"Another fascinating read in the Dark saga"

Darius is the guardian and protector of his traveling musical troupe of Carpathians. For hundreds of years, his family had been believed to be lost, murdered in the slaughter of their people over a thousand years ago.

He reluctantly agrees to allow his sister, Desari to hire a human to travel with the band as their mechanic. But they must ensure the human never finds out their deepest secret. For they are of an ancient race of beings with superhuman strength and abilities... and who must feed on blood to survive. Darius is dangerously close to turning vampire, depraved and murderous, evil creatures that kill for the sheer pleasure of it. He is holding on only by his steely determination and desire to protect his family.

Tempest "Rusti" Trine answers an ad in the newspaper, not quite sure why, except that it seemed to jump out at her with a compulsion she could not resist. She has always been different from others, having special abilities no one quite comprehends. When Tempest joins up with Darius and his family, she knows she has found some who are also a bit different, and she finally has a place she can belong. She doesn't mind that she never sees any of them during the day, or that they seem to have secrets they are keeping from her.

The moment Darius first lays eyes on Tempest, his world explodes in colors and emotions he has not experienced in centuries. He immediately knows she is meant for him alone. He does not understand these sensations he is experiencing, or what they mean, having been isolated from his people since he fled from his home as a child, taking with him a few of the other children he was able to rescue. Darius is terrified to claim Tempest in the true ways of his people as the only converted human women he had met in his long life were insane vampiresses, murdering innocent children. He is unaware there a re a few human women out there who have special talents, making them capable of handling the conversion. Darius is compelled to be with her, and is willing to sacrifice all to keep her. Will he make the ultimate sacrifice?

When Tempest meets Darius, one look into his eyes, and she is drawn to him like she has never been before. She can't understand it and that makes her afraid. She is used to being on her own, and has trouble accepting that she may actually need someone else now. She tries to escape this unusual thrall he has upon her, but she is not strong enough to fight it. Even upon discovering Darius and his family's dangerous secret, though she is repulsed by their needs, Tempest cannot resist the fire and passion in his magnetic gaze.

Ms. Feehan has once again proven why she is one of the biggest stars of the genre. Every book is better than the one before. Tempest is by far the strongest heroine to date, in this reviewer's opinion. She is all modern and independent woman, who chafes at authority, and has quite a penchant for finding trouble. Darius is a very old fashioned man, from a long ago era, whose only desire is to protect and adore his woman, his lifemate. This makes for some very rousing clashes of will. The secondary characters are beautifully rendered, as in all the Dark books, and play just as big of a role in the story, as the hero and heroine, without ever overshadowing them. Many characters return from previous books and liven things up. And loyal readers will be happy to see a couple of their favorite continuing side stories have not been neglected. As always, the reader is enlightened a bit more about the world of the Carpathians.

Though there is violence in the book, as is to be expected, this book does not seem quite as dark as the previous ones. Most of the violence in kept to a few chapters.

There are only two faults this reviewer can find with Dark Fire. It is a little confusing how Ms Feehan bounces back and forth between Tempest's name and her nickname, Rusti. But once the reader gets used to it, it really does not cause any problems. The only other fault is that the book had to end! This is a beautiful addition to the ongoing Dark saga.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Courtesy Love Romances
Posted August 27, 2001

Summary

There is always a price to pay

Darius warned her when she accepted a position with his traveling troupe. And gazing mesmerized at the merciless slash of his mouth, the implacable resolve on his face, the soulless emptiness of his black eyes, Tempest was afraid to ask what it was.

She had always been different, apart from others. From the moment his arms closed around her, enveloping her in a sorcerer's spell, Darius seemed to understand her unique gifts. But did his kiss offer the love and belonging she sought, or a danger more potent than his own panthers?

Somewhere deep inside herself, Tempest realized she knew the answer. She had no choice but to accept the velvet stroke of his tongue, submit to the white-hot heat piercing her skin, welcome an erotic pleasure like no other.

2001 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award Winner - Best Vampire Romance

Winner of the P.E.A.R.L. Award 2001 - Best Shapeshifter
Best Overall Paranormal Romance