Better characterization for crying out loud. Dark Desire is the second novel in Christine Feehan's vampire romance series. I think that this book is inferior to Dark Prince(first novel) for sure. Its on par with Amanda Ashley's work and far inferior to Dara Joy and Sandra Hill in the romance novel realm. If it is vampires you seek, then I would suggest Laurell K. Hamilton. This novel's plot is weak and its hero's character weaker. The pacing drags toward the end and the ending is disappointing.
The plot begins with Jacques being imprisoned for seven years in pain, weak, and unable to escape. This fractures his mind, memory, and the hope of decent characterization. He calls out telepathically and the only person who can hear him is Shea, who also happens to be his life mate. She believes him to be a dream and so leaves him to suffer for seven years. Jacques is a Carpathian which means he has some vampire like qualities--he drinks blood, is weak in the sun, and can shape shift. They also have other powers like telepathy and a connection with animals and the earth. Vampires are Carpathians who "turn" and live only to kill. Male Carpathians are predators but live to please and protect their life mates. After 200 years if they have not found their life mate, then they lose all emotion and perception to see color. When they find their life mate color and emotion return. Carpathians also have a threatening problem, their women are reproducing less and less with low survival rates, and most of the children being born are male. They are having a definite population crisis, so women are very rare and protected entities. Shea is only half Carpathian and was not raised in that life. She believes she has some kind of rare disease and consequently she becomes a doctor and does research to find a cure for her disease. Jacques finally compels Shea to come and help him. Then the plot revolves around him fighting his inner predator and him remembering who and what he is. Plus the betrayer, a vampire, that locked him up is after them and Mikhail and Raven (Jacques' brother and his life mate who are the subjects of Dark Prince)and must be stopped. The kicker is that they do not know who the betrayer is.
The pacing is good until we begin to approach the end and then it slows down. And to me after all the fuss the ending is resolved rather quickly and neatly in a disappointing manner. The characterization is not good either. While Shea is a better character then Raven from the first book, Jacques character is absolutely destroyed. Shea is an independent woman, a professional who has always been alone--but has had somewhat of a satisfactory life. Then Jacques intrudes with happiness--of sorts. She is forced to deal with a world she is not prepared for while holding Jacques fragile sanity together. If he turns, he will be destroyed and she will follow in death soon after for life mates cannot live without one another. She is a compassionate healer, and she carries the same stereotypes as Raven (from the first novel a light to his darkness), except she is more analytical. Jacques was a vibrant and promising character in Dark Prince. In the beginning of this novel that character is drastically destroyed, his fun loving character is wiped clean replaced with a stoic predator (is the only type of male character that she can write?) Close in character to Mikhail only less controlled. These novels are a rehashing of beauty and the beast over and over again. These two novels are the same dance different people. One thing that is missing from this novel and the first one is the chase. The women give in way too early in the books which is half of what a romance is all about. One thing that Feehan does know how to do is write a steamy sex scene. There are several very hot and nicely written sex scenes in this novel.
If you plan on reading the whole series there are six I believe, then you will probably will have to read this one. Some outlying characters like Gregori, Aidan, and Julian will probably reappear (all Carpathian's of which Julian shows the most promise of being a good character). Otherwise I wouldn't even bother.
Recommended:
