Review – Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan

Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley

In Dark Lycan, Christine Feehan journeyed into the heart of the Carpathians, and into the souls of two lifemates stirred by the flush of passion and the threat of annihilation. In Dark Wolf, the breathtaking story continues as the bonds of family are imperiled, and the fate of two lovers lies hidden in the seductive shadows between life and death.

Skyler Daratrazanoff always recognized the miracle that was Dimitri Tirunul, a man beyond any dream that had ever engaged her nights. But she was human. Vulnerable. He was Carpathian. Nearly immortal. She was nineteen. He was an ancient. Yet she held half his soul, the light to his darkness. Without her, he would not survive. Caught between the two warring species, Dimitri has spent centuries hunting the undead to keep his people free, and humans safe. He had survived honorably when others had chosen to give up their souls. But now, marked for extermination by the Lycans, Dimitri found himself alone, and fearing for his life. But salvation was coming…

No Lycan would ever suspect someone like Skyler to dare mount a secret rescue operation. A teenage girl. A human of untested abilities. But she had something no one else had. She was predestined for Dimitri—as he was for her. And there was nothing stronger for Skyler than her desire to see her life-dream come true. Whatever the risk.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I stopped reading this series about 3-4 books ago, but I have to admit when I heard that Dimitri and Skyler were up, I couldn’t wait to read all about them. I’ve been waiting for their book for so long now, and it’s about time for them to get their HEA.

Dimitri has been taken hostage by the Lycans, and Skyler fears that if she doesn’t get to him soon, he won’t be alive much longer. With only her two best friends at her side, she sets out to rescue her love since no one else is ready to jump to his rescue. Getting to his aide barely in time Skyler and Dimitri must fight to get out alive.

Dimitri has loved Skyler since the moment they first discovered they were mates. Having her rescue him couldn’t come at a better time for him, but also comes at a time when Skyler needs a boost to her confidence in her own abilities. Once they escape, Skyler and Dimitri will finally have the chance to work on their happily ever after.

One of the biggest disappointments for me was seeing that Skyler and Dimitri fell in love off the page. I’m not sure if they had more page time in the last few books, however they already were in love from the very beginning. Although their relationship was able to develop even deeper, especially sexually, we never got the chance to see them fall in love, to see Dimitri court her, to see Skyler come out of her shell more and grow into the beautiful woman she became. I was a little disappointed to see that, mainly because the journey to falling in love is the best part of a romance book for me.

The best part of their romance was the fact that we really got to see Dimitri as a sensitive and incredible hero. He was so supportive of Skyler and her growth as a woman. He accepted her strengths, he valued her determination to come in and save him. He accepted her as an equal, and that makes him by far my favorite hero of this series to date. Dimitri was also so accepting of Skyler’s horrific past. He was so patient and caring with her, but I struggled with the way they finally had sex. Given Skyler’s past, I expected a bigger emotional impact on her psyche, which never really seemed to happen.

The biggest reason I quit reading this series is because I felt like Feehan started moving away from the romance heavy portions of the book and started with the mage rhyming, the made up language, and started adding people and situations that were unrealistic to the world she originally created. For those who haven’t read the last few books, like myself, you might be a little bit lost regarding the ongoing war with the Lycans, and what the big problems are between the races. However, I was able to muddle through and understand the basics.

One of the most difficult things for me to admit regarding this series is that I really like the direction this book took, despite my many problems with the series overall. In the early books, the focus was heavy on the romance, and then fighting one vampire. However, this book seemed to develop a more rounded story arc, spanning over multiple books. I thought that aspect was really strong, and I wish it would have developed sooner in the series. I like the addition of the mages and Lycans and what the bring to the series. I just wish it would have come sooner, because for me it’s too little, too late.

All in all there were some great parts, and not so great parts of this book. Finally getting to see Dimitri and Skyler get their happily ever after was a treat, but I wanted more. I was left feeling like I had missed out on so much from them, and wished we could have seen more of their actual falling in love. I did enjoy the way the story arc is starting to go, but I have to admit that I don’t know that I will continue reading this series, given the major problems I have with Feehan’s writing style.
I give Dark Wolf a C-

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