Dark Celebration: A Carpathian Reunion (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 14)

Book Description: The blood-drinking, mind-reading, shape-shifting Carpathian clan and their human friends gather for Christmas--and to stave off encroaching enemies. The guests hunt vampires, confront a dark mage and, most importantly, face the extinction of their species due to a mysteriously low birth rate and high infant mortality. For years, they have been persecuted by their enemies, and have struggled against all odds to preserve their species. Now, a new insidious plot has been devised-one that would slaughter Carpathian females and bring an end to all that the Carpathians have worked for. Even with his own lifemate, Raven, and their daughter Savannah, in danger, Carpathian king Mikhail believes that all is not lost. Gathering all of his people together, he will forge a new bond of strength, joining their powers in a celebration that will bring light even in this dark time. I borrowed this book from the library and had it in my possession for a week before reading it. I told a friend of mine, who is now reading this series after I introduced her to it, that I was not going to read the book. As a newbie to this series, and the genre, I was afraid this book would be too "vampire" or too "dark" for me. I "sampled" it, read little bits here and there, decided to read it, and absolutely loved it. In this book, fans of the series can revisit previous characters, are introduced to new ones, are brought up-to-date on what's going on with the Carpathian species in general, while setting the stage for future books. Fans revisit bound couples and anticipate future life-matches: Mikhail & Raven / Jacques & Shea / Gregori & Savannah / Aidan & Alexandria / Julian & Desari / Darius & Tempest / Gabriel & Francesca / Lucian & Jaxon / Dayan & Corrinne / Barack & Syndil / Byron & Antoinetta / Falcon & Sara / Traian & Joie / Vikirnoff & Natalya / Nicolae & Destiny / Riordan & Juliette / Rafael & Colby / Manolito & MaryAnn / Dimitri & Skyler, etc. While an excellent read on its own, this appetizer laid the ground work for two potentially amazing stories involving two incredible warriors and the remarkable lifemates that they both served long & hard for and truly deserve. Dimitri was so-o-o tortured he stole my heart. For centuries he honorably did everything asked of a Carpathian warrior - all alone, many of the others had siblings at least. For nature to play such a cruel trick on him was almost unimaginable. He was a tremendous warrior, yet the manner in which he handled the situations that occurred, as well as the actions of others involved was inspiring. He showed patience, courage, acceptance, and empathy. I loved the way he stopped Skyler from withdrawing when she would have reverted into her old pattern of hiding causing me to wonder if he will succeed where others have failed in getting her to face her past and embrace her future. Manolito was an awesome warrior with a strong sense of honor; humorous and almos

It is Christmastime and the Prince of Carpathians has called in his people to come home to their native land and celebrate the joyous season together. From each corner of the world, Carpathians and their human friends have come home to gather as one and also discuss the problem that is seriously facing their breed: extinction. For after years and years of research, Gregori, Shea and Francesca are yet to come to a conclusion on why their women are unable to carry to full term, or why most babies can't manage to live past their first year. Does the answer lie within the Carpathian Mountains? And how would they also deal with the other threat to their species now that vampires have started working together to defeat them? With many of them gathered in one place, it is to be expected that their enemies will take advantage of this once in a lifetime chance to attack them when they're most vulnerable. While the women are busy preparing for the Christmas feast and the men are doing their best to ensure they don't end up donning the Santa suit, the attack comes from out of nowhere, aimed at their women and the Prince. Never has a call for unity mattered more, and every single Carpathian would do anything to save their family and friends. When I first heard about Feehan's plan for a Carpathian reunion, I was excited and couldn't wait to get my hand on this book. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed and this turned out to be better than I originally expected. The introduction was great and serves as confirmation of the strength of Mikhail and Raven's love for each other. Each chapter flows well and while devoted to the main characters from the previous book, Feehan does a good job of tying up everything that you get a feeling of continuity throughout the book. DARK CELEBRATIONS is a monstrously fun and entertaining read. I enjoyed seeing the couples from the previous books come to life once again and loved the introduction of new lifemates and possibly their own books. Feehan blends horror, romance, wit and humor with flair. Joseph is back with his antics and about to send Mikhail into a cardiac arrest, and the most feared warrior is about to sends kids screaming when he is forced to play Santa. Definitely Feehan's best book in a while and I highly recommend it!

