Dark Storm (The Dark Book 23)

I did something rather unusual with this book, I waited over a week to read it AND I read other reviews on it first. Now that may not seem like a big deal to you but it is highly irregular for me. That being said, this review will reflect those concepts and will have include some questions that come to mind.. some might consider those questions spoilers.. *grins* ok, disclaimer done.Dark Storm is the 23rd in Christine Feehan's Dark Series.. or as I like to call it her Carpathian Series. In many ways it reads as a stand alone and can easily be read without ever having read another book in the series and without ever reading one again. That being said it also touches on aspects of the series that have been on the fringes.. bringing them more into the forefront. A necessary evil if Christine is to take this series further. Sure we could spend all of our time with Mikhail and his buds.. but that is not how this particular series has been engineered. I know many people find the lack of continuity for better word, disconcerting but I find they are missing the point. I will come back to this, later in the review.Riley Parker and her mother are on their regular visit to the rain forest. Every five years they have made this trek to return to the place of their births. But this year, things are off. First off they are a bit later than normal and everything seems to be collapsing around them. Annabel, Riley's mother is suffering from the loss of her spouse. In Riley's family, they marry for life.. when the spouse dies it seems like the light completely leaves the remaining spouse and they follow soon after. Annabel has chosen to hang on as best she can so she can make it to the rain forest. She is gifted woman with an affinity to plants.. It seems they all but grow where she walks, and create trails for her in even the most dense of underbrush. This year though, it seems like nature is trailing her, her gift seems to be departing from her and evil stalks her. Riley is desperate to protect her mother and doesn't understand why she is such a hurry to reach their destination. Added to that, this time it seems their regular tour guide was unavailable and they end up traveling with three other groups. One of which consists of some pretty horrid men.. just skeevy. Honestly, I am not sure why they were included in this book.. other than to point out that both Annabel and Riley are beautiful and desirable women but they wasted space in this book as far as I am concerned. Annabel knows that Riley must learn the secrets of their people and tries to warn her of what is happening.. Danutdaxton (and I thought Shaughnessey Steenburgen was cruel), Dax is an ancient. Trapped in the bowels of the volcano with an unimaginable evil. A Carpathian who not only denied his mate, his chance at redemption but attempted to destroy her, Mitro Daratrazanoff. Centuries have passed since they have been trapped and still neither can kill the other. Over time each has evolved into something "more" than Carpathian/Vampire. They have acquired new talents, skills, gifts and in a rather symbiotic way have evolved together. The earth has chosen Dax and offers him a chance to absorb more power if he chooses, something we discover later that he really must do, all he has to do is absorb the soul of an ancient dragon.As Riley travels towards the ruins of the Cloud People, the place of her birth.. Dax fights with Mitro trying to kill him before he escapes the prison that has been created for him. The barriers grow ever weaker. Conveniently enough two of the men that Riley and Annabela have been forced to travel with are Jubal Saunders and Gary Jansen.. they are on a hunt for a flower that the Carpathians have long thought extinct, something that might be beneficial to their people. It was good to see Gary and Jubal without all the drama surrounding them, aka Gabby. We see in Gary the man Savannah and Gregori, befriended. The man who would willingly fight for what is right even at his own expense but years have passed since that fateful meeting and Gary has grown. This was a wonderful portrayal of Gary and those of you who wish to off Gary, this might just change your mind. Jubal, also comes off extremely well. Seriously, I would so jump this man's bones if I had the chance. He is strong, commanding, a presence.. his Jaguar lineage shines through over and over again.When Riley and Dax finally meet, each has suffered serious feelings of failure.. each feels that they could have done more and each has a strong need to defend and protect those around them. A strong connection is formed instantly on both sides. None of this wishy washy crap we have seen from some of Christine's other heroines.. nope, these two get it. Even if Riley is human.. she recognizes the bond and the attraction and she accepts it!!As they progress together to fight Mitro, we see insecurities arise.. which I would think would be normal. But together they battle, the insecurities, the traps set before them, the gruesome murders and yes Dax's complete and utter incomprehension of modern society. It was a good story and I completely enjoyed it!Now back to the beginning.. throughout the Dark Series, Christine has brought in totally unrelated characters that become integral to the over all story arc. Usually out of the blue and we have no idea who these people are. For example:Gabriel.. when he showed up in Paris, we had no idea who he was. Oh Julian mentioned two great Carpathians/Vampires in a story he told but we didn't see them as integral characters (and no names were mentioned).. and yet over time their importance has shown.Falcon.. I know he showed up in a novella but still he really was a no one and yet as time and the storyline have continued his importance shows through. If for no other reason, he brought those children in.Traian.. yes Joie had been mentioned in Dark Symphony but as a body guard and we still had no clue who these people were and yet.. the Saunders family is an integral part of the storyline.Nicholae.. seriously? Who was this guy came out of nowhere.. and yet without Nicholae.. there would be no Vikernoff *sigh*Riordan.. I tend to say Rafael I forget that Riordan actually came first but either way had anyone heard of the De La Cruz family until now? Nope, they were brought in to intertwine with the arc. A story arc within the main arc.I don't Mention Dominic because we did meet him in Dark Symphony and by they time he shows up we have met Dragonseekers and are pretty much expecting him..And the troubadours.. well, we meet them through Julian, whom we do have a passing acquaintance with.Christine has a history of bringing in seemingly unrelated characters and showing us how they fit in the big picture later on. Sometimes WAY later.While we didn't see the characters we love the most. We do get to spend some time with Riordan and Juliette, see a tease of maybe a future book in a maybe romance between a couple of secondary characters that are not named Gabby and Gary AND find out some more secrets about that dwindling baby pool.Now for my questions.. and yes I consider these spoilers so don't read further if you don't want to knowIf the De La Cruzes are so spectacular and powerful, how is it they were not on top of this? How did they not know that a great evil was resting right there in their back yard?How can Riley be a descendant of Arabejeli? I thought Carpathians could only have children with their mates?How is Mitro related to the other Dara's is he a brother, uncle, second cousin twice removed..?What happens if the wife dies first? (in Riley's family) does the male spouse also die immediately? Or is the lineage sorta kinda immortal, being that they remain young until their spouse dies then sorta whither and die? Does that mean if they didn't marry they wouldn't die? and does the lineage always have daughters?As usual, Christine made me think, seriously think.. no matter if I like one of her books or not (and yes there are at least two of the Dark books that I really didn't like) they have information in them that gets my attention and makes me think about the overall arc. Well done.I was convinced, after reading the reviews that I was going to not like this book.. I have been disappointed in the last two. Maybe because I wasn't expecting anything all that spectacular, I find I really enjoyed it. It is a wonderful transition book and I can't wait to see where they are going next.Shauni

