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Dark Destiny (Dark Carpathian #13)

by Christine Feehan (Goodreads Author)

4.24 of 5 stars 4.24 · rating details · 8,575 ratings · 127 reviews

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

Her childhood had been a nightmare of violence and pain until she heard his voice calling out to her. Golden and seductive. The voice of an angel.

He had shown her how to survive, taught her to use her unique gifts, trained her in the ancient art of hunting the vampire. Yet he coul...more

Mass Market Paperback, 383 pages

Published July 1st 2004 by Leisure Books (first published January 1st 2004)

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Mar 09, 2008 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of paranormal romance novels

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This novel tells the tale of how the ancient Carpathian, Nicolae, found his lifemate, Destiny. Lots of new twists in this one. For example, Nicolae has been connected to Destiny’s mind since she was a child. When she was six years old she was kidnapped by the powerful vampire, who had killed her parents. He tortured, raped, and made Destiny drink his blood for years until Nicolae told her how to kill the vamp and gain her freedom. A powerful psychic, Destiny, always thought Nicolae was a vampire...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 10, 2004, paranormal, romance

It probably won't be often that I give a book at 10/10 rating, but I decided this one deserved it for reasons I'll go into below.

Yet again, the fact I read Christine Feehan (in fact, pretty much everything she publishes) is because I got suckered in my Barbara the Bookseller. That's okay. I discovered a good author and she gets a lot of my business. In fact, she was so sure she could convert both me and the friend I was shopping with on the day in question, she gave us a second hand copy of the...more It probably won't be often that I give a book at 10/10 rating, but I decided this one deserved it for reasons I'll go into below.

Yet again, the fact I read Christine Feehan (in fact, pretty much everything she publishes) is because I got suckered in my Barbara the Bookseller. That's okay. I discovered a good author and she gets a lot of my business. In fact, she was so sure she could convert both me and the friend I was shopping with on the day in question, she gave us a second hand copy of the first Carpathian book, Dark Prince. She gave away one book and between us we've probably bought about forty or so Feehans since then. I'm not sure who won.

Dark Destiny is the thirteenth Carpathian book. I wasn't as impressed as usual with the last one (Dark Melody) although I admit I'm still not sure why. It just didn't gel as well with me as some of the others have. So I started this one wondering if this was a general trend or a one-off that just hadn't quite worked for me. It was soon clear that it was the latter. In my opinion, Dark Destiny is possibly the best of the series.

Destiny (I don't think we ever learn her last name) was beguiled by a vampire when she was six. She unwittingly led him to her family and he murdered them in front of her, before abducting her and forcing her to take his blood. In her desperation to survive years of torture and abuse, Destiny reached out and touched another mind. I was a man, one she believed to be another vampire, who taught her all the skills and talents she needed to become a hunter. At fourteen she killed the vampire who had taken her and since then has been hunting the evil creatures.

Destiny made one error. She had not made contact with another vampire, but with Nicolae Von Shrieder, an ancient Carpathian. He has been trying to find Destiny for years, and as the book begins, he finally does so. When he finds her, his grey world explodes into colour and he realises Destiny is his lifemate.

Nicolae has a hard task ahead of him. Not only does he has to convince Destiny of what she is to him, he also first has to prove to her that he is not a vampire and that she, despite having been converted by one, is not either. Destiny, because of her terribly abusive childhood, is a scarred and damaged survivor, who does not know how to trust; she believes herself to be fundamentally evil (and while her actions quickly prove this untrue to the reader, she is unable to see it herself) and she has closed herself off from the possibility of friends, let alone the binding love of lifemates.

The reason I have chosen to rate this so highly is because of the way Feehan has handled the sensitive issues of an abuse survivor. Nothing drives me crazy more that a book where the heroine is shown to have been terribly abused, but once she meets the hero she is swept away by his amazing virility and suddenly everything is all right. Feehan has avoided this with care, sensitivity and style.

Destiny learns slowly. Even as her instincts involve her with people and draw her to Nicolae, she's fighting it. She comes to trust slowly with false starts. Sex is a frightening experience, no matter how right it feels and - hooray - it is a development, not a cure. Even by the last chapter of the book, when Destiny has grown and learned so much, when she's discovering it is safe to laugh and be happy, "the scars remained in her heart and mind".

