Peters. Lorraine easily accepts the existence of vampires and the Carpathian species but struggles with the ‘fated lifemate’ aspect of their lives. As a human female with strong psychic capabilities Lorraine soon finds herself traversing between ‘planes of existence’ as the Carpathian healers battle to save Andor’s life but our heroine remains hesitant to give up control of her human life.

Andor Katona gave up all hope of finding the light to his dark; his other half knowing to hide away in a mountainous monastery would in effect hide the warriors from any potential mate. Moving to America to aid in the war against the growing army of vampires, Andor knows that Lorraine is his salvation but convincing the woman, is a task on its own. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

DARK SENTINEL follows all the hallmarks of Christine Feehan’s CARPATHIAN/ DARK series including the stubborn heroine, and a Carpathian male who is duty bound to protect the woman he loves. There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including the reappearance of infamous healer Gary Daratrazanoff, as well as a number of former Carpathian monastery warriors. Details continue to emerge regarding the Malinov brothers and their decision to turn vampire, including new information not previously revealed. The vampires have acquired the ability to formulate plans, something else that is slowly changing the series arc. The premise is entertaining and revealing but bogs down with too much repetition; the characters are bold and colorful; the romance is fated and spicy. DARK SENTINEL is an intriguing and detailed story , one that will be enjoyed by die-hard Feehan fans.

 

Barb’s Review: Dark Sentinel by Christine Feehan is the 28th book in her fantastic Dark/Carpathian series.  I must say that I am thrilled that Christine Feehan has returned to what made the Dark series so successful.  After a number of books where the Carpathian men were very abusive, I had thought perhaps the time had come to move on, but that has happily changed.

Andor Katona, our hero, is one of the men who spent years in the monastery living as a monk, and is now living with Tariq’s group in their compound in the US. After a major battle where he killed a few vampires, Andor is attacked by humans who have become puppets by a master vampire, and he lays badly injured; he decides that perhaps now is the time to end his life.  But out of nowhere comes a woman swinging a saucepan at the three men to protect Andor.  To his shock her voice reaches him and he begins to see color; finally after centuries, he has found his lifemate.

Lorraine Peters, our heroine, loves the peace and quiet of the woods, and while camping she discovers the badly beaten man being attacked, and instincts push her to help save him. Of course, Lorraine doesn’t believe in vampires, and in a short time, she will learn that there is a different life out there.   Lorraine tries to protect Andor, whom she feels some attraction to, from being attacked further.  A few of Andor’s friends come to his rescue and to Lorraine, when she is attacked.  One of our favorites, Gary, plays a big part in this story, as he is the healer who will save Andor, along with two other Carpathians. 

What follows is a wonderful story, where Andor and Lorraine, work with Gary, Sandu and Ferro to destroy the puppets, and quickly return to Tariq Asenguard’s home, to prepare for whatever Sergei Malinov is planning against them. When Lorraine was attacked, they feared Malinov implanted something in her, but nothing was found.  In the previous book, we learned that Sergei is trying to take Elisabeta, who is underground healing. I expect we will learn more about her in the next book.

I loved Andor and Lorraine together.  She was a great heroine, a tough fighter, who willingly accepted Andor’s and Carpathian’s lifestyle.  Andor was so wonderful & patient with Lorraine, such a welcome change. Their romance heated up quickly, but though very sexual, Andor was so good with Lorraine.  It was also nice to spend time with Tariq, Charlotte, Genevieve, Emeline, Dragomire, and the children we got to know in the previous two books. 

In Dark Sentinel, so much happens to keep us glued to our seats, and I could not put the book down.  The exciting storyline plots; the return of Sergei Malinov;  a strong wonderful  heroine and a hero who not only worshipped his life mate, but treated her  like a queen, and the great recurring characters in Tariq’s compound. I loved Dark Sentinel.

Dark Sentinel was a fantastic, exciting, non-stop pulse pounding story, with a wonderful couple we rooted for from the beginning. The story does end somewhat abrupt with knowing that we still have more with the Malinovs still around, I can’t wait to see where Christine will be taking us in the next book.

