Review: Deadly Storms by Christine Feehan

 

Deadly Storms (Sunrise Lake #3) by Christine Feehan

Publication Date: September 2nd 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 396

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I love romantic suspense and the premise for Deadly Storms sounded really good. It ended up being a mixed bag for me. I’ve come to the conclusion that I struggle with Christine Feehan’s writing. There’s a lot of repetition (Deadly Storms would’ve benefited by some editing down), telling versus showing, long explanations about Shabina and her friends: they’re beautiful and successful and wonderful and on and on.  Also, most of her protagonists seem to have these horrifyingly brutal pasts. While what happened to Shabina in the past (kidnap, rape and torture) didn’t take place on the page, it was very disturbing. Then there’s the supposed capabilities/wealth, described at length, of Rainier and his security team. So over-the-top I couldn’t suspend my disbelief.

 

On the positive side, I was interested enough to finish, which was something given it was 400 pages, and I was surprised by the murderer’s identity. I enjoyed the setting. It’s an area I’m very familiar with, in fact I backpacked and camped at Sunrise Lake. It’s gorgeous and I could easily picture the fictional small town of Knightly that was close by. I also appreciated the author didn’t force a physical relationship between Shabina and Rainier.  They were in love, but it was a given that the road to physical intimacy would happen when Shabina was ready and comfortable with it.

3 Stars

Book Description:

Danger is gathering on the horizon in this gripping novel of romantic suspense from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Shabina Foster does her best to lead a normal life. She takes comfort in her friends and her dogs and finds passion in running her own small-town café in the eastern Sierra. But she can’t help always looking over her shoulder, not after what happened in her past. Since then, Shabina has worked very hard to build herself up and live life to the fullest.

Still, there’s no denying the scars she carries. Truly opening up her guarded world seems like an impossible dream—especially when it comes to the one man who makes her feel safe. Shabina already feels like she’s ruined his life and is determined to keep her distance, even as the ghosts of her past emerge from the shadows.

Security expert Rainier Ashcroft knows firsthand that a storm is brewing and that Shabina is in real trouble. Threats are approaching on all sides—and there’s no telling when the next hit will strike. But convincing the woman he loves to truly let him in will be just as difficult as keeping her alive.

Review: Dark Hope by Christine Feehan

 

Dark Hope (Dark #34) by Christine Feehan

Publication Date: January 7th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 432

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Silke is a demon slayer tasked with protecting her village, something she’s very skilled at, but it’s been predicted that a greater danger is coming. Fortunately, Silke knows that several Carpathian warriors are coming as well, one likely her lifemate. A man she hasn’t met, but one she’s bonded to.

 

Benedek is one of the ancient Carpathian warriors who would be on the path of turning vampire and evil if it weren’t for his lifemate. Once he bonds with her his soul will be complete and he’ll be out of danger of turning, but he has a hard time trusting since a vicious betrayal years ago. He’s trying to get to Silke’s village quickly as he knows of the coming danger, but Lilith has her minions lay a dangerous trap that isn’t easily shaken off.

 

In Dark Hope Lilith has targeted Silke’s village and is intent on taking the demon slayer out but doesn’t know her identity so she sends in some of her agents undercover to find her and lay other traps. Dealing with these evil entities took some cunning on Silke’s part and it was entertaining to see how she handled it. I also really enjoyed all the epic battles, both Silke and Benedek were skilled and clever, but they were up against some dangerous foes!

 

The Dark series is a long-running one and I started reading late in the game, but I’ve enjoyed the stories even so. Each story has a separate romance and conflict that is resolved by the end. Fated/bonded mates, vampires, shapeshifters, and all sorts of other magical creatures are incorporated into the stories. Then there’s the evil underworld, ruled by Lilith, always trying to take over. To be honest, I have no idea why anyone serves Lilith as she’s always torturing her servants and turning against them.

4 Stars

Book Description:

Immortal passions rage as evil grows in this gripping novel in Christine Feehan’s #1 New York Times bestselling Carpathian series.

Silke Vriese Reinders knows a war is coming. The demon slayer has seen it over and over again in the cards—and the battle won’t just be for the survival of her remote village, but for all mankind. Silke knows the only way to win will be with the help of the Carpathians. A fact that fills her with trepidation, as she is fated to be the lifemate to one of the ancient supernatural warriors—bound to a complete stranger and responsible for his soul.