I am blessed and lucky. The horrors of abuse of any kind have passed me by and I can only be grateful for that. So I cannot say if this is truly an honest and appropriate treatment of the subject, shifted into Feehan's fantasy world. But it does look to me that it is, and that is a large part of what impressed me so much. She tells a great story, introduces another set of wonderful characters you want to know more about, depicts again a wonderful tale of love, and yet, amongst it all, maintains a sense of great truth.

The book also introduces a sparkling set of minor characters and I look forward to having a chance to catch up with at least some of them again. I hope Vikirnoff finds his lifemate (like others, I have my suspicions about who it will be) and I hope we get to see Mary Ann again (I think it should be in the Carpathian mountains - it's time we had another story there). Velda and Inez were a delight; Velda's tragedy such a touching sadness - and an explanation of something I hadn't even thought about before.

The whole Carpathian series is great, this one especially so.

[Copied across from Library Thing; 25 September 2012](less)

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Sep 18, 2009 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

The pain of conversion to Carpathians is difficult enough for the women, but a child being converted by a vampire leaves tainted blood and horrible scars, inside and outside. At the a young age, Destiny knew horrors most humans can’t even imagine, the only way she survived was her mental connection to Nicolae Von Shrieder. He taught her how to survive, how to hunt and how to live again even though he could not find her. Being connected allowed him to help, but Nicolae couldn’t protect her they w...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Bleunween R. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-series, paranormal

WOW! This is by far the most amazing book from the series until now!

Destiny's story is so dense and Nicolae was really amazing with her, although I noticed "patience" has been a constant lesson for the Carpathians to learn in this new century they are in. By far, he was the most patience, all those years calling for her and not getting a single answer and looking for her around the world.

It seems, many humans are now a part of the Carpathian world. Not exactly knowing their existence but the "bl...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, paranormal

I love when the women in these dark series aren't simpering useless whiners with stars in their eyes. Destiny was such a dynamic character. she has so many problems and such a difficult past but she got thru it and now she kicks some serious vampire butt. Nicolae (and Vikirnoff *sigh I cannot wait to read Dark Demon) were different ancients to me. Nicolae definitely had his hands full with Destiny and he handled he differently, he didnt dominate her and take her he helped her and worked with her...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Kazza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

I liked this book as long as I spaced the reading out amongst other books because Ms Feehan is repetitive, but still I love these Carpathians and I back up again and again. Nicholae is a very charming hero and has incredible strength of character as well as patience and oodles of romantic leanings. Nicholae took a softer hand than the previous Carpathian males,he knew he had to and it made him such a worthy male in my opinion. As for Destiny, well what can one say except she had one crappy child...more

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Aug 28, 2011 TJ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

This one will not go down as a favorite in this series for sure. Didn't care for the heroine. Destiny was abducted and horribly tortured as a child. She lives seeing herself as a horrible monster because of what she turned into. Her only salvation was the voice of Nicolae that encouraged, comforted and kept her sane. When Nicholae finally finds her, however, she treats him atrociously! While one understands her fears, as the book progresses, her actions read more like a spoiled child's tantrums...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Pat Cromwell rated it 3 of 5 stars

In the 13th book of the series Feehan took a 100 degree turn with the heroine. She hinted at the new and improved not so mousy heroine with Jaxon. But it wasn't that much of a culture shock because Jaxon was human. Destiny took some getting use to. The book hinted at emotional tugs but didn't quite pull hard enought. The book introduces Mary Ann -- the heroine in Feehan's IR Dark Possesion. Didn't care too much for the character in Dark Destiny. Destiny could kick but, however, there was somethi...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Petty Witter rated it 2 of 5 stars

A disappointing read in that certain elements of the book were prize winningly repetitive - our heroes (Destiny and Nicholae, forged together by a psychic link) would enter into battle, make love, the details of which though not graphic went on for page after page after page, before observing that, oh, they hadn't 'fed yet'. Agggghhhhh.

A shame really as there were other elements of the book that were almost interesting and exciting, the ending being quite dramatic.