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

“Are you comfortable?” Andor kept his gaze fixed on Lorraine’s face. She clearly had no idea how beautiful she was, or what danger she was in. She was confident in her skills to protect herself, and he understood why. She had training. She was far better than average when it came to defending herself, man or woman. The problem was, she was dealing with a Carpathian, not a human and he had no intentions of letting her get away.
“Yes. I should ask you the same thing.” She turned her head to look down at him.
She had finished covering him up to his neck in rich, dark soil. Already he could feel the healing properties working on his wounds. He wasn’t out of the woods, so to speak. He needed more blood and a good healer. He had sent out the call to his brethren, using their common path, not the one used by most Carpathians. Vampires would have been able to hear that one as well.
“I am as comfortable as possible.” He was, as much as he could be under the circumstances, but he needed to shut down his heart and lungs, to keep from losing any more blood. He had definitely slowed the leaks, but until he could get a healer there to help him, he was still in trouble.
He sent her a small smile. “You’re indulging me.”
She turned on her side and propped her head up with one hand. “Yes. I figure if you’re right, and the soil helps, it’s all to the good. If you’re wrong and you get some raging infection, at least I granted your last wish before you died.”
“I have decided I want to live.”
“The great debate you had going earlier. It didn’t make sense until I saw all those wounds on your body. You really were in a battle before the three stooges showed up.”
He picked up from her mind that the reference to “three stooges” was from a long-ago television show. Her natural shields were lowered because she’d started to grow comfortable with him. He knew he would have to work on that with her. They could never take the chance that a vampire nearby might read her thoughts, or creep into her mind.
“I was in a battle. I know I look like I didn’t do very well against them, but in my defense, there were several of them. I managed to defeat them, and while I was trying to heal the wounds, the band of assassins showed up.” There was just the slightest bit of ego in telling her the truth. He didn’t want her to think her lifemate couldn’t take care of her.
“I wondered how they managed to sneak up on you and do so much damage.”
“To heal a body, one has to shed their own body and become pure spirit. I didn’t have anyone guarding the empty shell I left behind. That gave them their opportunity.”
Her eyes widened. “Could you do that now? I could guard you. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” Her tone was skeptical but hopeful.
He nearly groaned. He wasn’t making a good showing as a potential husband or mate. “I’m too weak.”
“I’ll give you more blood.”
It was a generous offer considering she didn’t like anything to do with blood and she would have to remove the shields completely from her mind as she’d done before. “Thank you, sívamet. I appreciate your offer and certainly will take you up on it later, but at the moment, I wish to hear your voice. It soothes me and keeps the pain at bay.”


 

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

 

The Reading Cafe and Christine’s Feehan’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of DARK SENTINEL to ONE 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.

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Dark Promises (Dark Series #29) by Christine Feehan-Dual Review & Giveaway

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DARK PROMISES (Dark Carpathians #29) by Christine Feehan-dual review and giveaway

Dark Promises Banner

DARK PROMISES
Dark Series #29
By Christine Feehan
Genre: adult, paranormal,erotic, romance
Release Date: March 15, 2016

Dark Promises

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 15, 2016

Gabrielle has had enough of battles, of wars, of seeing Gary Jansen, the man she loves nearly lose his life when it isn’t even his fight. Once he was a gentle and very human researcher. Now he’s a fearless and lethal Carpathian warrior with the blood of an ancient lineage coursing through his veins—a man Gabrielle still needs and desires and dreams of with every breath she takes. All she wants is a life far away from the Carpathian mountains, far from vampires and the shadows cast by the crumbling monastery that hides so many terrible secrets. But Gabrielle soon learns that promises made in the dark can pierce the heart like a dagger.

And she isn’t the only one in search of answers in the corners of the unknown…

Trixie Joanes has come to the Carpathian mountains in search of her wayward granddaughter, fearing that she has been lured there by something unspeakable. Instead, Trixie has stumbled into the path of a desperate man and a woman in love and on the run. And they’re all fated for the lair of a mysterious ancient with revenge in his soul and the undying power to make bad dreams come true.

•••••••••••••

Sandy’s Review:

DARK PROMISES is the twenty-ninth installment in Christine Feehan’s adult DARK paranormal romance series focusing on a community of supernatural beings known as the Carpathians. Two ancient warriors will find their mates, and two psychic human females will struggle with their new life.

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.

At the onset of the story line we revisit the relationship between Gary and Gabrielle –once human, but now both have been converted to Carpathian due to fatal circumstances. As their wedding hour draws near, Gary soon realizes that to claim Gabrielle as his lifemate is something he is unable to do……

Told from several third person points of view DARK PROMISES tells the tale of two ancient Carpathian males-close to turning, Aleksei and Fane have been secluded along with several other warriors in a monastery in the Carpathian Mountains. As they approach the end of their supernatural existence, these warriors find themselves on the verge of turning vampire or greeting the sun. The monastery is the last line of hope for a once proud group of Carpathian men.