     One of the oldest, most dangerous Carpathians, Benedek Kovak is more beast than man. Locked away for centuries, the only thing that has stopped him from becoming one of the monsters he’s sworn to defeat is the thought of his lifemate. When Benedek senses the impending danger, he sets out to find her before it’s too late. But their enemy has laid a trap that pushes him closer to turning than ever before.

     For so long Benedek has felt nothing. Now, some dark art is compelling him to indulge in cravings he thought long buried. He has no hope that anyone can restore what’s left of his tainted soul, but Silke is nothing like he imagined. Perhaps she’s strong enough to fight back the darkness. Perhaps together they can defeat an adversary hell bent on destroying them all....

Photo credit: Michael Greene

About the Author

Christine Feehan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the Carpathian series, the GhostWalker series, the Leopard series, the Torpedo Ink series, the Shadow Riders series, and stand-alone romantic suspense novels. Learn more online at www.christinefeehan.com. 

Mini Review: Dark Memory by Christine Feehan

Dark Memory (Dark #33) by Christine Feehan

Publication Date: October 3rd 2023 by Berkley

Pages: 423

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Safia is a kickass heroine with superpowers to vanquish the bad guys. She finds out she’s been promised to Petru, a Carpathian hottie and legendary vampire fighter, her lifemate. Safia’s not too happy she wasn’t told about this, but there are bigger things to worry about like evil vampires, demons and Lillith the ultimate baddie, coming for her and her family!

Love the whole “fated mates” concept and they have a past! Their romance is a slow burn, well done and hot!

 

Dark Memory was an exciting paranormal romance! Good vs. evil, danger and action at every turn, a chemistry filled romance and a family, both found and blood related, to love and root for!

Things to note: The story took a bit to get into but worth the time. Safia and Petru’s story wraps up, but the fight against evil isn’t over. Petru’s Carpathian friends will be getting their own stories complete with lifemates. Dark Memory can easily be read as a standalone. 

4 Stars

Book Description:

Safia Meziane has trained since birth to protect her tribe, the family she holds so dear. All along she told herself the legends she was raised with were simply that. But now, she must call upon all of her skills to fight what lies ahead. Evil has come to their small town on the cost of Algeria, evil that Safia can feel but cannot see.

She is terrified she will not be able to protect the ones she loves. As her family’s “chosen one,” she has always believed she would face this task alone—until her family reveals she has been promised to a warrior who will join her. An outsider. A Carpathian. . . .

Petru Cioban is one of the oldest Carpathians in existence, and he has spent all that time without the soothing presence of his lifemate. For two thousand years he has waited for this woman to be reborn, only to find her in the sights of a monster he has fought before, a vampire risen again to finish a battle started centuries ago.

Now, Petru must face his greatest enemy and his greatest shame. He has no hope that Safia will forgive his betrayal once the memories of her past life return to her. But he will not make the same mistake again, even if he has to sacrifice everything for the woman who has claimed his immortal soul.

 

Photo Credit: Michael Greene

About the author:

Christine Feehan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the Carpathian series, the GhostWalker series, the Leopard series, the Torpedo Ink series, the Shadow Riders series, and stand-alone romantic suspense novels. Learn more online at www.christinefeehan.com.
 

Review & Giveaway: Dark Whisper by Christine Feehan

 

Dark Whisper (Carpathian/Dark #32) by Christine Feehan

Publication Date: October th 2022 by Berkley

Pages: 448

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Vasilisa is one of the Lycan royals with special powers to defeat demons who come from the underworld and able to close off portals from there, too. She knows there’s trouble brewing but not sure where it’s coming from. She also knows that she protects the soul of her lifemate and he is now near.

Afanasiv is a Carapathian ancient who has fought evil for many centuries. He and Vasilisa must fight many battles as they navigate their new status as lifemates and get to know each other, But a lot of this must be put on the back burner as there is a traitor trying to capture all the royals and imprison them in the Underworld.

Vasilisa was a strong fighter, selfless in her mission to protect her people and Afanasiv is a force to be reckoned with too. They’re well matched and together make a powerful, unified front in a battle between good and evil. There’s a lot of battles! At almost 500 pages, this is a long book that took me a while to get through. I enjoyed it even though a lot of it went over my head because I hadn’t read the previous books. I will say the story had many names that tripped me up a bit. If it’s a side character it doesn’t really make a difference in my enjoyment of the story, but if it’s a main character like Afanasiv, it’s something that jars me up every time I read the name.