As for characters? To be honest...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, vampires, 2008, romance

This is one of the more original storylines for a Carpathian book: Destiny, a strong psychic, let a vampire into her home when she was six and was forced to watch him brutally murder her parents - and then he converted her. In her panic she connected with an ancient Carpathian hunter, Nikolae, but wouldn't speak to him. Even though he was continents away, he taught her everything he could to help here survive and, after eight hellish years, defeat the vampire. Nikolae is tracking her and getting...more This is one of the more original storylines for a Carpathian book: Destiny, a strong psychic, let a vampire into her home when she was six and was forced to watch him brutally murder her parents - and then he converted her. In her panic she connected with an ancient Carpathian hunter, Nikolae, but wouldn't speak to him. Even though he was continents away, he taught her everything he could to help here survive and, after eight hellish years, defeat the vampire. Nikolae is tracking her and getting closer, while Destiny becomes a vampire hunter with no knowledge about the true nature of Carpathians, and believing herself as evil as the vampires she kills.

When Nikolae finally catches up to her in Seattle it's to find some strange goings-ons in the neighbourhood where Destiny feels drawn to the people. People are acting out of character and suffering memory loss, and it doesn't seem to be the work of a vampire. While they strive to uncover that mystery, Nikolae tries to convince Destiny that there's a difference between Carpathians and vampires, and that their healers can rid her body of the vampire blood - and the strange parasites living in it that seem to draw vampires to Destiny, vampires who speak of a plan of domination, and a master, and try to get her to join them.

This book starts a three-book plotline (Dark Secret and Dark Demon) so you won't get all the answers here or in the next book. The crime-solving side of this novel is new to the formula and adds an extra level of mystery - and Velda, oh that actually brought tears to my eyes it was so sad!

I had all the usual problems with this one as I do with all the others, but I really liked Nikolae and Destiny is the first woman to be a vampire hunter in this series - very refreshing. Natalya, the woman in the photograph Vikirnoff goes hunting for, is also a vampire hunter with some very cool tricks up her sleeve, so it's nice to see Feehan moving away from the more timid, lip-nibbling heroines.

Still, my big complaints remain, among which are: Why are the women always white and American? I know, it's a comfort zone for Feehan, but really, what are the odds of that? Realistically, there should be Asian and black and hispanic etc. women in there too. Not to mention that, essentially, all the men are the same character and the women, for the most part, are too. It's no wonder I sometimes get confused!(less)

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Aug 30, 2010 Jane (PS) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyable. Not as cohesive as some of the other 'Dark' books, but I still really enjoyed it and am hooked on the series - the stories seem to be getting better, with more depth, and a little less repetition. (Or is that my imagination? - perhaps I no longer feel bad when I skim some of the emo/lurve paragraphs?)

As a cost cutting measure for CF I think I could save her a couple of pages of printing by removing 'of' from some of the sentences. Eg. "He took the shirt off of her body." Rather...more

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Dec 24, 2007 Kathrynn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paranormal Romance Fans

Shelves: romance-paranormal, series-carpathian_feehan, own, 2006, hot, reviewed

#13 in Carpathian series and Destiny (a born Carpathian female) gets together with her mate (Nicolae) the sparks fly. Hot! I liked this story. Destiny can take care of herself. Vikornoff is in this, too.

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Aug 07, 2012 Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" rated it 5 of 5 stars

If took me over a month to write this review, at first I thought it should be given a 1 start rating. Destiny a 6year old little girl was forced to watch her parents being murdered, than she was kidnapped an repeatedly rape by the same vampire while he drank her blood!! Destiny endured this for years. It made me cry!!! I could not figure out how Ms. Feehan could think about or even write such HORROR!!!! However I Loved so many of the other characters in the story such has Nicholas the hero and t...more

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Jun 29, 2009 Karyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, 2009-n-before

