Dark Celebration

Dark #17

by Christine Feehan

With her erotically charged Carpathian tales, Christine Feehan has enthralled a legion of fans, captivated by a seductive world and the unforgettable characters--both human and not--who inhabit it. Now, she reunites all of them in a Dark Celebration...

After centuries as the prince of the Carpathians, Mikhail Dubrinsky fears he can't protect his people for long from their greatest threat: the extinction of their species at the hands of their immortal enemies--who are devising a scheme to slaughter Carpathian females. But even with his own lifemate, Raven, and their daughter, Savannah, vulnerable to the encroaching evil, Mikhail's hope is not lost.

Carpathians from around the world are gathering to join their souls and their powers to bring light to the darkness. But so too are their adversaries uniting--hunters, vampires, demons and betrayers--bringing untold dangers into the fold of the Carpathian people.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Fantasy, Dark, Fiction

372 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2006

About the author

Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author multiple times over with her portfolio including over 100 published novels, including five series; Dark Series, GhostWalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, the Sisters of the Heart Series, Shadow Riders, Torpedo Ink and her Romantic Suspense novels. All of her series have hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestselling list as well. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature (PEARL) in 1999. Since then she has been published by various publishing houses including Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7 more PEARL awards since Dark Prince.
Her series include:
The Dark Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/darkb...
The GhostWalker series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/ghost...
The Leopard Series - https://www.christinefeehan.com/leopa...
The Shadow Series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/shado...
Torpedo Ink series- https://www.christinefeehan.com/torpe...




IN HER WORDS:
I've been a writer all of my life -- it is who I am. I write for myself and always have. The ability to create pictures and emotions with words is such a miracle to me. I read everything; I mean everything! All kinds of books, even encyclopedias. I am fascinated by the written word and I love storytellers. It is a great privilege to be counted one myself. (www.christinefeehan.com)

Reviews

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 The gang's all here Stars



Spoilers

First read August 2012
Reread February 12, 2016
Reread Feb 9 2017
Reread oct 30 2020

Okay so Dark Celebration the 17 th book in the Dark series is a special book. It is no one persons story but like a get together for all the past couples. All the Carpathians are coming home to the Carpathian Mountains to celebrate Christmas together at Raven and Prince Mikhail's request. This review will be full of spoilers because this book didn't really have a plot other then the party and each chapter was checking up on past couples. So I will just be naming the things that happened in it that I loved, so spoilers, spoilers everywhere!



"It has just occurred to me that I have a son-in-law." A slow, answering grin spread over Raven's face even as she gasped in shock, one hand flying to her throat. "You wouldn't. Not Gregori. He'll scare all the children. He couldn't look jolly if he tried." "We let him take our daughter from us," Mikhail said. "I think as his father-in-law he will have a hard time turning me down." "And you say I have a wicked sense of humor," Raven accused. "Where do you think I got it?" Mikhail nuzzled her neck, his voice a husky whisper. The familiar answering tingle of excitement shot down her spine. Raven loved the way Mikhail's every touch seemed so intimate. "He'll never do it. Not in a million years and you'll still have to, but I'd love to see his face when you ask." "I have no intention of asking," Mikhail said, straightening to his full height. "I'm his prince as well as his father-in-law and he is my second in command and son-in-law. It is his duty to do these things."-Raven and Mikhail

Dark Celebration was so much fun to read. I loved every minute of it. This book is the perfect Thank You to anyone who is a fan of the Dark Series. It gives us crazy fans out there everything we wanted...... a chance to catch up on all the past couples. But it gave more than that. It gave us two new couples to come, lots of new pregnancies, and babies! It also adds to the overall plot of the series.



He is acting on instinct. She triggered his response to her and what can he do but try to protect and bind her to him? You cannot forbid him seeing her. After all, he will be your son-in-law. Gabriel did the mental equivalent of a snort. Not if he's dead. If he lays one hand on her, I will remove his heart. It was an empty threat now, and he knew it. He couldn't really fault Dimitri, although he didn't think anyone would ever be good enough for his daughter.-Francesca and Gabriel

I loved seeing Mikhail again he was very funny in this book. Shea and Jacques's son is born in this book which was awesome. I loved every single second I got with Gregori! I was so happy that him and Savannah are pregnant with twin girls! She is not the only one pregnant at least two others are pregnant and two others are trying. So it's raining babies up in this book. I really loved Skyler and the fact that we meet her lifemate Dimitri in this book. Of course he doesn't claim her she is only 16 but it will make for a awesome book in the future. Especially after Dimitri and Skyler's dad Gabriel almost came to blows a few times! I enjoyed all the kids in this book. Catching up with Sara and Falcon's adopted children and Aidan and Alex's brother Josh, and of course Josef. I really like Josef I hope he gets his own book I don't really know how with the fact that he is only in his early 20s but I would love to see what kind of lifemate he gets. Juliette almost gets killed in this book. We get to see a little of the relationship that Syndil and Barack have and I have to say that I found myself liking Barack a little more after their part in this book. Gary and Gabrielle are in this book. This book touches on the problem of Gabrielle being Carpathian and Gary being human and how they will most likely not be able to be together even though they love each other. That just broke my heart for Gary!