Aleksei will be awakened when he ‘hears’ the cries of his fated female as she comes to realize that everything she had hoped for in her life has come crashing down. Aleksei is an ancient who demands obedience and respect, and in this his lifemate will struggle with the arrogance and dominance of the Carpathian male. The former human female Gabrielle is unprepared for the Carpathian lifestyle, a failing that falls upon the Carpathian race. The $ex scenes are aggressive, seductive and provocative- Aleksei is a male who likes to discipline his mate during $ex;. Aleksei is initially abusive towards his new lifemate which is a recent, ongoing issue with many of Christine Feehan’s leading males (in all of her series), but like all Carpathian males, he will come to see that his lifemate is the light to his soul, and his initial treatment was questionable and dishonorable.

Fane is another ancient who will find his lifemate in the guise of an American vampire hunter-Trixie Joanes-Teagan’s (Dark Ghost #28) grandmother-and a woman who is a bit of a snarky, spitfire with attitude to spare. Unlike Aleksei, Fane welcomes his lifemate’s idiosyncrasies, and the couple easily adapts to one another’s emotions. I did have a bit of an issue with the explanation as to her age and fertility, but I leave that up to Christine Feehan to explain this one to the reader!

DARK PROMISES is a story rich in sexually graphic details, but to be fair there are TWO couples who find their happily ever after, and each is given some page time to build up their new found relationships. Christine Feehan’s story lines have always traversed a path of erotic fantasy, and DARK PROMISES is no different. The characters are varied and colorful although Gabrielle’s personality and persona are fragile and weak. The romances are passionate and energetic.

Christine Feehan has, once again, ‘tweaked’ the Carpathian backstory and lifestyle to suit her most recent adventures into the Carpathian Mountains. At one time NO male could be converted, let alone be imprinted with the ritual words of the lifemate vows. There is also an issue with Gary’s conversion that sees a development that Mikhail and Gregori never saw coming; and the latest trio of women introduced to the Carpathian world combine their own psychic powers enabling them to help the ancient warriors. With the conversion of two males and the difficulties of addressing the new complication, the series premise has been modified to allow for another change in direction to the story lines.

 

Barb’s Review:

Dark Promises by Christine Feehan is the 29th book in her Dark series. As this story started, it was about two people we have been following for a long long time: Gabrielle and Gary. Though when they first met and fell in love, they were human, and now both have been converted to Carpathian. Early on, we can see Gabby’s unhappiness in all things Carpathian, and her plans on making Gary walk away with her when they are married. She can see a change in him since he was converted, but she is determined to marry him and pull him away from the Carpathian world.

When the time comes to for Gary to do the lifemate words to bond Gabby, he senses something is not right between them; something is standing in their way. This is where we get thrown for a loop, and at the same time I have to admit, I became upset, enough to stop reading this book. We have known Gabby a long time, and when she is brutally pulled away by another Carpathian male; it was disturbing. This man is her lifemate, and in the current fashion of macho abusive men that Christine is so fond of lately, he treated her horribly, so much so I was disgusted. Poor innocent sweet Gabby. Why do this to her?

I kept reading, and in time Alexsei who has become Gabby’s lifemate, begins to calm down and eventually throughout the story, she will fall for him. She will accept that Gary is truly a friend that she depended on, not a lifemate for her. There is also the story of Trixie, who is Teagan’s (last book heroine) grandmother, who will also find her lifemate.

There was an interesting storyline, involving all the Carpathian men who are living in the monastery, as they are all near the end and extremely dangerous. The three ladies will try to help them, and that part was an interesting twist for the future.

Except for the early part of the story, and the latter part, which was nice, the rest of the book was mostly sex scenes. Christine Feehan has always had steamy sex in her books, but in the last few books the sex becomes more dominant and the story becomes the background. I enjoy steamy sex scenes in romances, but I prefer the story to lead.

I loved this series, as at one time this was my top favorite, and loved Christine’s writing. But a lot has changed in the last few books, with more abusive men, who in the beginning you have a hard time liking; and the overall exciting story, which is missing. Sadly, after 29 books, I am considering not reading this series anymore. But there are so many recurring characters that I love that still holds me, so time will tell if it will keep me here.

