DARK PROMISES (Dark Carpathians #29) by Christine Feehan-dual review and giveaway
DARK PROMISES
Dark Series #29
By Christine Feehan
Genre: adult, paranormal,erotic, romance
Release Date: March 15, 2016
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.
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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 would say this book is 70% sex and 30% story. 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.
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