“The erotic, gripping series that has definied an entire genre” (J.R. Ward) continues as #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan links the fates of two strangers bound by a secret in the shadows of the Carpathian Mountains… yearns to explore the modern world—one with more mysteries than she is prepared for.
Fenris Dalka has returned to the Carpathian Mountains, scarred by battle. Though the reason for his return could prove fatal if found out, he is drawn to the beautiful stranger who carries the scent of fresh earth, of forest, of the night itself.
In time, Tatijana and Fenris will discover all that unites them—their secrets and pasts, their predators, and the hot flush of passion that stirs their souls. Yet just as surely, they’ll also discover everything ancient and evil that exists to destroy them.
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I’ve waited a while to read about the “aunts”for a while now. The last we read about them was in Lara’s and Nicholas’s book (Dark Curse) they aided Lara’s escape from the one caves as a small child. They sacrificed their freedom to allow Lara to escape.
Tatijana is the niece of Dominic Dragonseeker (Dark Peril) their mother was his sister, she was captured and forced to bear children for the evil mage Xavier, she had triplets (the boy was the father to Natalya, her book was Dark Demon) and two daughters, their mother imparted as much as she could to her children, the Carpathian way of life, and spells, anything she thought would help them (I think she knew she would die before she’d see her children grow into adults)
They have only known the ice caves as home, and when they became too powerful, they were locked into a dragon form and encased in ice, only being released when their blood was needed. They never thought they’d be freed, they always thought they would die in the ice caves. (But Lara and Nicholas, with Carpathian warriors freed the aunts) They were allowed to finally rest in the soil, they were free, but at what price?
The outside world is a strange and frightening place, so much to take in, Tatijana is the braver of the two, and has been exploring this strange new world, she is always the first to investigate…..
Fenris is brother to Dimitri (he’s been in other stories, but yet to have his own book) he has come to find his brother and impart important news.
Fenris has a secret, one he has hidden for many years and now he needs to be careful, he can’t let anyone find out, to be found out would mean death!!
The connection between Tatijana and Fenris is a slow connection, he feels something for her, but he isn’t sure what (yes she’s beautiful, haunting and a little intimidating) but is she his lifemate?
And what Tatijana? What will she do if they are lifemates? She has been a prisoner since the day she was born, surely she’s allowed a little freedom to see the world?
The only problem with that is, the Carpathian men need the other half of their soul, too many are turning vampire. So Tatijana and her sister will be “paraded”around to find a lifemate!!!
I must admit, I’m getting a little bored with all the copious amounts of sex in recent books (yes I know the Carpathian’s have gone without sex for centuries, but do they really need to make up for it in my book?!) The fight scenes are still fascinating to read, the interactions between lifemates or warrior to warrior are still good, I just don’t need to read page after page after page (and in some cases a whole chapter!!)
This is part of a trilogy inside the series, you do need to read them in order, there is also more to the backstory (the vampires are banging together, and the reason why the Carpathian’s aren’t having children is also becoming more apparent. Oh and we have Lycan’s popping up. And a huge cliffhanger
Love all her books!
A great paranormal romance series
In the twenty-first book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Tatijana Dragonseeker has been healing in the earth for the past two years, alongside her sister Branislava, but she’s growing restless and wants to explore the modern world. After centuries of starvation, torture, and enslavement, she needs time to find out who she is and what she wants. Secretly rising on her own to explore the nearby human village, she feels inexplicably drawn to a rough-and-tumble tavern in the forest.
Carpathian hunter Fenris Dalka hasn’t traveled through his homeland in centuries, but he’s in the Carpathian Mountains to track down a rogue werewolf pack that’s been murdering Lycans and humans alike. While hunting down the pack, he finds Tatijana, his brother Dimitri, and befriends Zev, an elite Lycan in charge of the Lycan pack that’s also hunting down the rogues.
Wow. I haven’t liked a Dark/Carpathian book as much as I do this one in a long time. Fen and Tatijana are wonderful, strong, likeminded characters. Though she didn’t want a lifemate, she didn’t expect her heart to need Fen or that he would be so understanding and kind to her. Likewise, Fen didn’t want to bind her to him because doing so would put her in danger from the Lycans.
You see, Fenris isn’t like most Carpathian males. Years earlier, he and a Lycan friend shared blood on several occasions, and they both transformed into the other species. Fen is now part Carpathian and part Lycan with the abilities and weaknesses of both species, and he’s physically stronger than both of them combined. The Lycans call mixed breeds like him Sange rau and they always kill the ones they find, so Fen hides his true nature from them and pretends to be fully Lycan. The Carpathians, however, have no prejudices against mixed breeds, and Mikhail, the prince, wants the Lycans as their allies.
