Dark Prince by Christine Feehan

Back Cover

He came to her in the night, a predator -- strength and power chiseled his features. The seduction was deep and elemental; he affected her soul. His need. His darkness. His terrible haunting loneliness. Her senses aroused, she craved the dangerous force of his body. Burned for him. And he had only touched her with his mind.

She came to him at dawn, his bleakest hour. As the beast raged inside him, threatening to consume him, he vented his centuries-old despair in an anguished cry that filled the waning night. And she answered, a ray of light, piercing his darkness. A beautiful angel. Her compassion, courage, and innocence awakened in him an exquisite longing and tenderness. He knew he must possess her, for only she could tame his savage side and lift the dark shadow from his soul. Apart they were desolate, bereft. Intertwined physically and spiritually, they could heal one another and experience an eternity of nights filled with love.

This is the first book in Christine Feehan's "Dark" Series, and there are A LOT of them...21 published and still counting!! The series is based on a hidden race of people that have hidden themselves in the Carpathian Mountains. 

Raven Whitney has fled to these mountains to find solitude and peace for her mind. Raven has just finished helping track down a vicious serial killer in the States, using her telepathic abilities. She is mentally and physically worn out from the efforts needed to dwell in the sick and twisted minds of the many serial killers she has hunted down. Raven hopes to relax and restrain from using her telepathic abilities. However, she can not stop herself from reaching out to a mind on there verge of ending its lonely existence. 

Prince Mikhail Dubrinksy, of the Carpathian race, has reached his breaking point. He has been entrusted to find the key to save his dying race of ancient and powerful people. The Carpathians have been granted powerful abilities and longevity in life, but they are faced with a difficult task of finding their one true life-mate. The birthrate amongst their people is slowly declining and the male to female ratio is growing extremely unbalanced. For all Carpathians males finding their life-mate is the most important thing, until they do they slowly loose all feeling of emotion. There is a point where Carpathians males have lost all sense of emotion they either chose to face the sun, which will end their life, or turn into viscous vampire.

Mikhail has decided to face the sun and in one cry filled with angous he expresses his deep feeling of lonelienes. Raven has no way to avoid the soul filled cry she hears coming from another person, her compassionate nature will not allow her to ignore another's pain, even though she has fled to avoid all telepathic connections. When Mikhail hears Raven speaking to him mentally he can not ignore her and tracks her down...only to realize that this human is his true lifemate!

...From that moment on there is nothing that can keep Mikhail away from Raven, even if it's Raven who is trying to deny they are meant for each other...

I LOVED this book! I plan on reading all 21 of them and then some! Mikhail is that over protecting male who borders on over controlling and Raven is a female who is immensely independent to the point where she choices the obviously dumb choice just to say it was her own. Being that the two clash so much leads to fun events between them. 

I would not recommend this book to a feminist however. Mikhail can become annoying with his over controlling ways and "sweet" endearment of "little one". But...being that I'm not an looking at this book with a feminist point of view and more of with a romantic's point of view... I don't mind it.

The story line was fun and exciting and always led me to an exciting end. This was definitely a page-turner and I actually asked myself at time..."There's more!" this book seemed like it was never going to end...but in a great way! The characters introduced in Dark Prince were all great additions to the book and opened the way for so many more great stores. I have to say I think this is going to become my second favorite series by an author. It reminds me so much of my favorite series about the Malory Family by Johanna Lindsey.

I would absolutely recommend this book to others. The immediate spark of romance is everything any romantic at heart dreams of.