Also in this series: Dark Prince, Dark Celebration, Dark Destiny, Dark Peril, Dark Storm, Dark Wolf, Dark Magic
Series: Carpathian #28
Published by Berkley on September 1st 2015
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Vampires
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
ISBN: 042527733X
In the new novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling “queen of paranormal romance,” (J.R. Ward) a wounded warrior and a woman on the run find salvation, passion and unimaginable danger in the ghostly darkness of the Carpathian Mountains… He wasn’t civilized or tame. He had his own code and he lived by it.
Monk. Bounty hunter. Vampire slayer. Andre Boroi has spent centuries battling the undead, holding out against the dark with honor. But now, gravely wounded by master vampire Costin Popescu, Andre will be easy to track—his spilled blood marking the killing trail for Popescu and his hungry band of underlings. Andre’s only chance is to disappear into the gray mist of the Carpathians. To wait. To hope. She had a healing touch and a scent that was his lifeblood. In the mountains in search of a precious crystal, geologist Teagan Joanes suddenly finds herself hunted by those she once trusted. Then she comes across the warrior—wounded, wanting and irresistible. Andre has been craving her for an eternity: his lifemate. Her warmth envelops him. Her scent pulsates. And with every beat of her heart, Teagan surrenders to a passion she can’t possibly comprehend. Now they are bound by destiny, but is it enough to keep them safe from a stalking, relentless darkness that threatens to swallow them alive?
May Contain Spoilers.
Summary
Andre Boroi is a carpathian, a bounty hunter and hunts the undead. He is known as the “Ghost” and Andre keeps his true last hidden until he meets his lifemate, if he ever does. After his latest battle fighting a master vampire, Costin Popescu, he is injured and disappears into the mist and his lair to heal and hopefully will have safe harbor from Costin’s underlings. Teagan Joanes, is a geologist and when her grandmother goes crazy talking about vampires and killing a mysterious “Gary”. She knows that they need to find a way to heal her mentally. There is a secret stone hidden in the carpathian mountains and so Teagan goes in search for it. But her partner, and friend for years, turns on her attacks and attempts to rape her and she barely escapes leaving her attacker unconcious. She follows a trail up to some caves and comes across a passageway where she discovers a lethal man that looks at her with kind eyes but is a predator undeneath. She discovers a new world of creatures and passion but will Teagan have the courage to embrace the Carpathian side of life?
The Hero
Andre Boroi, is one of the oldest of their kind and has lasted all these years without turning and hunting vampires. Andre as a teenager didn’t have his parents, they were both withdrawn but found a new family. A family that accepted him and loved him in a way his true parents never did. But on the eve of the night his parents gave up their lives together, his real family were murdered by his uncle who turned into a vampire and he was helpless to stop it no matter how hard he fought it. That one fateful night changed him forever. And ever since he kept their name as his name to honor them and only his lifemate would know of the truth behind it. What I loved about Andre was how genuine and real he is as the hero. He doesn’t hide behind a facade, he is honest and loyal. I love how sweet and tender he treats his lifemate….from the beginning he treats her with honor and I loved that about his character. He makes mistakes with Teagan but he never deceives her and I like how up front he is.
The Heroine
Teagan Joanes, is from the states. She attended college and has her degree and loves working with her “rocks”. She is close to her family, her grandmother and her sisters. Teagan will do anything for her family even travel half way across the world to search for a stone that can help in the healing of her grandmother. Vampires, crosses and holy water, Teagan knows her grandmother is bat shit crazy and must save her. Teagan has never had a sexual interest in men or women, she believes there is something wrong with her. She doesn’t believe she is beautiful or the type of woman that Andre would want. I felt that her vulnerabilites made her seem more human and real to the reader. She isn’t one of those “perfect” heroines that are gorgeous, graceful and could do no wrong. She suffers from insecurities and personal challenges that we all do and her character just seemed so much more real to me.
Plot and Story Line
Dark Ghost is a sensational story that I couldn’t get enough of. I keep loving this series, and even though sometimes each book seems a bit similar, I love seeing more of the Carpathians. Dark Ghost is probably one of the most emotional of installments that Feehan has done with this series which really surprised me. Rarely do her books bring me to tears, but this one really did. Dark Ghost sets off with seeing each world that Teagan and Andre live in before they even meet each other. There is a sense of danger and mystery at the beginning and really sets the story with a good pace.
The story does drag a bit in the middle while Andre and Teagan get to know each other, but then it picks up speed again. What was really heartwrenching is see what happens to the adopted family of Andre. It just about broke my heart to see what happens to them. But we see that Andre is older than we think, since the Carpathian that saved him was the father of the Daratrazanoff brothers. We have two villains in this story. One is Teagan’s partner, who is really horrid. Then we have the master vampire and his minions. They both really build up the danger in the plot and I love seeing some great suspense and seeing Andre and Teagan work together to destroy their enemies. That was another wonderful concept of this story. That even though Andre is very protective of Teagan, he does let her aid him in certain ways.
This story is also leading up to the next book, we get hints that we will see Teagan’s grandmother and the entry of Gary and we do know that Gary and Gabrielle’s book is the next one coming up. So I am super excited since Gary has always been one of my favorite secondary characters since reading Dark Magic. We do get a mystery in what has been happening to the grandmother, so I am looking forward to seeing more.
What was most fun was the romance between Teagan and Andre. It does have some mountains they have to get through, and some misunderstandings occur. But what was most wonderful about these two was the sweet love story and how tender their relationship builds. I love seeing how they balance out their different personalities and eventually find a way to work in harmony.
The Cover
This is one of my favorite covers of the series!! I love his dark cape, and boy look at those abs—-so gorgeous. I really like the dark mist background.
Overall View
Dark Ghost is a sensational pararnormal romance that will have you at the edge of your seat with adventure, mystery, danger and passion!! Don’t want to miss out on this latest installment of the Carpathian Saga!!
i am so far behind this series it aint funny, can this be read as a stand alone cause my grabby hands want it..
yeah series like this, if you don’t keep up with can be difficult to catch up. I would say yes you can read this as a stand alone for sure.
I have book 1 I think somewhere, but its all about finding time, its good to know it can be read as a stand alone
Aw the romance sounds just lovely even with it’s bumps in the road 😀