Dark Curse ….. Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan.
Back Cover…..
Born into a world of evil and ice, Dragonseeker Lara Calladine is a child of three species yet belonging to none. She walked her chosen path alone, trusting no one. For beyond the frozen hell of her youth were even greater dangers.
Today, an expert in the study of ice caves, Lara searches for the source of her nightmares.
Nicolas De La Cruz can help her. Though centuries of hunting and killing have taken their toll, he longs to feel sensual love without the hunger for blood.
As Lara and Nicolas search the treacherous Carpathian landscape, their tenuous trust shifts into an undeniable passion. But their mysterious pasts share a secret that could destroy them both…
My Review ……
Lara comes across as a loner, happy with her own company, she doesn’t get too close to people, and given her background I’m not surprised….. As a child Lara had been kept a prisoner by her father and grandfather, kept as a food source (both her father and grandfather used her for blood) and they weren’t gentle about either, Carpathian children were meant to be protected and cherished, but Lara had neither. She lived in fear, and after her mother dies brutally at the hands of her grandfather, Lara knows it’s a matter of time before her usefulness comes to an end…..
Nicholas De La Cruz needs to feel something, even if that means he needs to kill, the darkness has almost overcome him, his brothers are finding their mates, but he knows it’s too late.
We meet Nicholas in Dark Secret (his brother Rafael finds his lifemate Colby) he can’t understand why his brothers don’t lay down the law with their women, his arrogance is worse than Rafael’s (and he was extremely arrogant)
Lara (we find out through past memories) needs to find the ice caves that she was held captive in as a child, she needs to rescue two very special people, she knows they might not be alive, but Lara needs closure. And coming to the Carpathian Mountains she gets a feeling she is close…..
Nicholas is drawn to a female and he has no notion as to why, only that he needs to feed, and sadly the young woman may die, and his brothers will have to face him as a vampire.
Drawing her closer he begins to feed, and his mind is bombarded with emotions and colour ….. his lifemate is in his arms, but then another feeling comes into play… pain!! Lara had stabbed him!!! She won’t be used again by anyone!! And she knows all about the males who take blood from unwilling donors (and she is definitely unwilling)
The story then goes on to relay more of Lara’s past, and Nicholas has to find balance, his dominant nature will be put to the test time and time again.
The book is full of twists and turns, it’s a very dark and sad book. In places I had to put it down and read something a little more lighthearted.
More of the backstory comes to light, and her father ….. well he has been seen in such a bad light, how could she possibly forgive him and move on ?? (But as his story is next, we should find out from his perspective)
So now we have Mages, werewolves, vampires and Dragonseekers (a very strong and old line of Carpathian’s) and of course the Carpathian’s. How the author keeps tabs on everything is always a wonder. And I hope she continues this series for a long time.
🦋
BooksBooksandmoreBooks69 