Dark Legend …. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan
UK cover
Back cover …..
Gabriel wakes deep within the ground, and the first sensation he feels is an overwhelming hunger for blood that demanded satisfaction. But as he hunted the dark streets of Paris for prey, a voice called to him, soothing, calming, giving him the strength to control his craving.
Francesca Del Ponce was a healer, a woman who radiated goodness as powerfully as the sun did light. But surely his obsession with her would turn him as his twin brother had turned, leaving the world with two monsters instead of one.
My review …..
Ever since I heard about the legendary twins Gabriel and Lucian, I wondered if they ever found their mates ?
And I found the answer out …..
No, after 2,000 years of being on the earth, his brother Lucian had succumbed to the call of the dark monster that lived inside all the Carpathian males. He had turned vampire !!! His brother Gabriel had promised his brother that no one else would hunt and kill him, so for over 400 years they had played cat and mouse ….. Lucian giving clues to his brother as to where he was and where he his next victim would be.
And after one hard battle, Gabriel had managed to capture his brother and keep him underground, merging with him, Gabriel sent them both to sleep, until the time that Gabriel could finally vanquish his brother.
Francesca is a world renowned glass and quilt maker (but she uses a different name as a disguise) but she is no ordinary female, she is a rare and gifted Carpathian female (now we know that reading previous books, females are rare, and are treasured, so how do we find Francesca without parents or a male in her life?)
Centuries ago she met her lifemate, but he didnโt even stop to say hello, he strode through her village, stopping only once to briefly survey his surroundings, then his twin caught his attention, and they left the village !!
Heartbroken Francesca escaped during the battle that killed many of her brethren, including her parents, she made her own way in the world, settling in Paris she made a life for herself, healing people, and trying to turn herself into a human !!! (Drinking herbal concoctions and experimenting with animal blood) living half a life, her male out in the world, destroying vampires, and her saving lives.
We start with Gabriel waking 400 years later, battling a terrible hunger, but something else, a dread…. his brother had somehow woken without Gabriel being aware, he was in Paris and he needed to stop him !! But after 400 years of being underground, Gabriel was worried his own beast would rise, and whilst feeding would kill, and then Gabriel who become the thing he had hunted.
He stumbles into a young woman, and instantly he feels calm, unbeknown to him, his lifemate is helping him, he is worried that whilst feeding from her, he will kill her and become vampire, but Francesca is all to aware of what and whom she is helping, if she needs to give her life up to help the humans and Carpathians survive, then itโs a risk worth taking. (She has made up her mind to grow old with a human male she is fond of and end her life as a human.)
Taking him back to her home, she offers her life ……
Gabriel is suddenly aware of feelings and of thoughts, his lifemate is in his arms, and he is draining her …… quickly he stops and replenishes a little of what he took.
After that, we have to usual back and forth, Francesca has decided to end her life, and not even her mate will stop her decision. Even as he bounds them together with the โmarriageโ ritual, he is aware she wonโt stay, so he does something that he doesnโt want to do, but is desperate for her to stay with him.
We have vampires that are seeking females to save them, we have an ancient vampire playing games with his brother, and we also have a young abused female who will play in quite a few books and a large role in the future.
I still enjoy this series, and yes I know whatโs coming, but I havenโt read the older books in a while, and Iโve thoroughly enjoyed catching up with old friends.
USA Cover
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