July 27, 2009
Even new readers daunted by 40 pages of appendixes and a two-page family tree will love the tender romance in the 20th installment of Feehan's Carpathians series. Benign blood-drinking Carpathians turn into evil vampires if they fail to find their destined life mates. Broken and left for dead after a family betrayal, Ivory Malinov gradually heals, becoming a loner and dedicated vampire slayer. Razvan's evil grandfather, the mage Xavier, forced him to commit unspeakable deeds against fellow Carpathians. Ivory discovers Razvan near death, and after realizing they are life mates, she nurses him back to health and they plot to combine forces and defeat Xavier. The slow-to-trust Ivory fights her growing feelings for Razvan, whose self-hatred juxtaposes brilliantly with his innate gentle nature. Fans looking for a departure from Feehan's usual alpha male heroes will enjoy this lengthy but powerful tale.
September 15, 2009
Betrayed by her own people, the powerful, magical Carpathians, vampire slayer Ivory Malinov lives alone, save for a pack of wolves who are fiercely loyal to her. But when Ivory comes across a gravely wounded man in the woods, her world is turned upside down. She immediate recognizes him as her life mate, the man she is meant to be with. The man, Razvan, feels the pull as well, but he carries a terrible curse: the sadistic and mighty mage, Xavier, has the ability to enter his body at any time and carry out horrific acts. For centuries, Xavier has used Razvans body to hurt Razvans own loved ones, and Razvan is determined that he wont do the same to Ivory. Ivory herself has every reason to hate Xavierhe is responsible for her exile from her people. An encounter with several Carpathians leads to an uneasy alliance with the Prince in the hopes of defeating Xavier for good. Loyal followers of the long-running series will definitely enjoy this steamy pivotal entry.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)