Finally, readers have the long-awaited story of Dayan, final male of the Dark Troubadours to find his lifemate. Rest assured, this story was well worth waiting for.

Dayan has been searching for centuries to find the one woman who can complete him, who can balance the darkness in his soul with the light of her love. He has recently watched each of the members of his family find their lifemates, and he was beginning to despair of ever finding his own. While running from some enemies determined to destroy him and those traveling with him, something drives him to stop at a bar and perform some of his music. While there, he feels a change, suddenly noticing she is there, and his world explodes into color.

Corinne Wentworth has been ill her entire life. She suffers from a degenerative heart disease, which is slowly eating away at her life. Additionally, she is pregnant with the child of her late husband, possibly killed by the same people hunting Dayan. She has been entranced with music, especially that of the Dark Troubadours, for a very long time. Their music speaks to her, taking her out of her troubled existence, freeing her from the constraints of her poor health. When her best friend, Lisa, decides to surprise her by taking her to a local bar where one of the famed Troubadours will be playing, she never expected her life would change so drastically.

Immediately, Dayan knows Corinne is his lifemate, but he has a dilemma no one of his kind has ever dealt with before. She is dying, along with her unborn child, of her heart disease, and there is nothing he can do to save her at this time. He must call on his family, and the greatest healers of the Carpathians to aid him in saving his lifemate, for if she dies, he will be lost as well. All must come together in the race against time and their common enemy, (a group of fanatics out to destroy anyone they believe to be vampire, human and Carpathian alike) to save Corinne's life and that of her unborn child.

Not much more can be said about this story's plot, without giving away any key elements. This is a story to be savored, for it has so much more to it than many of the preceding books. This reviewer is very selective when rating books, not liking to give out the highest ratings possible to books unless they are truly deserving of it, near perfect in every way.

Ms. Feehan has filled this book with so much emotion, that one will be overwhelmed, becoming totally engrossed in the lives of the characters. The reader will laugh, cry, rage at fate, be overjoyed, and cry some more. Be forewarned, this is not a book to be taken lightly, nor to be read in a restaurant full of people, or a lot of strange looks will be received over the tears pouring down one's cheeks. This reviewer speaks from experience. Ms. Feehan is a master of drawing her readers into her world, feeling so much for her characters, but this book... this book is the most heart-wrenching to date. In addition to the emotional story of Corinne and Dayan, this is the long-awaited "reunion" story, bringing together so many of the beloved characters from past books, as they all work together to save Corinne. The final climactic scene, to save her life, is so well-done, so powerful, one is afraid to breathe until it is over, begging for the conclusion so longed for.

Every book in the Dark saga is character driven, though with a strong plot to support the characters. This one however, is even more so, due to the nature of Dayan and Corinne's relationship. She is restricted by her health, less able to have adventures, but there is still enough action to keep one captivated, driving on towards the desired happy ending. What else can be said about this story? Ms. Feehan is a master, her voice as fresh and new as it was with her first book. There can be no doubt in anyone's minds that she is bound for bigger and better things, guaranteed to please even the most particular of readers. Run out and buy a copy of this book today, and be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster ride into a spectacular world.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2003. All rights reserved.