The Demon King and I by Candace Havens

Series: A Caruthers Sisters Novel, Book 1

Genre: Paranormal - Chick Lit

Copyright: 2008

Pages: 303

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Review: This was my first Candace Havens book and a good quick read. If this was her first book, then it is a very good effort.

Gillian is a Guardian who kills demons. Oldest of 4 sisters, her family basically keep earth safe from the creepy things in other dimensions. In addition to being earth's guardians, the entire family is high profile with Gillian herself a lawyer and gallery owner. Now there is a new demon king in charge who looks very human and very hot and they will need to combine forces to tackle the latest inter-dimensional problem.

This story had a lot of promise and I feel it could have been a lot better. The writer spent a lot of time on the world building in the first half and tried to show how the sisters maintain a balance between their public side as celebrities and the world saving side. However I really found the public part and discussion no which dress to chose and which colour matches really annoying. I guess chick lit paranormal isn't for me.

The romance part between Gillian and Arath wasn’t really developed - they wanted each other, but other than that, we weren't really shown how it suddenly led to love. The other characters didn’t really have a lot of depth although I really liked the relationship between the siblings.

A lot of the stuff in terms of loose ends were just told in the end and I would have liked to see it actually happen, since for me that was the more important part of the book. There were some instances where the wrong character name was used or some things the characters said were never discussed before and seemed to come out of left field.

However, as light fun reads go, this one made the grade. I'll probably read the next book to see if the series gets better and how the story progresses.

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Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Series: The Southern Vampire Series (Sookie Stackhouse), Book 11

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Copyright: 2011

Pages: 325

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review: 11 books on and i'm a bit confused as to where the Sookie Stackhouse Series is going. Since i won't be able to type without getting this out of the way, what is with authors and cliffhangers? With a good enough story, you don’t need to leave so many questions up in the air to get readers to pick up the next book..
Anyway, this book sees Sookie is a whole lotta new situations. She's with Eric, Sam is with a shifter from Alcide's pack and Sook has two houseguests living with her (this would be my attempt at spoiler free in case any of you haven't read the whole series in order). Anyway, Sandra Pelt is after her again, she gets dragged into Eric and Pam's latest problems and gets a bit more info on her fairy background. All of this, along with atleast a hundred other things going on with the story.

What i found annoying about this book is the unnecessary information about everything that happens to Sookie every minute of the day. It's not like being in Bella's head (and i'm truly sorry for even comparing, Ms Harris) but we really don't need to know what you had for breakfast, how hot that bathwater was and atleast a quarter of the book’s pages. The rambling never ends, makes reading the book a bit tedious and the morality discussions are getting a bit old now.

I feel like the books have lost of bit of their spark in this and the previous one. They seem to ramble from one catastrophe to the next, without letting the reader enjoy the thrill from these situations. I hope that changes soon. I like Sookie and this series, so I really hope the next book makes it worth the time I invest in it.

Read my review of the previous books here

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Wild Fire by Christine Feehan

Series: Leopard Series, Book 4

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 400

Rating: 3 / 5

Review:  Pretty good book and i'm beginning to think that the Leopard Series may just be better than Feehan's Carpathian Series . After 21 books, the plot is progressing slowly and interestingly but the love formula's gone stale with the Carpathian couples. Wild Fire was a bit different in that it started with Connor having betrayed his mate by seducing her on a mission and not sharing the matey news with her.

His team is now on a new mission rescuing leopard hostages in the jungles of Panama and there's a chance to reunite with Isabeau. But will the evil villainess ruin the day? (note to self: tone down on the drama a bit, the chocolate happy-high is showing)

I liked this book. The characters and situations are described well enough that you can imagine being a part of the leopard people in the jungle. I laughed with these leopards and was definitely touched at the mushy wiring at times. Typical Feehan style - although i have to say it did get a bit too mushy at times. Men do not get so emotional - it's a bit unreal when they do. I also thought Isabeau was a bit irritating. Her progress the entire book was somewhat like -

He betrayed me.. he betrayed me.. he killed my father

and then 10 mins after meeting Connor again she goes
i can't keep my hands off him

and then again
he betrayed me..but i want him

huh?

But other than that? Nice

Click here for previous book reviews

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Black Dust Mambo - Adrian Phoenix

Series: Hoodoo, Book 1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 368

Rating: 3 / 5

Review: If you liked the other Adrian Pheonix series The Maker's Song and you liked the writing style with different threads of the story running simultaneously with a lotta things going on and all joining to a big end with enough thread dangling for part 2, then you'll like this book too. Set in the world of magic and hoodoo, Black Dust Mambo centres around Kallie ,who find herself surrounded by death and black magic at the annual carnival at New Orleans. Her hot nomad squeeze ends up dead on her bed, body and soul dead. His clan brother Layne, hot as sin in dreads (still can't picture a hot dread locked man, but i'm willing to go with it) decides he owes keeping Kallie outta trouble and alive since his best friend died for her.

As Kallie and Belladonna, her best friend, and a couple of the other folks try to get to the bottom of things, people are getting shot at, killed, and generally magically possessed. And in between it all, Kallie has only one name and reason given to her by the killer for all the madness going on - Gabrielle LaRue - her aunt and the woman who has raised her for the past 9 years. Which makes this a pretty fun book of what-the-hell-is-going-on?

So in a nutshell, if you like a fast paced story thats different from the other stuff out there, this is the book for you. There wasn't much world building - but there didn't need to be. The author made it interesting enough so even when i wasn't all in love with the Cajun French references some of the time, i wanted to know what would happen and how it would all end. And isn't that all you need from a book?

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Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Series: The Southern Vampire Series / Sookie Stackhouse, Book 10

Genre: Paranormal

Copyright: 2010

Pages: 311

Rating: 4 / 5

Synopsis: Sookie Stackhouse has finally settled into a relationship with the Viking vampire Eric, and her errant brother Jason seems to have his life in order, too. But all the other people in Sookie’s life – Eric himself, her former lover Bill, her friend and boss Sam – are having family problems. Eric’s maker shows up with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow, the ailing Bill can only be healed by a blood sibling, and Sam’s brother’s marriage is about to take place... or will it? The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured has yet to settle; some people are just not ready to sit down to dinner with a man who turns into a dog. And Sookie herself is still recovering from her last ordeal. She’s definitely improving, physically and mentally, but she’s always going to have some dark moments now. The werewolves tell her that there have been strange and ominous passers-by in the Stackhouse woods; now Sookie is about to come face-to-face with one of her more distant relatives...

