Veena’s review of Dark Promises (Dark, Book 29) by Christine Feehan
Urban Fantasy published by Berkley 15 Mar 15

Gabrielle and Gary have been two characters who have been part of this series from the very beginning.  Both human scientists with strong ties to the Carpathian community, they have been in love with each other forever but have been too shy to express their feelings. I had almost given up on them ever getting paired up, so I was excited to see that they were finally featured to get their very own book. I just couldn’t wait to read how it all worked out and wondered how Ms. Feehan was going add spice into their story. Well, I shouldn’t have worried. I am still reeling from the very unexpected twists and turns the author wrote into this story. And if that wasn’t enough, she added a nice twist with a two for one by introducing Trixie Joanes, grandmother to Teagan Joanes of Dark Ghost who shows up in the Carpathian mountains to rescue her granddaughter and unexpectedly finds a romance of her own.

With Dark Ghost the author identified ancients who are so close to the end that they live secluded in a monastery far from civilization. Andre is the first ancient who is released from the darkness when he finds Teagan, and now we get to meet the rest of his companions when two more find their life mates, plus these amazing women have psychic powers that create a beacon in the darkness, allowing the other ancients to find potential life mates that are scattered around the world.

I understand that these are medieval men who have spent several human life times fighting the vampire and without a life mate to relieve the unrelenting darkness within their souls, but, even so, I feel that their characters are so very not PC in the modern world. While this could have been a subject for much light-hearted humor, instead this story, particularly Gabrielle’s and Gary’s, is very dark.  Trixie and Fane interject a touch of that much needed light-hearted humor, especially when her vampire fighting kit fails and Fane gallantly helps her understand that he’s not a vampire. She, of course, is horrified to be sexually desirable to what appears to a young handsome man until Fane patiently explains to her that he might look young but he’s centuries old, so she’s not a cougar.

No Carpathian story would be complete without ancient vampires who, to the surprise of these ancients, seem now to be forming intelligent teams instead of fighting alone. Our brave Carpathian males, with their young American-born life mates, take on the vampires who have followed the psychic trail all the way to the monastery.

I have been a long-time fan of this series, having devoured all the books as they came along. Except for a few, I have for the most part enjoyed each book in the series and found something unique and compelling, especially in the love stories. This one, however, seems to be long on sex and short on romance, If you are a fan of the really dark, dominant side of BDSM, you will definitely enjoy some of the aspects of this book, but if you are looking for true romance, then Fane and Trixie might supply some, but overall it’s missing.

I’m not giving up. I do want to see where the series goes next, since we have hooks into a lot of possible pairings for the future, a lot of them modern American women.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Lovers challenge destiny and risk their lives in the new Carpathian novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling “queen of paranormal romance.”*

Gabrielle has had enough of battles, of wars, of seeing the man she’s engaged to nearly lose his life when it isn’t even his fight. Once Gary was a gentle and very human researcher. Now he’s a fearless and lethal Carpathian warrior with the blood of an ancient lineage coursing through his veins—a man Gabrielle still needs and dreams of with every breath she takes. All she wants is a life far away from the Carpathian mountains, far from vampires and the shadows cast by the crumbling monastery that hides so many terrible secrets. But Gabrielle soon learns that promises made in the dark can pierce the heart like a dagger.

And she isn’t the only one in search of answers in the corners of the unknown….

Trixie Joanes has come to the Carpathian mountains in search of her wayward granddaughter, fearing that she has been lured there by something unspeakable. Instead, Trixie has stumbled onto the path of a desperate woman on the run. And they’re all fated for the lair of a mysterious ancient with revenge in his soul and the undying power to make bad dreams come true.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: