REVIEW: Dark Sentinel by Christine Feehan

In Dark Sentinel (Dark #28) by Christine Feehan, Trying to make sense out of the darkness that has recently touched her life after the brutal loss of her family, Lorraine Peters has been on a solitary quest in the woods to redefine herself. Unfortunately, she encounters more brutality when she walks into a clearing, finding a man fighting for his life and outnumbered three to one. Lorraine’s martial arts training takes over and she helps fight off the attackers only to be faced with the real possibility that the guy she saved may die. She soon realizes that Andor Katona is unlike anyone she has ever met. And if Lorraine takes his word for it, he’s normally a very powerful ancient warrior from the Carpathian Mountains. As she becomes enmeshed in his life, feeling drawn to him like no other, she’ll have to decide if she can be the woman he needs as his lifemate and live in his dangerous world when all she seeks is peace.

She laughed softly. “You’re still wounded, you know… You still have three gaping wounds in your body, yet the first thing you’re thinking about is getting me naked. You’re *such* a man.”
He inclined his head. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Andor has spent centuries fighting with his brothers to rid the world of vampires. And after so many years of violence and a lack of color or emotions, he’d all but given up on ever finding his lifemate. As fate would have it, Lorraine finds him at his weakest and most helpless moment. Not the way a warrior such as himself wants to first appear to his woman. But Andor gladly accepts her assistance and is instantly in awe of his lifemate’s beauty and giving nature. Lorraine has proven she can defend herself, but she’s unaware of the dangers lurking in the forest nearby. It will take the fighting prowess and healing powers of his brethren to get him back on his feet so they can hopefully destroy an evil master vampire once and for all. Along the way, Andor also hopes to convince his modern-thinking, feisty but sweet lifemate that they truly were made for each other. And that becoming Carpathian will be a blessing, not a curse.

“I see you, Lorraine. Never think for one moment that you are not my choice. That you are not in my heart. I cannot see anything or anyone but you.”

With exciting fight scenes and a fated, hot as sin romance filled with respect and compromise, Dark Sentinel was the perfect new addition to Christine Feehan’s uber popular Dark series.

‘She was beginning to understand the value system in the Carpathian world, and it had little to do with money or what they had. It was what they gave to one another.’

I’m really not sure how Christine Feehan has managed to keep the Dark series so fresh and absolutely engrossing all the way here into book #28 but she certainly hasn’t lost her touch in spinning a fantastic story. Each book is a continuation of the story arc that started back in 1999 (!!!) so I would caution readers to at least start a few books prior to this one to see where the series has taken things recently–that is, if you don’t want to go back to the very beginning. And where each book basically picks up where the previous one ended, we got to see a ton of the cast from those stories and caught up with how they are handling having found their lifemates, which I loved seeing.

Lorraine and Andor’s romance was nothing short of spectacular. Feehan was spot-on with this pair and it was so interesting to watch how they worked their way through their differences to figure out how they would function best as a couple. Lorraine was a sassy, fun, kickass heroine who had practiced martial arts her whole life. But she was also extremely giving and compassionate, something the Carpathians needed–and cherished in her. I know Lorraine’s backstory will be difficult for some readers, although I think it was something that tied her and Andor together quickly. Well, along with her rescuing him from his attackers…with a saucepot. (lol) Leave it to Feehan to add a bit of whimsy and humor to a story rife with danger and heavy subject matter, making it work perfectly.

Andor was a one seriously talented ancient who had spent decades in the Carpathian monastery with a group of other ancients, all of whom were at risk of turning into vampires. I enjoyed seeing the modern world through his eyes, and even after all this time, watching the wonder of a Carpathian man finding his lifemate is still one of my favorite things about these books. The devotion Andor had for Lorraine, the way he wanted to protect her but allowed her to make decisions on her own–knowing she needed that–was utterly swoon-worthy. They faced many, many threats and challenges throughout this book. But it was how they defended each other and that everyone around them could see how Lorraine and Andor were able to find common ground, being from such different worlds, that made it so satisfying.

New plot twists and a bombshell as to who our next couple will be (I’m not tellin’ yet!) made Dark Sentinel a thrilling ride. Fans of the Dark series will be as intrigued as ever with the direction Feehan has set for upcoming books. Highly recommended.

Book Info:

Publication: Published September 4th 2018 | Berkley | Dark #28

In an explosive novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan, a human woman ignites the desire of her Carpathian lifemate–and of an ancient vampire with a score to settle.

After the devastating loss of her entire family, Lorraine Peters heads to the woods searching for peace of mind and anything to quell the anger in her soul. Instead, she stumbles upon a scene of horrific violence, as one man lies helpless in the face of three attackers.

Andor Katona’s existence has been a harsh one, living for centuries as a monk in the Carpathian Mountains. Unable to find his lifemate, he almost welcomes his release from a colorless and unfeeling world at the hands of the vampire hunters who have mistaken him for their prey. That is, until a whirling ball of fury bursts onto the scene, determined to save him.

In one glimpse, in one breath, Andor recognizes Lorraine as his lifemate, but it will take more than their telepathic connection to convince her of their immortal bond. Lorraine is a lethal combination of cunning and courage. So much so that she captures the attention of a master vampire, one who has already lost what was once irreplaceable to him. One who will strike with deadly precision at Andor and his ancient Carpathian comrades in a war to end all wars. . .