I really really enjoyed reading this book. I've been rather critical of Feehan's last few Carpathian novels -- I thought they were too dark, too depressing, and too caught up with martial arts special effects. But this Dark Celebration was a complete and unexpected surprise. Feehan really pulled off an amazing feat by incorporating ALL of the couples and characters of her many Carpathian novels into one "reunion" book. It's an excellent blend of humor and suspense, love and passion, with just the right amount of skillfully wrought action. A lot of overriding questions start to get answered in this book. And more than one ancient warrior discovers his lifemate (just enough to whet our appetities for their upcoming books). Overall, it's a huge success and it's a must read for all Carpathian fans, even those of us who haven't been thrilled with the last few books. And I must say, those last three couples play pretty significant roles in this book, and they appear to great advantage. Even Rafael. :) The most important element of this book is the fact that Skyler begins her long-awaited journey into adulthood. She's a fascinating character, with a mysterious background, and an exciting future. I'm really looking forward to her story.

It is Christmas in the Carpathian Mountains and from all over the world these intensely sumptuous and dangerous men are returning to their homeland. Some are bringing their lifemates and some are bringing their children. But all of them are looking for a moment of peace and happiness. The female lifemates are determined to make this a celebration to remember. Complete with homemade baking, turkey with all the trimmings and miscellaneous games and fun planned for everyone to participate in. The Carpathian men do not normally celebrate the holidays, but they are willing to do anything for the women in their lives. Willing, that is, until they find out one of them has to play Santa Claus for the children, complete with the white beard and round belly. Big, tough Carpathian men turning white and panicking at the very horrors of the dreaded Santa Suit. Unfortunately there is a presence out there that is determined to ruin their plans for peace and happiness. Up until now all the attacks by their enemies; vampires, dark mages, and human hunters have concentrated on the Carpathian men. But to strike at where they are most vulnerable would be to strike at their women and children. And although they have celebrated minor victories with the few female children who have been born, there have still been miscarriages. And for the few that are either pregnant or thinking about trying for more children, it is a harrowing time. The unthinkable happens and an enemy starts to attack the females, hitting at their worst fears and bringing them close to death with every attack. The Carpathians must now unite together to become stronger, faster, and more deadly than their enemies. Now the males must depend on their women in this fight; to use both their skills and gifts, even as they fight to protect them. I can't tell you how excited I was to read Dark Celebration. I have been looking forward to it for the longest time and I certainly am not the only one. In fact, there was a knock-down drag-out fight among the reviewers to see who would get to review Dark Celebration when it came in. I managed to emerge victorious, if slightly bruised and scraped and I am so thankful I did!! Dark Celebration brings back all of the beloved characters from the previous Dark books and introduces a few new ones and Christine Feehan manages to weave them together in a breathtaking and engaging way. The threat to the Carpathians kept me turning the page to find out what would happen next, and I loved how everyone banded together to fight against an evil so terrifying that it could mean the end of the Carpathians completely. Christine Feehan's Carpathians are a true family and Dark Celebration shows their bonds in intense and vivid colors. Their antics on the page kept me in stitches, and their love for each other shone through in every scene. I truly felt a part of this big, boisterous and incredibly sensuous clan and I can't wait for the next adventure in th

Seeing as how I blasted Feehan for Dark Demon, it was only fair to take the time to tell everyone how much I enjoyed Dark Celebration. Author Feehan does a great job of bringing in every single couple (no joke) from her previous books, as well as all their children. Prince Mikhail Dubrinsky is humoring his lifemate, Raven, by throwing a true Christmas Celebration for Carpathians and their human friends. All the Carpathians have showed up, and the running joke through the book is which of the hunters will be playing Santa Claus. While the book has humorous and lighthearted elements, the story also has its dark spots as there are numerous attacks on the women & children of the Carpathians. What makes the book really interesting is that two new lifemates are found and Prince Dubrinsky finally looks as if he has found a cure for the infertility and low birth rate of the Carpathian women. How the knowledge comes about and who actually supplies the cure is really great! Based on this plot device, it made me wonder just how far Feehan has had this series plotted out!! Reading this book was like early Feehan - Dark Celebration contained all the elements that made her Dark series so successful - mental and emotional intimacy between 2 people; resolving actual problems within the same book; visits with past pairs (in this case, everyone)and great sex scenes. I highly recommend this book. It will go on everyone's keeper shelf, and I guarantee you find yourself reading it more than once.