Review: Dark Promises by Christine Feehan (Carpathians #29)

Dark Promises (Dark/Carpathians #29)
Christine Feehan
Published: March 15, 2016 (Berkley)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: Purchased

Reviewed by: Krista

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free it may make reference to previous books.

Gabrielle Sanders has been thrust reluctantly into the Carpathian world of blood and war. As human scientist, she was recruited to work on the problem of infertility and infant mortality facing the Carpathian race. Unfortunately she was mortally wounded and had to be converted to Carpathian in an attempt to save her life. Gary Jansen, the man she loved and intended to marry was also wounded in defense of the Carpathian race and had to be converted. One could assume that they would automatically be lifemates. Not quite.

Trixie Joanes, the 60-something grandmother of one of Feehan’s prior heroines, has come to the Carpathian Mountains with her trusty vampire killing kit purchased off the internet to rescue her granddaughter from what she believes are evil vampires (she doesn’t know the difference between a Carpathian and a vampire). Unbeknownst to her she has gotten herself involved with factions aligned with vampires, who will kill her once she outgrows her usefulness.

Both Gabrielle and Trixie are dragged or drawn to a monastery hidden deep in the Carpathian Mountains. A monastery that is home to Carpathians who are not pledged to the Carpathian Prince and have not yet succumbed to the darkness that devours each Carpathian male who have yet to find a lifemate. What each woman discovers will change her fundamentally.

Dark Promises is not your typical paranormal romance. It’s not hero and heroine meet, sparks fly, there is a conflict, and then they live happily ever after (well, it does have that but it’s a little more complicated). This isn’t a book about one couple, but instead is about two couples and some individuals. What I really liked about this book was how different it was from what I thought it would be. Each of the characters goes on a journey and discovers a few hard truths about themselves that they were not willing to face. This is definitely a character-driven novel. There were action scenes, but it was more about the relationships and setting up subsequent books.

Dark Promises definitely lived up to the intense hotness that is the standard for a Christine Feehan book. I also enjoyed how it approached a dominant/submissive relationship. There was no sense that either individual was lesser or unequal to the other. Also that it was a conscious choice on the submissive end. It felt honest.

I recommend Dark Promises. It is probably one of the better paranormal romances I have read recently. If you are already a fan, you won’t be disappointed. If, like me, you had kind of drifted away from the Carpathians series, Dark Promises is a great reintroduction.

Sexual content: Sex