Dark Destiny is different from the other books in the Carpathian Series in that Destiny is a Vampire Hunter - making her the first woman Carpathian in this role.
Nicolae is the voice she turned to when as a psychic human child she was ensnared by a vampire who then killed her parents and brutalized her. With no other way to save her, Nicolae teaches her to become a hunter and kill the vampire…and he’s there for her every step of the way after that.
The dynamic between these 2 is interesting in tha...more Dark Destiny is different from the other books in the Carpathian Series in that Destiny is a Vampire Hunter - making her the first woman Carpathian in this role.
Nicolae is the voice she turned to when as a psychic human child she was ensnared by a vampire who then killed her parents and brutalized her. With no other way to save her, Nicolae teaches her to become a hunter and kill the vampire…and he’s there for her every step of the way after that.
The dynamic between these 2 is interesting in that they've known each other almost all of Destiny's life. So even though she fights the attraction between them, she realises she needs him for her very sanity. Destiny was infected with Vampire blood by the vampire who captured her when she was younger and the infected vampire blood burns her because of which she cannot exchange blood with Nicolae.
Nicolae's solution and his attention and care for Destiny makes him one of my favourite Carpathians. This is one great story, that you have to read.

I like both Von Shrieder brothers, and i love Vikirinoff's sense of humor and his conversations with Nicolae.

That's another thing you'll love about this book - the quirky conversations between Destiny, Nicolae, Vikirnoff and even Mary Ann. And then there are the ones that fit in the 'words of wisdom' category:

Destiny: "Have you forgotten that you had to warn us I was tainted?"
Vikirnoff: "Your blood is not who or what you are. It merely runs in your veins. If a human has cancer growing in his body, does that make him a tainted being? Do not allow this vampire to run your life any longer. He does not own you. He is long gone from this world. Let him stay dead."

Destiny: "You know, MaryAnn, I'm beginning to think you make it up as you go along, you and Father Mulligan."
MaryAnn's eyebrow shot up. "Are we supposed to have the answers? You don't have the answers—how would we? You can only keep moving ahead, Destiny. You keep your eyes open and with luck you see the pitfalls before you step into them, but you embrace life and live it as best you can."
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Feb 17, 2013 Tonya Warner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Destiny was a happy, trusting six-year-old when she brought evil in to her family's life. Being converted by a vampire, she does not realize she is a Carpathian, and not a vampire. She draws on the strength of the man in her dreams as he teaches her how to defeat the vampire. She becomes a hunter.

Nicolae is an ancient Carpathian. He and his brother had been sent out by the father of their Prince to help protect the world frrom evil. His search for Destiny took many years. He could feel her reac...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Alex Economides rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christine-feehan, paranormal

Dark Destiny is the 13th book in the Dark Series by Christine Feehan…who is one of my absolute most favourite authors. It’s the story of Destiny, a vampire hunter and her lifemate Nicolae, who is one of the most amazing Carpathian males. Not the usual overbearing male but one who shows patience, gentleness and patience towards the woman he has finally found that will save his soul. They have been connected through their minds since Destiny had been tortured and abused by a vampire who had kidnap...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Jenny Delandro rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-christine-feehan

This one is about Destiny and Nicolae.

He has been looking for her.. she has been captured /tortured by vampires... they reach each other by telepathy.
He teaches her how to kill vampires... then she meets him ... and believes he is vampire...

Battles ensue

lovers united in the end
they decide to stay in the neighborhood where most of the book takes place
Vikirnoff is Nicolae's brother... he goes off at the end of book in search of woman who the vampire want ... someone who can touch objects and disco...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Lover of Romance rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, vampire

Destiny, as a child suffered and was tortured and abused by a vampire, and then turned by him, but there is still good within her, even though she thinks she is evil, having to kill to survive. There is one man, a carpathian, who has always suffered right with her, and been her light, but there is a great part of her that doesn't believe she deserves any joy or love in her life. Then he shows up in her life, real and she knows that her life is about to change forever. Nicolaoe has been searching...more Destiny, as a child suffered and was tortured and abused by a vampire, and then turned by him, but there is still good within her, even though she thinks she is evil, having to kill to survive. There is one man, a carpathian, who has always suffered right with her, and been her light, but there is a great part of her that doesn't believe she deserves any joy or love in her life. Then he shows up in her life, real and she knows that her life is about to change forever. Nicolaoe has been searching for Destiny ever since their first connection when she was but a little girl, and once he sees her knows that she is his lifemate, but knows that through all the trauma she has gone through in her life, he must take it slow for her, no matter the cost to himself. Hoping that once she learns to trust him, that she will come to love him...Dark Destiny is the thirteenth book in the Carpathian Series by Christine Feehan. I have read this book before but it has been a while since I have, and I have to say its one of my favorites. Its so emotionally compellling to the reader, that you can't put it down. Destiny is the kind of character that can almost break your heart, so easy to relate with, despite the fact that she can fight vampires, there is a side of her that doesn't believe in herself, but then she meets her best friend Mary Ann and then Nicolae her lifemate, and we start to see how she starts to heal and learns how to truly love and be loved. There were quite a few times that I cried, and at other times just laughing at the interaction between Destiny and Nicolae. Nicolae, is the kind of man any woman could fall for, and he is pretty dreamy in this book. Even though he can be controlling at time, and all Alpha Male, he takes his time with Destiny, more patient than most of the other males in this series. Overall this is on the top of the list in favorites of this series, of course it can be hard because I have loved every one of her books, however the story and the characters were endearing, and the plot thrilling, and I there wasn't one moment that I was bored, defintely a worthwhile read. A most emotionally empowering, engaging book that I have read in a long time, and I LOVED it!!! (less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Siry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance-challenge, bucket-list, vampiro, tbr, serie-comenzada

