Dark Joy (Carpathian 39) by Christine Feehan-review
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 6, 2026
Sarika Silva has come to Peru’s rainforest to learn about her family’s history and her own capabilities as a jaguar shapeshifter. What she finds is a dangerous world out of her nightmares, where jungle shifters and ravenous vampires vie for dominance and a gorgeous, lethal predator is waiting to claim her for his own.
Tomas Smolnycki and his brothers have hunted vampires for centuries. As some of the oldest Carpathians, they are accustomed to seeing the world in unfeeling gray. So Tomas is ill prepared for the emotions that rise like a tidal wave when he hears Sarika’s voice. As his world bursts into color, he knows he has finally found his lifemate—a woman he’s compelled to protect whether she likes it or not.
Despite an attraction to Tomas that defies logic, Sarika has no interest in being bound to anyone. But as an ancient enemy gathers power in the darkness, Carpathians and their lifemates from around the world must come together to fight back. And Tomas and Sarika’s bond could be the one thing that will save them from total destruction…
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REVIEW:DARK JOY is the thirty-ninth instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult CARPATHIANS paranormal romance series. This is ancient Carpathian Tomas Smolnycki, and jaguar shifter Sarika Silva’s story line. DARK JOY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines 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 envelop his soul, eventually turning the male vampire or forcing him to greet the dawn.
NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Sarika and Tomas ) DARK JOY follows jaguar shifter Sarika Silva as she ventures to the Peruvian Rainforest in the hopes of discovering her family’s history but Sarika never expected to come face to face with Carpathian Tomas Smolnycki, a man with whom she had been in communication for several years, a man she only knew as T. Smolnycki Sr. Sarika believes the Carpathian male is dangerous and dark, but she will soon discover that she is the other half to Tomas’s soul, and is struggling with the idea of mated to such a dangerous man. Sarika will meet several jaguar shifters she knew nothing about but all is well not well in the Peruvian Rainforest, the female shifters have been targeted, and our heroine is determined to save them all.
The world building is slow as Tomas imparts his knowledge of the Carpathian to his fated mate. Meanwhile, Sarika must come to terms with her history, the memories she can no longer reach, and the wave of grief and loss when all is revealed.
The relationship between Tomas and Sarika is one of fated mates. Tomas and Sarika have been communicating via mail regarding the environment and the rainforest yet neither one suspected their lives would one day be intertwined. Sarika is powerful and magical in her own right but combines with the Carpathians, she is a force unto herself. Tomas is quick to claim his mate but the conversion to Carpathian does not take place until the final few pages of the last chapter. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of familiar, colorful, and supernatural secondary and supporting characters, most of whom we met in the previous instalments including Dominic and Solange Dragonseeker, Jasmine and Jubal Sanders, Tomas’ brothers Lojos and Mataias, Riordan and Juliette De La Cruz, Sarika’s cousin Luiz De La Cruz, Zacarias and Marguerita De La Cruz, Dax and Riley.
DARK JOY is a slow building story of betrayal and vengeance, power and control, family and relationships, fate and love. The action sequences are not as detailed or prolonged as in some of the earlier instalments. There is plenty of reflection and contemplation as Sarika struggles with the demons from her past. The supernatural premise is inviting but a little dry; the characters are animated; the romance is seductive.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