"I believe it's better. I'm a great believer that the more knowledge one has, the more empowered they are. You think you don't have courage, Skyler, but you found a way to survive when few others could have." "And you aren't alone," Destiny said. "There are millions of survivors. We refuse to be victims. We rebuild our lives, and maybe we aren't ever what is considered normal, but we're strong and we lead happy lives. Don't let your past take that away from you."- MaryAnn and Destiny

My favorite part of the whole book was Mikhail making Gregori be Santa Claus and how all Gregori's brothers took the shape of bugs just to see the Dark one being told he has to play Santa! My God I laughed so hard I had tears leaking out! But Gregori and Savannah put on an adorable show for the children and it was very sweet. This book also set up the couple for the next book Dark Possession, Manolito and MaryAnn. I don't really know what I think of Manolito and MaryAnn to be honest. The De La Cruz brothers are the least favorite heroes of the whole series. Don't get me wrong I like them alright but they don't wow me like a lot of CF Dark heroes do! I know I say this a lot in this series but this book was one of my favorites. It was great getting see all the old couples again. It was like a epic book long epilogue but better.

"I'd like you to play the role of Santa Claus for the children tonight. It's a big responsibility and obviously you're the best choice for the job." He pulled a red cap topped with a white knitted snowball out of the air and plopped it on top of Gregori's head. "I've brought along the costume, although there's some controversy over whether Santa wears red tights or not." He waved the tights under Gregori's nose. Gregori snatched the tights from Mikhail's hand and the hat from his head. "Mikhail..." His teeth came together in a loud snap of warning. "You wouldn't dare do that to me." He looked around the room at the insects decorating his walls. "I see now why my brothers have decided to visit." He waved his hands creating a wild wind that blew like a cyclone through the house. The insects wavered, shifting into men, all laughing uproariously. Lucian clapped him on the back and Gabriel ruffled his hair. "Congratulations, little brother, you drew the short stick." "You all knew about this?" Gregori demanded. He made a grab for Mikhail, but the prince was already out the door with a cheery little wave. Darius touched fists with Julian, the pair of them grinning at each other. The others whooped with laughter. "Out," Gregori ordered. "Every last one of you."-Mikhail, Gregori, and Gabriel

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was amazing! All the couples are back in the Carpathian Mountains for Christmas! I loved this so much! It made me laugh and had some very tender parts too. I enjoyed getting caught up with the couples and I thought Feehan used a great format to give us all the different POV's. My favorites Gregori and Vikirnoff made me love them even more. Plus now I have a new boyfriend to add to the list- Dimitri. He is such a sweetheart and I hope he doesn't have to wait too long for Skylar!

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really fun to catch up on all the previous characters and to see where the story is going next. It really does feel like a family reunion. I loved seeing the characters interact with each other as a whole. Although the series can be quite serious, there are some really enjoyable humorous bits as well. It may be controversial to say so, but I think this is a good book for folks who haven't read the older books, but want to jump into the series. You can get to know all the characters and get caught up on what drives the series. It may also intrigue you enough to go back and read specific books, even if you don't want to read all the books. Thankfully, they are all back in print and readily available. Some of the books are pretty cheap as Amazon Kindle books. It made me excited to read the later books. I have read the next book, Dark Possession, which I accidentally read out of order. I want to reread it though.

One con of the book is there were too many sex scenes. It got a bit repetitive for me. I could have done without all of them. Maybe two or three instead. The world feels a bit antiquated, but I mostly don't mind it. It's kind of cute. I do like that while the male Carpathians tend to be cavemen, most of their mates hold their own.

The whole vibe between Skylar and Dmitri is a little borderline. She's seventeen and he's 100 billion years old, and that's a little weird. But at the same time, I'm intrigued to read their book. Does that make me a bad person? If this wasn't a paranormal romance with makebelieve vampiric characters, it would squick me out. And at least there are boundaries that don't get crossed, Thank God. Manuelito is way stalkerish, so that could be a problem for many readers. Although if you don't like that vibe, I don't recommend reading the Carpathian series, or probably any of Christine Feehan books. Even though I said earlier the book has too much sex, I like that it's an older book, because this is before she got super-duper erotic with her descriptions. I love Christine Feehan, and I will still read her books, but I thinks she's getting way too erotic and into borderline (sometimes over the line kinky) in her sex scenes for my taste. I think I may start skipping some of the sex scenes, to be honest.

As far as the audiobook, the narrator is an older British guy, and that was a bit odd to me at first. But I got used to his voice, so it was fine. His voice made the old-fashioned characters seem even more antiquated, to be honest.

The vampire parts are kind of scary and gross, so it's a fair dose of horror in this paranormal series. Some reminded me of a horror movie that I would be too squeamish to watch. I think it adds to the atmosphere of the series, because the reader realizes how evil and depraved the Carpathians' enemies are. The plotline about their line being under threat because of environmental devastation is very timely, considering what we face with climate change and deforestation, not to mention the current administration's gutting of the EPA regulations.

This is a strong four stars. I would take a star off because of the excessive sex scenes. Otherwise, it was really enjoyable, and makes me want to dive back into the series headfirst.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the recent attack on his life, prince of the Carpathian people Mikhail Dubrinsky has called together all of the hunters and their lifemates for a Christmas celebration in the Carpathian mountains. For some time, his people have been hunted not only by vampires, but also fanatical humans from the Morisson Center for Psychic Research. Now a new threat has surfaced in the form of the evil dark mage Xavier and his grandson Razvan.

