In an explosive novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan, a human woman ignites the desire of her Carpathian lifemate—and of an ancient vampire with a score to settle.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 … 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. . .
more
Lorraine lost everyone she knows, her family is dead and everyone she knew shunned her because of her brother. Lorraine just wants to be left alone to clear her head when she sees someone impaling a man with a stake so she defended him and in turn is thrown into a world she thought was pretend. When Andor comes to and realizes his life mate has just defended him and having thought he would never find her, he is confused and mortally wounded but she refuses to give up on this stranger. When the others come and realize Lorraine is Andor’s mate they band with her to help him not realizing the master vampire has targeted Lorraine not Andor. This is a different kind of love story because there is a lot of danger and only Lorraine is human but Andor is offering a life with him if the vampire doesn’t get her first.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha
I’m elated that Ms. Feehan finally gave me everything I asked for in a novel! I wanted a Carpathian ancient and a modern woman to figure out their love for each other without the woman making all the concessions. That was exactly what happened with Andor and Lorraine in Dark Sentinel.
Let me just say, I flipping loved Lorraine. She was fierce, compassionate, and occasionally hilarious. The perfect foil to Andor. In the first scene, she fights off bad guys with a saucepan while ranting about inner peace. I was absolutely cracking up. Andor is pretty darn great too. He’s super duper old but manages to control his impulse to order Lorraine around. He understands what she needs on a deep level; he’s very patient and kind with her learning process.
Dark Sentinel was all that I have come to expect and love in a Carpathian romance novel: crazy battle scenes, sweeping love, scorching sex scenes (hello sex while flying on a carousel horse like an X-Rate Mary Poppins)! I was absolutely satisfied with the love story.
My biggest snag with this book is that it was one big set up for what seems like the “next chapter” of Carpathian warriors, the ancients who lived in the monastery. As a building book, the story moved slowly at times. Lots of explanations, lots of discussions and lots of speculation about what the master vampire will do next. Any action that moved the plot forward was at a minimum, the majority of the plot (outside the romance) was setting the stage. As an invested and dedicated Dark Series reader, I didn’t always need the in-depth explanations, but it did help the book to stand alone. I wouldn’t hesitate to tell a Feehan newbie to start with this novel.
Of course, I am absolutely dying for the next book already! The bomb she dropped at the end of Dark Sentinel is so exciting for fans of the series and fans of the last few books especially. I know Ms. Feehan’s written north of seventy books, but I’m still always left wanting more.
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
I love Christine Feehan’s characters, and as usual, I adored the ones in Dark Sentinel. It’s a steamy, exciting, intriguing ride, and I definitely recommend it!
The more I learn about the Ancients, the more I love them. Andor has lived centuries fighting for the survival of the Carpathian race, he is tired and ready to end his life in the only honorable way possible, until the decision is taken out of his hands by the feisty Lorraine. Lorraine sees only an injured man and flies into action to save him, little does she know that this is her lifemate, the other half of her soul, the only one who can complete her. Andor and Lorraine are a fun couple, their interactions will bring a laugh as Andor tries to navigate “modern women” who have no problem voicing their opinion and following thru and Lorraine has to come to terms with navigating Andor’s “caveman” mentality as he tries to protect her. This is book 28 in the Dark Series but you will not feel cheated if you haven’t read the previous 27 🙂 I definitely recommend Dark Sentinel. #Dark Sentinel #Christine Feehan
Dark Sentinel continues the Carpathian series. Its like book 900 or something. Okay, thats an exaggeration, but seriously this is a LONG series. I haven’t read them all. But, it wasn’t a problem to read Dark Sentinel without knowing the details of the previous 9000 books.
Andor is a very old Carpathian who has all but given up on the hope he will find his lifemate. As he contemplates just letting himself die after being attacked by inept ‘vampire hunters’, his mate swoops in and saves him. While I noted it isn’t necessary to read ALL the previous books, you really do need to at least understand the basics of the world Feehan has created.
-Vampires are BAD. Carpathians, while they drink blood and cannot come out during the day, are not vampires. A Carpathian who has given up hope and ‘turned to the dark side’ becomes a vampire and is then hunted by other Carpathians.
-Carpathian males must find their life mate. The longer they live without her, the worse their life gets and the more likely they are to turn into vampires.
-Human females who have certain psychic gifts can be mates to the Carpathian men.
Lorraine is a spunky girl with a deadly talent. She comes from a family of martial artists and she is exceptionally good. She saves Andor but is SURE he is gonna die soon. However, she agrees to his weird requests (packing his gaping wound with dirt, digging him a hole). She is telepathic and eventually shares memories with Andor to understand his world and what is happening. Because Andor is in such bad shape, other Carpathians are summoned to come help. The vampire attacks are getting more intense and frequent. The story has lots of action and quite a bit of gore. The human puppets…shudder. If blood, guts, and gore aren’t okay for you, this book might be a bit much. Andor, compared to some of the other Carpathians, almost seems more beta than alpha. It was refreshing. He isn’t a wimp or a pushover by any means, but he has a different way of behaving that is more contemplative and calm. I appreciated the break from the beat-you-over-the-head-and-drag-you-back-to-my-cave type behavior.