Review:

After 9 books of watching the goings on in Sookies' life like a nosy neighbour who cant stay away and lusting after Alexander Skarsgård, a really weird thing happened…book 10 released and I didn’t realise it until I saw it marked on Goodreads. That was easily remedied by shamelessly going out and getting a copy of the book to read till the wee hours of the next afternoon. What is not easily remedied is the wait for the next book, the 'huh, there's no more pages, this was the end?' and the 'give the Sook a break and a HEA' feeling going through my head.

Book 10 has all the usual characters - an abundance of supes and crazies, each with their own problems, each having Sookie involved in them till you wonder how she manages to keep track of everything without a blog, not enough of hot loving with Eric, dead bodies in her back yard, someone out to kill Sookie… you know the usual

Book 9 ended with the traumatic and almost near death torturous experience and rescue of Sookie. So it was only natural that Dead in the Family would have a subdued and shaky beginning. Sookie and Eric are together and now very much in love. It does seem like supe responsibilities and other people keep getting in their way, but they're making do. Harris has made them comfortable with each other, but how its ends with an immortal vampire and a very mortal telepath is still up in the air.

As the book name suggests, its all about family bonds in this book. We see a much matured Jason (finally) and a surprise visit by Eric's creator and new brother. While the gateway to fairy closed in the last book, Claude is still around, and in a completely unexpected move, he moves in with Sookie on the pretext of being close to someone of fairy blood. But is he really there for family bonds, or something else? Either way I hope to see more of him, I like this new and hopefully improving side of Claude. I was surprised at so little Bill time in this book, since he was the one who rescued Sook in book 9. I can bet however, that you'd never guess how things turn out for Bill.

In a way, this book was filled with quite a few surprises. I don't know if I was too excited to be actually reading this that I didn't get it or that it really was a surprise that I didn't know the who dunnits at all in this book. Harris seems to be going in a new direction with this book. 10 books on with the same main character and I will become hard to keep the excitement and momentum going. For now, I just felt Sookie has had it rough for too long. I do hope the next book is a bit happier.

Click here for reviews of books 1-9

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Need by Carrie Jones

Series: Need Series, Book 1

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Copyright: 2008

Pages: 306

Rating: 3 / 5

Synopsis: Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.
She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.
In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you"d have to fear
 
Review:

"It's hard to save the world when you can't save yourself"
— Carrie Jones (Need)

I picked up Need after reading Alaine's awesome review of the book at her blog here. Need is a new age YA book with a dark twist to everything you knew about pixies. Zara has been on auto-pilot mode every since her step father died and to get her back to the land of the living, her mother sends her off to cold cold Maine to live with her step-Grandmother. Still grieving for her step-dad, Zara views her mothers packing her off as a betrayal, and she now has to deal with cold climate and a new school and environment. This is made easy with a hot Nick Colt and an over-achieving Ian, both of whom immediately vie for Zaras attentions. There's new friends to be made in the hyper-bubbly Issy and geeky Devyn; not to forget, no YA school story can do without the popular girl who doesn't like you from day one.

Now here's  where my problems with Need begin. Everythings fine so far, and then wham!! There's a pointing man in the woods, and everybody goes weird. One internet search and library trip later, we have a growling and protective Nick, and a theory on pixies stealing boys.

I liked this book, or i really tried to. That part that got to me was how easily everyone involved just accepted the whole supernatural angle. Zara especially. No subtle easing into the supernatural world, and as interesting as the rest of the book was, it made it real hard to read without a 'did i miss a few pages of Zara's introduction to things that go bump in the night' thought in my head.

Another thing that was a bit ridiculous and well, funny, were Zara's plans about the pixies. See, the pixies need her to survive, which means they're all out to get her. Zara dearest has plans on how to escape them, capture them, and at the end imprison them with forks. Yes, forks. See why this got a bit too much from someone who has every phobia in the world?

As a YA, this is still a good book. At times unintentionally funny too. There's not much character building, very little world building, but a good story and warm characters.

And one that note, i'll leave you with this:
I back into him and blurt " But you're so cute. Werewolves aren't supposed to be cute. Vampires are, i think. They are in the movies. But the werewolves are pretty much ugly and they wear leather jackets and are all dirty with these monster sideburns"
Edward would be proud of you Zara, although Jacob might have a lil something to say

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Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult

Pages: 391

Published: 2009

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Synopsis:
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along. 

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. 

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review:
I've been looking forward to reading this book since last year. Mainly because of the awesome cover and all the hype surrounding it when the book initially released.

Hush Hush (great name for a book, btw) is the story of a Nora, a seemingly average girl and the strange boy in school - Patch (any Bella-Edward flashbacks?)
The paranormal or fantasy aspect of the book comes in the form of Fallen Angels.
I found the story line pretty intriguing - fallen angels haven't been covered much in novels before. Patch is depicted as mysterious, a wee bit creepy and obviously hot. I read most of this book to find out more about him and the story around him - a bit like Nora was doing actually.
Nora, and I'm sorry for being so blunt, but Nora is downright boring - the quiet studious girl who doesn’t get in any trouble, and looks out for everyone.

The book had a real good storyline, but the characters weren't fleshed out as much as I would have liked them to be. I feel the author could have given them a whole lot more depth. It would have made the reader feel a part of the story. For me, there were a lot of parts missing in the book. The story did not cover why Patch and Nora  liked each other, They just seemed to. It did not explain, for example, what made Patch fall for Nora. We do know how and why he chooses her, but nothing as to why or what he likes in her, specially since i couldn't see what was so special in her.. And considering his dark and mysterious bad boy nature, I most definitely would have liked more lines on Patch.

There are some great lines in the book and at times I found myself laughing at their conversations and situations (mostly at 4 in the morning, so I'm sure I woke the neighbors up). I will most definitely want to read the next edition, if there is one. I like the idea of the fallen angels and the mystery behind them.

All in all, this was a great book. Although it could have been so much more. Very enjoyable, great lines, and awesome cover.  My cribbing aside you will want to read this book for the concept and feel good factor. Good for a Saturday afternoon.

