Rating: 
Summary: Testosterone and the Twit
Review: You know, Ms Feehan has actually written some good books. This isn't one of them. The plot is mimimal at best, the bad guys don't inspire anything other than yawns, there is no interesting conflict between the characters, and the characters themselves ... Darius is badly drawn (a mishmash of old world domineering and contemporary American slang), and Rusti/Tempest is stupid. I honestly can't think of a better word for it. She's in constant revolt against authority for pretty much no reason (some back story would help here), she's incapable of logic or self preservation (gee, I know the bad guys are out to get me, but I think I'll go wander off alone to where I've just been told the bad guys are because Darius wants me to stay with someone who can protect me), she can't even keep a simple promise. Pick any of the other books in the Dark series, and give this one a miss.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: I just love christine feehan vampire novels.I am so glad to finally great to read this book.It is funny and sad(sometimes)but most of of the time it is romance.So if you like romance then this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: First read by this author
Review: This is my first book by Ms.Feehan. I was quite impressed with it. Darius, the main male character, was very compelling, but too possessive. His chauvinistic personality grated my nerves after a few chapters. Tempest, Darius' love, held on her own as a character and i was surprised by her occupation, as a mechanic. The author's concept and development of the Carpathians is very strong and original. There was too much sex in this book; "the flames of desire licking" at Darius and Tempest got monotonous after a while.
Rating:
Summary: Another keeper
Review: Another great book by Christine Feehan continuing the Dark series. Darius is a wonderful hero ready to make any sacrifice for Tempest. What wouldn't most of us give for a man who would risk his very health to protect his lover from a choice which he believes that he is not entitled to ask her to make? Although, he is admittedly quite dictatorial. But Tempest is more than his match and is actually the most street-wise of the "Dark" heroines.
Rating:
Summary: Christine Feehan does it again
Review: Courtesy of Love RomancesDarius is the guardian and protector of his traveling musical troupe of Carpathians. For hundreds of years, his family had been believed to be lost, murdered in the slaughter of their people over a thousand years ago. He reluctantly agrees to allow his sister, Desari to hire a human to travel with the band as their mechanic. But they must ensure the human never finds out their deepest secret. For they are of an ancient race of beings with superhuman strength and abilities... and who must feed on blood to survive. Darius is dangerously close to turning vampire, depraved and murderous, evil creatures that kill for the sheer pleasure of it. He is holding on only by his steely determination and desire to protect his family. Tempest "Rusti" Trine answers an ad in the newspaper, not quite sure why, except that it seemed to jump out at her with a compulsion she could not resist. She has always been different from others, having special abilities no one quite comprehends. When Tempest joins up with Darius and his family, she knows she has found some who are also a bit different, and she finally has a place she can belong. She doesn't mind that she never sees any of them during the day, or that they seem to have secrets they are keeping from her. The moment Darius first lays eyes on Tempest, his world explodes in colors and emotions he has not experienced in centuries. He immediately knows she is meant for him alone. He does not understand these sensations he is experiencing, or what they mean, having been isolated from his people since he fled from his home as a child, taking with him a few of the other children he was able to rescue. Darius is terrified to claim Tempest in the true ways of his people as the only converted human women he had met in his long life were insane vampiresses, murdering innocent children. He is unaware there a re a few human women out there who have special talents, making them capable of handling the conversion. Darius is compelled to be with her, and is willing to sacrifice all to keep her. Will he make the ultimate sacrifice? When Tempest meets Darius, one look into his eyes, and she is drawn to him like she has never been before. She can't understand it and that makes her afraid. She is used to being on her own, and has trouble accepting that she may actually need someone else now. She tries to escape this unusual thrall he has upon her, but she is not strong enough to fight it. Even upon discovering Darius and his family's dangerous secret, though she is repulsed by their needs, Tempest cannot resist the fire and passion in his magnetic gaze. Ms. Feehan has once again proven why she is one of the biggest stars of the genre. Every book is better than the one before. Tempest is by far the strongest heroine to date, in this reviewer's opinion. She is all modern and independent woman, who chafes at authority, and has quite a penchant for finding trouble. Darius is a very old fashioned man, from a long ago era, whose only desire is to protect and adore his woman, his lifemate. This makes for some very rousing clashes of will. The secondary characters are beautifully rendered, as in all the Dark books, and play just as big of a role in the story, as the hero and heroine, without ever overshadowing them. Many characters return from previous books and liven things up. And loyal readers will be happy to see a couple of their favorite continuing side stories have not been neglected. As always, the reader is enlightened a bit more about the world of the Carpathians. Though there is violence in the book, as is to be expected, this book does not seem quite as dark as the previous ones. Most of the violence in kept to a few chapters. There are only two faults this reviewer can find with Dark Fire. It is a little confusing how Ms Feehan bounces back and forth between Tempest's name and her nickname, Rusti. But once the reader gets used to it, it really does not cause any problems. The only other fault is that the book had to end! This is a beautiful addition to the ongoing Dark saga.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, these Carpathian men!
Review: Would saying Yum be a little odd when using it to describe a 'vampire' romance? I have to say that the twist on the vampire/Carpathian legend is a brilliant one, but I also have to say that these men are sublime. Granted, if you're a fiercely indpendent woman who had her own identity and hates to be bossed around the premises of these stories can put you a bit on edge, but... How can a woman deny a man who offers her an eternity of complete, total, passionate unconditional love? Yes, Darius is a Carpathian in ever sense even though he and his clan were separated from their homeland and families a thousand years ago, and he takes his responsibilites very seriously. If he doesn't, people die. Tempest has had a rough go of things, bounced around and abused in foster homes, raped by someone she trusted, so she's not exactly used to a tight knit family unit to begin with, but then to be confronted with Darius in all his dark splendor? Sparks fly, libidos throb and tensions mount as the tug of war between woman and Carpathian ensues. Sometimes Tempest, just as other heroines faced with the same choices in Christine's other tomes, tends to protest just a bit too much. You get to the point of rolling your eyes and saying, " Just get with the program and take him on!" Faced with an eternity with a man who loves you without question and without condition is worth any bruising of one's boundaries. Besides, this is a romance novel, after all, and what we want is the illusion that a man like that might just exist somewhere, and when you pick up one of Christine's books, you're going to find him. An absolute winner all the way around! I can't wait for the next tale!