With enemies joining forces and surrounding his people, Mikhail has begun to worry that they will soon realize that the key to the extinction of the Carpathian race lies not in the destruction of it's hunters - powerful and ancient males - but instead with the annihilation of their lifemates and children. Without the light of a lifemate to anchor the hunter, he would become an incredibly deadly force, capable of unspeakable evil. As one after another of the Carpathian females falls under attack, the people must band together, lending their strength to one another, and work to identify and destroy their assassins.

Despite the malevolent forces that seem to constantly besiege the Carpathian people, this book is probably the "lightest" Dark book I've read so far. For the first time in centuries, there are children among the people and someone must play Santa Claus - think about that for a moment... one of the dominant, aggressive, mighty Carpathian males, living legends in their own right, has to play jolly old St. Nick - a much more cheerful and carefree legend. That alone is worth reading the book for - and I'm not going to tell you who receives this grand honor!

There is also the small matter of the Christmas feast. As the Carpatians are sharing this holiday with human friends there must also be actual human food, and Raven Dubrinsky, lifemate to the prince, is determined that the women cook the food themselves. The fact that none of them has any real skill in the kitchen seems to have escaped them, and their are plenty of kitchen fires, blown up appliances, and messes in every Carpathian home in the mountains. Even funnier, some of the men attempt to help - picture them in the kitchen with aprons on and flour all over the place!

Dark Celebration is definitely a Carpathian book - with new beginnings for some lifemates, pregnancy and birth for others, and revelations about unknown jaguar people and Dragonseekers. It was wonderful to see all the familiar beloved characters from all the other books, and Feehan did a great job of recounting each of their stories as the book went on, to trigger the reader's memory. I enjoyed reading it so much that it was hard to put it down and go the bed. I read it quickly, in less than 2 days, and I really want to re-read the entire series now!

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the characters from previous books come together for a Christmas celebration in the Carpathian mountains. Raven asks each woman to cook different dish for the celebration dinner. Makhail visits each couple dropping the hint of who among the warriors will play the part of St. Nick.

Not all is a happy time together. The enemies of the Carpathian people is striking against the women and children. Even the Prince is not exempt from attacks.

But through all the enemies' attacks there is still hope. Two warriors -- Dimitri and Manolito -- find their lifemates. There are children, both human and Carpathian, eager to celebrate the Christmas season. Jacques and Shea's baby is born on Christmas Eve.

This is a delightful addition to the Carpathian series. There is laughter written in the pages of this book. It was a grand time spent with both old and new friends. Thank you, Christine, for deciding to write this story.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dark Celebration" is the story of... well everyone.

In this reunion novel Mikhail, the prince of the Carpathians ponders upon their fate, as the enemies close in and their women struggle with fertility-either being unable to conceive or the baby isn't able to outlive the first crucial year of life.
An update on the lives of our so many various couples, this book explores and gives us the "happily ever after?" of all of the people we have previously met, as well as introduces us to some new ones.
A special mention to Manolita-Mary-Ann as well as Skylar-Dmitri, as they form the basis for the upcoming books, along with answers to the questions regarding the survival of their species. We finally get some unresolved scenes between Barack and Syndil, as well as the birth of Shea's child.
The books ends with a ray of hope for the species, and a bunch of recipes!

Safe
4/5

[Namita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. It's brilliant!!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book which touched on most of the couples that we have met in the other books. We also get a glimpse of two couples that I'm sure will be in upcoming books. There is a flurry of pregnancies, and alot of snow. The are alot of children to meet, including one that makes an unexpected appearance. There is treachery, bravery, and some unexpected uses of power. I liked the narrator of the audio book and hope to listen to more in the series. Thank God for headsets during those sexy scenes!

[Gardavson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh good glory. I did this book as a playaway (digital audio book). I don't know who's brilliant idea it was, but they had a man narrate it. Not just a man, but a geezer sounding man. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Do you know how hard it was to listen to a geezer guy saying "he pulled her against the hard evidence of his bodies desires..."? rofl. Then his female voices were pitiful. omg. Never, never have a man narrate a romance book. Who's brainstorm was that, I want to know. The guy sounded like the guy who talks at the end of 60 minutes. I may never be the same. lol

Now, the book. It was a 5 even listening to geezer guy. I can't imagine how good it would have been reading it myself. It was a lot of fun, revisiting all the couples and characters introduced so far. Time was spent with each of them yet it all pulled together for one story. I really enjoyed it. All their individual stories pulled together to finally create a unified Carpathian world. Mikhail realizes that there is much that needs to happen in regards to his people other than survival, that they need to recover as a culture.

My only gripes with the book:
First the minor one, Shea at the end in labor. The whole thing was weak and the things she had were retarded. I would have preferred she go into it strong and come out of it strong. But that was just a very small portion of the book.

Second. I am so sick of all the abused suffering females. Seems like most of the female lifemates were abused and all of them turned then into either Sheera the vampire slaying machine gun weilding macho guys, or they are weak fetal position whimps. Can none of them be abused and come out psuedo regular people? Apparently that doesn't make good fiction. But seriously, I don't know if I can read about Dimitri's lifemate. I hope to heaven she doesn't get her own book.

