104 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dragonseeker and Jaquar shifter - what a great pairing, August 31, 2010
This review is from: Dark Peril (Carpathian) (Hardcover)
Having given up hope of ever finding his lifemate in this life time and determined to end his existence with honor, Ancient Carpathian warrior Dominic has begun a suicidal quest to gain the information necessary to save his Prince and his people. Dominic has ingested vampire blood, knowing that the parasites which now infect his body will provide the camouflage needed to allow him to walk among the enemy in order to get the intel necessary to foil the vampires' foul plots. But even as the parasites attempt to seduce Dominick into taking the final step and becoming vampire himself, Dominick has begun to dream, and in his dreams he 'feels' hints of the emotions that he has lost. Emotions stirred by the unique woman of his dreams, a woman who shows a warrior face to the world but who shares her softer side with him.
Jaguar shifter, Solonge survived the annihilation of her family and friends perpetrated by the ruthless males of her species. Solonge now fights a guerilla war against the Jaguar men - stealing back captives and working to wipe their evil from the world. Unsurprisingly, Solonge's experiences with men in general are not good, and she is also distrustful of domineering Carpathian males - her cousin is mated to one of the Delacruz brothers. But in Solonge's dreams she has created the perfect man, sexy and strong to be a partner to her but one who will also allow her to be a woman in addition to a warrior.
Both of the pair are a bit surprised to find that the one who they've been dreaming of is real. That they are lifemates adds a level of complication because both have upcoming battles - Solonge against the evil leader of the Jaguar men who has dastardly plans for her, and Dominick against the vampires - battles which neither of them expected to survive. But now that they've found each other, dying for a noble cause no longer seems like a good plan, instead the pair will work and fight together in the hopes of having a long and loving future together.
I really really liked the first third of the book, I liked both Dominick and Solonge and I liked the fact that Dominick wants a partner to fight beside him and that he trusts Solonge's skills as a warrior. And I liked Solonge much more than I thought I would from her appearances in early stories - she ends being a good mix of strong and vulnerable. There are so many things about this paring which makes them actually feel like destined mates. And I liked the role that blood plays in the story - both have unusual things going on with their blood - and also the advantage of their special heritages - Jaguar and Dragonseeker - are key to the resolution of the story.
Whereas I loved the setup, once Dominick and Solonge find each other in the flesh they spend an awfully long time in Solonge's cave as Dominick slowly cultivates Solonge's trust and works to wins her love. And as much as I liked the idea that Dominick was willing to wait for Solonge's complete acceptance, I found myself impatient for Dominick's efforts to finally come to fruition.
But once Dominick and Solonge make it back out of the cave, the story ramps back up to speed and Dominick's strike at the vampires - with Solonge watching his back - and Solonge's final confrontation against the Jaquar leader - with Dominick returning the favor - finish the story on a high note.
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83 of 103 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Over This Series..., September 13, 2010
This review is from: Dark Peril (Carpathian) (Hardcover)
I have always been a big fan of the Dark Series. Not as much her other stories. There was something intriguing, sexy, and almost forbidden reading about mostly humans and a vampire-like species and seeing their differences provide interesting obstacles that would HAVE to be faced and conquered. I enjoy the paranormal element, though I am not interested in science fiction of any kind. There are plenty of series' out there for people who do. I even enjoy reading about the hyper-alpha males beating their chests. It's a fantasy novel, not real life after all. What I can't understand is why she took a popular premise and has started to suck the life out of it with dragons, mages, wizards, and now the jaguar people/shifters. I feel like these are not what I signed on for. I hate this new format, and apparently am not alone. If jaguars interest you, read her other series etc. Also the redundant use of the Carpathian language wasn't terribly interesting in small amounts, now it's just being shoved down our throats. And I realize these are fiction, but there has to be an amount of magical realism involved. You're going to take a formerly strong lead female and turn her into an insecure, blubbery, mess? And then have a reader believe you've cured her issues by insisting she wear some tacky lingerie you pulled literally out of the air? It was just hard to read after the first few pages. I don't know about anyone else, but remember when the women in these novels might fight at first, but in their own way they were strong and opinionated. This character was weak, boring, uninteresting, and just plain annoying. I don't want to read about how quickly she can form fur and a muzzle and then think anyone would would find that sexy. Is she your girlfriend or your pet? Decide already Feehan! Dominic was slightly more interesting, but I was almost embarrassed for them with the lingerie, constant singing, baths, and then if you weren't appalled enough they throw a sick kitten into the mix. The last page of the book will be interesting to some, and a "jumping the shark" moment for others. I haven't formed my own opinion on it yet. But who knows, after I wait a year or two, maybe she'll come back to it in the follow up. But will my interest level survive long enough to read it?
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73 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dissappointed, August 31, 2010
I was so looking forward to this book. Dominic was a favorite of mine and I was looking forward to his story. As the first reviewer said, the first and last third of the book is good. The middle really isn't. They stay in the cave for ever. It got very boring and I found myself skipping over sections, trying to find some action. When the action starts, the story springs to life again. Also, I absolutely HATE the Carpatian words CF keeps throwing in. It really distracts me from the story. Her books have always been an auto-buy for me, but they just aren't as good as they used to be for me. In my opinion, if she would put as much into the stories as she did into the language and songs at the end of the books, they would be much better. I'll have to really think about it before I buy any of her books again.
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