Rating:
Summary: Redundancy is a bad thing . . .
Review: Let's see . . . sex, sex, and more sex . . . Oh, and did I mention sex? And, "Oh, I'm a beautiful, fiercely independent heroine who is unaware of my own stupidity. But I don't need to be taken care of." "Yes, and I'm your big, strong, sexually irresistible MAN who can't keep it in my pants. I won't ever let you out of my sight at the risk of seeming like an overbearing, overprotective warden, because I don't want to trust anyone with you, my delicate beautiful flower." Gawd! Could this GET any more stupid? This novel is the same thing over and OVER!!! The protagonists are nothing new and neither is the strife between them. This is nothing you haven't read before. You should probably check this out at a library first. Good thing it was on sale when I bought it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great imagery -- NICE subplot
Review: Like other reviewers, I found myself disappointed by Ms. Feehan's newest offering. I loved the first three, then was a bit put-off by Dark Magic. However, I had already bought Dark Challenge, so I went ahead and read it. I really enjoyed Dark Challenge. This book, though... First, you are bound to want to read it after reading the others, and have some expectations. While I agree with the gripe about cardboard characterization, the carpathian claiming her, the woman saying "no," this one had the added confusion of a previous rape in the heroine's life which was almost repeated, then LIGHTLY dealt with. That irked for some reason. Darius was an interesting carpathian, and I was looking forward to getting into his head... I was saddened to realize that he didn't even have any of the issues that Gregori or Julian had to deal with. I enjoyed the book. It seemed to me that the great... and varying... agonies of the previous books were missing. Of course, the usual vampire hunters and hissing, killing undead were still there. The strong point for me was the imagery -- I could actually *see* Darius sweeping around, and I usually can't do that while I'm reading. It was remarkable, and very sensual. To read her descriptions of Darius was probably worth the price of the book, and will no doubt be the reason why I re-read this book later.
There is also a great little background romance that (perhaps) should have gotten its own book (IMHO), and it does delve into this group's history more. I like Ms. Feehan's writing,and will continue to buy the books, and to re-read them because the males are so delicious, but this was definitely the "worst" of the bunch yet. Read it, you know you are going to if you read this series, but then make sure you pick up the anthology "after twilight" to renew your faith in this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Cruelly Disappointed
Review: I have been with Ms. Feehan since the first Carpathian book hit the shelves. The series is about a species of males, Carpathians, who are essentially immortal, and who eventually turn into soulless vampires if they do not find their mate. Once they find her, they can once again see colors and feel emotions. As other reviewers have stated, there are many factors in the last couple of books that weaken the plots. For one, these Carpathians have just discovered, after centuries of wandering, that they are not the only ones of their kind in the world. Yet they do not seem to be in much of a hurry to meet the others (including their prince and their brother), or even ask any questions about their people. For another, a long-standing question of mine has been this: if the Carpathians now know that certain mortal women can be their lifemates, wouldn't common sense demand that they start frequenting places of high concentration of these women, like associations, research institutes, etc? Also, readers have been told for the last six books that female Carpathians are rare, but we have been given no further reason for it, or any indication that anything is being done about it. Where is this species' instinct of self-preservation? The heroines in the first few books were strong, valiantly trying to cope with nightmarish events, while holding on to their personal beliefs. They were not easily intimidated or controlled by their lifemates; there was a lot of "look, bucko, just because you're incredibly powerful doesn't mean we do things your way all the time!". The latter heroines have been milksops, incessantly whining about the males' authoritarianism without ever doing anything about it. Lately, Ms. Feehan's books have all had the same plot: (Man) "You are my lifemate, do as I say!" (Woman) "No, I won't, I won't!" Picture a foot stomping here, and you'll have the whole idea. Instead of a man-woman relationship, it has become a parent-prepubescent one. These ladies are also unbelievably ineffective at defending themselves, or having a say in the course of events. I am generally attracted to strong female characters, whose love for the hero does not obliterate their ability to think for themselves, or the pursuit of their own goals. I keep buying the new installments, hoping against hope for a return to the heroine who can hold her own against the hero, and I get disappointed every time. Don't be like me. Read Dark Prince, Dark Desire, and Dark Magic. That's it, stop there.
Rating:
Summary: A solid continuation of the series
Review: In this installment of the Dark series we find Darius on the edge of "turning" or becoming vampire. Darius is the brother to Gregory the most powerful of all the Carpathians and is no slouch himself when it comes to power and threat. Darius sees the solution to his problems in Tempest Trine a woman who is suited to be his lifemate in every way but one. She is not a Carpathian, she will age and die in a normal human lifespan where he could live another 1000 years without aging much at all. This ends up being Darius's biggest challenge. Tempest aka Rusty throws up a few more along the way just to keep things interesting. She really does not get his ideas on obedient women and that makes for some interesting reading as well. This book is sure to draw more readers into Christine Feehan's world. There are a few problems that would have been solved with a better editor though. Some facts don't match earlier books, somethings are just outright impossible according to earlier books (like Darius is 500 years older than he could be according to the earlier books) and I found a few words that could have used a spellchecker. Other than those minor irritations the book was a very enjoyable read.
|