Well, onward and upward people! I'm off to the next! And this time, I will be reading it myself.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Celebration is a bit different than the other books within the Dark Series. However I have read this book quite frequently from the library, and I thought it was about time to do a review on it. For those of you who don't know much or really none about this series, let me explain it a bit for you. The Carpathian series, is a paranormal series, very similar to vampires, however Carpathians are a bit different from vampires. The Carpathian race is dying out, they are a honorable race, however they are bound to be extinct. In this world that Christine Feehan has created, Carpathians males are very "alpha" so it can be very enjoyable at time and humorous to read. But the males have a darkness within them, and if they don't find their lifemates, then they will eventually turn vampire and lose their souls. So in each of the books, its about how each Carpathian male finds his lifemate, and trust me their lifemates are independent, strong willed spitfires, and its amusing to watch the couple come together. In this book, its a Christmas celebration, where all the Carpathians, especially the couples and their children come together. Its one of my favorites of the Dark Series, and those that have read this one already will probably agree with me. Its definitely full of amusing wit, suspensful action and intrigue, intense passion and a tender story of coming together as a united species.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After all this time, Dark Celebration remains one of my favorite Carpathian books. This book was so rich in detail in providing a glimpse of hope for the near-extinct Carpathian people.

This reunion story was an opportunity for coming together as a community, introduce new characters, savor beloved characters, and delve into the rich customs and values that had sustained the Carpathians through so much loss, wars, and deaths over many centuries.

Their enemies have also regroup, increased in numbers, and still hell bent on their purpose of world domination and destruction.

Nevertheless, this book was a chance for the Carpathians to celebrate being given a second chance to come back from the brink of the abyss and embrace being given hope for the future.

Five shining stars and highly recommended!

[Sydney M Neblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Together in hope

This book is a true embodiment of the Christmas spirit. A time to come together and reconnect as a family with joy, peace, love, and rejuvenation of the mind, body, spirit, and the earth. A time of Christmas miracles and the belief that old gifts have been reborn. I absolutely loved getting to see my favorite characters together and watching a new era arrive for the Carpathian people. There are new relationships and strengthening bonds throughout the book and everything I have come to love about this world. I adored the Santa experience and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[~Megan~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite, favorite, favorite Carpathian book ever. The thing I love about reading series is getting to revisit all my favorite characters. Many times it's only a peek into the lives of one or two characters, but here Feehan has caught us up on the lives of all the Carpathians and I didn't want the book to end. I loved seeing everyone again, most especially Barack and Syndil, who I wish had their own book.

I enjoyed the setup for future lifemates, and am looking forward to Manolito and MaryAnn's book, and absolutely can't flipping wait for Dominic and Skyler's book.

[iamGamz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reunion of all the characters from the first 13 books.

They have all come together in the Carpathian Mountains for a Christmas celebration. There is LOTS of sex. Like everyone was bumping uglies. 13 couples banging like mad. It was almost too much.

But once they got that out of the way, there was a lot of humor. The women attempting to cook human style for the Christmas party. There were stoves burned, kitchens blown up, the use of hairspray and a lighter to caramelize sugar. It was a mess!

There were also lots of renewed friendships between the men and new ones made by the women. Two of the hunters found their lifemates but were unable to do anything about it within this book.

And there were lots of children and love that helped the hunters see what they are fighting for. There were also attacks by the enemy. With all the Carpathians in one convenient location, why wouldn’t their enemy take advantage.

All in all, this was a really rich story. A lot of drama and hijinks to keep the reader engrossed. And there’s even a very surprising Santa Claus. Very surprising!

[Vfields Don't touch my happy! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good long series.
I’m a sucker for a reunion/celebration with past couples.
IMO this was beyond fascinating because we got to see these past couples/families move to the next step.
I remember every character even though it’s been some 10 years plus since I’ve read them. That’s a testament to Feehan’s creative, captivating world.
Action scenes were excellent.
The juxtaposition of the old world and the new was precious.
The small Interactive moments were golden.
I’ve always felt Feehan always skirted too close to depressing concerning the future of their race. That’s part of why I stopped read them. I feel a bit better.
I hope Feehan will continue to create stronger women.

[Kristina Deluise · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok, my notes state:
thisbook started out good and before the first 20 pages were even completed
we had skylar with no and hell no to being a lifemate even before she has met her potential lifemate

and page 62

she sucked in breath, feeling the impact of his gaze..........

she could never bee with this man. she wanted to scream her denial. she would not be a life mate to any carpathian........

ok.i hate that some is going to get talked into the life mate thing.......

WHY can't they fall in love, date,or something.

these books would so not fly today..........

and having god take all my children to heaven

the over and over and over and over thing about pregnancy, and children, and babies,
and the carpathian research etc. over and over and over...........

how large is this village? that it took mikhail all day to cover all these houses?

love the santa clause, it was funny best part of the whole book..........

[Delta · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Celebration is yet another fantastic addition and the 17th in Christine Feehan’s Dark Series. I am totally immersed into the world of the Carpathians and have grown to love all the characters that form a part of the family.

