Dark Sentinel continues the Carpathian series. Its like book 900 or something. Okay, thats an exaggeration, but seriously this is a LONG series. I haven't read them all. But, it wasn't a problem to read Dark Sentinel without knowing the details of the previous 9000 books.
Andor is a very old Carpathian who has all but given up on the hope he will find his lifemate. As he contemplates just letting himself die after being attacked by inept 'vampire hunters', his mate swoops in and saves him. While I noted it isn't necessary to read ALL the previous books, you really do need to at least understand the basics of the world Feehan has created.
- Vampires are BAD. Carpathians, while they drink blood and cannot come out during the day, are not vampires. A Carpathian who has given up hope and 'turned to the dark side' becomes a vampire and is then hunted by other Carpathians.
- Carpathian males must find their life mate. The longer they live without her, the worse their life gets and the more likely they are to turn into vampires.
- Human females who have certain psychic gifts can be mates to the Carpathian men.
Lorraine is a spunky girl with a deadly talent. She comes from a family of martial artists and she is exceptionally good. She saves Andor but is SURE he is gonna die soon. However, she agrees to his weird requests (packing his gaping wound with dirt, digging him a hole). She is telepathic and eventually shares memories with Andor to understand his world and what is happening. Because Andor is in such bad shape, other Carpathians are summoned to come help. The vampire attacks are getting more intense and frequent. The story has lots of action and quite a bit of gore. The human puppets...shudder. If blood, guts, and gore aren't okay for you, this book might be a bit much. Andor, compared to some of the other Carpathians, almost seems more beta than alpha. It was refreshing. He isn't a wimp or a pushover by any means, but he has a different way of behaving that is more contemplative and calm. I appreciated the break from the beat-you-over-the-head-and-drag-you-back-to-my-cave type behavior.
These are NOT books to read if you don't like the insta-love/fated mates thing. Me, I love it. But these two are in love within hours of meeting so if that isn't your jam, keep moving. If, like me, its you favorite thing ever, you will love this series. I like that the drama of the book isn't about the relationship but about external factors. I also appreciated that even with the life mates bond, Lorraine questioned the relationship. She had legitimate worries like does he like me, or does he HAVE to like me. Like all Feehan's books, there is some crazy hot sex as well. Like actually CRAZY! Some of the places Andor and Lorraine have sex is mind boggling (flying horse!).
The story ends a bit anticlimaticly in my opinion. The main story arc between Lorraine and Andor is settled, but Sergey is still out there, they still aren't sure what he is up to, and the next couple is hinted to and there are ALL KINDS of problems there. Now I have to wait a year for the next book!
Who should read this book? Anyone who likes progressive paranormal romance. Feehan has taken the vampire trope and twisted it. Her world of the Carpathians is evolving as time marches on and she does it flawlessly. If you like your romance steamy and just a touch violent, Dark Sentinel will be a gem! If you are my mom, you will hate this. Seriously, mom-not your kind of book. Vampires AND too much sex. Me, however, I loved Dark Sentinel!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: fated mates, vampires
- Triggers: spoiler
- Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
- Cliffhanger: not exactly but large story arcs are still not wrapped up and the next couple is give a bit of lead that will have you wondering
- HEA: yes, no epilogue
Dark Lover by JR Ward, Archangel's Viper by Nalini Singh, The Darkest Promise by Gena Showalter...then you will probably like Dark Sentinel!
See full review on The Book Disciple