Better than the first book

I liked the premise of the story/series and the main characters are less irritating than the couple in the first book. So that's something. Unfortunately I found the stories execution left a lot to be desired.
The rules of the world seemed to change whenever it suited the author. There are a lot of inconsistencies and frankly it's frustrating. It pulls you right out of the story. In my opinion paying attention to foundational details is important to writing a good story. Also, the authors penchant for dramatic overstatement and long winded mental ramblings about the characters feelings gets old really fast.
Adding to all that the men in this book/series often take away the women's free will via mind control/compulsion "for their own good". The men claim that women are to be cherished and their happiness and wellbeing comes before their own but in a lot of the books in this series including this one the women are treated like wayward children not intelligent adults. There is plenty of lust but rarely real respect shown which is crucial to building any relationship even if it's fictional. The fact that the men tend to abuse their power instead of giving an explanation or having a conversation about a given problem is really insulting.
To be fair some of the heroines are written as somewhat weak, hysterical and kind of useless/helpless even though I think they're supposed to be strong and independent. I really do like the idea of this series and if you can ignore the problems there are some great moments and good characters.
Unfortunately for me most of the books in this series make me want to stab the supposed heroes and/or slap the heroine (and the author) on behalf of women everywhere.
For people like me who like the premise but prefer to avoid the dreaded "alpha male" aka controlling jerk. Here are some of the books in this series I did manage to enjoy.
My top 3 are... Dark Lycan, Dark Wolf and Dark Blood(in that reading order). I consider this trio a trilogy of sorts within the series. Good story ark, characters I can respect and couples who communicate. Such novel ideas. There are still glaring inconsistencies etc. but I could mostly ignore them.
Here are a couple more that in my opinion can be enjoyed as stand alone novels.
Dark Slayer - Truly strong H/H who learn to respect each other and build a healthy relationship. Chronologically Dark Slayer comes before the "trilogy" and I'd recommend reading it first.
Dark Storm - Another winner. The bad guy was horror movie gross so be warned but I found myself respecting the characters and drawn in to the story.
It's kind of sad that out of the 30+ books currently in this series I can only recommend 5. I hope this review is helpful and not misspelled.

3 people found this helpful

Not as Good as the First in the Series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is one of those series that I originally started mainly because of the dark overtones that is appeared to have. When it comes to vampire lore I love the more non-traditional version, grounded in more the history than the myth - but still with the dark and mysterious feel. So far this series has proven to be just that.

Grounded in the origins of the vampire legends -- namely the Carpathian mountains and the original asserted origins of vampires in general -- this book and series does a great job of incorporating the two.

Jacque, however, isn't quite as strong a character as his brother, Mikhil. And the story line, or at least the way this one was built, doesn't help that feel. The inability of the main character to have no memory of his life, or how his fractured mind got to be that way, made it hard to really connect with him as a character.

Shay was, however, a more well rounded character than Raven (Dark Prince). She is more grounded in medicine and science -- which makes it a more interesting approach to the concept of science confronting myth and fiction.

Overall -- the story was ok -- but it became a little burdensome by the end. It just started to feel exactly like the first one -- but much more removed from the historical references -- and more anchored in the romance. But I do enjoy the darker nature of the romance, and the Gothic feel overall.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending a little cliche. The vampire was one that was interesting -- and it could have been figured out if you were familiar with the story line of the first in the series. Also, there was simply a feeling that too many story threads just weren't quite pulled together.

Which character – as performed by Abby Craden – was your favorite?

I didn't really have a favorite in this one. Although the dark nature of Jacque is very intriguing. Her rendering of most of the characters is along a mysterious vein -- and she does a good job of capturing and entrancing the reader.

7 people found this helpful

Christine Feehan is Great!

If you could sum up Dark Desire in three words, what would they be?

Great sequel

What did you like best about this story?

The plot continues on from the Dark Prince. The Carpathian world gets bigger and more questions are answered.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Gregori and the prince come to help the second time. The dialogue is great.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It really made me laugh to hear the byplay between the males.

Any additional comments?

Just a great read. All questions get answered and the story line is set for the next book. I like this narrator.

7 people found this helpful

Narrator a big improvement over previous version

I liked this narrator much better. She especially does a good job with the male voices. It's just a better dramatic reading. I've listened to all the books in this series, and I hope some of the other earlier books are rereleased with a different narrator.

8 people found this helpful

There is a fine line between sane and insane.

I liked this story even though it probably needs a trigger warning. It is entertaining, but there is some violence between the main characters. There is other violence which is to be expected with a novel about vampire hunters, I just wasn't expecting the other.

***Blurb-
They were masters of the darkness, searching through eternity for a mistress of the light...

The stranger silently summons her from across the continents, across the seas. He whispers of eternal torment, of endless hunger...of dark, dangerous desires. And somehow American surgeon Shea O'Halloran can feel his anguish, sense his haunting aloneness, and she aches to heal him, to heal herself.

Drawn to the far Carpathian mountains, Shea finds a ravaged, raging man, a being like no other. And her soul trembles. For in his burning eyes, his icy heart, she recognizes the beloved stranger who's already become part of her. This imperious Carpathian male compels Shea to his side. But is she to be his healer...or his prey? His victim...or his mate? Is he luring her into madness...or will his dark desire make her whole?
***
Shea was very brave and impressive with her dedication to helping others even when it could have meant her own death. I got a kick out of her trying to keep a professional distance between herself and her patient, which he of course ignored. Jacques was a survivor and even though he was definitely messed up after what was done to him, he did love Shea. Shea and Jacques' story shows that sometimes patience and care can help someone come back from the brink and find not just themselves, but love. I loved their happy ever after. I recommend reading this book. Or listening to it as that was entertaining as well!

1 person found this helpful

I want to like this more.

There is something about this book that I just can’t seem to get over. The author sometimes is very repetitive over certain words and phrases. It gets a little annoying. While the steamy scenes are steamy the rest of the book is a little bit lacking. Plot and story are good, character development is lacking.

1 person found this helpful

Slow start

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not bad, just started really slow. Enjoyed more when it got about half way through the book.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Had to speed up the audio.

Could you see Dark Desire being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

1 person found this helpful

Interesting, but...

Well, to be honest, this second book was a little disappointed. The story is good, but based on the first book I hope for something more. This book is too a adult romance, not so intense as the first, but has intense moments.For me, the problem is the passage of time. When the story begins, it is not possible to know how much time has passed. In the courseI
is a worthwhile book and introduces elements that will be use in the future.
In general, the story is interesting.
Regard the narrative, I think it was good.

1 person found this helpful

Almost

It was a strong base story before the author modified the female character like the first book. Indecisive let me help, do not save me, do not kill, ...

1 person found this helpful

How to strong women become weak?

This was just an ok book, I'm still sticking with the series for now. Fingers crossed.

1 person found this helpful