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Reading Cafe and Christine’s publisher are offering a hard cover copy of DARK PROMISES 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).

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10. Giveaway runs from March 14-18, 2016

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Dark Ghost by Christine Feehan – Dual Review & Giveaway

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Dark Ghost by Christine Feehan – Review & Giveaway

Dark Ghost Banner

Dark Ghost
Carpathian series – Book #28
by Christine Feehan
Release Date: September 1, 2015

Dark GhostAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
He wasn’t civilized or tame. He had his own code and he lived by it.

Monk. Bounty hunter. Vampire slayer. Andre Boroi has spent centuries battling the undead, holding out against the dark with honor. But now, gravely wounded by master vampire Costin Popescu, Andre will be easy to track—his spilled blood marking the killing trail for Popescu and his hungry band of underlings. Andre’s only chance is to disappear into the gray mist of the Carpathians. To wait. To hope.
 
She had a healing touch and a scent that was his lifeblood.
 
In the mountains in search of a precious crystal, geologist Teagan Joanes suddenly finds herself hunted by those she once trusted. Then she comes across the warrior—wounded, wanting and irresistible. Andre has been craving her for an eternity: his lifemate. Her warmth envelops him. Her scent pulsates. And with every beat of her heart, Teagan surrenders to a passion she can’t possibly comprehend.
 
Now they are bound by destiny, but is it enough to keep them safe from a stalking, relentless darkness that threatens to swallow them alive?


Barb’s Review:

Dark Ghost by Christine Feehan is the 28th book in her Carpathian series. I thought Dark Ghost was a good story, but I did have mixed feelings; a major part of my feelings is that as I have said before, the old style seems to be missing. Other then the Skyler/Dimitri trilogy, which I did enjoy, the last few books have been a disappointment to me.

Dark Ghost was somewhat better, but still very reminiscent of the other later books. I have been waiting a long time for Andre’s story, and I really liked him a lot. Teagan is our heroine, and I liked her too, but did have mixed feelings with her too.

The story begins with Andre knowing he is getting closer his end, to meet the dawn. He goes underground to heal from major injuries fighting a master vampire, whom he hurt badly, but did not kill him. While he rests underground, Teagan, who is a healer, finds herself in danger, from a friend whom she trusted. Running away, she hides in a cave, and begins to search for a stone that she feels with help cure her grandmother. She comes upon an injured Andre, and uses her healing ability to cure many of his injuries. Much to his shock, Andre know this young woman is what he has been searching for all his life; the woman who will save him….his lifemate.

What follows is a story of a Carpathian hunter, who finds his love and his color/emotions back after centuries; a young woman, who can’t resist the alpha male who showers her with adoration, as well as possessiveness; danger in the Carpathian mountains from both humans and vampires. Most of all it the sexual relationship between Andre and Teagan.

What did I have mixed feelings about? Andre was great, but finding his lifemate and turning her so fast, did not really sit well with me. Teagan was very independent, and they fought  from from the start. But throughout the book she kept going back and forth to fight Andre or hopelessly devour him. So many times she changed her mind.  Just about 85% of the book took place in the Cave. (Reminded me of Dominic’s story). Not enough action, though I did enjoy the parts that Andre taught Teagan how to fly and her other powers. That was fun.  Sex, sex, sex and more sex. I like my steamy romances, but not when it over powers the story.

I thought Dark Ghost was better than many of the other recent books in this series, but Christine Feehan has taken this from a paranormal romance suspense with steamy sex to more of an erotic romance storyline.

 

Sandy’s Review:

DARK GHOST is the 28th installment in Christine Feehan’s adult, paranormal romance DARK (Carpathian) series focusing on a supernatural species known as the Carpathians. This is Carpathian Andre Boroi, and American climber Teagan Joanes’s storyline. DARK GHOST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

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.

Told from third person point of view DARK GHOST finds our hero Andre in a fight for his life. A master vampire has targeted Andre, and their latest battle results in a struggle for survival. While Andre lies healing in the ground in the Carpathian Mountains, he will be awakened by the voice of his lifemate-Teagan Joanes-a woman he never knew existed until she was pulled to the very cave where Andre went to repair the damage inflicted by the master vampire. What ensues is Andre’s struggle to understand the mind of the modern woman, and the hunt for the person responsible for attacking his lifemate prior to her appearance in the cave.

