Dark Blood

A Carpathian Novel, Book 26

By: Christine Feehan

Narrated by: Phil Gigante, Natalie Ross

Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

At long last you are truly back with us….

Zev Hunter was an elite warrior, a dark-blood dealer of death to rogue Lycans who preyed on mankind. He was a loner, never given to personal attachments, and damned fierce at his job. But Zev begins to question his past and his purpose when he awakens in the darkness of the sacred cave of warriors - and is soothed back to consciousness by the sensuously familiar voice of one woman, the woman who has haunted his fantasies for centuries. She was Branislava, member of the Dragonseeker clan.

Mother Earth called the ancients to witness your rebirth….

For this half-mage, half-Carpathian temptress, the ritual of awakening Zev to the council of warriors was the only way to save him. Locked away for his own protection, the time has now come for his rebirth, for his blood to stir with that of the ancient warriors before him. He has been assured by Branislava that their fates are entwined, that their spirits are woven together for eternity and that his new purpose in life is beyond imagining.

Now, with a blood-sworn vow of honor, mercy, and endurance, and under the influence of a siren as bewitching as Branislava, Zev begins to wonder what his purpose is, what it means for the future of the Carpathians, and what it is about his rebirth that he has to fear.

©2014 Christine Feehan (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Is someone else doing the writing now?

I have been a fan of the Dark Series since the beginning, what in the world has happened?! These last few stories have been a huge disappointment! Tatijana & Branislava have both spent years trapped, enslaved in a cave...both are supposed to be strong Dragonseeker women....and both just roll over and bow down when their "lifemate" appears....REALLY????!! The last few stories have been so full of filler that it's distracting. Yes, it's nice that she did research into Futhark runes, it's nice that there are spells...but there is so spell casting, so much in the Carpathian language (that is translated ad-nauseum) that it really becomes annoying and it also becomes extremely evident that the story is just too weak to stand on it's own. The over-use of repetitive pet names in French and the continual Carpathian language (which really, does not need to be said in Carpathian and then translated each and every friggin time)...becomes eye-roll worthy. If I heard them refer to the "Guardians of All" in Carpathian one more time in Carpathian...and distinguish them from plain ole mix breeds....I was going to turn it into a drinking game.

Truly, I am so disappointed In the past there were humans or other breeds that naturally caused conflict with conversion, there was angst in the changing on both sides....there's none of that in these last few books and it's BORING! I really wonder, who is doing the writing now...because this is just not typical Feehan style.

Aside from the writing let me address the narrators. Normally I really like Phil Gigante, but the accents this time drove me nuts, with both performers not just Phil...honestly the women were more distracting for me than the men, I couldn't tell what they were supposed to be. One would assume they should have a Romanianeque accent...but everyone sounded like a bad British accent of some type. Really, get some variety. Learn to make each their own.

All in all, this one was a huge disappointment. Back to Dark Gold, or Dark Melody, Dark Symphony...anything but these last few!!!

Loved, Loved, Loved this book!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes most definitely. As always this series just gets better. Number 26 never even came close to being a disappointment. If you are a lover of this series you will be very pleased with this latest installment.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Zev, loved the new addition of the Wolf perspective to the Carpathian landscape. This time the character was more wolf than Carpathian and it was refreshing. Especially as his character has evolved over the past couple of novels.

What does Phil Gigante and Natalie Ross bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Yes, they never disappoint, NEVER... I'm so glad they’re back. They really know how to breath life into this very complicated series. Through them I really feel I know the characters, it’s as if they’re friends to be welcomed back in each new novel. With the Carpathian language, all the characters since the inception of this series and the very involved storyline plotting I find this book much easier to follow and much more entertaining in the audio book version.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

More laugh than cry this time, which is a welcome change as this series is very true to its name "Dark". But, Christine did finally get near the end this her very BIG surprise; don’t want to bring spoiler for those who have not read the book yet.

Any additional comments?

Only addition is please, Christine Feehan, never, ever, ever, change the narrators of this series again. This book is much stronger in the audio version and the narrator that read 2 books back was a real disappointment. Both Phil Gigante and Natalie Ross are a huge part of the great success of the audio version of this series. PLEASE!!!!

Great book!

I have enjoyed the entire Dark series from Christmas Feehan, and I always start over from the beginning when she has a new release.

what a twist

I am an audio book guy. for some reason even with a regular book I cant put this series down. but this one wow such a fantastic twist. the narrators are top notch.

Another Winner from CF

Any additional comments?

These books started out great and they are still great. The characters are really well developed, the story keeps you focused and not wanting to put it down and there's plenty of hot sex. What else can you ask for. I'm already waiting for the next one. I truly hope CF keeps writing these for a good long time.

The narrator: I saw a lot of comments not liking this narrator but I really don't understand why. I almost skipped the audio on just read the book because of them. I am so glad that little voice kept telling me not to listen. I thought he was great. I also thought his pronunciation of the names was correct. The way he pronounced Tatijana's name sounded like it would more likely be the proper way to say it rather than if the J was pronounced as a Y. I know a lot of people disagree but I don't see the problem really either way. It's just a name. To me the question is whether or not he delivers the story so that the characters have distinct and separate voices and that the acting brings the story to life for those listening. For me he more than exceeded those expectations.

WOW

Wow what an action packed book. Christian Feehan has out did herself. A must have in your library.
Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante did a Super job...

Loved it

I felt like the narration was much slower than normal so thankfully you can speed it up but absolutely loved the story. It was definitely of my favorites from the psst few years.

I'm a huge fan but.....

I have read all of the dark books since the beginning. This one for some reason just didn't sit well. I don't know if Mrs Feehan is tired of the story line or was just rushed to get something put out. It didn't ri g tire to the other books I have read

A New Carpathian line

If you could sum up Dark Blood in three words, what would they be?

Bloodlines come together

What did you like best about this story?

That there is another line to the Carpathians and that new characters are being introduced.

Which character – as performed by Phil Gigante and Natalie Ross – was your favorite?

Branislava because she strong and cares about her lifemate. I like that she can turn into a Dragon.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Two Great Bloodlines will come together

Any additional comments?

The is a very good series but there are now 26 novels, all worth it.

Great!

Any additional comments?

Another great Novel by CF, I have however noticed a trend with authors who have series books with 10+ editions, they seem to be getting away from what made them great....a wonderful story with a bit of sexy thrown in...it seems like authors, including Ms. Feehan, that they are writing stories around the sex now instead of sneaking sex info scenes. I don't know if I am just weird but I find I miss the plot and am fast forwarding through all of the sex, now I love good love scenes but sometimes there is TOO much.

All that being said I loved this book it brought A LOT of old characters back and showed how some of them are related to each other and learned more about parents of others. It's a great read over all, I did have a hard time getting into and didn't mind pausing it (normally I NEVER pause a book) but I never thought about NOT finishing.

It's surely worth a credit!