“There it was. A low murmur. A woman’s voice. Her voice. Adalasia. She was real. Not a figment of his imagination. He went completely still, his heart pounding, blood thundering in his ears before he could get control. He immediately swept away that unacceptable reaction. Emotions had no place in the life of an ancient, a hunter of the undead. He had no idea if his woman was being held hostage or if she was his enemy. No matter which it was, she was his lifemate and he would sort it out. To do that, he needed to be in absolute control.”

Sandu Berdadi is a powerful ancient Carpathian who spends his life fighting the undead to protect his people, but he feels that his time is dwindling. He has been wandering aimlessly searching for his lifemate, but he has been unable to find her. She will be the lightness to the darkness inside of him. Sandu begins to despair that he will ever be able to find her when he hears a voice inside his mind warning him of dangers to come, and he instantly recognizes that this is the voice of his lifemate. He knows that he must find her. Sandu and Adalasia go on this journey of discovering their fated love and facing an evil like they have never faced before. Their path is savage and full of danger, but their love is deep and all encompassing.

Christine Feehan’s graphic world building is substantial and far-reaching in her Dark series, and it transports the reader to a place full of demons, vampires, seers, and tons of other magical beings. I struggled with this book because it is the thirty first book in the series, and I have never read any of the others. This absolutely can’t be read as a stand alone because Sandhu’s character arc begins in other books, and there are many cameos by past couples that we see throughout Adalasia and Sandhu’s journey. It is because of this intricate world building that I would suggest beginning this series at the first book. Sadly, I couldn’t form any sort of connection to the main characters. I am also not used to Christine Feehan’s style of writing, and I found some of it to be very choppy. The sentence structure did not flow at times, and it felt jarring to me as a reader. I didn’t think this was all bad though because the chemistry between Adalasia and Sandhu was electric, and I found their love to be sweet and a little spicy.

If you’re already a fan of this series or Nalini Singh’s Archangel series then you will probably enjoy this one. I do not recommend picking this one up without having previously read others in this series.

~ Michelle

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

4.75 Hearts This is the 31st… YES! 31st! In the Dark series (part of the Carpathian series) and how this author keeps the books fresh and entertaining and wanting to read the next one as soon as the reader is done with this one is a mystery.

This story is filled with action, romance, sacrifice and travel. The story takes place in countless states in America and many countries around the world. Sandu has been in a few recent novels and I am so glad that we finally got his story. And Adalasia is perfect for him.

Feehan delivers the best in the series in a while and that is saying something. Feehan never disappoints.

While I would say that yes you can read this story as a stand alone (sorta) but I really recommend that you read the entire series so you understand the Carpathian dynamic.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

"You are very conflicted. I don't wish to disturb you, but sometimes talking things out can help."

These are the words Sandu hears, while trying to decide whether to return to the Monastery in the Carpathian Mountains, or meet the dawn. Hearing his life mate's voice changes everything for Sandu. His life mate Adalasia Ravasio is a reader of Tarot Cards, a true, and powerful "Diviner." After they meet in person, Adalasia reveals that the cards have shown her that they both must take dangerous journey to find out the origins of the Tarot cards, that are preserved in Carpathian female blood....Bernardi blood. Sandu has no memory of his family and what the connection can be with the Ravasio family. Adalasia has been told she's not only the protector of the Tarot Cards, but also the Gatekeeper, who must keep the wild creature in hell, which cannot be let loose on the world, trapped behind it's gates. What follows is a Quest to find out more about the Bernardi lineage, and what they are to the Carpathian people. We journey to meet old friends, and questions are answered from previous books, and we see a new plot twist to the Carpathian saga. We meet new villains that may be more dangerous than the vampires, and see how even the dead Xavier is still affecting all species. Excellent read,

Sandu was contemplating meeting the sun since he had lived such a long time, had not found his lifemate and knew his time was fast approaching when he would have to make the choice. Then he heard a voice in his head speaking telepathically to him and colors popped all around him which was quite shocking since he had lived in a gray world, colorless and emotionless for centuries. He knew what it meant, he had found his lifemate and she was speaking with him telepathically. After speaking to him for a moment she quickly cut off all communication but he was able to find her because they were now linked.