DARK GHOST is a slow building story where the growing relationship between Teagan and Andre is the central focus of the storyline. Our couple is secluded in a healing cave in the Carpathian Mountains for most of the book, and there is very little outside influence or external conflict-the majority of the conflict bookends Teagan and Andre’s time in the Mountain cave. That’s not to say there wasn’t any contention; Teagan is a modern woman who refuses to acknowledge Andre’s need for control, and his over protective he-man attitude. She is unaware of the danger that searches for her new lifemate, and with it comes the struggles between a man used to the old ways, and a woman whose feminist ideology doesn’t allow for the give and take in a new, unexplored, supernatural relationship.

For fans of the series you may notice some changes over the last few storylines. The Carpathian claiming verse is longer with additional lines and content; to offer blood freely between two Carpathians now comes with longer prose and text; and Christine Feehan’s storylines are more violent towards women-there is the overriding issue of rape and torture that seems to be directed at many of the female characters-primary, secondary and supporting. I am not sure why the change of attack and the propensity for such anger, but it is something that I have noticed throughout the last few installments. I also had an issue with repetition (as a constant reminder) and redundancy–it was all too familiar from previous storylines.

DARK GHOST sees another ancient Carpathian saved from eternal damnation as the undead. Finding one’s lifemate brings with it the return of emotions, colors and feelings that have been lost for hundreds if not thousands of years. Andre’s endless cycle of hunting the vampire has the additional intensity of protecting his lifemate while he battles the friends who have chosen the dark side. Christine Feehan’s DARK/Carpathian series brought me back into the supernatural genre of vampires and immortals. Here’s hoping that many of the ancients previously introduced in the series find their lifemates before too long.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

 

Giveaway-Blue:Black

Christine’s publisher is offering a papercopy of DARK GHOST 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.

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9. Giveaway runs from September 2-6, 2015

 

 

 

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Christine Feehan-Dark Series Announcement

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Christine Feehan-Dark Series Announcement

 

Carpathian

 

For all CHRISTINE FEEHAN Dark Series Fans: 3 DARK SERIES books in one year.

From FACEBOOK TODAY:

A FEW MINUTES AGO

Christine Feehan · 83,766 like this
Huge announcement at FAN today! Anyone interested in a Dark Series trilogy? Or maybe in Skyler and Dimitri?

I keep trying to upload the video of the announcement but the hotel internet is just too slow. I don’t want you to have to wait, but I will
upload some videos for you later this week!

Dark Lycan, Dark Wolf and Dark Hunter are coming out. Dark Lycan will come out in Sept. of this year and Dark Wolf in January, then the final one later in 2014. Dark Wolf is Skyler and Dimitri’s story. I will have more in the Members Section of the Christine Feehan website soon!

***********

February 24, 2013

Christine Feehan: Definitely will NOT stop writing the dark series. It’s a world I really enjoy and will keep coming back to. This trilogy has been over a decade in the making and required a much larger story arc so you get three books! I’m absolutely thrilled that my publishing house agreed to put them out six months apart instead of the standard year. (that’s practically unheard of) I’ve been so excited about this but couldn’t say a word until they agreed!!! SURPRISE!

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Dark Storm by Christine Feehan – a Review

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Dark Storm by Christine Feehan – a Review

Dark Storm is Christine Feehan’s 23rd installment of her widely popular Dark series.  Where to begin with this…I must say, I was completely surprised throughout the majority of this book. A good surprise you may ask? Yes….and no.

Firstly, I want to warn fans who have yet to read; that this book unfolds like a single title. Come to Dark Storm expecting a vastly original, unique premise, unlike anything else we have encountered prior. Much of this novel is made up of content as unknown to this series; as it’s main couple. There is not much familiarity at all; to the World we have come to know with our Carpathians. If you are a fan of cohesiveness compared to previous installments. If you crave for everything to make sense at the end of the journey. Loose ends being tied up. NOT feeling somewhat confused, or that you have more unanswered questions upon completion, than you did when you began–this novel may not be as likable for you.