Es malo que lo diga pero me gusto todo lo que sufrio Destiny.. eso hizo la historia mas interesante.. desde como ella y Nicolae se hablaban telepaticamente desde que ella era una niña.. y como por todo lo que tuvo que pasar se hizo capaz de cazar a los no-muertos.. eso es mucho mejor que una simple mujer indefensa que tiene que esperar a que la rescaten..
Vikirnoff el hermano de Nicolae fue interesante ya que como no tiene emociones no comprende las acciones que hacen los demas a su alrededor y q...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Katie Cody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, vampire

Dark Destiny is one of the more intense Carpathian books I have read. There is tons of action as well as romance going on in this novel. In this book Nicolae has finally caught up to his lifemate and is anxious to finally meet her. He is also accompanied by his brother Vikirnoff who helps out when he is needed.
Destiny was not born Carpathian, but was changed by a vampire when she was a child. It is because of this that her blood is poisonous to herself and other Carpathians. Destiny was a very s...more

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Jun 27, 2010 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-romance, fantasy-other-world, fantasy

Destiny and Nicolae...

Nicolae (and his brother Vikirnoff)... hunters sent out by Mikhail's father, and not back to his homeland in hundreds of years. He feels the darkness growing... but... someone needs him... for a dozen years he has been searching for her.. he doesn't have her name, she will not give it to him, but they start each day together through their link... and he is close...

Destiny... at the age of 6 ?... she trusted a vampire, took him to her home where he killed her family... and t...more Destiny and Nicolae...

Nicolae (and his brother Vikirnoff)... hunters sent out by Mikhail's father, and not back to his homeland in hundreds of years. He feels the darkness growing... but... someone needs him... for a dozen years he has been searching for her.. he doesn't have her name, she will not give it to him, but they start each day together through their link... and he is close...

Destiny... at the age of 6 ?... she trusted a vampire, took him to her home where he killed her family... and then physically and sexually abused her for years... And Nicolae was her only savior... he stayed with her in her mind through it all, and gave her the tools she needed to eventually kill the vampire... but she is turned... she has the darkness of the vampire's blood, but she uses her power & her knowledge to track & kill other vampires... but she will not call for Nicolae to come to her, as she can only see that he is also a vampire, and she can not loose him...she wakes each day in pain, caused by the vampiric blood, but takes solace in Nicolae's words...

She has uncomfortably settled in a Mississippi town... where she watches over Mary Ann, the local women's shelter coordinator - saving her life once... and she is connected to the church & its kindly priest, although they have never spoken together... she fights a vampire & he has friends... they recognize her vampire blood and invite her to join them... She kills a few, but not Pater...and Nicolae finally finds her...

Slowly she comes to trust the good in him, and she comes to forgive the bad in herself... she helps out her new friends, and makes a few more... they uncover an evil doctor, who is using hypnosis to hurt some of her friends, and they defeat him...

Pater attacks a few more times, she saves a few people, and comes to see the truth of her innocence in the death of her family...

at the end, an 80 year old, eccentric, unmarried woman saves her from Pater... because he is stopped for a moment when he recognizes her as his lifemate . one he cannot claim because of his choice of vampire... she is despondent for a few weeks because she also feels the loss..