Adalasia lost her mother a year ago in a break in. The people had been looking for something, she knew it and they hadn't found what they were looking for. Now she knew that those same people were after her, meant her harm and she was in danger. So when Sandu finds her at her tarot reading shop and confronts her, she tries to send him away to keep him safe but he's not going anywhere and he's not going to let her get hurt by anyone.

Adalasia has a special tarot deck that has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Her family are gatekeepers and her deck of cards has magical properties that these other people know about and want. There are 4 gatekeepers that keep a beast locked away somehow. When Sandu and Adalasia talk and he finds out she is in danger, he knows they have to run and she knows it too so they do. It's right away that Adalasia finds out that he is more than human and because she has some idea from a legend she's heard about him and his people, she's not quite as shocked as someone else might have been.

Not only are they on the run from the people who want her and her tarot deck but they want to find out more about Sandu's family and childhood because somehow, Sandu and Adalasia are linked in a way that they can't explain.

After talking to other Carpathians about Sandu's childhood and his family because he cannot remember anything about his family and childhood, they decide to seek out other Carpathians that might have come across his family when he as a child. In doing this we get to re-visit some of the beloved characters from other books in this series that readers have come to love over the years.

A lot happens as they gather more and more information and the danger they find themselves in gets greater. This book kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end. I never knew what was going to happen next and I really enjoyed the role that Adalasia's tarot cards played in this story. There's a lot more magic in this book than there has been in other books from this series and I liked the slight twist that the magic brought to the series. After reading this I know that we'll be seeing more the ancients from the monastery and I'm glad about that.

Disclocure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Christine Feehan makes an amazing return into the fascinating world of The Carpathians with this very exciting new book.


 This book begins a new story arc that is sure to intrigue the readers just as it did with this one. This particular story featured the Ancient Carpathian Sandu and his mysterious lifemate Adalasia. The storyline was compelling, easily capturing my imagination as the charismatic characters set off on adventure that would have them walking through fire to save each other.  The author worked her usual spellbinding magic and kept this reader enthralled from beginning to end. Sandu and Adalasia's  journey was loaded with suspense, mystery, action, and plenty of steam. 


The dark world of the Carpathians is an incredibly complex series for new readers, but this book would be a perfect one to jump into the series. It beins an exciting new story arc with the magic tarot cards and their courageous guardians. Dark Tarot easily could have served as a stand alone book or a series introduction, either way it was a fabulous read for paranormal/ fantasy readers. I am ready for the next book.

Never met a Christine Feehan book I haven't loved and this one reminds me why.
Sandu is an ancient who held no hope of ever finding his lifemate.
This book leads us on a journey of sorts. And he knows, when he hears her in his mind, his heart that he has found her. Danger though implodes, will he be too late?
I actually enjoyed this story very much and I feel like we are at a crossroads...
Can't wait to see what will happen next.
Best one yet!

This has to be one of the authors better stories concerning the Carpathians in a while!

Loving the ancients stories, and I was a little worried how we would go about telling the stories as we had no major villain to battle. But in this book we go in a totally different direction…..

Sandu is an ancient carpathian hunter/warrior. After living for so many centuries he’s now debating on his future! It’s looking bleak, his brethren are slowly finding their lifemates (a woman who hold the light and the salvation of every carpathian) but he knows his time is coming close to either end his life, or for a battle to end his life!
But his salvation comes when he least expects it…..

Carpathian males aren’t all born warriors, some have normal lives, but the past threatened their lives, and so many turned to hunters. But Sandu has always been a hunter, and he keeps his honour by standing by his vow to his lifemate and the ancients he lives with.
Many years ago a group of hunters banded together to live a monastery, they knew they were too powerful to remain in the world, so they withdrew, only honing their battle skills with one another, or if danger approached them.
A few of the ancients have found mates, and in the last few books, the females that have been found have told the hunters that their mates are out there, so that’s why they’ve left the monastery. They come out to find the light to their darkness.

Lasia is a tarot card reader, she’s come from a long line of fortune tellers. But she’s also from a long line of guardians! What’s she guarding? Well, we do find out in this book, and I have a feeling this is the direction we will take for the next few books!

As a modern woman, Lasia is finding the transaction from human to Carpathian hard (like most of the books) she thinks like a human, she’s independent, and is finding Sandu’s way of thinking as arrogant and a little demeaning! So as normal the female fights the hunter on almost all things!