Moving on to said content, let me begin with the high notes. As always, Christine has a beautiful gift with words. I could see clearly within my mind the lush vegetation of the Amazon. I could feel the heat of the majestic volcano. I could hear the sounds of wildlife. The descriptions were quite vivid, colorful, and I always appreciate when an author can form images within my mind as clearly as if they were pictures. I truly felt as if Ms. Feehan brought us to a whole different place than ever before. Everything felt…new. Instilling a feeling within me akin to how I felt upon reading Dark Prince for the first time. I spent the several opening chapters trying to soak up the details, and learn all I could about this unfamiliar place.

As the pages continue to turn, we see familiar faces come to the fore. One of whom we finally get the chance to know, and one of whom we see a whole new side. Jubal Sanders and Gary Jansen. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I found myself drawn to Jubal. We were given little previous information about him, so although known; he felt like a secondary character newly being introduced. This polite, quiet, loyal man; came out of left field. Sneaking up on me, touching my heart before I even realized it was happening. And then my beloved Rambo…who I must say…has DEFINITELY earned his nickname. These two surprised me with their grit, and tenacity. I was impressed by their willingness to travel into danger, risking their lives for the race who depends upon them. The reason they have traveled to this remote location, is in search of something rare, believed to be potentially vital for the survival of the Carpathian race.

This is where we meet our heroine. Riley Parker. Descended from a powerful line of women of whom Mother Earth considers her children. Riley possesses gifts that are very unique unto this series. The ability to harness elements such as fire, water, air, and the very earth itself. I have read about such gifts in other literary works, and have found them to be quite fascinating. In addition, we see healing abilities unlike that of even the most powerful of Carpathian healers. We spend several chapters with this mysterious female lead, and her mother Annabel.

We also get the first, telling glimpses of our hero in the opening chapters. Danutdaxton. Or simply Dax. We experience his awakening senses to an uncomfortable resting place. We experience his awareness of being alongside an evil as ancient as himself. Readers bear witness to a harrowing journey taken within this volcano…to claim a rare, forgotten power. We watch the attempt of this Carpathian to become MORE in order to defeat an evil unlike the world has ever seen, because Dax knows that the force keeping himself and Mitro Daratrazanoff imprisoned, is not going to hold this time around…

It is at this point, 8 chapters into the story….our two protagonists, and familiar secondary characters meet. I must say, the clashing of these four lives…and their shared enemy….was something to behold. My heart was pounding in my chest. The breath trapped within my lungs as all hell broke loose in a plethora of misunderstandings on all sides. Who was friend? Who was foe? Terrible sounds of bones breaking…the deafening blast of a gun firing at close range….someone collapsing to their knees. I was truly enthralled, and found this meeting of characters quite memorable.

Now. Doing the math we have something incredible. New characters. New plot threads away from the main story arc. Unique gifts from both the hero, and heroine. Enough fantasy elements to please any fan of the genre. A living, breathing story of good versus evil…so why then did I personally finish with a sense of incompleteness? This is MY type of book. Brimming with content that is a breath of fresh air in a long running series. I like when authors offer me something different, show their diversity, and creativity. The main hero merges souls with something I have been a fan of my ENTIRE life, and still I am left wanting. Why?

Remember my warning to other readers in the beginning of this review? My problem is that I am fan of cohesiveness compared to previous installments of a long running series. I crave for everything to make sense at the end of the journey. Loose ends being tied up. NOT feeling somewhat confused, or that I have more unanswered questions upon completion, than I did when I began. *laughing* An author I discovered this year, has completely changed me as a reader. Finding the good of a novel, and focusing on that, without allowing the things that don’t “fit” for me in a novel to get in the way of my enjoyment, is now very difficult.

When I read I want to FEEL. I crave stories that are brimming with emotion. I crave characters who are not just larger than life, and magical, but fictional characters who move me so deeply that I come to care about them as if they were real. This is my biggest gripe in a nutshell. After the intensity, and staggering emotion of Dark Predator, Dark Storm leaves me…under whelmed. Simply put; Riley and Dax as a couple….did not move me. Perhaps this was from the fact that it take 130 pages for the main couple to meet, in a 387-ish page novel. That throws a serious wrench in relationship development. Also, a big damper for me was the violence. I mean, sick to my stomach, shocking displays that seemed sort of out of place in this world. Instead of making Mitro a multi-faceted, despicable villain it sort of gave off a cartoon-ish, over the top vibe.