This story brings back together old and new friends together to celebrate Christmas together, which is filled with the love, loyalty and unity they all share. Its great seeing how the couples are doing, seeing their children growing and to feel their closeness as a family.

It is also a way for Mikhail, their prince to do everything possible to protect them against the evil threat that could eradicate the entire Carpathian race.

There are some dark and dangerous and shocking moments but the goodness and faith in them overcomes the evil presence surrounding them and we get to see some awesome and lovely scenes, such as Gregori, their fiercest hunter as Father Christmas…I loved it. The birth of Shea & Jacques baby, the chanting and so enchanting birth scene. Such glorious happiness.

The humor and the sense of family lifted the darkness that often follows these people who are fighting relentlessly the evil of their world.

Filled with unexpected revelations, twists and turns, more surprises and just knowing that the next couples stories will soon follow had me in a feeling of total happiness.

This was a fantastic, extraordinary, incredible and out of this world celebration.

[Natalia815 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 estrellazas. Es la primera vez que le pongo a un libro de esta saga la máxima puntuación. Se lo merece, me ha devuelto la fe en la historia.

Mikhail Dubrinsky reúne a todos los Carpatianos para celebrar por primera vez la Navidad. Leer como se ayudan y interactúan entre ellos me da la vida.

Además de todo esto, nos deja pistas de quiénes van a ser las parejas. El libro de Skyler promete mucho.

[Licha77x7 m · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like my Carpathians and the ending was sad but gave hope. I like how the series is unfolding a new hope.

This book took me nine months to finish but not because it was boring but because school happend.

Looking forward to reading "Dark Possession (Dark #18)"

[Elise-Pinterest+Goodreads=The Perfect Book Boyfriend · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great way to tie all of the previous Carpathians stories together and it was a good family reunion. It was also a nice tie in to the next book, Dark Possession.

[Fleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was nice getting to see everyone interacting together, it made them seem more as race fighting for one goal rather than individual fighters.

[Aparna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 4 / 5
Recommendation: If you like paranormal plots with hint of romance, eroticism and the other world abilities involving immortals and vampires along-side humans with super-abilities, then this is a series to go for.

Dark Celebration is the seventeenth book in the longest series, Dark Series, by Christine Feehan which was published in August of 2006. The book centers on a Christmas Celebration that Mikhail and Raven Dubrinsky host for all of their Carpathian families, human families, rescued women and the lone Carpathians still holding out. The plot is set right after the Dark Demon plot and in the Carpathian mountains.

Carpathians are a powerful and ancient race who are near-immortals living for thousands of years with powers and gifts that no man can fathom. Despite their gifts and extended lifespans, they are at the age of extinction as fewer and fewer children are being borne and far lesser of females. Without their female counterpart aka "lifemates" the male Carpathians lose the ability to feel emotions leaving the males with hard choice: either become vampire or "greet the dawn". Now that Prince Mikhail Dubrinsky finds a lifemate in a human female with psychic abilities and is capable of converting, there is hope for all the other Carpathian males who have been holding off from turning into vampires – the very creature that they hunt and kill to save the humans and Carpathians alike. The series now ventures into other species - Jaguar Species (with the 10th book Dark Symphony (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)) and Dragonseekers (with 16th book Dark Demon (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)).

In her 31st book, Dark Legacy (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) released in September of 2017, Christine had introduced a new Carpathian female, Elisabeta Trigovise - an ancient and sister to Traian Trigovise and thought lost to them. Christine tends to bring back her characters and tie all the inconsequential details that she leaves around in her plots. The mention of Traian Trigovise made me want to re-read the series again since quite a few facts she had brought back in Dark Legacy were lost on me.

When I met with Christine Feehan in 2016, she had mentioned then that her editor and publisher didn’t want to have a Dark Celebration book, especially when the book didn’t have a pair being formed or an antagonist being killed. And so it was published in limited editions only (I fail to remember but may be only 500 copies or so I guess). Then it became a hit with the readers and everyone were asking for more, so later they ended up publishing 30000+ copies of this book and still counting.

I must say it is one of the best written, humorous and shows a completely different world of Carpathians filled with love and happiness. Of course it is another reunion sort of plot, a true reunion with more festivities around. Christine shows us how all the couples so far we met are faring well in their lives, the inner workings of their society in this book. Of course they still deal with the vampires, society of human vampire hunters and mages in parallel.

These are all larger-than-life characters and they certainly have a strong presence. So to see all of them getting equal focus, showcasing their strengths without diminishing each other, that must have been a massive feat for Christine to put together. After the battle they had with the vampires and powerful mage, Xavier, in the previous book, a close-call to their prince's life, this seemed a fitting book in the series, a reprieve for all the characters too.

I was pleased to see a lot more of Skyler Rose whom we had seen briefly in Dark Legend. And nice to see more of Dmitri in here. Skyler and Dmitri certainly are growing to become prominent characters in the Carpathian life. I certainly loved the entire chapter written for Barack and Syndil exclusively - two of the characters that I have come to be fond of and craved for more. We see more of Gabrielle, Gary and the Sanders family, and the plot around them keeps getting thicker and thicker.

