Rating: 
Summary: For lovers of vampire romance, this book is one of the best.
Review: Carpathian Mikhail Dubrinsky has searched for centuries to find his true life-mate, the other half of himself. The leader of a race that is quickly becoming extinct, he has become convinced that there is little hope for the continued survival of his people. Raven Whitney, a human with telepathic abilities, changes his mind. In her he finds not only the will to live, but the life-mate he has long searched for, the one person who can help him save his people.With a plot that moves smoothly and quickly, Ms. Feehan has added a new dimension (and a new twist) to vampire romance fiction. This is a well-written novel that will appeal to anyone who likes this type of romance
Rating:
Summary: Can't wait for the next book!
Review: If you like romance,or vampires, or fantasy, or paranormal romance, you MUST read this book! Mikhail is the oldest of the Carpathians. Without a soulmate, a male Carpathian will eventually succumb to the beast within. Unfortunately, there are very few female Carpathians left. On the night Mikhail decides to end it all, he finds his soulmate. The only thing is that she is a human! I loved the male Carpathians and I can not wait for another book by Ms. Feehan featuring this great characters. Please write quickly Ms. Feehan.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspend Your Disbelief And Just Go Along For The Ride
Review: I thought that this was an interesting series debut, though I have admit, being of Eastern European extraction, that using the term "Carpathians" for the dark and tortured heroes constantly amused me, because that's not what that term automatically brings to my mind. I guess it sounds suitably mysterious for people unfamiliar with that area of the world, but it just makes me laugh. If you like your heroes strong and possesive, your heroines feisty and stubborn, then this book is for you. Mikhail is the ultimate dark and dangerous hereo, about to allow himself to die because of centuries of loneliness. Raven is a human psychic who picks up on his distress, the first female in years to "touch his soul". Their meeting, their developing relationship, and the compromises that have to occur are the main focus of the book. The threat aspect is the fanatical hunters who view Mikhail as a vampire and want to destroy him, and by extension, his lifemate Raven. Ms. Feehan introduces the Carpathians as a completely different species, not just your run-of-the-mill vampires. Apparently, after age 200, the Carpathian males begin to lose all touch with emotion - their view of the world becomes literally monochromatic - and they slowly become more and more isolated. If they don't find a lifemate, they either commit suicide or turn into rogue vampires. Their species is slowly becoming extinct because there are very few Carpathian females, they breed slowly and tend to produce male offspring, and the babies usually die before their first birthday for some unknown reason. By the end of the book it all begins to make sense. She also introduces a number of the other male Carpathians, setting the stage for sequels of their searches for their lifemates. I was going to rate this book a bit higher but then I decided that I had to have a somewhat consistent standard for my vampire book reviews. I'm using Laurell K. Hamilton's books as my guideline, and this book doesn't compare to one of her four-stars. This is a fun book and a nice intro to a new series. I have no doubt that I'll be reading the rest of Ms. Feehan's books.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the hype
Review: I found this book to be dark, the relationship bordering on coercion. But the story is gripping and the world uniquely drawn.
Mikail is certainly an alpha male, maybe too much of one, at least for much of the book. Then again, he's the leader of his people. But I thought he expected too much of Raven too soon. She, on the other hand, wavered between giving in too easily and pulling back at the wrong time.
Feehan's big problem as a writer is that she tells the readers rather than showing...and she tells it over and over and over.... Drove me nuts.
My thinking is that the others in the series could be better. Two & 1/2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Only the beginning
Review: This book will be sure to hook you and there will be no escaping. These Carpathian men are hot, powerful, and the ultimate alpha males.
Raven is the perfect match for Mikhail, who just happens to be the prince of the Carpathian race. They are a proud bunch of immortals with a wicked way with women. They cherish and protect the females of their group-- to the point that it can be a bit cumbersome to an average independant american woman like Raven. But never fear she can handle Mikhail, and does! And she's quite sexy about the way she goes about it too!
Rating:
Summary: I love this book
Review: This is my first review, I picked 'Dark Prince' because it's one of my all time favorites. I've read it so many times that I have lost count and would recommend this book to any romance fan. I ordered this book from Amazon when it first came available and I was not disappointed. Christine Feehan has a corner on the market for vampires and soul mates. I would have never believed that you could tie the two together like she does and even give them a happy ever after. I would recommend any of Ms. Feehans books and if you have never read her work then start NOW. I understand that this book is out of print, but you really don't have to read these in order, so find the next one that's available and start reading. I would offer to loan you my copy, but I would never part with it now that I know how hard it is to get :-) Good luck and keep reading.
Rating:
Summary: Great premises, but the author fails to deliver
Review: Brief summary: Mikaihl Dubrinsky is the leader of the Carpathians, a race that although they drink blood and need it to exist, aren't truly vampires (I'm still not sure how that works). Raven Whitney is an American in Mikaihl's country on vacation. Both Mikaihl and Raven have telepathic abilities. When she picks up his thoughts of suicide, she reaches out to him, and he immediately recognizes her as his `life mate'. As Mikaihl tries to `convince' Raven that they're destined to be together, he also has to deal with vampire hunters who are trying to kill off his race. The need to prevent any further deaths is made more urgent by the fact that his race is slowing dying off on its own, since there are very few females left and most newborns are males.
I am not a fan of vampire books, but so many people raved about this series that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Thinking it was best to start at the very beginning of the series, I picked up the first book, and I was somewhat disappointed.