Book came today in good comdition!

Centuries ago, a Carpathian hunter named Dax started pursuing a vampire named Mitro. Performing a ritual approved by Dax, Mitro's lifemate, Arabejila, seals both men into the bowels of a volcano. The ritual must be performed every 5 years by a female in the bloodline of Arabejila. This ritual is handed down from mother to daughter and became a sacred duty for all of Arabejila's descendents. The story opens with Riley and her mother journeying through South America to get to the volcano to perform the ritual. The problem is they're late. Due to the illness/death of Riley's father, Riley and her mother set out very late to get to the volcano. As the hour approaches for the ritual magic to expire, Mitro grows increasingly powerful and does everything in his power to stop them from arriving. As you may guess, despite Riley and her mother's best efforts, Dax and Mitro both escape and the fight is on. However, Dax is bolstered and supported by Riley, who becomes his lifemate.Positives:Feehan takes a leisurely approach to the journey through the Amazon to get to the volcano. Despite the long set-up to get to the meat of the plot, the first 100 pages of this book is some of Feehan's best writing. As I was reading these pages, I could feel the humidity and darkness, smell the vegetation and loam, see the greenery, exotic birds and animals and almost touch the sides of the boat they traveled in.I definitely enjoyed Jubal and Gary being along for the ride. They were traveling through South America to harvest a flower that might be used in the old days by the Carpathian people. The friendship between the two men, their actions and support made the story much deeper than it would have been. They played a big part in protecting Riley.The relationship between Riley and Dax is very sweet. Dax and Riley immediately connect and their relationship is a lovely partnership. Both respect each other's abilities and cherish each other. I especially liked the character of Dax.Feehan pulled back on the Carpathian language in this novel. It was used very briefly and only in places that were appropriate. I found this to be such a relief. I actually could read the book without stopping every few paragraphs to think about random phrases and words in a foreign language that was made up by the author.The storyline ends up in the house of Riordan De La Cruz, and Riley and Dax meet up with Jasmine and Juliette Sangria. It was interesting to see where the story was going for the women since last we saw them in the series.Negatives:As mentioned above, the set up for the main plotline took quite a bit of reading. Dax and Riley finally meet each other on page 125. Looking back on the story, most of these pages were totally unnecessary to anything in the story or in the Carpathian world.Feehan developed a fertility ritual using a flower. Supposedly this ritual was part of the Carpathian history and almost everyone thought the flower had cease to exist. It was enormously cheesy. I hope we never see it again, but feel we probably will in future books.Dax's real name was Danutdaxton. Really? It made me think of Dunkin' Donuts. Where does CF get these names??Dax merged his spirit, body and soul with a fire dragon that had been living in the volcano. Doing so made him one of the most powerful individuals the Carpathian world had ever seen, but it was a plot idea that worked in some instances, and not in others.The end of the book is extremely abrupt, and when I turned the page expecting much more I got the usual "Carpathian for Dummies" appendix for the usual 32 pages. Sigh.And lastly, CF came very close to destroying her own world building by giving Mitro, one of the worst vampires ever, a lifemate. Through almost 30 books, we have known that lifemates saved Carpathians and it was impossible for them to turn once they had one. Feehan explained this away by stating that Mitro was evil and disgusting before the lifemate and he willingly gave up his soul. I found this to be walking an edge, and while I will accept it because it is the story, I don't have to like it.Overall, I would say that the positives outweighed the negatives and I would recommend the book to readers of the Dark Series.

