Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan – Dual Review & Giveaway

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Description:
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 attempt to warn the Carpathians of the coming threat has failed and put a target on her back—and those who are hunting 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.…

 

Barb’s Review:
Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan is the 29^th book in her wonderful Carpathian series.  I am happy to say I really ended up loving this story, but at the very beginning I was a bit turned off by the abusive behavior of the Carpathian man; worried that we were going back to that again.  But thankfully, that was just the beginning, and everything was great from there on in.

Julija Brennan, our heroine, is a mage and Carpathian.  We met her in a previous book (Dark Legacy), where she tried to warn the Carpathians about the threat, but ran away to help find the book of evil spells that could destroy all Carpathians.  Julija knows how dangerous the book is, as well as how powerful her father and brothers are (they are products of the evil Xavier) and their determination to find her, get the book and kill her.  She has the ability to sense the Carpathian man who has the book and is attempting to hide it; using her mage sense she keeps tracking him, knowing her family will attempt to kill the man.  Before she could go too much further, she is accosted by a powerful Carpathian warrior who thought she betrayed the Carpathians.

Isai Florea, our hero, and the Carpathian sent to track down Julija, is shocked to discover that she is his lifemate. Isai is an ancient from the monastery, struggling with his lack of emotions or color, and treats Julija abusively at first, since he felt she belongs to him, and she must obey him.  Fortunately, Julija is powerful in her own right, and in time, she will teach him how women need to be treated equally.  Julija has suffered her whole life, as her family brutalized her often.

Isai began to change quickly, as his love for Julija grew, and his admiration how powerful she was becoming, being both a mage and Carpathian. Together their goal was to get the book and destroy it, but they knew they were being followed by Julija’s family.  What I loved the most about this book, was not the wonderful romance that was sweet and steamy, but how they both fell hard for the Shadow cats (panthers) that the mages beat and forced them to hurt people.  I loved how Julija and Isai helped treat them, and remove the spells on them.  Blue and Belle were the first two, and their loyalty to Julija and Isai was wonderful, and eventually 4 more would eventually join them.  I loved how they would become part of them, much like Ivory and her wolves.  

What follows is an exciting, intense story line where both Isai and Julija and the cats have to be one step ahead of her family, and another powerful mage, Barnabas, who are set to destroy them.  Along the way, they must find the book and destroy it.  Dark Illusion was a pulse-pounding, edge of your seat thriller, that kept me unable to put the book down; as well as having a wonderful couple to root hard for.  Dark Illusion though tying most ends, did end a bit abruptly, especially with the powerful Barnabas still around. We know the Malinovs are still around, but now the Mages are too.  So much more to come.  If you read this series, do not miss Dark Illusion

 

Sandy’s Review:

DARK ILLUSION is the twenty-ninth instalment in Christine Feehan’s CARPATHIAN / DARK erotic, paranormal, romance series. This is ancient Carpathian Isai Florea, and mage Julija Brennan’s story line. DARK ILLUSION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.

SOME BACKGROUND: All Carpathian males must find their lifemates before they turn vampire or greet the dawn. Without a lifemate, the males no longer see in color, feel pain or experience emotions. A lifemate is the light to their dark. She is the keeper of his heart and the keeper of his soul. As the unmated Carpathian male ages, the darkness begins to envelope his soul.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Julija and Isai) DARK ILLUSION continues to focus on a group of ancient Carpathians, nearing the end of their search for a lifemate who have isolated themselves away from the world in a monastery high in the Carpathian mountains. As his search for his younger brother Iulian takes him to the Sierra Mountains, Isai comes across a woman he discovers to be his fated lifemate. On the run from her family and her past, Julija Brennan believes herself to be an enemy of the Carpathian people due to her family’s attempts to destroy them all. What ensues is the building relationship between Julija and Isai, and the potential fall-out as our couple come under fire from some very powerful mages.

Julija Brennan doesn’t believe she is worthy to be a Carpathian mate, and immediately refuses Isai attempts to claim her as his own. Having struggled through the abuse and captivity of her earlier life, Julija battles between head and heart when Isai is willing to walk away without a fight. Isai Florea knew immediately Julija Brennan was his lifemate but her stubbornness amounted to silence in an effort to protect the man with whom she would fall in love. As Julija and Isai search for Isai’s missing brother, our couple find themselves the target of Julija’s past, and the family that is determined to imprison her, once again.

The relationship between Julija and Isai is one of immediate attraction but our heroine believes she is an enemy of the Carpathian people. Unable to resist the pull between one another, Julija and Isai will complete the bonding but to both their surprise Julija is so much more than a powerful mage. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

DARK ILLUSION is a revealing story line, one that begins to reveal the history and back story of one of the Carpathian’s most hated enemies, an enemy who was and is determined to take down a race of people using any means necessary. Christine Feehan has pulled from one of her more successful story line arcs where the Carpathian people had to fight and discover the truth, in order to survive. The premise is engaging, entertaining and edgy; the romance is steamy and seductive; the characters are strong and determined but there is limited interaction with any of the previous story line characters.

Copies provided by Publisher

Christine’s Feehan’s publisher is graciously offering a Hard copy copy of DARK ILLUSION to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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9. Giveaway runs from September 3 – 7, 2019