First, the blurb: Gabrielle has had enough of battles, of wars, of seeing Gary Jansen, the man she loves nearly lose his life when it isn’t even his fight. Once he was a gentle and very human researcher. Now he’s a fearless and lethal Carpathian warrior with the blood of an ancient lineage coursing through his veins—a man Gabrielle still needs and desires and dreams of with every breath she takes. All she wants is a life far away from the Carpathian mountains, far from vampires and the shadows cast by the crumbling monastery that hides so many terrible secrets. But Gabrielle soon learns that promises made in the dark can pierce the heart like a dagger. And she isn’t the only one in search of answers in the corners of the unknown…Trixie Joanes has come to the Carpathian mountains in search of her wayward granddaughter, fearing that she has been lured there by something unspeakable. Instead, Trixie has stumbled into the path of a desperate man and a woman in love and on the run. And they’re all fated for the lair of a mysterious ancient with revenge in his soul and the undying power to make bad dreams come true.
My thoughts: This book tells the story of Aleskei and Gabby. All Gabby wants is to live a life free of vampires, Carpathians, fear and away from the Mountains. She is prepared to mate Gary, a true hero among the Carpathians for all the work he has done to help them. However, Gabby’s destiny lies elsewhere–specifically, with an ancient Carpathian named Aleskei. Theirs is a story that will tug at your heart. Along the way, we meet Grandma Trixie–a wonderful character who can’t help but love!
I really enjoyed this book. I have been reading the Carpathians for years (and years). This is book #29 (yes, 29) of this series (and I believe that includes the novellas) I call them “my beloved Carpathians”. However, I have also been somewhat critical of this series for a while because I felt the author was not doing much to advance the overall story arc and I felt the writing was suffering. I am very glad to feel some of the formerly great writing coming back to this series. Having said that, I still have to say I don’t think this book did a lot to advance the story line. Yes, we did learn a few pieces of information, however, we also gained several more characters that I loved but now have their books coming also and we still have several characters whose books we have been waiting for. But, as I love the Carpathians, I will keep going!! I have to believe that Ms. Feehan will eventually save the Carpathians!
Geek Sneak Peek 