To sum it all up. This is a wonderfully written novel, by a master class talent in the literary world. Creatively presented and brilliantly imaginative. I can understand why so many have called this their favorite so far, and how the slow courtship from Dax to win Riley’s heart has soothed the fans who were so angry over Zacarias‘s behavior. I am truly glad that Christine has won back some fans in this regard….but the level to which you enjoy this novel, will depend on the type of reader you are. For me personally, Dark Storm is forgettable, because I did not connect to the characters. Give me the intensity and emotion of Zacarias in Dark Predator, any day of the week. 🙂

Reviewed by Miranda

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DARK SLAYER by Christine Feehan -a review

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It is Thursday and Tynga’s Reviews is hosting- DARING YOU TO READ.

Every Thursday, we offer a previously published book or series and Dare You To Read. This week we offer: DARK SLAYER by Christine Feehan. Christine Feehan just released her new cover for her next Dark series book-DARK STORM to be released September 2012.
You can find Tynga at : Tynga’s Reviews

Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan

“Dark Slayer” by Christine Feehan, is different then most of her books in the Dark Series. Whereas, the majority of the books have a male Carpathian as the lead in the story, as he finds his lifemate, in “ Dark Slayer” the lead Carpathian is a female….the long thought dead, Ivory Malinov is our heroine. Christine does surprise her fans with this book, as she brings together two people, whom you never thought would have a story. Ivory, who we had learned in earlier books was killed by Draven, Mikhail’s brother; and her lifemate, Razvan, whom we had been led to believe was equally as bad as Xavier.

This is mostly Ivory’s story, as she is the strong warrior in this book. She had been left for dead centuries ago, having been cut up into pieces and left for the wolves. Ivory used her ability to talk to the wolves to help her, and they put all the pieces of her body buried together. Her promise to them was to take care of them and their pack forever. She ends up spending most of her life with the wolves, and at some point when they had been attacked by vampires, she finds the baby wolves barely holding on to life. Her grief overcomes her, afraid to be alone, as they were all she had, Ivory gave them life with her blood. Centuries later, these same wolves are still with her, magically enhanced by her blood, and converted to Carpathians.

The story of Ivory and the wolves is one of my favorite parts of this story. It is awesome to see how they work together to kill vampires, share blood when necessary, and you truly see their magical love bond. Having spent hundreds of years underground to recover from her horrific injuries, she lived to seek vengeance against vampires, as well as her determination to one day kill her enemy…Xavier. It is this will that makes her possibly one of the strongest Carpathians.Not only her physical strength, but her overall intelligence, ability to unravel spells, as well as her affinity with mother earth that makes her so powerful. She learned early on how Xavier’s mind works, and has spent these solitary years learning everything about him. She has trained herself to become a Mage, a strong warrior, and the Slayer, that is feared by all the vampires.

Razvan, who is Natalya’s brother, has been Xavier’s prisoner for centuries. We have been led to believe that he was evil, but unbeknownst to the Carpathians, Razvan has been forced against his will to commit horrific crimes against his family and the Carpathians. Xavier tortured Razvan beyond endurance. It is those terrifying memories that haunt him about his daughter (Lara), and his two aunts, whom were held prisoner by Xavier. Razvan, had already sold his soul to Xavier to save his sister, Natalya. Razvan was as hunted by the Carpathians, as was Xavier. After centuries, he finally escapes, and makes his way to meet the dawn, so he could die. As he lies dying, while the sun is close to rising, he is near Ivory’s hidden home.

Ivory, out hunting with her wolves, she sees someone lying in the snow. She immediately recognizes that he is her lifemate, and is compelled to save him, though he fights her to let him die. She has to knock him out, and takes him to her hidden home. Over time, while he recuperates, you see their romance slowly develop, since both have
had a brutal lonely torturous life. Ivory is determined to help Razvan recover, and he is still intent to end his life, as he fears Xavier will find him, as well as put her life in danger. Ivory tries to show him how strong he had to be to have survived Xavier’s torture all these years, she also tries to convince him that her goal is to kill Xavier, and she needs his help.

When she leaves him alone in her hidden enclave, as he is still recovering, Ivory comes across a child tied up in a trap. She tries to help the boy, Travis, and finds herself face to face with her brother Sergei, who is a master vampire. With Gary’s help, she was able to fend off Sergei, as Mikhail and Gregori arrive to help, just as Sergei escapes. Ivory is injured, but refuses Gregori’s help to heal her, as she wants nothing to do with the Carpatians.