We catch up with previous characters and also previous couples (which I absolutely love) we have a few battles. We have a few steamy moments, but the focus is totally on the story that unfolds chapter after chapter.

So I’m definitely looking forward to the next book.


🦋

Christine Feenan continues her Carpathian fantasy series with Dark Tarot in which an ancient Carpathian is thinking of suiciding since he has not found his lifemate when he intercepts the thoughts of Adalasia, scion of an old Italian family who preserves an ancient tarot card pack. She is afraid of men shadowing her who have murdered her mother. Sadu, the ancient, aknowledges that she must be his lifefate and they engage in a journey to become lifemates and found his hidden family history. Great fantasy read about good and evil.

Feehan hits it out of the park with another installment of her Dark series. Ancient Sandu is like most of the ancient Carpathians not use to the modern world but are having to try to live in it. Adalasia is modern woman who finds that she must trust this ancient being. I enjoyed that the reader got to visit with other Carpathians that we have met in other books. Great edition to the series and start of another story line within the series.

Dark Tarot by Christine Feehan is a paranormal fantasy with a hint of romance and a hint of suspense. A complex and detailed storyline with world-building is intricate and thorough. The characters are inspiring and energetic, and the romance is seductive and passionate. I look forward to reading more in the series.

In Dark Tarot , Christine Feehan brings danger, suspense, romance, and action to her latest book in the Dark paranormal romantic suspense series. Sandu Berdardi, an ancient Carpathian who puts honor above everything else has spent his life hunting vampires. He hasn’t been able to find his lifemate who would keep him sane. But as hope has dwindled, a voice communicates with him telepathically. Adalasia Ravasio reads tarot cards and has been trained since childhood to fight demons. Their journey together has risks and rewards. How will they fare?

Sandu and Adalasia are attracted to each other. Both have strong personalities and both can fight well. Sandu’s natural reaction is to protect and shield Adalasia, while she is independent, thinks for herself, and is used to making her own decisions. Trust must be earned and compromise is needed for their success. I quickly connected with the main characters and this added to my reading enjoyment. The secondary characters provided balance, opportunities for humor, support, and conflict. I hope some of them have their own story in future books in the series. Several characters from former books show up as well, which lends continuity to the series.

The novel is set in contemporary times in a variety of locations including California, Montana, Washington, France, Brazil, Peru, and Italy. Therefore, it’s a journey rather than a set location and takes place over a longer period of time than many in this series. The author does a great job of world-building in each location, transporting readers seamlessly.

The plot was somewhat straightforward with high stakes and lots of risk. The significant amount of danger and action kept me fully engaged and made this a true page turner for me. This is a riveting story with protagonists that I liked and cheered on as their journey progressed and became ever more dangerous and unusual. It contained the elements that I love in this genre of books. The book delivers on escapism through attraction, friendship, family, romance, action, and love while also tackling serious issues including secrets, trust, stressful situations, honor, having the courage to do what’s right, duty, loyalty, battling evil, and selfless sacrifice for others.

Overall, it was suspenseful, full of danger, and action-packed. The subplots tied together well, the main characters were strong and the ending was bittersweet. If you enjoy thrilling paranormal romantic suspense novels, then I recommend you check out this series.

Berkley Publishing Group and Christine Feehan provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for November 9, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Standard entry into Feehan's series. It follows the usual formula until about half through when it speedily gives several pages of plot details setting up this book for a world tour of past heros & heroines going from the Pacific Northwest US to Paris to the Amazon, the Andes and back to eastern Italy. Nice travelogue.

Each of the "Guardians", ancient Carpathians recruited to accompany and protect the h/h get a tarot reading giving him a clue to where his lifemate is located. This is the only twist to the usual plot. There's some mild teasing and banter between the heroine and the Guardians on the journey, the usual angst ridden males, the usual lush descriptions of scenery, and hot sex between the hero and heroine once she is "converted". Also usual issues of consent are glossed over.

Feehan abandons the previous round of h/hs to start this new plot cycle fairly perfunctorily. There are annoying errors that weren't corrected in proofreading which should have been caught in a mainstream published book. The chapter heads featuring drawing of the tarot cards are well done but other than this there is nothing special about this latest addition to the saga. Feehand fans will want her latest but it is not a keeper.