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In the Blood - Adrian Phoenix

Series: The Maker's Song, Book 2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
352 pages
Published: 2008
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review:
In the Blood picks up where A Rush of Wings ended. Dante the enigmatic rockstar vampire and Heather the FBI agent had tackled a serial killer and uncovered bits and pieces of Dante's childhood in the previous book.

Dante now knows a lot more about his past, the role of the Government branch and details about this real family (trying not to give away spoilers here) - he's much more than a vampire, and he doesn't yet know what it all entails. He's met up with Heather in Seattle, who has her own problems with her job, family and a cold case that's a touch too personal.
Meanwhile, the government guys are trying to clean up their experiment gone wrong and everyone involved in it - that includes Heather and Dante. Then there's one doctor still left from his childhood experiments who has some tricks up his sleeve to trigger Dante into sociopathic heaven, a pair of crazy twins with their own plan for world domination and an assortment of other psychos to add to the fun that make up the montage of villainous characters.

And that doesn't even include the Bold and the Beautiful drama going on in Gehenna with all the Fallen and their politics and ambition to control Dante.

There really are too many things going on in this book - not to many to confuse you after the first 20-odd pages, but i don't think I've ever read a series that has so many bad guys wanting a piece of the pie - specially when said pie is the guy and not the chick in the book.

Just like the previous book, In the Blood is intense and dark. There isn't much in terms of character development from book 1 and i had a lot of questions that were left unanswered and seem more like plot holes to me than 'coming soon in book 3'. There's a bunch of new characters in this book that will keep you occupied though - Annie, Heathers bipolar sister, her useless father, new set of villains, Dante's band members..they help keep it interesting. My favourite character is still Von, the nomad-turned vampire llygad

This book is definitely more gripping that A Rush of Wings. I read it at one go and couldn't put it down. Mostly because i really wanted to know what would happen next

Verdict: Read this one only if you liked a Rush of Wings and are comfortable with Adrian's writing style and jumble of characters because there's more of that in In the Blood. I liked both books and i look forward to book 3. Beneath the Skin releases December 29th this year.

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A Rush of Wings - Adrian Phoenix

Series: The Maker's Song, Book 1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
416 pages
Published: 2008

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fairly dark and different paranormal. I say different because there's so many typical vampire novels out there. In a way, A Rush of Wings is one as well, but it has twists and its characters, for a change, aren't the goody vamps changed by a mortal woman or either only good or bad. There's shades of grey in this book, and it'll make you question the meaning of justice, and how different people interpret what is right or wrong, just like it made Heather think.


Dante is a rock star and almost a god to his goth followers. He's also a vampire surrounded by supernaturals who he cares for and care for him. Leather and latex clad, multiple rings, typical goth make up, Cajun French speaking heartthrob. Dante is a conflicted character that takes a while to figure out. At first, he seems like a rebelling kid out to defy everyone and kissing everyone in sight. But then you see him struggling against himself and his pain and his memories and a lot of things start making sense. Who is Dante and what are the painful memories that keep rising within him.? This story connects a serial killer with Dante's past.


And enter lady love. Heather Wallace is a FBI agent chasing said serial killer who ends up being sucked into Dante's world while trying to find the connection between the killer and Dante, and protect him from all and sundry including an internal cover-up that could put him in danger. Heather doesn't have as many facets to her personality as the other characters in this book have. She's a competent FBI agent with her own nightmares and that's about it. The attraction between them isn't really explained very well, but then there's not much romance in this book, its Urban Fantasy more than Paranormal.


I loved the other characters in this book a lot. Lucien, the Fallen, who guards Dante and has his own secrets is one of the more interesting characters who will you reluctantly warm up to; or atleast understand. Then there's Von, and the other vampires who live with Dante. The serial killer and other villainy characters (there's quite a few, but at no point does it get confusing) are pretty villainy in their behaviour, and you'll enjoy them too. There's new concepts in this book i haven't read before - about angels and god and psycho killers.


This is my first Adrian Phoenix book, and i like her writing style. I hope its only this first book that suffers from mini-first book syndrome. I do love her Cajun French and lyrics thrown in. Give this book a chance. And give it time to suck you in as well. At the end, it might not be what you're used to reading, but you won't regret the time spent reading it. I'm off to read the next book, In the Blood

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Wild Rain - Christine Feehan

384 pages
Series: Leopard People, book #2

Blurb: What has she done? With a new identity, a staged death, and a chance to flee the treachery that stalks her, Rachael has escaped from a faceless assassin. Now, thousands of miles from home, under the lush canopy of the rain forest, she's found sanctuary.
Where can she hide? In this world teaming with unusual creatures walks the most exotic of them all. His name is Rio. A native of the forest imbued with a fierce prowess, he is something to be desired. Possessed of secrets of his own, he is something to be feared.
Whom can she trust? But as Rachael's past looms as oppressively as the heat of the forest, and as Rio unleashes the secret animal instincts that course through his blood, Rachael fears that her isolated haven has become an inescapable hell…

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Very interesting story this
After the meh first book The Awakening, Wild Rain was a great read. Rachael has come to the Borneo rain forest on the run from her past. Trying to stage her own death and begin a new life in the forest, she ends up in Rio's home, thinking its only a dwelling for travellers

Rio is one of the leopard people and has 2 clouded leopards as his companions. He thinks she’s one of the poachers and in the scuffle that follows his snow leopard hurts Rachael. Rio then takes care of her and they both feel they know each other from another time and place.

Both of them have a price on their heads and as Rachael recovers from her injury, these two try to make sense of their feelings of familiarity with one another and their attraction in the present.
I love the easy banter between these two. They're both alone because they realise the lives they live are dangerous, but they also realise they have something special and don't want to lose that.

Fav lines:
Racheal: “You’re obviously one of those he-men seen only on film who can take forty-seven kicks in the ribs and keep on fighting. Don’t mind me for being human.”

Rio: “And I always take it personally when someone tries to remove my head from my shoulders.”

Sometimes lying was the better part of valor and the only way to save a man’s butt.

I kept smiling to myself while reading this book. Good writing, great lines, lovely couple. And good suspense, cause I kept wondering what Rachael was running from, and until the words were out of her mouth, I never would have guessed.
In short, whats not to love.

