Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan

Posted August 28, 2019 in review Tags: 4 stars, fated mates, Vampire

Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan
Pages: 400

Series: Carpathian #28
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Also in this series: Dark Sentinel, Dark Challenge, Dark Magic , Dark Whisper
Also by this author: Judgment Road, Shadow Keeper, Dark Sentinel, Dark Challenge, Dark Magic , Vengeance Road, Toxic Game, Shadow Warrior, Vendetta Road, Lethal Game, Shadow Flight, Desolation Road, Reckless Road, Shadow Storm (Shadow Riders #6), Murder at Sunrise Lake, Annihilation Road , Savage Road, Dark Whisper , Leopard's Scar , Recovery Road , Ghostly Game, Dark Memory , Betrayal Road

Goodreads

A mage and a warrior must see beyond their facades and embrace the bond that links their souls in this powerful Carpathian novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

At any other time, Julija Brennan would find solace in the quiet of the Sierra Mountains, but now the mage is in the race of her life. Having broken free from her controlling family, Julija's attempts to warn the Carpathians of the coming threat has failed and put a target on her back—and those who hunt her are close behind...

After centuries locked away in a monastery in the Carpathian Mountains, Isai Florea can't believe he's finally found his lifemate—the missing half of his soul. The second he sees Julija his world blazes with color. But despite their explosive connection Julija rebels against what she sees as Isai's intent to control her and rejects the bond that would prevent him from becoming a monster.

As their unfulfilled bond continues to call to them both, Julija and Isai aim to complete the task that brought them together. They are used to facing danger alone, but now the mage and the ancient warrior must learn how to rely on each other in order to stop a plot that threatens all Carpathians...

Dark Illusion continues one of my favorite series, the Carpathians. I love the fated mates trope, so this series has always been a hit for me. Isai and Julija were delightful as well. I think readers will LOVE Isai-what a steadfast and honorable hero! I will say he is VERY alpha. If that isn’t your thing, you won’t find Isai so perfect.

Isai is a warrior and he is enchanting. He has a list of swoon worthy qualities I could go on about forever, but basically, he is perfection! He is strong, patient, and devoted. Julija isn’t instantly likable and there were times when I felt she was NOT good enough for Isai (because he was so perfect). However, her life hasn’t been easy-her family was horrible, her ex was abusive, and she is seeking an evil book so it can’t be used to destroy everything. Isai (being perfect and wonderful) helps her not only with her quest, but in finding her courage and strength. Julija is a really powerful mage and I enjoyed that aspect of the story.

Dark Illusion was fast paced (like most of Feehan’s stories) and you will be sucked in fairly quickly as Isai and Julija’s emotional journey unfolds. While the beginning is a tad angsty (ok, for me, it was really angsty), once I got to understand the characters better, the story began to level out and the angst was focused outside the couple. If you enjoy paranormal romance, a variation on the vampire lore, and steamy romance, Dark Illusion delivers!

POV: 3rd
Tears: no
Trope: fated mates, vampires
Triggers: View Spoiler »
Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series (while you don’t have to read all the previous 28 books, it helps if you are at least familiar with the world of the Carpathians
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »no « Hide Spoiler
HEA: View Spoiler »yes « Hide Spoiler

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Heroine
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Overall:

Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh, Blood Truth by JR Ward, The Darkest Warrior by Gena Showalter…then you will probably like Dark Illusion!

Dark Illusion

About Christine Feehan

Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 40 published novels, including five series; Leopard Series, Dark Series, Ghostwalker Series, Drake Sisters Series, & the Sisters of the Heart Series. All five series hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestselling list as well. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature (PEARL) in 1999. Since then she has been published by various publishing houses including Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7 more PEARL awards since Dark Prince.

In addition to the #1 New York Times bestsellers list and the PEARL awards, Christine is honored to have made the bestsellers list for Amazon, B. Daltons, Barnes and Nobles, Bookscan, Borders, Ingrams, Publishers Weekly, Rhapsody Book Club, USA Today, Waldenbooks, Walmart, and the Washington Post. Other honors that she has received include being a nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award, receiving the Career Achievement Award for Contemporary New Reality from Romantic Times Magazine in 2003 and in 2008 the Borders Lifetime Achievement Award.

She has been published in multiple languages and in many formats, including audio book, e-book, hardcover and large print. In October of 2007 her first manga comic, Dark Hunger was released in stores. This was the first ever manga comic released by Berkley Publishing and it made #11 on Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller’s List. Her ground-breaking book trailer commercials have been shown on TV and in the movie theaters. She has been featured on local TV, appeared on the The Montel Williams Show, and her book Dark Legend was featured on the cover of Romantic Times Magazine.

Christine Feehan has also appeared at numerous writers’ conventions and book signings including: Romantic Times Convention, Get Caught Reading at Sea Cruise, Celebrate Romance Conference, Emerald City Conference, and numerous Romance Writers of America Conferences. She was also a special guest at the 2013 Comic Con and now has her own FAN convention.