The way Christine progressed the plot, made me think of age-old practice by Indian kings who would dress as commoners, mingle amongst their people to find what makes them happy and identify the problems and potential solutions. Although Mikhail doesn’t do that way, but his interaction with every single Carpathian - couple and single - made me feel that. And in the process he finds more abilities of his people that he thought were lost or unheard of, aiding him in making a stronger Carpathian race. Flipside the Carpathian couples and families learn a lot about each other too.

Christine mentions that Traian Trigovise's vampire who had a hold on him was dead, Traian returns to Carpathian mountains with his lifemate Joie Sanders and her siblings Jubal and Gabrielle. But I don’t remember reading about any of that in any of the books following Traian's story, Dark Descent, and this plot. Perhaps this mention in itself is the closure.

Another long-pressing question in my brain gets touched upon partially in this plot. What happens if a human who was in love with another human gets converted to a Carpathian? Will their human lover still be their lifemate or will they be a lifemate to another Carpathian and still be in love with the human? Ooh the plots are getting thicker, deeper and very complicated.

At the end of the book, Christine adds a whole section on desserts, aptly titled "Dark Desserts" - each and every recipe submitted by the readers. The appendix sections continues to stay and come in two parts - Appendix I listing out Carpathian Healing Chants; Appendix II listing out Carpathian Language

A few tidbits: This book misses the hard card inserts that gives reader an opportunity to either join a book club and win books, or buy a book and get a few free. Christine also shows the Carpathian Mountain ranges where these people primarily reside. And the family chart appears again, this time with the mistakes seen in the previous book corrected. There is an advertisement for dorchester publishing at the end of the book enticing readers to join their club and buy books. Although we know now that in 2012 this publishing was acquired by Amazon Publishing and it shut down as dorcehsterpub.

Another powerful paranormal plot woven by Christine Feehan keeping us thoroughly entertained and immersed into the world of Carpathians. As always the fight scenes are excellent and love scenes are very romantic, not yet erotic. Christine has certainly left the readers with so many minute details that they would be craving to read those details becoming important in future plots. Watch this space for more reviews of the next books in the series.

Spoiler Alerts:

1. Plot reveals:
a. Christine shows the map of Carpathian region where the Carpathians occupy in this book.
b. Eileen Fitzpatrick, a human claims that Shea could be actually Maggie's granddaughter as opposed to her daughter.
c. It is revealed that Skyler Rose is lifemate to Dmitri Tirunul. Now all the references to wolves and Dmitri and Skyler makes a lot more sense. And that Skyler could be a Dragonseeker and fathered by Razvan.
d. Quite a few Carpathian women are pregnant in this episode - Tempest (lifemate to Darius Daratrazanoff), Savannah Dubrinsky (lifemate to Gregori Daratrazanoff, perhaps with two twin girls thus confirming the forecast that Julian and Savannah had in Dark Melody (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)), Sara Marten (lifemate to Falcon)
e. Talk about a woman who had come from a much respected lineage who had ability to heal earth, water, plants, ability to regrow plants with rich nutritious soil all around. She aided highly in the birth of Carpathians. Syndil is her direct descendent.
f. Perhaps a budding romance between Josef - Byron's nephew - and Ginny - Colby's step-sister. Paul and Ginny have Jaguar blood in them by way of their mother. It is revealed that Gary Jansen is also a Jaguar male although he doesn’t know of it. He is also related to Colby and her siblings - their mother was his sister. Finally the question of if Colby is related to Gary or not is answered. Paul is tied to Nicholas De La Cruz by blood bond.
g. Joie Sanders and her siblings and parents are from pure Jaguar blood-line. And that Jubal is a Jaguar male although now Gabrielle is a Carpathian.

2. Sub-Plots:
a. Would love to ask Christine Feehan as to why she didn’t have Barack claim Syndil early on, why make him wait till after Darius makes his clam on Tempest in the sixth book Dark Fire? Also why not a separate book or a novella for Barack and Syndil instead of spreading their story within two books - fifth book Dark Challenge and sixth book Dark Fire?
b. In Dark Descent (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), we see quite a few sub-plots, more meat for future books.
i. Gabrielle Sanders and Jubal Sanders are introduced - siblings to Joie Sanders. As of Dark Demon plot they reside in Carpathian Mountains taking care of the kids during the day, whom Sarah Marten and Falcon have adopted. The owners of the inn in the village, Slavica Ostojic, her husband Mirko Ostojic and their daughter Angelina, help them too. Gabrielle is turned to Carpathian in this plot and tied to Vikirnoff for all time.
ii. While being tortured, one of the master vampire takes Traian's blood giving the vampire ability to control Traian - although Traian beats him at that control. However, not knowing who that vampire was and where he was, Traian decides to be away from his people. However, I don’t remember this tidbit being explored by Christine in any of the future books. Perhaps that is why she brought Elisabeta Trigovise in the 31st book, Dark Legacy's plot. Or I might have to read the additional 100 pages that Christine included in a later version to know the truth.
c. Dark Demon Plot also comes with quite a few sub-plots that could potentially form more meat for future books:
i. Natalya and Vikirnoff find two dragons encased in ice - red and blue colored. The same dragons that Traian Trigovise and his lifemate Joie Sanders find in Dark Descent, except that they assumed it was one, but instead there are two of them in that ice case.
ii. Razvan Dragonseeker was shown to take blood from a small child with bright copper curls. Wonder who that girl would be.