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Shadow Game (GhostWalkers, #1) - Christine Feehan

323 pages

Blurb: The classified experiment is the brainchild of renowned scientist Peter Whitney and his brilliant daughter. Lily. Created to enhance the psychic abilities of an elite squadron, it can transform their natural mental powers into a unique military weapon. But something has gone wrong. In the isolated underground labs, the men have been dying--victims of bizarre accidents. Captain Ryland Miller knows he is next. When Dr. Whitney himself is murdered, Ryland has only one person left to trust: the beautiful Lily. Possessed of an uncanny sixth sense herself, Lily shares Ryland's every new fear every betrayal, every growing suspicion, and every passionate beat of the heart. Together, they will be drawn deeper into the labyrinth of her father's past...and closer to a secret that someone would kill to keep hidden


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've always wondered how your breath can slam out of your lungs. After reading some 20+ books by Feehan, this is still a question that remains unanswered for me. I tried being surprised or excited and no breath slamming out of lungs happened. I even thought of asking The Boyfriend if this happens to him but he already looks at me funny after my last similar experimental question. So this regular feature in Feehan's books where the girl/guy kisses the guy/girl and "His breath slammed out of his lungs" - still unexplained phenomenon.

That mystery aside, this book was very entertaining to me. It helped while away a boring Wednesday at work, and it was short enough that I went home and finished it right before another episode of CSI Miami. While this does fall into the paranormal category thanks to all the psychic fun going on, this was more a comedy for me. I laughed a lot. I don't think that was what Feehan intended. But more on that later.

Some good stuff first. There's a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo in this book. I say mumbo jumbo cause despite all my crime/paranormal TV education and that stuff they tried to teach me in college, not all of it made sense to me. But fascinating it most certainly was. See the blurb for more info. A scientist who manages to expand your mental powers into the psychic realm, and a daughter who serves as his inspiration and herself is an expert in the field. Aah Lily. As a woman you were mostly silly. As a scientist, you were awesome. This fact alone made me read the book faster than usual.

What Peter Whitney, Lily's father and scientist extraordinaire does may be morally wrong, but it made real good reading. He is experimenting on a bunch of special forces men to make them the ultimate military team, but things seem to be going awry (I could have said wrong, but I wanted to use awry. No one uses that word anymore). So he calls Lily for a second opinion. And thus her life changes - she's insanely attracted to the leader of the special forces team (who is kept in a cage, btw), she psychically sees her father being murdered, and other forces are at play who wants the secrets that her father died for. Oh and she herself is psychic.

Now a lil on the Hero of the hour, and this is the comedy part people. Explain to me who on earth talks like this in this day and age. A lot of the book had him speaking like this - either to himself or to her. I cannot picture this man being a ruthless killer with the special forces:

"I'm losing my sanity, Lily. I burn for you, day and night." The words were whispered against her open mouth. "It's not comfortable or pleasant, it hurts like hell. Put me out of my misery, honey. Help me, Lily. I can't think with wanting you."

The man is a leader of men and well, I don't think they knit scarves in the special forces. Yet all his mind was centered on was how she was way out of his class (Physically and financially. This thought came one page after he meets her for the first time and kept popping up for a while), whether she had something going on with Roger the guard, if he could hold her in his arms, if she had underwear on - most of this during what would otherwise be called life and death situations. Well, yeah, he was sweet as hell, and really good in bed, and a pretty good leader - you know all round alpha. But all this stupidity in his head was too funny for me.

All my silliness in this review aside, this was a real neat book. I liked all the scientific stuff, the H/H only wanted to get in each others pants but they were cute together, I liked their conversations, the supporting characters were developed enough that I could picture each of them and I'm eagerly waiting to read the next books on Kaden and Nico. You'll love Lily's extended family of Arly, Rosa and John. You'll also love the villains - in that they play their roles right and you want to slap them as all villains are intended to make you feel. There isn't much of a mystery in this book, you can tell from the beginning who's gonna be in the good and bad guy camps, but it makes fun reading anyway. Oh, also - the psychic stuff these guys can do is pretty neat too. I think I was supposed to mention that in the beginning. But I got sidetracked. I'm giving this one 4/5 for the entertainment it provided.

You know, I don’t think this review is gonna help anyone. But I typed it, so I'll post it

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Dark Slayer (Carpathians, #20) - Christine Feehan

416 pages

A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer—a woman—who travels with a wolf pack and any among the vampires who meets her is slain. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the one hunter who strikes terror into the hearts of the vampires.
Ivory Malinov is that woman, betrayed by her own people, by her family, by everyone she held dear and she hunts during the night with only her pack to sustain her sanity. She has not spoken to or been with any other person for a hundred years other than to feed from or slay. She stumbles across a body on her way back to her lair and discovers—her lifemate.
He is Razvan, branded a hated criminal, detested, feared and loathed by all Carpathians—he is also a dragonseeker of one of the greatest lineages of all Carpathians Held captive nearly his entire life by his grandfather, the Carpathians bitterest enemy, he is seeking the dawn to end his terrible existence.
This is a story of two people, horribly betrayed, wounded in spirit, fighters to the death, who must struggle to unite against a common enemy.
 
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I've said this for the past 3 Carpathian books I reviewed, but this really is the best Carpathian book so far. Or close to it atleast. Dark Slayer is about Ivory Manilov and Razvan.

Ivory is the sister of the 5 Manilov brothers who purposely turned Vampire because they thought they could rule the world that way. Ivory was tortured and hacked and left for dead by the Mikhail's brother Draven and the vampires under Xavier's direction. However mother earth and the wolves saved her and now she slays the undead along with her wolf pack - with no allegiances to the undead, Xavier or the Carpathian race that left her for dead.

The grandson of the evil mage Xavier, Razvan has been in his grandfather's clutches since he was fourteen and has had his body and mind used for crimes against Xavier's enemies. He's lived only with his honour and endured to save those he loves, but now he's giving up.

Many things are thankfully different in this book. The two meet and don't want to be tied to each other because they're both being hunted, but cant abandon the other nonetheless. Ivory is the warrior in this book, while Razvan is more the calming influence with tremendous inner strength (that just sounds corny now, but you know what I mean)
He had learned long ago that he couldn’t control others or events, only his own reaction to what happened...“I do not control others, Ivory, only myself. I do what I must, no matter the cost.”