Another one of the Ancients, Sandu Berdardi, who had given up all hope of finding the other half of his soul, lives only for honor and duty. Sandu believes he will not find the one woman he has long searched for to keep him from descending into evil as a vampire. Sandu is startled to not only hear a woman’s voice in his head, but have all the emotions and colors in his world turned on bringing him out of a dark spiral. Sandu knows she is close and will do everything to find his fated mate.

Adalasia has been waiting for Sandu as foretold by her families’ lore and the Tarot cards that she wields. Even though she has been expecting a man, Adalasia is not quite prepared for this massive Carpathian who is not on board with a modern woman’s idea of thinking and acting for herself. Sandu definitely feels out of sync with the current world and so makes more than one mistake in dealing with Adalasia; she is not amused.

Adalasia’s family had been fighting a great evil for centuries which lines her up with the mission of the Carpathians. She has foreseen a great and perilous journey for herself and Sandu to not only uncover a far distant past he has no memory of, but triumph against the forces of darkness. Accompanied by four other Ancients who are also searching for their life mates, Adalasia and Sandu journey to different parts of the world seeking help from Carpathian allies discovering in small pieces the answers they are seeking.

This 31st addition to the long running Dark series is a bit different in that the heroine already has quite a few skills in combating their mutual enemies and knows about the hidden supernatural world needing less convincing for the most part that Adalasia and Sandu are destined to be together. Adalasia’s fortune telling skills play a big role in story. Dangers, battles with malevolent foes, as well as learning how to be mates sets a fast and sometimes arduous pace in this story.

This latest installment of the "Dark Series" is Sandu's story. The story is filled with romance and magic as all the series books are. But there is a bit of a twist in the story which could prove interesting in future books.
Readers of this series will not be disappointed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.

Dark Tarot by Christine Feehan is the 31st book in her Dark series. We have met our hero, Sandu in the previous few books, as he is one of ancients sent from the Monastery to help. Sandu feels he is coming to the end of his life, until he hears a female voice telepathically call out to him that immediately restores color to his view.

Adalasia, our heroine, is a human, who deals with tarot cards, as well as trained to fight demons. Her gift has been transferred to her from her mother, as each female generation in her lineage proceeded them. Adalasia has been trained to guard the gate, stop the demons since she was a child. She senses Sandu giving up, and she knows somehow, she has a journey that she will need to share with him; it is their destiny. Adalasia can see some of the future in her deck of cards, and along the way will learn more about her powers gifted to her. Sandu immediately tracks where his lifemate is, and to protect her from the danger surrounding her. Sandu will call his ancient friends (Brethren) to help him protect Adalasia, as they must travel to discover why his memory is lost, and find out the truth of why the demons are trying to capture Adalasia.

Dark Tarot was somewhat different, with Feehan laying the groundwork for possibly the 4 ancients to find their Lifemates, as well as protect the other remaining portal gates from opening in Hell. I really loved all the ancients working with Sandu, and how they became so close to Adalasia, as well as the banter between them, as they travel during their journey. Another wonderful aspect of this story was the many visits by Sandu, Adalasia and guardians to gain information about Sandu’s past, as they travel to various parts of the world to meet with many of our favorites (Lucian, Jaxson, Gabriel, Francesca, Dominic, Solange, Dax, Luiz, etc) and we get to see how they are settled in their lives. Wonderful addition.

Along the way, with some of our previous heroes helping, danger escalates as the demons and creatures are always a step behind them. I will not give out any spoilers, as this book needs to be read from start to finish. There is an amazing rescue, that has us holding our breaths.

As noted earlier, this book seems to be a change, that will allow the remaining ancients to get their story told, since there are other gates to protect and maybe find their lifemates. Based on this story line, we hope to see the continuation of more gates into hell being guarded by each of the four warriors (Benedek, Nicu, Petru, & Siv)), and the demon-killing women (Lifemates?).

Dark Tarot was an exciting, tense and fun story, with a fantastic couple in Adalasia and Sandu, as well as wonderful secondary characters. Dark Tarot was very well written by Christine Feehan. If you are a Dark/Carpathian fan, you need to read this book.

