Dark Desire (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 2)

The Carpathians (Dark) Series:
(First 10 titles in the series listed here)

Dark Prince

Dark Desire

Dark Gold

Dark Magic

Dark Challenge

Dark Fire

Dark Legend

Dark Guardian

Dark Melody

Dark Destiny


Quick note: If you haven't already read it, I'd suggest starting this series from the first book, "Dark Prince". "Dark Desire" will have much more meaning after reading "Dark Prince".


The second book in the series, this story wasn't as good as the first. It still had characters and parts that kept me intrigued. The Carpathian males are very hot and their world is enticingly erotic. The only turn- off for me is in the fact that they must mate with human women who will never fully accept their lifestyle. This means that the Carp males have to become different men... modernized and tamed with conventional beliefs. I can't find anything about that enjoyable. I read paranormals to escape to ordinary.

Our hero in "Dark Desire" is Jacques, younger brother of the Carpathian prince from book one, "Dark Prince". He was light-hearted and youthful in the DP. DD begins 25 years after DP ends. Jacques has spent the last 7 years of that time imprisoned in a coffin that is sealed in a wall underground. He is immortal, so he can't die. Chained and starved, he doesn't have the strength to release himself. Surviving on bugs and rats, Jacques slowly falls into madness. In his telepathic visions, he sees a female that he believes to be partly responsible for his torture. Little by little, Jacques uses what strength he has to compel to the woman, bringing her to him to release him.

Shea is an extremely intelligent doctor in the United States. She spends most of her time researching a blood disease that causes people to need regular blood transfusions. She has a personal interest in finding a cure. She suffers from the disease herself. Crazed people who tend to believe in legends are hunting her, accusing her of being a vampire. She must prove that she, and others who suffer from the disease, are not the "undead" creatures from "Dracula" movies. Something is calling her towards the legendary Carpathian mountains. She knows her absentee father was originally from the area. She hopes that she might find the answers to her blood illness in his home territory. After living there in hiding for several months, she finds herself in an underground cavern. She is compelled to dig into the earth walls. She finds a coffin with a man inside who has obviously been recently tortured, killed, and buried there. She believes he was a fellow victim of the blood disease, whom was captured by the legend fanatics. When she realizes he is still alive, she uses her medical knowledge to save him. She doesn't know that he has plans to avenge his torture by draining her of her life's blood.

Before long, Jacques learns that this woman is not his enemy, but his true lifemate. After years of being completely alone, he can't bare the thought of her leaving him. He uses his enthralling abilities to compel her into bonding with him. Now he must convince her to want to stay. He can't survive without her. Worse, should he lose her, the world would become victim to his madness. Only Shea can keep him grounded in reality. Jacques will hunt the people who intend to kill Shea. No one will take her from him.

Mikhail, prince of the Carpathians, has learned that Jacques is alive. After thinking him dead for 7 years, Mikhail is blood thirsty for the people who entrapped and tortured his younger brother. When he locates Jacques, Mikhail finds a woman standing over him with blood on her hands. This woman will die. Mikhail prays that Jacques' madness will not prove a threat to his race, which would mean that his little brother would also have to die. Calling to his side the powerful Carpathian healer, Gregori, Mikhail will do whatever it takes to save Jacques and avenge his suffering.


With all of that going on, you'd think the story would move quickly. Unfortunately, the building relationship between Jacques and Shea (the part of the story that you would expect to be most interesting) slowed the story down a lot. It got old reading about Shea's rejection of Jacques' people and their way of life. Worse, it was all exactly the same as the heroine from "Dark Prince". I was reading the same heroine's story all over again, but with a different hero character. These women weren't forced to stay, but chose to. However, Shea threatened to deny Jacques children if he didn't agree to change his beliefs to match her own. She rejected his people's beliefs about everything from child- rearing, to health-care, to nourishment, to participating in battles to protect the Carpathians from human and vampire enemies. I understand she comes from the human world, but she is entering the Carpathian world. As I mentioned before, I don't enjoy seeing this paranormal world watered down with modern human ideals. The magic makes the story.


If you want to read the whole series, here is a link to the first book:

Dark Prince (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 1)

and the next 9 books, after "Dark Desire":

Dark Gold (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 3)

Dark Magic (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 4)

Dark Challenge (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 5)

Dark Fire (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 6)

Dark Legend (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 7)

Dark Guardian (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 8)

Dark Symphony (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 9)

Dark Melody (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 10)

the only character that really jumped out at me that I wanted to read about was Gregori. I bought this sequel, in the hopes that this was who it was about. Let me tell you, it didn't matter. Shea and Jacques were great! The story line kept you deeply involved and thinking about what was going to happen the whole time. Even though you don't hear much about them in the first book, you really get involved with them in this one. Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, go and read it.

this second in her series is MUCH better than the original. I am glad Jacques keep after Ms Feehan's mind to tell his story properly. We get both male and female heros and such love and understanding we all wish for. Looking forward to the remaining set of Carpathian novels.

Another enjoyable read from Christine Feehan. I have enjoyed the entire series and await more to come.

If the whole vampire thing was my cup of tea, this series would definitely have me hooked. The fact that I've read "Dark Prince" and "Dark Desire" comes as a complete surprise to those who know me; so much so that four people started reading this series and are enjoying it.

"Dark Desire" takes off where "Dark Prince" ends. Though "Dark Desire" can stand alone, reading enjoyment is enhanced by having read background information in "Dark Prince."

Jacques Dubrinsky, younger brother to Mikhail Dubrinsky Prince of the Carpathians (Dark Prince) has been captured, tortured, and left for dead. Shea O'Halloran is more than his rescuer and lifemate. She fills in a few misplaced and/or missing puzzle pieces from "Dark Prince"; pieces readers may not have realized existed. Their story is intense, emotional, and builds further on the Carpathian species and existence while setting the stage for future stories. The whole: Carpathians as a different "species" - not human; alpha, primal, shape-shifter that can run as/with wild animals (including wolves and owls); with principal objective & actions center on the need to protect their lifemates and children on a primal or animalistic level. Again, their "alpha" mentality and behavior, may be off-putting to some, bit adds to their wild-animalistic, whole-other-species nature. Failure to view Carpathians as another species and humanize them instead detracts from the uniqueness and creativity involved in creating this whole other species, culture, and way of existence.

This is a wonderful paranormal with drama, feeling, action, explanations, and more questions sure to continue to draw readers further in the Carpathian world.