These are NOT books to read if you don’t like the insta-love/fated mates thing. Me, I love it. But these two are in love within hours of meeting so if that isn’t your jam, keep moving. If, like me, its you favorite thing ever, you will love this series. I like that the drama of the book isn’t about the relationship but about external factors. I also appreciated that even with the life mates bond, Lorraine questioned the relationship. She had legitimate worries like does he like me, or does he HAVE to like me. Like all Feehan’s books, there is some crazy hot sex as well. Like actually CRAZY! Some of the places Andor and Lorraine have sex is mind boggling (flying horse!).
The story ends a bit anticlimaticly in my opinion. The main story arc between Lorraine and Andor is settled, but Sergey is still out there, they still aren’t sure what he is up to, and the next couple is hinted to and there are ALL KINDS of problems there. Now I have to wait a year for the next book!
Who should read this book? Anyone who likes progressive paranormal romance. Feehan has taken the vampire trope and twisted it. Her world of the Carpathians is evolving as time marches on and she does it flawlessly. If you like your romance steamy and just a touch violent, Dark Sentinel will be a gem! If you are my mom, you will hate this. Seriously, mom-not your kind of book. Vampires AND too much sex. Me, however, I loved Dark Sentinel!
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.
REVIEW: 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.
4.5 Love Love Love Lorraine. Intelligent, feisty, human, passionate, sensitive – in short awesome. I appreciate the Carpathians are coming into the 21st century. Not talking electronics, etc. although that is appreciated. I love that some of the men aren’t all alpha wolf. Alpha, yes, but with a little more leeway in the relationship. The cherry on top for me, is the sex wasn’t just thrown in every chapter or every two chapters. In my opinion it was written in when needed as the relationship grew. Thank you! The fact that several of these characters share blood and how it affects everything was a great twist and am so ready for several characters to have their own book. “I will be right back, You two can posture at each other ” **snicker** You go Lorraine.
One of Christine’s best!
Dark Sentinel grabs the reader from page one and refuses to let them go. Upon meeting Andor and Lorraine, you champion their connection and crave them to be together always. He has almost given up on life, and she is the breath he so desperately needs. Every single page felt like a new adventure!
I could not put this book down! Seriously!! Christine’s books are always original and fast-paced, but something about Dark Sentinel kept me turning the pages and wanting more. I had to know how it ended and why it all came together like it did. I can definitely see myself reading this book over and over again. It was that good!
The newest book in the world of the Carpathian is a spectacular read full of electrifying suspense, volatile action and carnal passion. Andor and Lorraine are two solid, enthralling characters that easily draw you into their story but it’s their exciting relationship that keeps readers glued to the pages from the very beginning. The relationship is a bit rocky because of the situation and their differences which causes some emotional turmoil, but like all lifemate romances, the magnetic attraction sizzles from their core and refuses to be denied.
The story starts off with some intense, thrilling excitement and continues to keeps on the edge with lots of fast paced, explosive action and anticipation building thrills. This novel flows smoothly from page to the next while the hunters go up against vampires that have a diabolical plan and seem to have formed an army. Surprising twists and turns keeps the characters on their toes and defeating this enemy may just take more hunters than they have.
I was unable to put Andor and Lorraine’s story down until I had read every last word of this spectacular Carpathian story, the world just keeps getting more fascinating and the author continues to wow readers with her creative imagination and wonderful world building. I especially love the flying carousel that she brought to vivid life and how lifelike the characters and thrilling danger is while I suspended in her world.
Dark Sentinel by Christine Feehan is the newest release of Ms. Feehan’s Carpathian Novel series. The story continues from the previous novels. If you have not read the most recent books in the series, you will not be aware of previous incidents mentioned in this story or have the background information on many of the Carpathian fighters and Carpathian women and children who join in this story. The story can be read and enjoyed without the previous histories. This novel is the story of Andor Katona, an ancient Carpathian warrior who FINALLY has found his lifemate, Lorraine Peters (human). Lorraine has come upon Andor fighting for his life and when he is near death, she jumps in to fight the men who are about to finish killing Andor. The warrior is shocked that this female has attacked the male human attackers with a saucepan in her efforts to save him. Fortunately she was raised by a family who taught martial arts so she had fighting skills. And so the fun begins! Andor knows she is his Lifemate as after many decades he can NOW see “colors” and feel emotions upon feeling her presence. This is only possible when a Carpathian finds his one and only Lifemate. Now all he needs to do is stay alive AND convince Lorraine that she is his long searched for Lifemate! Fortunately some fellow Carpathian warriors (Sandu, Ferro and Gary Daratrazanoff [Gary is a healer]) arrive and assist Lorraine in saving Andor from 3 life ending wounds. The “friendship” between Sandu, Ferro, and Gary AND Lorraine is totally new in this Carpathian world. She provides “blood” to the warriors as they attempt to save Andor. This is a totally new event as normally a lifemate only shares blood with her lifemate. How this plays out in the story was interesting to watch. After the warriors begin healing Andor, they had to fight off other vampires and “puppets” while they attempted to transport Andor and Lorraine to a place of safety. The romance between Andor and Lorraine was a delight to read. I strongly recommend this book to the readers of the Carpathian novels and for romance readers.