Dark Tarot is a breathtakingly other-wordly journey that will light up the darkest parts of your heart and soul. Every word, emotion, and action within these pages will reverberate throughout your very soul until your feel the truth and rightness about them. The things you cannot see but feel bring the most joy and meaning to our life. Never neglect them or walk away from their beauty and promise. Instead always cherish and savor them every second and day of your life.

Sandu has lived a very long and lonely life. He has finally reached a point where he does not have a clear path ahead, so he much rely on another for the right direction. The chosen person he must work with turns out to be so much more then he ever expected. Adelesia needs Sandu to trust her completely, but trust is a two way street which doesn't come easy for her. Can these two find common ground before the very fate of the world is on the brink of utter destruction?

Watching Sandu and Adelesia navigate their new normal together is like watching an uncoordinated baby giraffe walk for the first time. It is painful and so very awkward, but then they begin to make small adjustments and compromises. Before you know it, they are performing like a perfectly in sync ballet couple. It is such a stunning sight to behold and made my heart melt into a puddle of happy goo. What a unique and extraordinary couple!

Christine Feehan is a true master of the written word. First, she is a epic wordsmith who know how to write like a dancer performs the most intricate and graceful of dances at her long awaited debut. Then, she catches the eye by ensnaring the heart, and then she leads you on a spectacularly sweeping adventure that spans the globe and touches numerous eclectic characters. Finally, it is like reading the richest and most indepth poetry in your life and coming up for breath only when you have to. These elements are what makes her books so incredibly addicting!!

Unfortunately this book was all-around disappointing. The opening and introduction of our two main characters felt very forced, and somehow the female lead goes from not wanting a lifemate to being conn verted all in a few chapters, with very little relationship-building in between. The plot was thin, and jumped from place to place too fast. I understand they was in order to get to the second half of the story, after they are lifemates, but it was just too much. I honestly couldn't finish it, and I have stuck with this series for a long time. Disappointing.

Another fabulous installment in the Carpathian series.
The "fated mates" trope took a bit of a spin from most of the books in this series for our characters. Adalasia has been trained to fight demons since she was very young, and to protect a deck of tarot cards, handed down through the women in her line. One day, a man would come to them, and put them on a path that would change their life. The cards would let them know when it's time.
Sandu is floored when he gets a mind to mind contact from a woman he has never met. When said woman is his life mate, he doesnt know what to expect. He seeks her out, because she seems to be in danger.
From there, we go on a whirlwind, world wide adventure, visiting various couples throughout the series to solve the puzzle or Sandu's forgotten past, and to relieve the dangers to Adalasia.
Sandu makes some really dumb decisions early on in the book, but she is quick to call him out on his bad behavior, and to correct it so that they are partners, not protector and life mate. This book is very much a polar opposite to the previous installment, Dark Song, but equally enjoyable.

"I knew we were soulmates. He carried a piece of me with him, and I carried a piece of him with me."

I have to confess that I read Dark Tarot as a standalone. It's book thirty-one in the Dark series and it's the first one that I've read. Why? Because after discovering the author and devouring her Torpedo Ink MC series, I wanted more. I was so intrigued by the synopsis I couldn't help myself. I decided to take a chance and hope that I wouldn't be lost. I'm happy to report that I wasn't lost at all. I enjoyed it from start to finish. That's not saying that if I'd chosen a different book that would've been the case. Maybe this was a crossover and she used it as a bridge to a new series. 🤷‍♀️

I don't want to give away any goodies so I'll just say that there's lots of magic and suspense. I'm a visual reader and the images the author put in my head were both terrifying and breathtaking. I was gasping one minute and blushing the next. It was a roller-coaster ride that I didn't want to get off of.

I met so many amazing characters. Some were couples and others were still searching for their lifemates. I'm sure that many of them already had their own books in the series. I found them very interesting and know that I would enjoy learning more about them. I'm especially curious about the sexy single Carpathians looking for love. I don't know if their stories will be in this series or a new one, but I'm down for either. The line forms here...

SPOILER WARNING

An interesting start to a new arch in the Dark series. I enjoyed the addition of demons and the fact that there is a whole group of women who've held down the fort for years, but I couldn't quite connect to the characters in this round. I know I'll read it again and am hopeful I'll enjoy it more the second time.