#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan returns to her uniquely sensual Carpathian world in a novel about the nature of true love and the unnatural forces that could destroy it…Manolito De La Cruz knew he was dangerously close to turning into a vampire. The last thing he expected after being called back to his Carpathian homeland by Prince Mikhail was to catch the scent of his … catch the scent of his destined lifemate in MaryAnn Delaney. MaryAnn is human, but she knows all too well the overwhelmingly aggressive instincts of Carpathian males. And they’re not exactly the kind of men she’d prefer to be bound to for life.
A dedicated counselor for battered women, MaryAnn has a fulfilling life with no room for someone like Manolito, born and bred in the Carpathian mountains, a law unto himself. But when MaryAnn agrees to go to South America to offer guidance to a brutalized young woman, she has no idea of the trap that awaits her in the sweltering thick of the jungle. She has been lured there by Manolito himself, who has seductive plans for the unaware, irresistibly human female…
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Adventurous and entertaining.
A great paranormal romance
In the fifteen book of the Dark/Carpathian series, abuse counselor MaryAnn Delaney attended the Carpathian Christmas celebration in the last book and agrees to accompany the De La Cruz brothers to South America in order to help Jasmine, a brutalized young Jaguar woman. MaryAnn is very depressed but doesn’t know why. Sure, she witnessed one of the brothers nearly dying, but she doesn’t know the man. Yet, she feels as though her heart and soul has been torn in two.
Manolito De La Cruz’s spirit left his body, but his brothers and the famed Carpathian healer Gregori saved his life. After Rafael, Riordan, and Nicolas take him back to Brazil and place him in the ground to heal, the unthinkable happens. Manolito awakens too soon and his spirit is still trapped between the living and the dead. Plus, he claims he has a lifemate.
Unfortunately, I found the spirit/shadow world very confusing, and much of the book takes place there. I just don’t understand how it works. I did enjoy, however, the scene when Manolito meets Vlad and Sarantha Dubrinsky again. They’ve been dead for several centuries, but Manolito still respects his former prince and finally has the chance to apologize for a grave transgression.
Manolito is controlling and demanding as all the Carpathian males are, but he’s not as bad as some of his brothers.
I definitely liked MaryAnn when she was first introduced in Dark Destiny. She’s also the first person of color to be featured as a main character in this series. MaryAnn is obsessed with designer clothes and dislikes bugs and nature, and that grew tiresome after a while. Her inner Lycan was struggling to break free, but she doesn’t know about her secret heritage. There wasn’t a lot of information about the Lycans or werewolves, which I found disappointing.
I love Luiz! He’s a Jaguar, but unlike most of the Jaguar males featured in the series, he’s kind and respectful of women. He’s also my favorite character in the book.
Carpathians are the most powerful species in Ms. Feehan’s Dark series, so it’s the heroines who always convert to Carpathian to be with their men. This book finally switches that up! Since Lycans are just as strong, both Manolito and MaryAnn partially convert into each other’s species. I really loved that! Overall, the story is good, but I would’ve liked it more if I better understood the spirit/shadow world.
3 Stars
What’s not to love — one of my all time favorite novels!
I love all of Christine Feehan’s Dark series novels. I have read them all. It is what got me started and hooked on paranormal romance. She is the best paranormal romance author I have read thus far.
Manolito is the second oldest De La Cruz brother. After going to see the prince to swear his and his brothers loyalty to Mikhail (their prince and leader) and to inform the Carpathian people of the jaguar race and their plight, and to admit to the prince that the De La Cruz brothers somehow were part of the vampire problem they are now facing (the vampires are working together to destroy the Carpathian men) he also helps to battle vampires in a big battle (being badly wounded), he also comes across his lifemate.
Manolito needs his lifemate (he can’t fight the darkness inside him for much longer) and so conspires to bring her to his home in Brazil, where he arrogantly assumes he will convert his lifemate and all will be well in his world!!!
We’ve met MaryAnn Delaney before (Dark Destiny) she helped Destiny and Nicolae (she also helped Vikirnoff to find his lifemate Natalya) and is now a friend to the Carpathian people. She’s gone to the mountains to help another young woman (Skylar) with her past (she was abused by her stepfather and his friends) and whilst at Nicolae’s home MaryAnn has an encounter of sorts, but she can’t remember who or what it was about, and that makes her frightened, wary and angry. She is under the protection of the Von Shrieder brothers, and for a Carpathian to invade their home and feed on a member of their family is punishable by death. Who took her blood ? And why ?
Manolito is wounded whilst protecting the prince. He is transported home and Maryann goes back to Brazil with the De La Cruz family to help a female family member.
There are Vampires to fight, but also the jaguar shifters and werewolves (we’ve not met them yet, they are very secretive and don’t like outsiders) the werewolf community are dying out like the Carpathian and jaguar people. Do they share the same enemy ? Why are the races dying out ?
An ambush/attack leaves Manolito in between worlds ….. and only MaryAnn can help. Together they have to find a way to work together.
Manolito realises that he can’t just dictate to MaryAnn, he needs to treat her as an equal.
He also discovers something that is different about his lifemate, and that’s something they both have to come to terms with (it’s a huge twist, and one I didn’t see coming)
It’s good to catch up with his brothers, it also fun to read how yet another the mighty De La Cruz brother falls foul of his lifemate (being so arrogant he assumes his life won’t change, that his lifemate will just bend to his wishes)
It a book with lots of intrigue, with laughter and a few near misses.
I love her Carpathain series
The characters are so alive
And tragic at the sametime
I am reading the series now
And can’t wait for the book
Coming out next month
I have almost every book in
This series.
I have enjoyed all of the Dark hunter series and own them all. I read them over and over, recommend them to my sister and co-workers.
Wow did I love MaryAnn! She made this book for me. Dark Possession the 18th book in the Dark series was another game changer. Things that happened in this book will be shaping the overall plot of the series for many books to come.
I liked Manolito. He was sexy, very dominant, and protective. Even though he was very bossy he was pretty charming too. His part of the story line where his soul was part of the way in the land of mist and ghost or whatever( like a spirit world where you wait for judgement) was a little boring at times. I thought MaryAnn was amazing. She really made this book for me. I pretty much loved everything about her. I loved that she was werewolf which was new for the series. MaryAnn was a little diva with her hot clothes that made her feel confidant. She was a city girl and didn’t like bugs, snakes, ect… but she braved it all to help others. She was very compassionate and had a lot of power that she didn’t even know she had. The thing I really liked about MaryAnn is she didn’t take any of Manolito’s crap! If he said something stupid, which of course he did, she straight put him in his place.
Manolito and MaryAnn together were very hott. With Manolito being so dominant and MaryAnn being wolf their lovemaking was hard and fast. I love that for once The female in the book wasn’t the only one doing all the changing of who she was (if you read the book you will understand that) to be with her lifemate. I have to say I thought Riordan was kind of a jerk to MaryAnn in this book. I loved all the parts in this book with MaryAnn, Solange, and Jasmine. There girl bonding was cute and funny. I liked that CF made Luiz’s character a good guy with honor. I loved getting the part with Mikhail’s parents Sarantha and Vladimir. It made them real and set up the plot for a upcoming book. Great book and a great addition to the series!
Christine Feehan is one of my favorite Authors. I have read every book/story she has written. I started with the Dark Series and loved her writing. The books in all her series are more enjoyable if you read them in order. I love all of her series including The Dark Series, Ghostwalker Series, The Drake Sisters, Sister’s of the Heart Series, The Leopard Series and her two new series, Torpedo Ink Series and The Shadow Series.