Dark Challenge (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 5) |
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List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $7.99
Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 4 weeks
Manufacturer: Love Spell
Average Customer Rating:  
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780505524096
ISBN: 0505524090
Label: Love Spell
Manufacturer: Love Spell
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 390
Publication Date: 2000-11
Publisher: Love Spell
Studio: Love Spell
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Editorial Reviews:
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A New York Times Bestselling Author Julian Savage was golden. Powerful. But tormented. For the brooding hunter walked alone, always alone, far from his Carpathian kind, alien to even his twin. Like his name, his existence was savage. Until he met the woman he was sworn to protect . . . When Julian heard Desari sing, rainbows swamped his starving senses. Emotions bombarded his hardened heart. Was Desari more than his perfect mate? Julian had met his match in this woman, but would she drive him to madness . . . or save his soul?
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Buy it right now! Excellent Read!
Comment: This book is a classic staple of dark fantasy/paranormal and romance genres! Extremely developed characters, good plot (not too complicated, not too shallow), good romance (both in bed and out!), over-all excellent book. Worth every penny, you won't be disappointed!! Please note that while you can read this book without reading any of the other "Dark" series books, you may enjoy this book even more if you have read the preceeding books. A book you can definitely read over and over!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worth the time
Comment: I have come to love Feehan's Dark series. This one is among my favorites. Desari through Julian gives a much needed wake up call to the arrogant views carpathian males hold. Some scenes were quite hilarious. I especially like the scene betwix julian and darius where desari breaks them apart. I won't give you the details on that. Read for yourself. I do recommend you read this novel.
Write on, read on
N.M. Phillips
Customer Rating:
Summary: ridiculously repetitive
Comment: The first book that I read in this Dark series was Dark Symphony. This is not the type of book I usually read but I was on vacation and the little bookstore was offering slim pickings. Nonetheless, having gotten back to my guest house and having settled in for a read I found myself being pleasantly surprised as I went along. Antoninette, the book's protagonist, was well characterised. She felt herself to be a little heavier than she ought to be, was blinded in an accident at five years old that killed her parents, was a genius and celebrated pianist, had strong business acumen, had a love hate relationship with her family members who were interesting in and of themselves, and took lovers but never let anyone get too close. She was real, and every Creative Writing professor's dream.
Then enter Byron, the hero, who poses a mystery to Antoinette's family: nobody ever sees him come or go, knows where he lives, why he is always on the scene to rescue Antoinette and her grandfather, and what he does for a living.
Cue fantasy...Byron is yet spell-bindingly handsome; won't look at any other woman, though such as Antoinette's cousin tries to arrest his attention to stroke her ego, Antoinette is blind after-all, shouldn't he be looking at her; he is a mind reader (yummm); has money; seems more or less physically invincible; courts his woman patiently; thinks Antoinette is the most beautiful woman on earth; and he's a wonderful lover. Okay...what's not to love.
Nothing. So much so, that upon learning that the Carpathians are a race of people and that more of the yummy men and their stories could be enjoyed in the Dark series, I immediately bought four-five more books in the series.
Yet with every successive read I have become more disappointed. There is a strong enough back drop story to flesh out this series: a race on the brink of extinction and all that that entails... wonderful, good read, ought to keep me on the edge of my seat, no?
NO.
For the author chose instead to take the route so many other mass-producing 'writers' have opted to take instead. There is now no story line in these books, ridiculously repetitive sex scenes that occupy altogether too much of the books' pages and thin characters. I say that figuratively and literally. The women have all become paper dolls with ribs protruding that their mates find sexy to count en route to their impossibly small waists. Their wrists are all fragile, their bone structure small, and their frames delicate. I'm a slim woman myself but this set up of the helpless female and domineering male is so obvious and patriarchal and chauvinistic I wonder if Feehan has forgotten that her audience is mainly female. Granted most women, including myself, like a man that's bigger and stronger, but must a woman be rendered a child to be thought sexy.
In line with that childlike innocence that Feehan is now promoting, why are more and more of the women in these books turning up virgins? I could write a dissertation on the cliches etc being enlisted here they are so apparent and archaic.
But moving on...yes woman light to males darkness, gotcha, Feehan only repeats it every page, ad verbatim. But are we to be so light, so compassionate that we endure rape lovingly (Gregori and Savannah in Dark Magic), willing to give up our careers (Jaxon and Lucian in Dark Guardian) and become comfortable with never letting another male in our proximity again (each book)? Granted these books allow the indulgence of unexpressed fantasies: many women want their man to be a little possessive, a little domineering, a little aggressive, a little a lot of things, but it seems that Feehan rather than express these desired traits has chosen to exaggerate them. Ridiculously so.
None moreso than the men's neediness and devotion. If I read, that the male needs the woman to tame his inner beast, to remove the stains on his soul, and to keep him from seeking the dawn or "You are my lifemate I can do nothing but secure your happiness" just one more time...oh my god! But then again, I shan't be reading those words anymore. This shall be my last in the series.
Julian and Desari's story is the same as all the others. They become involved impossibly fast, need "slams" into him (another of Feehan's favourite words repeated ad nauseum), she resists initially, but caves inevitably, he protects her, as his light and his life, from threatening evils, she bristles at his heavy-handedness but ultimately obeys, he is nearly invincible yet toward the end his arrogance gets him into some trouble from which the seeming weaker-sex woman saves him, she unearths his dark secret burdening his soul and she loves and accepts him in spite of it though he doesn't feel himself worthy of that love. They live happily ever after. Same Plot x 11= series.
To Ms. Feehan, less cut and paste, more time writing. And if you must make most of the book about the lovers' sexual encounters, find some new adjectives for the sake of those who haven't yet vowed to find better reading material elsewhere.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Story
Comment: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love all Christine Feehan's stories. I have all her books and intend acquiring them on audio form eventually. They are well done and follow the book closely. I enjoyed the interplay between Julian and Desari and the added bonus of the family members along with the interplay with outsiders. Loved hearing from Gregory re: his "lost family" being alive. Wish the author could write them faster because I'm anxious to hear more about other characters. Loved it!
Customer Rating:
Summary: yummy story...yummy series
Comment: Aidan's twin brother Julian is a wonderful hero, and Dara can give just as good as she gets. Together the couple makes for a great read, and continues a great series. Can't wait for more.
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