24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A refreshing new flavor!, February 28, 2003
I received this book yesterday in the mail and stayed up late last night finishing this book. It was wonderful. Ms. Feehan has again pushed into new territory with her "Dark" series. This is definately not your same hunter/vampire conflict.
In this book we meet Byron Justicano, a lonely Carpathian gem-caller who has cut himself off from his best friend Jaques (hero of Dark Desire). Byron was captured by humans and used as bait to try to destroy his people's prince, nearly succeeding in killing Prince Mikhal's life mate, Raven. Since that time, he has isolated himself from all Carpathians and gone against his natural artistic nature to become a hunter. His nights are spent in a desolate wilderness struggling against the temptation of turning vampire when he suddenly hears the music.
He tracks the music to it's creator and finds Antonietta Scarletti, a brilliant blind concert pianist and descendant of the hero/heroine of The Scarletti Curse. He knows as soon as he hears her speak that she is his life mate and he will never be lonely again.
Byron saves her grandfather from a car "accident" and becomes a familiar visitor at the palazzo where there are undercurrents of an ancient mysterious evil. Antonietta's family resent and fear Byron, but because Antonietta is the center of the Scarletti family try only subtly to discourage their association.
When Antonietta and her grandfather are drugged and dragged off to be murdered, Byron sees that he has to take the relationship deeper, quicker to protect his lifemate.
The refreshing change to this book, is that Byron has learned the hard way to be patient. So many other Carpathian Alpha males rush in and overwhelm their lifemates. Byron gently woos Antonietta even though his nature is screaming for him to take and possess her. Even up to the last critical moment, Byron allows Antonietta the final choice to convert and join him.
As they work together to solve murder attempts to different family members, we see them forging a strong bond of the heart, not just of the compulsion of the mating of lifemates.
Ms. Feehan mixes romance, redemption and suspence in a completely different way and the result is a fascinating journey of two people truly finding their heartmate and conquering many obstacles that they, themselves have constructed.
If you have never read one of Ms. Feehan's novels, this is one to try. If you've read her work and been put off by the dominant Carpathian male, read this one and see a gentle, protective side of the powerful species. Byron will completely change your attitude and thinking about Carpathians. He is just as strong as any other Carpathian hero, but he has a sensitive, artistic nature, rather than the brutal by necessity nature of the hunters. You will absolutely love him!
There is humor thrown in when you meet Byron's sister and her adopted teenager, Josef. Josef is Carpathian too, but very young. As a mother of a teen myself, I could identify totally with Byron's exasperation with Josef's Goth look, baggy pants and interest in rap. The song Josef composes for Prince Mikhal is a hoot!
Byron's story is a totally new twist in the Carpathian legacy, introducing some provocative new pathways for the struggling Capathian society and I can't wait for the next book to see where Ms. Feehan will go with this captivating series!
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!, March 2, 2003
By A Customer
I'm a fan of the Dark series. However, some of the last few books have been a bit disappointing primarily because they were leading me to conclude that Ms. Feehan is a good but not great writer since every male Carpatian started to sound like the others (or a recycled version of other male leads) and every subsequent book in the series devoted about 20% repeating the same things "He is a Carpathian, and therefore . . . " over and over. Having just finished Dark Symphony, my mind has changed. I won't go into the details of the plot, as other reviewers here have already done so. I will note a few things. First, Ms. Feehan's latest has a tighter writing style than before. Also, she introduces new readers re Carpathians & background of other stories in a much more subtle manner, and she avoides needlessly repeating the same thing (about Carpathians) over and over. And I really like the fact that the female lead here is more experienced (sexually) than the female leads in the previous stories -- it gets old reading about virgin females having wonderous first experiences with super experienced males. Antonietta & Byron had a sweet courtship -- they actually spent time together talking, enjoying music, etc. before the story begins, so you really get a sense of romance developing among this set of life mates. Finally, I loved the introduction of the Jaguar race. It brought an added dimention to the Carpathian stories and some explanation as to why "human" psychics have been able to mate with Carpathian males. I look forward to Ms. Feehan's next book in the Dark series.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The gothic flavor of THE SCARLETTI CURSE joins The Carpathian series!, September 1, 2005
For years, Carpathian Byron Justicano has lived a self-imposed exile from his homeland. Traveling the world to hunt those of his people who have given in to darkness, Byron exists in a world of gray until the day he hears the music. Drawn by the haunting notes playing in his head, Byron comes to Italy to meet the music's composer and finds the woman destined to be his lifemate.
Heiress to the wealth and secrets of the influential Scarletti dynasty, Antonietta has also had her share of tragedy. Blinded as a child in the same terrible accident that killed her parents, Antonietta has devoted her life to her music and her family. Now an evil force is stalking the Scarlettis and Antonietta finds herself turning to the mysterious Byron Justicano to help protect her family.
Impatient to claim his lifemate but afraid to reveal his true nature too soon in case it drives her away, Byron soon discovers that the Scarlettis are no ordinary family. As Antonietta and Byron race to discover the truth behind the attacks, the secrets of the Scarletti family come to light and with it may come hope for the Carpathian race.
In DARK SYMPHONY, Christine Feehan melds her bestselling Carpathian series with the contemporary descendants of her gothic, THE SCARLETTI CURSE, and the result is a uniquely European-flavored tale that is rich in texture and steeped in the supernatural. Antonietta and Byron are a perfectly matched pair of lifemates. Antonietta is warm and complex heroine whose personality includes a Machiavellian twist, while Byron is a hero seeking redemption for past actions. Filled with a supporting cast of vivid, larger than life characters from the boisterous young Carpathian male, Josef, to the tempestuous Scarletti cousin, Tasha, DARK SYMPHONY is sure to please fans of Ms. Feehan's Carpathian series.
TheSchemer
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