And Nicolae shows his ultimate love & acceptance of her by taking her blood, to be like her... so that she can consent to facing the Carpathians and to accept Gregori's assistance in healing... he finds micro enemies in their blood, and he ultimately is able to kill them ... making them both whole... they take a sample of the blood though to study in their fight against an evolving enemy...

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Aug 21, 2009 Kaleigha rated it 4 of 5 stars

With Dark Destiny, Christine Feehan tackles one of her most damaged heroines of the Dark series. Destiny was taken by the enemy as a small child - her parents murdered in front of her. What followed was years of every abuse imaginable by the evil vampire. In her pain and terror, the strongly psychic Destiny reached across a vast distance to touch the mind of Ancient hunter Nicolae. After long years of sharing her pain through their mental link, Nicolae teaches Destiny to become a vampire hunter....more

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Aug 31, 2009 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Carpathian Fans, Vampire romance lovers

Shelves: hero-in-pursuit, favorite-or-autobuy-author, fated-to-be-mated, favorites, kickbutt-heroine, monster-hunters, paranormal-romance, owned-copy, part-of-a-series, scarred-heroine, tormented-heroine, vampire

Dark Destiny has a very tormented heroine. She takes the Carpathian books in a different direction where we see the heroine needing the hero more in some ways than he needs her. There is a mutuality to their relationship, without any doubt. His finding her has kept Nicolae from turning into a vampire. And reaching out to Destiny, saved her. Poor Destiny fell into a vampire's trap as a very young girl, and was forced to watch him murder her parents and many others. Not only that, she was made to...more Dark Destiny has a very tormented heroine. She takes the Carpathian books in a different direction where we see the heroine needing the hero more in some ways than he needs her. There is a mutuality to their relationship, without any doubt. His finding her has kept Nicolae from turning into a vampire. And reaching out to Destiny, saved her. Poor Destiny fell into a vampire's trap as a very young girl, and was forced to watch him murder her parents and many others. Not only that, she was made to drink his tainted blood and violated. Nicolae allowed her to share his mind, and taught her how to kill the vampires, which allowed her to destroy the vampire who had enslaved her, and to get free.

Since then, Destiny has been on the run. She doesn't trust easily and doesn't seek companionship from others, but somehow becomes emotionally attached to the people in the neighborhood she watches over from vampires, particularly MaryAnn Delaney, whose life she saves.

When this book begins, she is evading the beautiful voice in her head, that she has heard for many years, since she was enslaved by the vampire. Although this voice has helped her through some truly horrible moments, she can't allow herself to believe in its goodness, because of falling for the lure that the vampire who destroyed her family set.

Nicolae has followed his lifemate from place to place, doing everything he can to help her, yet trying to keep his distance, knowing her issues with intimacy. But things soon come to a head, and he makes himself known to her in person.

From there, this story unfolds slightly different from the other Carpathian books. Nicolae is a very patient, gentle suitor. He doesn't rush Destiny or force her into their relationship, although he does make it clear that she is his Destiny and his future. Things are complicated, because Destiny is tainted by the vampire. She doesn't know that the Carpathians are not evil and are not vampires. Her whole existence has been hunting and killing vampires, using her ability to sense them because of the shared blood of the vampire who enslaved her. She believes she is wholly evil and cannot be a suitable mate for Nicolae. Nicolae has to convince her that she is wrong, but also get her healing for the vampire blood that damages her body and causes her terrible agony.

It goes without saying that I enjoyed this book. It has a lot of the things that make Feehan's Carpathian books what they are. But it also has some new elements that make it different to read. I like the mix of magic and science, how the tainted blood of the vampire turns out to have a malignant infective lifeform in it that destroys the host from the inside out. I love seeing the battle scenes and the healing moments. There is wonderful humor in these books. Destiny is a real smart aleck and says some outrageous things to Nicolae that he never lets get to him. He's very wry in his humor, and Virkinoff, his older brother, is the type to say what he thinks and let the cards fall where they may. So I had many moments when I was laughing to myself as I read this book.