Dark Storm is about two new characters that come together on amazing journey though the Rainforest that once belong to Inca's. Riley is a deceandent of the cloud peopl and a powerful Carpathian women who was a true daughter of the earth. Dax was called the Judge of Carpathian's many years ago he traveled far to hunt an evil vampire Mirto. This story will keep you on the edge of your seat. Its a great addition to the Dark Series and characters. I personally think Riley is a lost relative of Sybill. Hopefully we will see Dax and Riley in future books. Happy Reading 📚

Having read the review entitled 'lacklustre' I was not quite sure what to expect when I read this book, however, while I agree that this book is not as pacey or action packed as some of the other Carpathian books and the main characters' personal histories are not as well developed, it deserves more than two stars. The main female character in the book, Riley, is a linguistics professor and is travelling in the Amazon jungle with her mother to complete a ritual which will keep 'a great evil' contained within the local volcano. Riley and her mother Annabel are descendants of a Carpathian woman and a now extinct aboriginal people called the 'Cloud People' and this ritual has been completed by them and their ancestors roughly 100 times in the last 500 years. Gary Jansen and Jubal Sanders (Joie's brother) also play major roles in this book and their characters help to establish the timeline. The other main characters are Dax, a Carpathian hunter, and Mitro Daratrazanoff, the vampire. Both of them have been trapped in the volcano, Dax willingly, by Riley's ancestor for about 500 years. Obviously Mitro manages to escape and there are the usual vampire tricks and battles etc., with a few new twists thrown in for good measure. Riley's powers are a bit different and Dax is not as dominating as some of the other male Carpathian's have been. All in all it doesn't move the Carpathian race's story on a lot further, but it's not the first time Chrisitne Feehan has decided to write a mostly stand alone story in the series. Personally, I think that if you are a regular Christine Feehan Carpathian reader you will enjoy it as a lighter Carpathian read. If you have never read her before, definitely start at the beginning of the series with Dark Prince as this is one of the best books in the series.

The reason why i love this book so much, and probably the reason why others will hate it, is because it is so different from what Feehan usually writes. I have found that Feehan's writing and how she writes her books have caused them to become more of a chore to read but Dark Storm seemed like it had been written by another writer and Dax seemed to be different from any hunter we have previously come across but he was so likable to me, not so forceful but more sweet and understanding.I will admit this book takes some time to get into with Riley and Dax not meeting until about 40% in but the story is still interesting and engaging and when they do meet it is so sweet and i love the Old One, Riley was also a suprise with her being human but having powers that rival a Carpathians. I also like how we see a lot of old characters and i really hope Jubal and Jasmine could get together, they were really sweet with eachother.I would say if you love Feehan's previous novel you will probably not like this one as it is so different, but it is still a must read for the series as we are given more insight into finding out why it is so hard for Carpathians can have babies.