I can honestly say these are the strongest characters I've come across in anything I've read so far - both mentally and physically these two have endured and have been honed in the fires of hell. They have a single minded determination to accomplish whatever they set their sights on - be it Xavier or ravishing each other. Despite their strengths, they both have vulnerabilities - and it is lovely how they are there for the other at their times of need. At time I thought there was too much of the inner dialogue - with how they didn't deserve each other and how they had found joy and happiness. But considering both their tortured pasts, the gratitude and joy they found in each other did make sense, and it wasn’t so bad to read.

Razvan's lack of ego is refreshing after all the previous Carpathian men and their i'm-the-best-thing-that-ever-happend-to-you attitude. He's happy following Ivory's lead in areas that are her forte, and they support each other as partners. The part where they Razvan uses his skill at strategy along with Ivory's abilities and tricks the ancient Carpathians had me laughing for quite a while.

A lot of the old characters are back in this book along with some new ones. We catch up with what's been happening in the other lives and how they're fighting the undead, Xavier and they're own extinction with the inability to keep their babies alive. There's also sad re-unions with Razvan meeting his sister Natalya (who I wanted to slap in this book a lot of times) and his daughter Lara and coming to terms with the new knowledge of what Xavier had been using his body for.

Lovely story this. I wondered how the two would meet, how they would reconcile with the Carpathians and whether they would defeat Xavier and where the series will go from this book onwards. Feehan does a almost perfect job on all counts. A lot of things are wrapped up in this book, with enough to keep you waiting for the next book.

Really, this isn't an adequate review. It'll make you laugh, it might make you cry. It'll keep you invested in the lives of these two. So go read the book. (But read some of the previous books first so it makes a lot more sense)
See my reviews on some of the previous Carpathian books here

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The Awakening (Leopard Series, #1) - Christine Feehan

A beautiful naturalist's dream comes true-to live among the feral jungle creatures. But an untamed, irresistible beast of another sort inspires her to explore her own wild side.

Rating: 2.5 / 5
This short book was more world building for Feehan's Leopard Series than anything else. There wasn't much romance - a slight bit of erotica (mangoes and ice in the hot rain forests in Borneo...interesting) - a lot of ink spent on environmentalism, and no character depth or anything else in the book.

Brandt is the leader of the leopard pack that lives in the Borneo rain forest in Indonesia. Maggie is supposed to be his mate - he tracks her down, manipulates the situation so that she comes to the rain forest and when they meet promptly tells her she cant leave.
They're attracted to each other. A lot. Maggie puts up some token resistance at appropriate times, but mostly she wants him and thats that.
I didn't like the story much, everything was handled too weirdly for me. The actions of the characters lacked something. As if it was all happening to someone else. The pro-environment message was pretty good though.

Maybe I wasn't in the best frame of mind to read this. This wasn't Feehan's best book for me.

For a good review of this book, click here for Alaine's thoughts.

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A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore

416 pages
The Quill Book Award for General Fiction (2006)

Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy with a normal life, married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. They're even about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay—until people start dropping dead around him, and everywhere he goes a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Charlie Asher, it seems, has been recruited for a new position: as Death.
It's a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's gotta do it

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was some book. Filled with humor at every other line and at the same time addressing loss, heartache and moving on.
This book was a real joy to read - quirky humor that kept my laughing almost all throughout.

Charlie is a beta male extremely devoted to his wife. In her hospital room after delivering their baby, Charlie sees a man in a green mint suit who shouldn’t have been seen by anybody. And that’s when Charlie's life changes. His wife has died, he has a new baby daughter he doesn’t know how to care for, and now people are dying around him - all too much for a Beta male's imagination to handle. But then, Beta males are conditioned to endure and make it -
"The Beta Male gene has survived not by meeting and overcoming adversity, but by anticipating and avoiding it"

Moore creates an interesting concept on the soul. Put simply - you aren't born with one but you get one when you're ready for it. Charlie is now a Death Merchant - someone who collects souls from the dying (the soul vessels are material objects that the dying person was senti about. Materialism and the soul - talk about irony) and passes them on those who don’t have souls yet. He needs to collect the souls before the Gods of the underworld get their hands on them and feed off them to grow stronger and eventually bring darkness on us all.

Read this book - in its happy pages it brings up a lot of thinking material (hospice nurses taking care of the dying, the feeling of loss and pain when you lose a spouse, the concept of death and a whole lot more)

Some of the lines:

Charlie: “A speech disorder! A speech disorder! A cute lisp is a speech disorder. My daughter kills people with the word kitty. I had to keep my hand over her mouth all the way home. There’s probably video somewhere. People thought I was one of those people who beats their kid in department stores.”
Minty Fresh: “Don’t be ridiculous, Charlie, people love the parents who beat their kids in department stores. It’s the ones who just let their kids wreak havoc that everybody hates.”

Charlie: "I don’t think she’s seeing anybody, but since the world is about to be taken over by the Forces of Darkness, you may not have time for dating

And my favourite: Can a conscience be greedy?

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The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
276 pages
Man Booker Prize 2008; Galaxy British Book Awards Author of the Year

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"The story of a poor man's life is written on his body, in a sharp pen."
I did not expect to like or enjoy this book. As an Indian, I usually don’t like books written about the poor where they're describing abysmal living conditions or other horrible situations. It isn't a question of whether these things happen or not, but more a case of sensationalising and exaggerating the poor with the intention of gaining literary recognition or popularity as an author. All under the guise of showing the world the 'Real India'.
I think its crap
Its sad that they never write about the good stuff or the people who've had good lives and made it better. Good stuff doesn't sell books though.
Besides, I think you can't know poor unless you've lived it or seen it - and I doubt any of these authors have.

Getting back to the book now, like I said - I thought I wouldn’t like this book.
But I did.
There wasn’t anything in there I could identify with as an Indian - but at the same time I can see a lot of it could have happened to different people.
This was a refreshing read.
The book is written as a series of letters to the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao who is supposed to be visiting India soon and is meant to show a side of India that the premier would not be privy to otherwise. It is written by Balram - a man who grew up in one of the nameless and faceless villages in India and made it out of the Darkness of his existence into the world of the rich - or the Light.
"India is two countries in one: an India of Light, and an India of Darkness. The ocean brings light to my country. Every place on the map of India near the ocean is well off. But the river brings darkness to India - the black river "

Balram is ambitious - a trait a poor man is conditioned not to have. He's a thinker. And he uses these skills to make it out of his village and the rut every poor man is in. By observing. By thinking. By killing his employer. And building a new life for himself.
His letter to the premier Wen describe how he came to be the entrepreneur he is today. With words that you wont forget long after you've finished this book.