It’s a great plot from the first book in the series stays on the same track never wavering from original story line it’s an amazing look into someone’s ability to tell a totally realistic story with theme which is total fantasy I love the whole series and would say to anyone they are well worth the time it takes to read them and a great escape from a stress filled day that is at times much needed
Andor has been in a few of the last books, he’s an ancient from the monastery. He was sent by three women to meet his lifemate (he has no idea when, where or who) but she’s out there, and it gives Andor hope. But before he can meet her, Andor is in a fight for his life, chasing and fighting vampires have him carrying mortal injuries, and now to make things worse he’s being tortured by human “vampire” hunters, they have mistaken him for a vampire, and they mean to kill him…..
Lorraine is trying to meditate when her thoughts are rudely interrupted by a few people having murderous thoughts and another thinking it was time to end his life !!! It’s enough to make a sane woman crazy !!! So she takes up the nearest thing and heads off to confront the murderers and possibly save the injured man.
Most of the book is taken up with Andor and Lorraine trying to get back to Tariq’s compound. We catch up with quiet a few of the ancients from the monastery, they along with the help of Gary (a newly turned Carpathian with memories of many ancients) rescue a family, whilst still trying to repair the grave injuries that Andor got in the beginning of the book. A few of the other ancients get injuries through the book.
Lorraine is a martial arts expert, so she can really handle herself, and it was funny reading where she came and “rescued” Andor
It’s another good addition to this series, but do we REALLY need sooooooo much sex?!?!
Ok I understand the Carpathian male hasn’t had sex in like FOREVER (or in some cases not at all) but do we really need to cram it all into 340 pages
As always, I cannot put Christine’s books down! Can’t get enough of her sexy Carpathians!
another in the Carpathian series, I love them
Absolutely love this book! The story of Andor and Lorraine is woven beautifully among the continuing tale of the Carpathian ancients and their war with the Malinov Vampire army.
Andor debates allowing mortal wounds to end his life, allow human hunters finish what a battle with vampires had begun and end his dark existence. Lorraine searches for ways to heal the pain of loss, of senseless death that took all she loved and continue life.
Discovering Andor under attack, knowing he didn’t want to stop it, she rushes in to stop more death and save him from the humans and himself. In that moment both find their souls. Now Andor has to live. And after centuries being a Sentinel for his people and humans, his lifemate becomes his. And she does a kick butt job!
Andor knew what a lifemate would return to him but he is amazed at how much more she brings to his life. From the very beginning, due to the wounds, these two grow not just as physically bonded lifemates but share time that forms a true relationship. Through these shared moments, shared experiences they learn about each other. Some moments are sweet and some terrifying, some are alone and some mixed in the fray with his brethren as they take risks to save his life and humans during continued vampires attacks. You can see these two fall in love. You see that by accepting each other as individuals their union is stronger. These two are perfectly matched, both have areas of strength and need that compliment each other and the reader can’t help but love them.
Events surrounding the opening attacks and news from other areas shows the beautiful strength of the bond between not just Andor and Lorraine but Lifemates and what it is capable of accomplishing.
Tariq and Carpathian hunters, even those with the most skill and experience realise that the strategies of the master vampires requires them to stop their solitary nature of hunting. They need to hunt in groups and adapt their own tactics. The new threats they face and the risks they need to take pushes them into the modern world of thought and technology.
I enjoy the group dynamic, getting to know the Ancients as they are now, seeing Gary’s journey continue, rooting for them all to defeat this enemy and to find their lifemates…when the moment is right.
And Ms.Feehan tells it all with a brilliant pace of breath holding, ‘freak you out’ moments that are mixed with humor, and of course, dreamy sigh romance and heat. Not to mention hints, teases and OMG revelations. I highly recommend this book and am anticipating the next.
Loved it.
I enjoyed the read. A little different. I enjoyed the changes in characters.
Lorraine Peters came home during Thanksgiving break from college to find her brother had shot their parents, aunt and uncle, some family friends and then turned the gun on himself. Instead of receiving comfort from her friends, she was ostracized. She went to the mountains to seek some peace and instead stumbles upon three men, staking a fourth, who they claim is a vampire. Little does she know, that he is not only an ancient Carpathian, but her life mate. Andor Katona had just about given up funding his life mate, when she attacks his attackers with a sauce pot. Once she speaks, he recognizes her and then must save himself to keep her safe. So begins the next installment of the series, known for exciting battles and steamy love scenes. New information, which I do not recall being revealed before, is that if the male does not find his life mate during her life time, her soul will continually be reborn until he does. This explains why more human females have the souls of life mates. The family trees at the begining of the books is always helpful, but the last two have been left out.
It was very very good!!!
It is a very good. The characters are very interesting. And I love the author. I have all her books and waiting for her new ones to come out.