Other than his mixed blood, Fen is considerate and respects his woman’s wishes and feelings. Being part Lycan has helped him keep the darkness at bay, so he’s not that close to turning into a vampire. He’s also not controlling or a chauvinist, so he doesn’t mind if Tatijana is around other men or if those men talk to her and touch her in friendship. He’s one of my favorite heroes in the entire series.
There wasn’t any internal conflict between the H/h, which made for easy reading. The problems they faced came from outside forces, and I loved the way Fen and Tatijana worked together as equals. After all, she’s a Dragonseeker and very knowledgeable when it comes to fighting and performing mage spells. She’s an asset in a battle, not a hindrance, and Fen recognized that.
Also, there were only three sex scenes in this story, and one of them was fairly short. That’s basically unheard of in Ms Feehan’s books. Even though I found the number of sex scenes refreshing, the H/h still make love in a natural pond, which typically happens in almost every book in the series.
The Lycan history and their society was pretty interesting, and their hatred toward the Sange rau is understandable but still wrong and horrible. I’m not too sure what the difference between Lycans and werewolves are, other than one being the good guys and the others bad, but hopefully I’ll figure that out in the next book.
Zev is awesome and just as strong and skilled as Gregori, but I don’t think he’s as domineering. Branislava is going to need a gentle man to help her overcome her past trauma, and I’m really looking forward to their story.
One of the best scenes is the celebration showing all the children and how the Carpathian race is beginning to grow. That was just fun and definitely needed for longtime readers of the series.
Overall, I loved the plot and characters, but sometimes I found myself skimming because the writing is wordy and repetitive. The story ends with a HEA for Fen and Tatijana, but it ends on a cliffhanger with Dimitri. I’m so anxious to read his story and find out what’s going to happen next.
5 Stars
It is a Christine Feehan. Don’t really need to say anymore!!!! But Here goes. It is a very well written story. Connects almost all of the rest of the Dark series without having to be read in order. It is a stand alone book that after you read it you will want the rest of the series. So read it all ready.
Out of the entire DARK series by the author I feel this book was ONE BOOK TO RULE THEM ALL.
This is a good book too it’s one of her series books
Now that is what I am talking about. Dark Lycan was fantastic!!! OMG did I love this book. The last few books in this series were not that good for me. Although to be fair when a series is over 20 books long they can’t all be 5 star winners. But this one Lord have mercy, it had everything I love in a Christine Feehan book. This book had it all. A new species of bad guys that are bigger, badder, and harder to kill. A beautiful love story. A peek into the Lycan world. Massive battles. Steamy love making. Past beloved Carpathian couples, new budding forbidden romances. Skyler and Dimitri. A party, Dancing and adorable Carpathian children. Everything!!!
I loved Fen. He was all Alpha, and totally bad, but he had the heart of a poet. He was serenading his woman and saving the day. He had a sweet, old world charm to him. He had his honor and he was loyal. Did I mention he was sexy……He was very sexy! I also really loved Tatijana. She had a horrible life but instead of letting it cripple her, she went for her freedom and grabbed it with both hands. She was very independent, smart, fierce in her own way but not a warrior as far as hand to hand fighting goes. She had a good sense of humor, she was caring and also very loyal.
I thought Titijana and Fen had a beautiful, heartwarming relationship built on mutual respect, love, and a ton of passion. They were very supportive of each other. Their personalities really complimented each other. They didn’t wast time fighting. My God I was in fangirl heaven with all the past couples showing up. It was almost as awesome as Dark Celebration. Then when Fen serenaded Tatijana in front of everyone while dancing with her I melted some more. OMG My poor Gary got hurt so bad in this book, but my awesome Gregori saved him! I ate up every minute I got with Skyler and Dimitri and was dying for more. I know their book is next and I know it’s gonna be epic(because I have already read the whole series 4 times). I also really like Zev and thought his interactions with Branislava were hilarious and cute. This book ends with a cliffhanger. My poor Dimitri! I loved this book so much. It was a great read chock-full of adventure, action, and romance. There was never a dull moment. Now I have to hurry and start Dimitri’s book because I hate leaving him that way……..
Love all series by Christine Feehan
One of my favorite Christine Feehan books.