I loved the premises for this book. There was wonderful potential here for an excellent story, but in my opinion, the author failed to live up to that potential.
I didn't care for the author's style of writing. I found the overuse of adverbs irritating, and the constant point-of-view shifts made my head ache. I didn't like the hero. Now, I like alpha males, but I found this male entirely too alpha. Still, it is a vampire book, so I guess that is to be expected. I didn't like the heroine. Rather than finding her spunky and stubborn as others have, I found her immature. In addition, sometimes her actions were inconsistent with what the reader was told. For example: the reader was told numerous times how selfless and compassionate Raven was, yet when Mikaihl was injured and in desperate need of medical attention, she chose that moment to return his engagement ring and inform him that she was leaving him (and of course the medical attention was delayed so that this conversation could take place). That didn't seem very compassionate to me. The final straw was the constant repetition in the book--if the author told (and generally she did tell rather than show) the reader something once, she told them the same thing fifty other times, almost as if she didn't think they had the ability to remember it from one page to the next.
But I'm not ready to give up on this author yet. Maybe the writing improves as the series progresses, so at some point I do intend to pick up the latest book in the series (although it will come from the library--I won't be spending money on it).
Rating: 
Summary: !st Novel In The Carpathian Series
Review: "Dark Prince" is the first book in Christine Feehan's Carpathian series. Carpathians are a unique race of beings who have existed since humans first inhabited the earth. Their place of origin is in the Carpathian Mountains, Romania. They are definitely not vampires. They are, however, a different race than man, gifted with the ability to change shape, fly, and move faster than the eye can see - and also able to communicate through both telepathy and language. Acquiring sustenance from human and/or animal blood, they do not kill or turn people into vampires. Carpathians mate for life but since the females rarely live to adulthood, and their childrens' mortality rate is high, not many males are able to find a female suitable for a lifemate....or any female at all. The women provide the light to the males' darker side. After 200 years, the Carpathian male loses all human feelings, unless he has a mate. The race is dying out and many males, having lived for centuries without wives, often choose to end their existence or turn rogue, (vampire), in despair.
Mikhail Dubrinsky is a Carpathian Prince. He is well over 500 years old, but you'd never know it to look at him. The man is a true hunk, in a sophisticated, European way. He has a "je ne sais quois "...that is irresistible. Mikhail lost his ability to experience human feelings centuries ago, and is disillusioned with life alone in a gray world. His people are tragically dying and he, their leader, has not found a way to save them. Then, out of the darkness he hears a voice that calls to him and speaks of hope - intriguing him and drawing him to discover who it belongs to.
Raven Whitney lives thousands of miles away from Romania, in America. She has powerful psychic powers and somehow has been drawn into Mikhail's wavelength. These folks do not need cell phones. After some soul-to-soul heart-to hearts, Raven discovers how despondent Mikhail is and is horrified at the thought he might end his life. She goes to Romania for vacation - and guess who she meets? Raven brings a world of color and feelings to her prince - but they are in terrible danger, as are the entire Carpathian people. This is an original romance-adventure-paranormal-mystery and a terrific read!
Ms. Feehan's world of Carpathians and their culture is an exciting and very sensual one. Mikhail's presence is powerful and he is most charismatic. Raven is his perfect counterpart. Together, they ignite - very hot and spicy! When she attempts to exert her 21st century independence, his traditional, protective male tendencies infuriate her, with comic results. Feehan also introduces the reader to an entire cast of characters that she will bring back in her later novels. This is not one of her strongest novels, but it is a good enough story, very imaginative, and a good introduction to the series.
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Macho heros? Look more closely.
Review: This is a wonderful book. Several people have pointed out, however, that the Carpathian male's tendency to be dominant and possessive is upsetting, and some have felt that it's not appropriate "in this day and age" (whatever that means) to have the man making so many decisions for the woman and to have her seem so helpless and under his control.
I would invite those who are offended by the Carpathian men to look more closely at the dynamics in these relationships. Who is it who ultimately holds the power of life and death? Who is it who can condemn to death or give life? It's the women.
These books may, on the surface, look like a resurgence of old-world machismo where the women are bossed around by overbearing men. But think about it. Mikhail was going to kill himself until Raven showed up. She saved his life, and kept him alive, simply by giving him her love. If she rejected him, he would literally die - not simply be really upset and eventually get over her, but die. If she rejected him before they were joined as lifemates, then she would presumably not suffer very much, but he, knowing his lifemate was out there, and that there was no other woman for him, would have no hope at all.
This is a really clear demonstration of true feminine power in a relationship. Yes, the men are apparently omnipotent - can shape shift, can turn into mist, fly, heal wounds, have unimaginable wealth, etc. etc. But do these powers really hold a candle to the power over the human heart? Raven's power certainly equals, if not exceeds, Mikhail's. He can do stuff - but she can give him life. In these books, the women aren't trying to be men or to match the men. They are truly exploring and expressing feminine power, something that our generation seems to have either rejected or forgotten.
I would encourage anyone who finds themselves uncomfortable with the Carpathian men to consider for a few minutes just how vulnerable they really are, and just how much power we as women really do wield over the men in our lives. And enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING
Review: This book was not at all what I expected. I put off reading it because I did not think I would enjoy the whole vampire thing. I was wrong - the story is about MUCH more than that, and I absolutely LOVED it. Feehan is an excellent author, pulling you into a story so much that you feel like you are living it. I cannot say enough about her or this book. I just ordered the rest of the series, and I cannot wait to "devour" it!
|
