"The Dark saga continues with Lucian's story"

Lucian Daratrazanoff is a legend...one of the ancient Dark twins sent out over 1000 years ago by their former Prince to protect humans and Carpathians alike. His life was bleak, lacking color and emotion. The only thing that had kept him from turning vampire after all these years had been his dedication to his twin, Gabriel. Lucian had fooled everyone into thinking he had turned, to give his brother a mission to keep from turning himself. Once Gabriel found his lifemate, Lucian was ready to give up, allowing himself to be destroyed. But hope arrives at the last minute, giving Lucian a new reason for living... his own lifemate.

Jaxon "Jaxx" Montgomery is a brilliant and gifted cop, well respected by her fellow officers, and having survived a hellish young life. Her entire family, and anyone she has ever gotten close to, were brutally murdered by a former Navy SEAL, and her late father's best friend, Tyler Drake. She had spent the last several years of her life trying to avoid emotional entanglements with anyone, for fear Drake would fixate on them and start another murderous rampage. Lucian finds in her the one person who could bring color and feeling back into his bleak existence, and therefore refuses to allow her to keep her distance. He needs her and is determined to make Jaxon understand him.

When Jaxx and her partner are nearly killed in a drug bust gone bad, Lucian steps in and rescues them, taking her to his home, unwilling to be separated from her. As she recovers from what should have been fatal injuries, Jaxx notices changes in her body, wrought by Lucian's healing and converting of her. She tries to convince him, it isn't safe to be around her, for Drake will stop at nothing, all the while finding herself drawn to Lucian.

Lucian and Jaxon's path is not an easy one, for Drake is still out there, stalking them. There are also some very powerful vampires in the area, having been drawn by Jaxon's psychic abilities. Add in a dangerous drug lord, who is not pleased with her team's skills, interfering with his business, and their work is cut out for them, as they try to eliminate all of these threats to their happiness.

This book is slightly different from past books in Ms. Feehan's Dark saga, but more than meets the expectations of her numerous fans. Lucian is very unique in and this is reflected in the way the story is written. Jaxx is a very strong woman and is a perfect match for the most respected and feared of all Carpathians. He recognizes her special abilities and strengths, causing him to compromise far more than is typical for the males of his species, whose main purpose is to protect their lifemate at all costs. He makes an effort to accommodate her intelligence and her talents, allowing her to participate in dangerous activities where her abilities will help. However in spite of this, Lucian still does not take seriously the threat Drake poses to their lives, causing him to underestimate just what Drake will do.

This tale is more plot-driven than most of the Dark series, full of action. But how can it not be, with the various subplots occurring? There is also more violence, due to the nature and number of villains present. One disappointment however, that this reviewer found, is the resolution of the Tyler Drake plotline. It is rather anticlimactic, one having expected more from him after the way he was presented in the story. This leaves the story to not be quite as satisfactory as it could be. In spite of this one issue, the book is fascinating and will keep the pages turning in to the late hours of the night. The edge-of-the- seat drama keeps one intrigued and not wanting to stop until the story is ended. As always, Dark Guardian leaves the readers begging for more. One will be happy to know this saga is nowhere near complete, and there is still much filed away in Ms. Feehan's imagination for future books and enthralling characters.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2002. All rights reserved.

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Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted May 18, 2002

Summary

Jaxon Montgomery is a woman hunted. Trained by the Special Forces, honed by a traumatic childhood, she is a policewoman with an undisputed reputation. She meets her match when she is set up to be murdered by an enemy. Hunted on all sides, she can only turn to the mysterious stranger who seems more dangerous than any other she has ever known.

He ran with the wolves?
Materialized from the mists?
Hijacked the very heavens to his whims?

He was the Dark Guardian of his people. So how, after centuries of bleak, soulless existence, had he suddenly come to crave petite, curvy, colorful lady cop Jaxon Montgomery, who foolishly made it her life?s work to protect others from harm?

Fiercely daring, Jaxx would sacrifice anything to shield others - particularly since a deadly menace dogged her every footstep, threatening all who got close to her. And strangely seductive, piercingly erotic, this stranger claiming her was no exception. He was powerfully, perilously mesmerizing-oddly gentle yet clearly a born predator. He had vowed to possess her, to guard her for all time. Yet with his every thirsty kiss, was he drawing Jaxon more deeply into danger?and his dark mysterious desires?