Back in the hidden enclave, Razvan awakes to feel the sense of danger to his lifemate. He mind speaks to her for help to get out the cave, and he goes to her rescue. With a knife held against Mikhail’s neck, Razvan is convinced that they will not hurt her, and tells Ivory to allow Gregori to heal her. What Gregori finds out while healing Ivory, shocks him. He sees how she was cut into little pieces, cannot imagine how she survived such torture. He tells Mikhail that his brother was the one who did this to Ivory. Slowly, both Ivory and Razvan begin to trust them a little more. Then Gregori tries to help remove Xaviers shards from Razvan, with Ivory’s help, but two shards escape. The story from this point on becomes extremely exciting, as Ivory shows how powerful she really is. She is as good a warrior as any male Carpathian, and her powers are enormous. She saves them from the attack of the monsters Xavier has created.

But still, Ivory and Razvan, are hesitant to totally trust the Carpathians. They promise to come visit them and talk about her plans to kill Xavier. Gregori also wants Ivory to help with saving the babies, who are dying, since she knows all the spells of Xavier.

The action scenes were exciting and there were so many of them. It was non stop entertainment all the way through. You could not put this book down, as it went from one action packed moment to the next. Sergei turned out to be a great bad villain, and Xavier was truly evil. Some of best parts were when Sergei almost killed both of them, Ivory’s perseverance to fight him, and to do all she could to save Razvan. The Carpathians coming to help to heal them was great, as we got to see so many of our favorites in this book. Gregori, Mikhail, Raven, Savannah, Francesca, Shea, Natalya, Vikornoff, Nicholas, Lara, Skyler, Syndil, just to name a few.

When Sergei and Xavier’s plans to frame Razvan for Lara’s injury almost culminate in Razvan’s death, Ivory’s powers come full force. She is a weapon like they have never seen before. When they come to realize their error in accusing Razvan, Ivory is convinced by Gregori and Mikhail to use her ability to help break Xavier’s spell to save Savannah’s unborn twins. This part of the betrayal, the saving of the twins was one of the most exciting scenes in the book. I loved every moment of it. The ending was good, with Sergei now becoming the ultra evil to reckon with in the future. The acceptance of
Ivory and Razvan, his meeting of his many children, and their own acceptance that they are part of the Carpathians was also great and emotional.
I really enjoyed their romance, as it was different then the others. Razvan did not have the ego that the Carpathian males normally have, and he lets Ivory be the warrior that she was meant to be. They were true partners in every sense of the word, proven when they faced Xavier at the end, and having Natalya and Vik help was a nice touch. I loved the added element of the wolves, and loved how Ivory & Razvan interacted with them. Dark Slayer has become my favorite book of the Dark Series, and I loved Ivory. I found this story to be totally exciting, action packed, with suspense, drama, humor, discovery of family and their romance.

Reviewed by Barb

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Christine Feehan Exclusive

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Christine Feehan Exclusive

Christine Feehan gave her fans a Valentine’s day present. This is what she told her fans on her site www.christinefeehan.com:

Dark Storm has new hero and new heroine not previously known, although the heroine’s ancestor is known.

Isn’t that a nice present?

TRC Team: So what does everyone think.  A new Carpathian male totally unknown…..A new female heroine..can she be one of the physic women rescued? Will we still have a chance to go back to the Mountains?

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Dark Desire re-release July 31, 2012

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Dark Desire re-release:  Amazon announced the re-release of Christine Feehan’s DARK DESIRE. The expected date of release is July 31, 2012. Many fans of the Dark series, have been unable to locate a NEW copy of Dark Desire. Here’s hoping they will release the book in hardcover as well.

DARK DESIRE is the second book in Christine Feehan’s Dark series, featuring our beloved Carpathians. Dark Desire is Jacques and Shea’s story.

The stranger silently summoned her across the continents, across the seas. He whispered of eternal torment, of endless hunger . . . of dark, dangerous desires. And somehow American surgeon Shea O’Halloran could feel his anguish, sense his haunting aloneness, and she ached to heal him, to heal herself.

Drawn to the far Carpathian mountains, Shea found a ravaged, raging man, a being like no other. And her soul trembled. For in his burning eyes, his icy heart, she recognized the beloved stranger who’d already become part of her. The imperious Carpathian male had compelled Shea to his side. But was she to be his healer. . . or his prey? His victim . . . or his mate? Was he luring her into madness . . . or would his dark desire make her whole?

www.christinefeehan.com

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