I think Ms. Feehan really has an appreciation and a touch for showing human relations. She shows the good and the bad about people, and how they come together to form families that have nothing to do with blood. Such is the group of people in the neighborhood that Destiny has ending up adopting. It was hard to see how there were good people who were doing bad things to each other, and no one was sure why. And this ties into the fact that there are monsters in the world that are of the very human variety.

I had to take time to write a review, because I didn't want to say the same things I've said with the other books. I hope that I did a good job talking about this book as a separate entity from the other Carpathian books, because each one is different. I can see how some readers might get bored with the series, but I haven't. I look forward to reading each one, to continue exploring this very interesting and different vampire world.
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Dec 28, 2008 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-in-book-format, fiction, paranormal, read-in-2008, vampire, to-re-read, romantic-fantasy, shapeshifters, paranormal-romance, do-you-believe-in-magic

And it's not just "a" book review - it's my LAST book review of the year! Luckily, Dark Destiny was a really good book to end 2008 with. This is book 13 in Christine Feehan's Dark Carpathian series.

Dark Destiny is the story of Destiny (duh), a female Carpathian hunter - something unheard of in the previous 12 books of this series. Destiny was not born a Carpathian though. She was just an innocent child of 5 or 6 with strong psychic abilities, when a vampire found her. He killed her family and co...more

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Apr 02, 2008 Ally rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, ebook

As a child, Destiny saw her family butchered by a vampire who then attacked her and turned her into a creature of the night. The only thing that saved her sanity was a strange psychic connection with a soothing male voice that gave her hope and taught her how to survive. Nicolae Von Shrieder is an ancient Carpathian vampire hunter, and it is he who has been helping Destiny. Convinced she is his lifemate, he has been desperately searching for her, as only she can save him from turning into the ve...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, bodice-ripper, vampire

Okay, so after my 'glowing' review last week, why did I read another capathian book?

1) I was hoping they would get better
2) I really like vampire stories
3) Okay, I admit, the concept is interesting
4) why not- sometimes you need a little bodice ripping in your life!

Destiny was changed by a vampire as a small child, but instead of becoming a vampire as she feared, she has turned capathian and has made a telepathic connection to Nicholae, who finally finds her and helps her save the little town tha...more

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Sep 18, 2011 t'irla ~The BookSlayer~ rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who enjoy Vampires, combat and a HEA

Shelves: christine-feehan, owned

Destiny as a young child kidnapped by a Vampire, tortured and brought over fights off the evil in her blood and protects humans and Carpathians alike. Her one saving grace is a voice she hears, a voice who teaches her to hunt and saves her sanity.

Christine Feehan has risen to the challenge of keeping this series fresh. Although still formula writing she has given this book more depth of character causing the reader to have a more emotional investment our hero and heroine. She has toned down the...more

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Dec 21, 2007 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was kinda of surprised when I read some of the reviews. I really did like this book. I'm glad that I didn't read the reviews before buying the book. I'm not going to write a plot summary since other reviewers have did that way better than I ever could. I enjoyed the interaction between the lead characters. I felt their strong bond. Destiny's whining didn't get on my nerves because people that have suffered that much abuse aren't whining as much as explaining how they feel the same way over and...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was a good book and all - I keep wanting to "fast forward" through but there's so much information and action going on that to do so would cause me to miss something - but. I had a hard time believing that after all the mental & physical raping to her that the vampire did that Destiny would so quickly fall into a sexual relationship with Nicolae. Of all of the stories, this one was the hardest to believe. It was still a good story though and if you've read the others then you have to read...more

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May 07, 2012 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at a supermarket when I first came to this country in the early 2000s and just couldn't put it down. I found the story very "addicting" and was glued to the book until I was done with it. Sad to say that I never read the other ones of this series and didn't even know they existed. Will read them though and probably pick this one up again.

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About Christine Feehan

#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan has over 40 novels published, including four series. Each of her four series has hit #1 on the NY Times. Her debut novel Dark Prince received 3 of the 9 Paranormal Excellence Awards in Romantic Literature for 1999. Since then she has been published by Leisure Books, Pocket Books, and currently is writing for Berkley/Jove. She also has earned 7...more

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“Trust. Such an easy word. Such an impossible quality.” — 34 people liked it

“You can't go back; I can't go back either, but we can go on.” — 19 people liked it

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Dark Destiny (Dark Carpathian #13)

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