Dark Gold - Christine Feehan

Synopsis:
Alexandria Houton will sacrifice anything--even her life --to protect her orphaned little brother. But when both encounter an unspeakable evil in the swirling San Francisco mists, Alex can only cry to heaven for their deliverance . . . And out of the darkness swoops Aidan Savage, a golden being more powerful, more mysterious, than any other creature of the night. The ageless Carpathian male snatches them from a hideous fate. But is Aidan Alex's salvation . . . or her sin? If she surrenders to Aidan's savage, unearthly seduction, and gives him the color, the light, the family he craves, will Alex truly save her brother? Or sacrifice more than her life?

My Thoughts:
Another strong story in the Carpathian series, this time focusing on Aidan Savage. This is the third in the series, and I'm feeling as if all the stories are all the same in the sense that they are all more character driven than plot driven, the women are turned into Carpathians and have to be shown the way to live by their mates, and there is always an internal struggle with the females of the stories to want to be with their mates. They find they don't want their lives ruled by a man, and want a sense of independence, but in the end all works out well and everybody is madly in love.
Because Dark Gold was so similar to the last two books, I found myself becoming bored with the story. My friends say that as the series goes on the characters and the plot get better. I will probably read one or two more to see, but if this is all there is, I'm probably giving up on the series. It is a really strong romance, but the stories are becoming too repetitive.

Rating: B-

Dark Desire - Christine Feehan

 

Synopsis:
The stranger silently summoned her from across the continents, across the seas. He whispered of eternal torment, of endless hunger . . . of dark, dangerous desires. And somehow American surgeon Shea O'Halloran could feel his anguish. Drawn to the far Carpathian mountains, Shea found a ravaged, raging man, and recognized the beloved stranger who'd already become part of her. But was she to be his healer . . . or his prey?

My Thoughts:
I found this book more enjoyable than the first, and it seemed to move at a faster pace. The story takes place 25 years after Dark Prince, and we are met again with human vampire hunters, hunting the Carpathians. These vampire hunters are hunting and torturing any vampires they can find, including Jacques, a Carpathian male, who is the center of this story. Jacques is buried alive, obviously left for dead, for seven years, until he is able to reach out and call someone near through his mind. Our leading lady of the story, Shea, is called to Jacques and rescues him.
Like I said, I did enjoy this story much more than Dark Prince, I think because it kind of jumps right into the story and there's not much explaining and world building as there was in the first book. I'm currently reading the third in the series and am still loving where Feehan is going with this :)

Rating: A-

Dark Prince - Christine Feehan

Synopsis:

Raven Whitney, a telepathic hunter of serial killers, travels to the Carpathian Mountains for a little rest, hears telepathically Mikhail Dubrinsky's cries of loneliness and answers, only to find she is his life mate. Dubrinsky, Prince of the Carpathians, enchants Raven, while fending off a group of vampire killers who are attacking Carpathians.

My Thoughts:

I thought this book started a bit slow, but I think that's partly due to the fact that this is the first book in the series. Feehan really takes time to explain The Carpathians (basically they are 'good' vampires), as well as a bit of their history and customs. I thought this was a really nice set up for the series, and you meet some more Carpathians that have their own story on down the line. Despite the fact that it was a slow start, it did definitely pick up towards the middle, and the action and romance in the book really made the rest of the story fly by. As with a majority of paranormals, this one is definitely intense as well as dark.

Rating: B+