Balram writes a lot about the relationship between a servant and his employer - and on some level this doesn’t apply only to the poor and their richer masters but to everyone who depends on another for their livelihood.

Balram's thoughts when his employer Ashok is contemplating life after his wife has just left him:
- "The point of living? The point of your living is that if you die, who's going to pay me three and a half thousand rupees a month?"

- "It squeezed my heart to see him suffer like this—but where my genuine concern for him ended and where my self-interest began, I could not tell: no servant can ever tell what the motives of his heart are. Do we loathe our masters behind a facade of love—or do we love them behind a facade of loathing?"

And a very interesting way of describing why the poor stay poor with an analogy on chickens in a rooster coup:
Hundreds of pale hens and brightly colored roosters, stuffed tightly into wire-mesh cages ….jostling just for breathing space…On the wooden desk above this coop sits a grinning young butcher, showing off the flesh and organs of a recently chopped-up chicken, still oleaginous with a coating of dark blood. The roosters in the coop smell the blood from above. They see the organs of their brothers lying around them. They know they're next. Yet they do not rebel. They do not try to get out of the coop"
.
.
"Every day, on the roads of Delhi, some chauffeur is driving an empty car with a black suitcase sitting on the backseat. Inside that suitcase is a million, two million rupees; more money than that chauffeur will see in his lifetime. If he took the money he could go to America, Australia, anywhere, and start a new life. He could go inside the five-star hotels he has dreamed about all his life and only seen from the outside. He could take his family to Goa, to England. Yet he takes that black suitcase where his master wants. He puts it down where he is meant to, and never touches a rupee. Why?
Because Indians are the world's most honest people, like the prime minister's booklet will inform you? No. It's because 99.9 percent of us are caught in the Rooster Coop just like those poor guys in the poultry market."

And some more interesting lines:
- "You were looking for the key for years / But the door was always open!"

- But what is the use of winning a battle when you don't even know that there is a war going on?

This isn't a book to read if you want to know the "real India". But it is entertaining. And what makes it a good book are words like the ones I've quoted above - observations that you realise have a grain of truth in them. Observations that are put in a unique manner that made me turn the page and realise this is good fiction.

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Wicked Burn - Beth Kery

343 pages
Rating: 3/5

He wanted all of her
Vic Savian knows what he wants when he sees it. And what he wants is his sexy neighbor, Niall Chandler. When he finds her in the hallway of their building being harassed by an aggressive suitor, Vic steps in - and finds himself greatly rewarded
And did she ever let him have it...

Sleeping with her gorgeous neighbor - when she didn't even know his last name - is the craziest thing Niall's ever done. Now, she can't seem to get enough of Vic - or the uninhibited passion he stirs in her. Suddenly, with his help, she's experiencing sensual pleasures she's never known before. But when Niall's past comes back to haunt her, will she and Vic let themselves venture beyond the bedroom and explore the possibility of the love that is in their hearts?

I have mixed feeling about this one. I think that's because i liked the heroine Niall but the hero was complete jackass material.

Vic Savian, is a playwright, who is best described as self involved. He had a bad relationship before, so he has a thing about staying away from beautiful women - which obviously didn't work, or this novel would be 2 pages long. He lusts after Niall, but the sex is crude, at best and the conversation mostly non-existent unless it was dirty talk.
He can see she's got demons and even sees sees her having nightmares, but gentleman that he is, steers clear of that part and is only interested in the sex.

Niall, is a character that i thought was pretty well written. She's suffered a lot with the horrific death of her son, a institutionalised husband, parents who blame her for not caring for said husband, and most others judging her for how things turned out. She finds Vic sexy (never heard of anyone finding a overlapping tooth sexy. I didn't even know that was possible. It being sexy i mean, not the overlapping part. But hey, whatever makes you happy, right?) She apparently likes the crude rough sex (it really wasn't nice) and sees in Vic someone she can share her life with.

Then things go downhill when Niall's mother spills out things Niall has not explained to Vic yet. Niall goes into relationship guilt hibernation mode, Vic gets into drama queen mode and gets more self involved. Later, Niall is ready to get back to him and goes into 'let me explain things while i stay at your ranch' mode. but he's not ready to listen to explanations and wants nothing from her.
Aah wait. He changed his mind. We're now in 'boinking but no explanations' mode. (Note to self: Stop using the word mode)

Playwright Neanderthal Extraordinaire has a sudden turn around when Niall finally grows some balls and walks out on him, and suddenly his brain cells are buzzing and analysing everything that's been happening since they met, and now he wants to talk. Sheesh.

The ending was quite good actually. Almost 'get the tissues out' good. I don't know how anyone would want to be with this man, but she obviously loved him. The only reason this gets a 3/5 is the plot, because of Niall's back-story and how Kery has depicted what she's gone and goes through. I'll admit the negative tone of the review is because i just don't like Vic and this book isn't as bad as I'm making it sound. The plot is really good actually. Its worth a read just for that.

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Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, #9) - Charlaine Harris

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps—and nothing about weres.
Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works—and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.
But there’s a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings—older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves—is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle

Sookie Sookie Sookie . How long I’ve waited to read this. Where to begin?

Well, before i forget - Ms. Harris, I like how all the books have their own unique style of jacket covers and all, but really!!! Can you make them look a wee bit better maybe. You’re killing the hot image of Eric that I’ve created in my head with that cape clad buffoon on the cover. And Bill just looks like he’s completely doped out.
Thank heavens for Alexander Skarsgård in True Blood for keeping my hopes for Eric alive.

Now considering how long I’ve waited for this book, I absolutely loved it. Didn’t have much of a choice here. Harris has added quite a few sub plots here that you have to appreciate that finally here’s a book where thing tie up at the end (not all, but at least a little. Am I still making sense? I’m still on a giddy high after having read this at a stretch with only a break for some orange juice and lots of chocolate in between. I was thinking maybe I should write the review tomorrow when i'm back to my relatively more saner self. But its amazing how the ideas whoosh by and how fast you can type on a one-too-many-bars-of-chocolate high. Really)

No, no. That didn't make sense at all. I'll have another go at this:

A lot of things are happening in this book, every chapter has some incident nor another. The Weres make their big reveal. A lot of people end up dead by the time the book is done - some of them characters i really liked. Harris didn't really address the emotional fallout from these deaths. They just were. With everything else happening, Sookie doesn't get any time to process what these deaths mean. I do hope she gets to this in the next book.

