Dark Predator by Christine Feehan

Dark Predator

Christine Feehan
#22, Carpathian series
Paranormal Romance

As brutal as the undead he hunted, Zacarias De La Cruz was a master executioner. Over the long, dark centuries, he plunged into so many battles they blurred into an endless lifetime of evil that hardened the soul of this merciless, ruthless and implacable dark predator.

Now his stark and savage journey is over. After a thousand years in a grey world, he has accomplished everything he set out to do. His brothers are safeguarded. Each has found a woman who completes them. And they are at peace. For his brothers, Zacarias has walked the edge of madness, but with centuries as a killing machine now left to the past and without a hunt to define him, Zacarias wonders, for the first time in his life, who he really is.

The answer awaits him back home in Peru, in the betrayal of a woman who is readying her trap, in the vengeance of an old enemy, in the inevitable consequences of a bloody family legacy, and in the deliverance of a lifemate he never could have imagined.



Heaven help me but I need assistance with this review because 30 minutes after finishing this book, I'm STILL in full HARD swoon mode. I feel like I've run an emotional marathon, my eyes are still teary and my heart feels like it's ready to explode. Holy heck! I was worried going into this story. Zacarias has always given off the dangerous vibe and I was terrified that this would be an epic fail. He is so intense and what I got was epic swoon instead! He has to be one of the most TORTURED characters I've read in a very long time, my heart instantly connecting him and I seriously didn't think I'd survive the book. Even now, I feel the need to cry because I feel like my heart was ripped out of my chest for the last 5 hours and held hostage. Amazing story and definitely my FAVORITE in the entire series.

How do you even describe Dark Predator? Zacarias has come to the end. He knows it, embraces it and letting go of the burden of responsibility he's carried for centuries, he seeks an honorable death and no one will keep him from it. Used to being obeyed in all things, he doesn't foresee one problem in his plans - Marguarita, a woman whose life he once saved and who now lives on one of his ranches. Raised from birth with the strictest of commands to ALWAYS obey the De La Cruz brothers, she defies all sense of survival and logic, and saves Zacarias from death. This opens her up to his wrath and a lesson she will never forget. Unknown to him though, the greater lesson is for him as he discovers he isn't as lost as he thought was and no darkness is safe for the light and love of a lifemate.

While I will admit that the wordiness of the story was a lot in places, it still didn't detract from the powerful punch the relationship between Zacarias and Marguarita had. The things they said to each other, the way she balanced and accepted him, the way he felt he was completely unworthy of her, made my heart beat and twist over and over. The way he burned for her, needed her was intense and I think a lesser woman would've been terrifying. All I can say is god bless Marguarita for having the courage to look deep into Zacarias and not be put off by the darkness inside him. For being able to love him despite himself and being brave enough to stand up to him. I loved his term of endearment for her, it made me laugh and it was very telling that she didn't take offense by it. She had a great sense of humor, gentleness and fire about her and I really appreciated her.

Zacarias, how could I possibly explain how wonderful I thought he was. There's definitely something to be said for letting the reader deep into the mind of the hero, especially one full of flaws. He is SOOOOO tortured, and it made me giddy as I devoured everything about him. To be so alone, to feel so completely void of everything that you just want it to end, it broke my heart. It hurt that it seemed at every turn he was trying to show Marguarita just how unworthy he was of her, and how he believed if she truly saw him, she'd flee. The idea of her leaving terrified him, which was amazing to read because in the beginning he was so dang convinced she'd placed a spell on him. He had no idea why he was feeling what he was, the compulsion he had to be near her and the incessant craving he had. Watching him soften toward her, banter and laugh made me sob because these were things he never thought possible and it was his reactions that made this an epic read for me. To watch him stumble, make mistakes made him incredible and I loved when he told her "Tell me when I hurt you or do something wrong. I'll only ever make that mistake once" (I kinda paraphrased LOL) Here was a man not used to emotions but once she returned it to him, he just couldn't get enough and there were times he thought he'd go crazy from it.  I can't gush enough about him ... he's completely stolen my heart. HARD swoon!!! No, make that UBER hard swoon!!!

This is definitely my favorite of the entire series. Where ZacariasZacarias was the epitome of all things delicious and THANK YOU for doing him justice Christine!! I definitely recommend this book to everyone. I know after 22 books, some may feel the series gets repetitive, but don't let that stop you from enjoying an amazing book! Come on, it's Zacarias .... happy reading!

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