“You're the kind of man my mother warned me about.”
Mikhail Dubrinsky, an ancient Carpathian, prince of his people, is stopped from seeking the dawn when the voice of his natural life mate, Raven Whitney, interrupts his thoughts telepathically. The Carpathians are a race of superior beings who drink blood to survive, have to stay out of the sun, can shape shift, and possess great powers. To avoid turning into the dreaded vampire, a soulless monster who feels nothing but rabid joy when it slaughters and must be destroyed by its own kind, the male Carpathian must find this other half, their lifetime, before they turn. Mikhail is one of the oldest and wearies of his search, until of course her voice drifts into his thoughts on the second page of this novel.
To make matters worse, their race is dying out and there doesn't seem to be much hope for the males left. Few children are born from the few scattered women, and most that are born as males. To grind it in worse, almost every infant dies within their first year. Eager to find a continuation for his race, Feehan introduces women who are human and have psychic ability.
For a change we'll start with the bad: this first book of the series suffers from melodrama and over description. Feehan overuses the same words and phrases to mildly grating degrees. The sex scenes were erotic but at times a little too drawn out and frequent. However, the story is unique enough and absolutely enthralling; I found myself falling in love almost immediately with both Mikhail and Raven. The beginning is especially erotic and exciting. While not without its flaws in writing and suffering from typical romance overload, it's impossible to put down and works its magic instantly.
There's something about powerful males with authority, confidence, and humor - it never hurts if they have natural sex appeal too right? Mikhail is one of these endearing men, sexy from the get go, addictive, a great guy to read about. Raven's humor and compassion really do add to things. Their telepathic ways of communication are interesting and, the sex scenes, which are many, are genuinely hot and spicy. The sweetness the 'lifemates' show each other, the desperation they feel without another, and the inability for one to live if the other dies, is a truly romantic touch.
So yes, this book suffered from the melodrama most romance does, but it's still fascinating. Besides the love and sex, the interesting race is a good one to read about, and pages upon pages are filled with not only passion but danger and a dash of suspense. When you find characters to fall in love with, all the rest comes afterward.
Info I gathered while browsing ~
Winner of PEARL AWARD 1999 - Best Shapeshifter, Best Overall Paranormal
Christine Feehan - Best New Author
Book Quotes:
“The trouble is not really in being alone, it's being lonely. One can be lonely in the midst of a crowd, don't you think?” - Raven
“Someone needs to drag you kicking and screaming into this century.” - Raven
Series Goodies From Author's Website:
En Sarna Pus ("The Great Healing Chant") -- The complete chant (6 minutes and 24 seconds) is currently available in these formats:
Click Here to Read Chapter 1
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