A lot of stuff from the previous books get answered - Eric tells her about the curse and why he would up near Sookie's place in Dead to the World.
Arlene and the Fellowship Of The Sun try their tricks - and i liked that Sookie finally told Arlene off and gave up on her. Been pending for a long time i think.

Quinn is back, if only for a short encounter - which actually left me a bit spooked and also supporting Quinn in his statement that Sookie is harder on him that anyone else. Although i didn't buy his reasoning for it. Never thought I'd be siding with Quinn - something about him calling her Babe all the time that just ruins it. Like he can't be bothered to remember her name. My Boyfriend used to do that. Call everyone 'darling' regardless of gender or whether he met you 10 minutes ago, so he didn't have to remember names. He knows better now. But i digress.

The main event of the book is the Fairy war with Niall and the pro-human fairies on one side and his nephew Breandan and the 'no-contact-with-Humans' fairies on the other side. And obviously Sookie in the middle - with disastrous and torturous consequences for her and her friends. That part was really horrible. Harris really has a way with writing dark stuff. Her Lily Bard Series is a good example.

I found this book had a more mature and subdued Sookie (and Jason too, for that matter). One who faces a lot of revelations. You can see the effects of it in her interaction with those around her. Specially with Eric. She's confused about her feelings and the blood bond. Their relationship changes in that Sookie seems more detached when it comes to Eric now while Eric seems to want to get closer to her. Almost like her needs her.

Then there was also the conversation after Sookie is rescued and she asks Eric why he wasn't the one who came after her and she had hoped he would, and he says “You’re killing me” Plus at the end Pam makes some comment about how Eric will live on in Sookie. So many cryptic things in this book. VERY VERY FRUSTRATING.

And BILL IS BACK!!! Who would have thought that. I mean the man really managed to redeemed himself, almost dying for her and all. Whew!!

Can i now complain about the extremely abrupt ending. After page after page of a rollercoaster ride of events, it felt like Harris got tired of writing and just left it hanging. Like i mentioned before. Frustrating.

But all in all, i still loved it.

Is now a good time to bring up how this book was only 336 pages? Its like going to wait a long awaited movie only to be shown the trailer and then asked to leave at the end of it with no movie in sight.

Well, maybe not exactly like that. But still.

Aaah well. I always seem to complain about this series. Because i love it so much.

See.
Told you.
Chocolate rush = too much writing.

------------------------------------
Click here for reviews of books 1-8

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Dark Curse (Carpathians, #19) - Christine Feehan

400 pages

Rating: 5/5

Lara Calladine is haunted by childhood memories of being held prisoner in an ice cave and kept sane by the whispered stories told to her by her imprisoned aunts. They instilled mage and Carpathian magic deep within her and then helped her escape. She has spent years searching for the cave in hopes of finding the answers to the riddle of her past as well as finding her aunts who may have given their lives saving her.


Nicolas De La Cruz has returned to the Carpathian Mountains--his homeland--on orders from his eldest brother, Zacarias, to bring news of a conspiracy to the prince of their people. He is weary of his long existence and plans to end it away from his brothers where they will be unable to stop him once he has fulfilled his duty.

Lara and Nicolas paths collide in an explosive adventure that rocks the Carpathian world

I know when i reviewed Dark Secret i said i probably wouldn't like any of the South American Carpathian men because Rafael was just so obnoxious to me, but i think Nicolas more or less redeems all the brothers in this one. Eventually.

The prologue itself got me completely involved in the book and with Lara. I've been looking forward to reading more on Razvan, Xavier and the past between the mages and the Carpathians, and this book added a lot to that story.

Nicolas is here to tell Mikhail about an old conspiracy against the Carpathians which they believe is now being carried out. But before that can happen, he sees Lara. The whole scenario of how Lara and Nicolas meet was absolutely ridiculous and seemed completely out of some cheesy movie

He sees her and bites her. She stabs him with her knife. He uses the Carpathian binding words and gives her the knife back so she can kill him if she wants to:

"It is not my choice. Life or death is the choice of my lifemate. If you reject my claim, then you are condemning me and I willingly die by your hand."

All this in the half a page since he's met her.

And Lara's words more of less sum the whole situation up :

"You might be the hottest man in the village, but your brain is about the size of a pea"

Lara was the small girl who Natalya had seen through Xavier's knife in Dark Demon. She's Razvan's daughter and here to rescue her aunts. And there's more of her horrible childhood with Razvan and Xavier in this book.

In the beginning, Nicolas thinks he knows whats best for Lara and makes decisions for the both of them without any regard to her needs. What ended up was a very very bad trip down memory lane for Lara and a huge awakening for Nicolas. I liked Nicolas after that.

Lara finally helps with the answers for why the Carpathians aren't having kids - a solution which means she cannot be converted to a full Carpathian until the problem is solved.

Dark Curse also brings back Vikirnoff and Natalya, who is Lara's aunt - my favourite couple. They do a suspense filled double date back to Xavier's cave to rescue Lara's aunts - the same ones who were in dragon form in Dark Demon.

This book didn't end in the typical Feehan manner. Dark Curse went from a woman who was ready to do anything it took to get away from the man who had bound him to her to a couple who needed each other for their very breath. It added more characters and more promising stories in the books to come.

The only part i didn't like was the constant reference to spiders in all of Lara's spells. But i figured that wasn't reason enough to keep this great book from a 5 stars.

I like the latter part of the series where the stories are more varied and more captivating compared to the ones at the beginning. Although they all were good in their own manner. The only thing i can say now is Write Faster Woman!! I know Feehan has quite a few series running, but i cannot wait to find out what happens next in Razvan and Ivory Malinov (Dark Slayer, releasing September 1st 2009)

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Dark Demon (Carpathians, #16) by Christine Feehan

531 pages

Rating 5/5

For as long as she can remember, Natalya has been fighting demons: first in the form of childhood nightmares, then later, immortal creatures that kill and prey on the innocent--including her own twin brother. Whether Carpathian or vampire, she slays those who murder by night, and as no equal--until she is seduced by the very thing she considers her enemy...