The Carpathian world of Christine Feehan was my first foray into the world of paranormal romance. A chance find in my local library introduced me to Lucian and Gabriel, mighty Carpathian Hunters and twins to boot. Like all Carpathian Hunters they have a single goal, which is to rid the world of evil vampires. But all Carpathian men share a curse too; if they do not find their lifemate, the one woman in all the world who possess the other half of their soul, the light to their dark, then they risk becoming the very thing they hunt or making a choice to greet the sun and die an agonising death.In a series that risks becoming stale and repetitive, over time Feehan has introduced new species, climbed the tree of life and then plumed it's roots and has taken her readers to the `other side' to walk with ancient Carpathian ancestors, long since passed. Often stories have deviated so much from her tried and tested formula that it was a slog to get through and only my loyalty to the series kept me going. Dark Storm is the twenty-third book in this lengthy series and for me, it was a return to form for Feehan taking me back to when I first fell in love with her books.Each book strengthens the Carpathian legacy, introducing new characters but also drawing on those we've met previously so that in your head you almost become a part of this amazing race.Dark Storm pits ancient Carpathian Hunter, Dax against his lifelong foe and willingly turned vampire nemisis, Mitro. By the ancient magic of Mitro's lifemate, Arabejila, a woman he turned from to in order to embrace evil, both Hunter and vampire have been locked deep inside a sleeping volcano, in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. Every five years, the female descendants of Arabejila journey to the fiery mountain, tasked with reinforcing the magic safeguards that keep Mitro locked deep inside.But this year Mitro is waiting for them, having relentlessly planned and prepared for his escape, his brutal, evil threatens to bring devastation to the young woman Riley as she accompanies her recently widowed mother on the dangerous journey made by their ancestors for hundreds of years. But as Mitro finally escapes so too does Dax. And in his lifelong pursuit of Mitro he stumbles upon the one ting he never thought he would find; his lifemate. And there in starts the real tale as Dax strives to hunt down and kill Mitro, but also to woo and court the young Riley and bring her across to his Carpathian world.Dark Storm is a gripping read that makes putting the book down almost impossible. However, there are moments when die-hard fans of the series will recognise settings and the familiar rhythm to Feehan's erotic scenes. There is an underlying blue print to nearly every book in this series which makes reading them both comforting and enjoyable, yet also a little predictable. But as a reader who likes to put on my comfy old slippers now and then it's this blue print that brings me back time and again for each and every instalment. I own every book in the `Dark Series'.As the series has progressed, especially in latter books where the Carpathian world has grown so vast, not only are there Family Trees and lineage in the front of each novel, but at the back you will also find appendices and other references that unlock the Carpathian language and some of its customs. These tools, while initially interesting to some, leave me frustrated and grumpy. They take up significant pages at the end of each novel where you may hope to find a progression in the tale. And, sadly this is true of Dark Storm; where a fantastic gift is given to Dax's lifemate at the very end of the story, rather than treat the reader to a glimpse of what the future holds for the couple, we get a short bland final sentence before turning the page to find Appendix 1.If I could say one thing to Christine Feehan it would be this: Why not do what J.R. Ward has done with her Black Dagger Brotherhood series and create a single encyclopaedic book with a couple of shorts thrown in for good measure to give the decision to the readers as to whether or not they want to learn more.However, that final sentence is just three words, and in no way removes the rollercoaster enjoyment of the rest of the book. So don't be put off!If this sounds like a story you'd like to sink your teeth into (pun intended) I whole heartedly recommend it. But I would suggest if you haven't encountered the Carpathian world before, that you start at the beginning with Dark Prince and meet each character in order, learning the ways and customs of this ancient race as you go.You can find out more about the amazing world of the Carpathians as well as order of the entire series on Christine Feehan's website[...]

Shocked to read a couple of very negative reviews before starting Dark Storm, after reading the book I wonder did these folks actually read This book. As a fan of Christine Feehans work I wasn't put off, I would like to say to anyone looking at the Dark series for the first time, go for it you won't regret it.Dark Storm was gripping from the first page to the very last, an actioned packed, fast paced story line. We meet Dax the Carpathian Hunter, trapped in a valcano with the evil monster vampire Mitro, what a surprise to learn of Mitro's linage, explained why he was so hard to kill. Riley a powerfull women in her own right, although she didn't know it at first. Riley's ancesters had handed down through the generations special gifts, what Riley went through to receive those gifts showed how strong she was. Riley, Dax and another battled to rid the world of Mitro and his minions. Dax never thought he would meet his Lifemate, but one look at Riley and he knew, so lovely to see their love blossom between them as they snatched moments among all the meyhem, they were as hot as the valcano itself. A fantastic story by Ms Feehan with some unexpected twists, enjoy I am sure you will.

I can sum this book up in two words - don't bother! dont get me wrong, I usually love CF, and have read pretty much everything she has written, but this one, no thanks! It is one of the most expensive series of books in this genre. We are told the publisher sets the price but after all the complaints? Anyway, Dax is trapped, Mitro is evil, Riley unknowingly wonderful. So far so samey. Truly I was bored after the first chapter or so, the dialogue kept repeating itself, and it was jumbled in places. After her mother is murdered Riley seems to inherit almost magical plant -ey powers, even for a book like this it seemed a bit far fetched an just a lazy way to move the story on. Anyhoo, they meet, sparks fly. Massive sexual tension, same old same old. Having read so many CF books I can now recognise recyled scenes an this had plenty, almost like cut an paste intimacy. One more thing on the repetition, how many times did she mention her burning sheath, her fiery sheath etc? That girl doesnt need a Carpathian, she needs a uti checkup!.