Dark Whisper can be read as a standalone, but I think fans of this long-running series will appreciate it more than someone just jumping in (like I did, lol). There’s a lot going on and world building that has happened. I’m still not sure exactly what a Carpathian is. The story is an exciting, action-packed adventure with plenty of chemistry and steam between Vasilisa and Afanasiv!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Vasilisa Sidkorolyavolkva is a Lycan of royal blood. She knows what is expected of her, but all she wants is to be out from under her family's watchful eyes. There is a fire inside her that is building. A restlessness coupled with a sense of growing dread. Every day she feels the weight of the legacy passed down through generations. The prophecy that says a man will come to claim her as his mate, and that she will guard his soul. She knows nothing about him except that he is hers. But nothing seems real until the night she meets him in the flesh....

Afanasiv Belan is a Carpathian, an ancient one. In all the centuries of his existence, no one has ever affected him like Vasilisa. He can see into her mind and feel what is in her heart. They are so alike, warriors bound by honor and plagued by secrets. They both know they must reveal the darkest parts of their souls if they hope to survive and protect the ones they love.

But if they claim each other as lifemates, it will change them down to the bone. They will become something more--something feared by both of their kinds....

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Review & Giveaway: Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan

Shadow Rider (Shadow #1) by Christine Feehan

Publication Date: June 28th 2016 by Jove

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

The #1 New York Times bestselling “queen of paranormal romance”* is back with a sexy new series starring a Chicago crime family that hides a dark, mystical secret...

Whether it’s fast cars or fast women, Stefano Ferraro gets what he wants. When he’s not fodder for the paparazzi, he commands Ferraro family businesses—both legitimate and illegitimate.

While their criminal activity is simply a rumor yet to be proven, no one knows the real truth. The Ferraros are a family of shadow riders capable of manipulating light and dark, an ability Stefano thought ran in his family alone—until now…

With little left to her name, Francesca Cappello has come to Chicago in hopes of a new life. She wasn’t expecting to attract the attention of a man with primal hunger in his eyes, driven to claim her as his to protect and to please. And if he discovers her secret, it could ruin her...

My Thoughts:

Francesca is on the run from a very powerful man, Barry Anthon, who brutally murdered her sister and got away with it. She lost everything thanks to him, her home, and reputation. Thankfully, her best friend, Joanna, was able to help, because otherwise she’d be living on the streets. The minute she gets to Joanna’s town, though, she captures the attention of Stefano Ferraro, a powerful, gorgeous man with a dangerous edge. 

Stefano Ferraro is a shadow rider, a person able to ride shadows, traveling undetected, and endowed with other psychic gifts. He’s from a long family line of shadow riders trained from infancy to perfect their abilities and use their gifts for justice when the law fails to serve it.  When Francesca gets to his town, penniless and frightened, he immediately senses her presence and intense pull.  Every cell in his body is drawn to her, and there’s no way he can let her go even if that means involving her in his dangerous world.

This is my first Christine Feehan book and I’m impressed by how HOT it was! Stefano and Francesca’s romance intense! It was almost like the absolute pull mates have in shifter stories, which kind of applies here, too; that powerful bond resulting partly from the paranormal aspect of their relationship.  I will say the first 35% or so sort of dragged for me and it took me a while to get past that point. Shadow Rider is a 480 page book, so it was a hefty amount, but once I did the story was quite steamy and addictive.  This is a case of a dark, possessive, Alpha-guy who in real life would be considered stalker-ish and scary, but somehow in fiction he’s super hot and delicious, lol! Although, I must admit, Stefano kept dibs on Francesca for protection, and she definitely needed it! She was in danger at every turn.  Barry is crazy obsessed with finding, punishing and killing Francesca, but he’s way out of his league when it comes to the Ferraro family.  I love how the family pulls together to combat this thug!

This was a great introduction into the world of Shadow Riders! I’m wondering what will come next, a story with Nicoletta and Stefano’s brother, Taviano? My heart aches for what that poor girl went through!

3.5 Suns

The lovely people of Jove generously provided a Paperback copy of Shadow Rider to giveaway to one Waves of Fiction follower.  The giveaway is open to US and CA residents only.