"Oh, Those Carpathian men!"

Julian Savage's solitary existence is about to come to an end. He knows he can't hold out much longer against the fate of turning vampire that eventually befalls the males of his race who have not found their soul mates. He plans on cheating that fate by walking into the sun, putting an end to his existence. But first he has one last task he must complete. He has been assigned the job of warning a human singer that she has been targeted for assassination by a group of over zealous vampire hunters. Little does he know that the woman with the most beautiful voice he has ever heard is not a defenseless human, but a mature Carpathian female who does not take kindly to being told what to do. What's more, this strong willed woman is surrounded by a group of protective Carpathians, one of whom is her brother Darius. Darius is a strong and dangerous male who is determined to keep his little band together and safe from harm.

Somehow Julian must find a way to win over this woman who is his soul mate and protect her from the demon from his past who threatens his new found hope for the future.

DARK CHALLENGE is a wonderful and welcome addition to Ms. Feehan's popular series about Carpathians; a beleaguered race of people facing extinction due to a lack of females who can both provide offspring and prevent the males from giving in to their darker natures and turning vampire. I happily found DARK CHALLENGE to be both the same and different than the previous books in this series. It was similar in that as with her other heroes Ms. Feehan gives us a hero who is deliciously dangerous and tormented. A man the reader knows is on the brink of destruction and can only be saved by the love of the right woman. I look forward to this aspect of these stories and was definitely not disappointed. Another similarity is the sizzling heat of the love scenes. These heroes are hot hot hot and are eager to please their women! And boy do they!

The difference in this book can be found in the heroine. No shrinking violet, she! Desari is a mature Carpathian woman who has confidence in herself and her power. Julian's previous experience with young, immature women has not prepared him to know how to deal with Desari. He has the added task of keeping peace with her brother Darius who is one of the strongest Carpathian men Julian has ever encountered.

This book quickly rose to the top of my list of favorites. I enjoyed it immensely and of course am looking forward to Darius' meeting his match in an upcoming installment.

Reviewed by Janice Bennett
Posted July 11, 2001