3. Unique / Repeat Characters who are not Carpathians but with the possibility of them being expanded by Christine Feehan in future books:
a. Gary Jansen first time introduced in Dark Magic, doesn’t have a story of him yet - 18 years since his character had first been mentioned. Recently Christine announced in her blog on Goodreads that Gary's story has to wait as his lifemate is a child now. I wonder who that child was and if she had already introduced that child in any of the recent books. And if she is basing her on one of her granddaughters' - just like Skyler - and she would wait till the grand daughter would grow in real life before penning a story between her and Gary.
b. In Dark Dream (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), Sara Marten adopts seven sewer children - three girls (Emma, Chrissy, Blythe) and four boys (Travis, Jase,) - all with psychic abilities.
c. Skyler Rose Thompson is first introduced in Dark Legend, as a 14 year old girl psychic human female who is battered and injured in every way. We are going to see more of her.
d. In Dark Legend, Francesca muses if her child would be one of those rare females since she had perfected the art of living like a human and walking in the sun. Wonder what would the fate of this child would be in Christine's hands.
e. Barry Woods, a reporter in the Dark Legend plot doesn’t have a closure like other reporters in other plots. Perhaps a future character?
f. Corrine Wentworth (lifemate to Dayan) gives birth to a female psychic child - Jennifer - in Dark Melody.
g. MaryAnn Delany is introduced in Dark Destiny (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), a female with strong psychic powers and also one who works with the battered women and children. She perhaps will be a lifemate to another Carpathian soon. She is identified as a lifemate to Manolito De La Cruz in this plot.
h. Jasmine Sangria - sister to Juliette - and Solange Sangria - their cousin - are introduced in Dark Hunger (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) plot. Strong psychics from the Jaguar species who could potentially be lifemates to Carpathians just like how Juliette is for Riordan.
i.
4. Perils that the Carpathians face:
a. Few children who have born are Males, most not surviving the first year of their life, females are rarely born. Shea Dubrinsky along with Gregori Daratrazanoff are trying hard to find a way so children survive.
b. With Dark Symphony, Christine introduces a new concept while converting a psychic female with Jaguar blood - Antoninetta Scarletti's blind eyes seem to be giving sight back to her.
c. Vampires are congregating; attacking in coordinated methods; doing a hypnotic dance to transfix the Carpathian hunters; ability to create a holding spell; able to inject a fast acting poison impacting the nervous system; can cause Carpathians to sever the mental path the Carpathians share; casting a silvery net to capture the hunter in their molecular form; two master vampires running the show together; use animals such as rats, birds and insects to pry on others; a multigenerational poison that could attack the healers, fighting the master mage Xavier (introduced in Dark Demon plot)
d. Society of Human Vampire Hunters who constantly hunt the Carpathians mistaking them to be Vampires. The Morrison Center for Psychic Research is targeting psychic humans, documenting about them to kill them in the end.
e. Malinov Brothers are introduced in this Dark Secret plot; they were sent to Asia by Vladimir Dubrinsky to fight vampires, instead they become the very thing that they were sent to kill - Kirja Manilov killed by Rafael De La Cruz with aid from Vikirnoff Von Shrieder in Dark Secret; Maxim Malinov killed by Mikhail Dubrinsky in this plot; Ruslan Manilov is the eldest of them.

5. Lifemate pairs introduced as the series progresses: Will Christine have a plot for these pairs sometime in future?
a. Eric and Celeste – Celeste is pregnant with child in Dark Prince, but no mention of them in the books after..
b. Vlad and Eleanor Belandrake - In Dark Symphony we see that she has given birth to Benjamin "Benj" and also adopts Josef - son of another Carpathian pair who are lying in ground now, Lucia and Rodaniver.
c. Tienn and Diedre - Diedre is sister of Vlad.
d. Vladimer Dubrinsky and Sarantha - Mikhail and Jacques Dubrinsky's parents - They are shown as dead as of Dark Guardian (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) plot.
e. Soren - a half Carpathian and half mage - and Samantha, a human - Natalya and Razvan's parents and dead as of Dark Demon plot.

6. Other Carpathians who are waiting for their lifemates as of this book and we meet as the series progresses are:
a. Dimitri Tirunul – another ancient Carpathian mentioned briefly for the first time in Dark Desire plot. First introduced almost 15 years ago, we as readers already know that his story would not be until the 25th book in the series. He is a renowned scientist; works for preservation of wolves and guards them in the reservations of Russia; and has a wolf foundation.
b. Dominic Dragonseeker - Introduced in Dark Symphony, with added little details about wizards / mages and a war between them and the Carpathians. He is looking for his sister - Rhiannon Dragonseeker - a powerful mage although just an apprentice, thought to be lost.
c. Josef and Benjamin "Ben" - Carpathian male kids, first introduced in Dark Symphony.
d. Remaining De La Cruz Brothers - Manolito, Nicolas and Zacarias - living in South America are introduced in Dark Hunger plot along with Riordan. Manolito is in Carpathian Mountains with their Prince as of Dark Demon plot. Rafael and Riordan find lifemates in Dark Secret and Dark Hunger respectively.
e. Razvan Dragonseeker - Introduced first in Dark Secret, Natalya's brother and thought to have joined forces with Xavier, the powerful mage working against Carpathians. Although he has children with three different women - one in CA, TX and third one in France. He is father to Colby Jansen who lived in CA before she became lifemate to Rafael De La Cruz and moved to South America.
f. Tiberiu Bercovitz - an ancient mentioned in this plot. He was known to be amazing with weapons.