A Carpathian who has seen nearly everything in his endless existence, Vikirnoff doesn't think he can be surprised anymore--until he faces a woman who rivals him as a vampire hunter. A formidable and gifted warrior in her own right, Natalya has a nature that is strangely familiar--yet alien--to his own. Who is this mysterious female who fears no one--not even him? Natalya could be the key to the survival of the Carpathians, but all Vikirnoff is certain of is that she is the key to his heart and soul...

This has got to be my favourite book ever. I know i know i've said that for quite a few of the Carpathian Series, but if Feehan can actually top this one, then hats off to you lady.

Dark Demon had equal quantities of everything - romance, mystery, great characters, great situations, amazing conversations.. you know everything you want in a good book.

Natalya is part mage, part Carpathain and all woman. She's a movie addict with hilarious results - like calling the vampire Freddie Boy. She has grit and determination. She featured for half a page in Dark Secret (book 15). She's a woman on the run. The Vampires are searching for her as she can see the past of an object when she touches it, and they want her to find something for them.

She goes against everything she has been taught (basically being that the Carpathians will kill her if they find her) and still saves Vikirnoff's life and helps him heal as well after the two of them face a couple of vamps.

Vikirnoff, who i loved in Dark Destiny, has been in search of Natalya since and now finds her in the Carpathian mountains fighting off Vampires with no fear. Always assuming his lifemate would be someone who loved home and hearth and not a fiesty smartmouth with a will and mind of her own, he's not sure what to make of her, but is captivated none the less.

I loved these lines in the book which summarised it best:
"He was beginning to realize having a lifemate was difficult. Living with her wasn't about what he wanted, or even needed. Being a lifemate was about supporting Natalya even when everything in him wanted something else. Her personality required a certain amount of freedom and it didn't always matter what he deemed best."

While learning to trust each other, they have their own adventurous time fighting off vampires, entering the cave of the dark mage Xavier and learn of family ties, betrayal and manipulation in Natalya's life. Throughout Vikirnoff is with her. I can't really add more without giving away more of the story - but this book does bring new characters and a larger plot against the Carpathians to life.

This book had a lot more happening in it than the other ones, and the ending was absolutely amazing - not the normal, she converted, small vampire fight and they lived happily ever after - a lot more here.

The attraction between these 2 is sizzling...and at the same time actually believable in a beyond the fairy tale way (am i still making sense?) I loved the part where Vikirnoff completely loses it during Natalya's conversion into a full Carpathian. This is the first book i think where Feehan actually showed the man showing fear and this much of concern - making me like Vikirnoff all the more.


And then there were lines like these that made Natalya and Vikirnoff my favourite couple:

I love when Vikirnoff first meets her in the forest and he orders her to leave the fight expecting her to obey:
Vikirnoff: "Get out of here. I will take care of this while you make your escape."
Natalya: "You've got to be kidding me!..You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag right now."

Vikirnoff: "You will not address your lifemate with such disrespect. Do as I say at once and leave this place. The battle has only begun and you must remain safe. He will not die if you do not incinerate his heart"

Natalya: "Keep your orders for someone who wants to be hunter's mouse. And these things should come with an instruction manual on killing them."

Vikirnoff : "I do not want to embarrass you and force your obedience."

Natalya: "Are you out of your tiny little mind? Do your women actually obey when you say jump? And don't think for one moment that you could force my obedience. You don't want to start a war with me."

Vikirnoff : "The vampire is going for as much blood loss as possible to weaken me. If I try to
protect you, which I must do, I will divide my strength."
Natalya: "Well, try not to let it happen. I've got enough to take care of without worrying about protecting an amateur. I'm a little busy here if you don't mind. Silence would be appreciated."

Natalya: "Die already! Sheesh, the least you could do is put yourself out of your misery and get it over...If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a whiney vampire."

"You're like the little engine that could, except you can't."

"This is just great news. My intended is the undead waiting to happen. Do I have a neon
sign stamped on my forehead? If you're a bloodsucking evil monster, willing to murder and wreak havoc, please apply."

Will definitely be reading this one again...

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Dark Destiny (Carpathians, #13) - Christine Feehan

383 pages
Rating: 5/5

Her childhood had been a nightmare of violence and pain until she heard his voice calling out to her. Golden and seductive. The voice of an angel. He had shown her how to survive, taught her to use her unique gifts, trained her in the ancient art of hunting the vampire. Yet he could not bend her to his will. He could not summon her to him, no matter how great his power. As she battled centuries-old evil in a glittering labyrinth of caverns and crystals, he whispered in her mind, forging an unbreakable bond of trust and need. Only with him can she find the courage to embrace the seductive promise of her...Dark Destiny

Dark Destiny is different from the other books in the Carpathian Series in that Destiny is a Vampire Hunter - making her the first woman Carpathian in this role.
Nicolae is the voice she turned to when as a psychic human child she was ensnared by a vampire who then killed her parents and brutalized her. With no other way to save her, Nicolae teaches her to become a hunter and kill the vampire…and he’s there for her every step of the way after that.
The dynamic between these 2 is interesting in that they've known each other almost all of Destiny's life. So even though she fights the attraction between them, she realises she needs him for her very sanity. Destiny was infected with Vampire blood by the vampire who captured her when she was younger and the infected vampire blood burns her because of which she cannot exchange blood with Nicolae.
Nicolae's solution and his attention and care for Destiny makes him one of my favourite Carpathians. This is one great story, that you have to read.

I like both Von Shrieder brothers, and i love Vikirinoff's sense of humor and his conversations with Nicolae.

That's another thing you'll love about this book - the quirky conversations between Destiny, Nicolae, Vikirnoff and even Mary Ann. And then there are the ones that fit in the 'words of wisdom' category:

Destiny: "Have you forgotten that you had to warn us I was tainted?"
Vikirnoff: "Your blood is not who or what you are. It merely runs in your veins. If a human has cancer growing in his body, does that make him a tainted being? Do not allow this vampire to run your life any longer. He does not own you. He is long gone from this world. Let him stay dead."

Destiny: "You know, MaryAnn, I'm beginning to think you make it up as you go along, you and Father Mulligan."
MaryAnn's eyebrow shot up. "Are we supposed to have the answers? You don't have the
answers—how would we? You can only keep moving ahead, Destiny. You keep your eyes open and with luck you see the pitfalls before you step into them, but you embrace life and live it as best you can."

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