7. Being so many few Carpathian females born, a few females that Christine still manages sneak in her plots are:
a. Shea O’Halloran – lifemate to Jacques Dubrinsky, first female born after more than 500 years and a natural healer. Her story is in Dark Desire (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...) and is pregnant as of Dark Melody plot.
b. Savannah Dubrinsky - daughter of Prince Mikhail and Raven Dubrinsky; lifemate to Gregori Daratrazanoff. Her story is in Dark Magic (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)
c. Desari Daratrazanoff - lifemate to Julian Savage, sister to Gregori and Darius; has the power to sing that could bring peace to all beings. Her story is in Dark Challenge (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)
d. Syndil - lifemate to Barack, both part of the troupe Dark Troubadours, with tremendous healing powers and has an affinity to earth. Her story is spread in two books - Dark Challenge and Dark Fire (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...)
e. Francesca Del Ponce - lifemate to Gabriel Daratrazanoff. Her story is told in Dark Legend (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...). She is a powerful healer; has ability to bring peace to anyone who is in her vicinity or by touch; makes stained glass patterns and quilts that are specific to one's need and bring healing to them..
f. Tamara - daughter of Gabriel Daratrazanoff and Francesca Del Pounce, born a few months before the Dark Guardian plot.
g. Rhiannon - a Dragonseeker who was kidnapped by the powerful mage, Xavier, eventually giving birth to triplets - two daughters and a son - with Xavier who had killed her lifemate. Natalya is the descendent of that son. And that Rhiannon caused the war between Carpathians and the Dragonseekers.
h. Natalya Shonski - lifemate to Vikirnoff Von Shrieder. She is part human, part mage and part dragonseeker. She also has the tigress inside her. She has ability to see the past of anything that she touches.

8. Geographical / Character / Grammatical / Historical Errors:
a. On Pg.68, Line 5, it should be "…now and then.."
b. On Pg. 112, Line 28, it should be "…did to his body as well as…"
c. On Pg. 149, Line 14, it should be "..In the midst of…."

[Booked & Dreaming · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐4.5-star review:
Dark Celebration was exactly what I needed—a cozy, emotional return to the Carpathian world that felt like a reunion with old friends. This book isn’t a typical action-heavy installment, and that’s honestly what made it so special to me. Instead of focusing on just one couple’s story, it weaves together so many of the lifemates and characters we've met throughout the series, giving us glimpses into their lives, struggles, and the deep bonds they've formed.

I loved seeing Mikhail take center stage again, especially as the weight of being a prince starts to take a toll on him. His vulnerability, his connection with Raven, and his concern for the future of the Carpathian people made him even more human and relatable. It was heartwarming to watch how everyone came together not only to support him but also to reconnect with each other in meaningful ways.

What really stood out to me was the balance between the darker, more intense elements of the world and the warmth of family, celebration, and love. Feehan manages to remind us of the stakes while still giving us time to breathe and enjoy the quieter, emotional moments. I laughed, I teared up, and I found myself smiling at all the familiar dynamics playing out in one book.

If you’re already a fan of the series, this feels like a gift—a book made just for the readers who’ve stuck with the Carpathians through all the darkness. It’s not the place to start if you’re new, but if you’ve read even a handful of the previous books, Dark Celebration is an incredibly satisfying, heart-filled read that reminded me why I fell in love with this world in the first place.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was brilliant. A celebration that let us catch up with all the characters and see how the Carpathians are doing in general and against this battle they are just really learning about. Loved meeting Dimitri, seeing how all the hunters are learning to tease and have fun and how all the women are growing in their powers and talents! Really thought it was great to include each couple and then their interaction with the prince and the group. The Christmas play. Especially Santa’s role sounded fantastic and once again I found myself imagining it on tv or movie screen!

[CC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Loved catching up with most of the couples and learning about the coming babies. Loved the running theme about the Carpathians trying to make human food. Funny stuff!

Anyone who has read my prior Dark series reads knows that I absolutely HATE Barack. Guess what?! I STILL hate him! He absolutely rubs me the wrong way and I hated him in this book too!

[Jamoz23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful Christmas time read.
Amidst all the heartache and problems being faced on a daily basis by the Carpathian people, Ms Feehan gives us this light-hearted look back at our previous couples and the hint of some new ones.
Some gossip, some fun and a few new matches in the making.
This book was fun to read and had such dry humour in it.
Read and reviewed before but review is missing.

[Sharleen Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this Christmas celebration

Loving having so many of the character's interacting with each other as the Carpathians get together to celebrate the Christmas holiday. Thank you Christine Graham for giving us this great.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this was fun. Ensemble casts always make me nervous, but I'm glad I read this. Basically, it's a Carpathian Christmas reunion where Mikhail visits all the other couples. We get updates on relationships, families, even children. There was a lot of humor in this book, and I laughed out loud several times. There was also a lot of action and sadness, mostly with Skyler. New plot threads got introduced, and I can't wait to see what happens next. Also, love the Santa Claus scene!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing series still enjoying