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!!!
What do You think about Dark Destiny (2004)?
For the most part I enjoyed this book and found it an entertaining read. The only quibble I had was that, all too frequently, the action would grind to a halt as Destiny voiced, yet again, her guilt and fear and self-condemnation. I liked Destiny - she was an impressive heroine, and given her background, I could appreciate the reasons for her angst and inner turmoil. Unfortunately, Feehan has a bad habit of overindulging, usually it's sex scenes that go on and on, but in this case, too much of the book was dedicated to Destiny's negative feelings of self-worth. I'm never sure whether Feehan does this because she doesn't trust the reader to get it or whether it's to increase her word count. Things I liked: the setting for the story and the various inhabitants of the town; Nicolae's patience and tenderness with Destiny; seeing Gregori and Savannah again; meeting Mary Ann and Vikirnoff for the first time; and Velda's reaction to one of the vampires. Although Feehan's writing style occasionally annoys me, I remain a fan of this series.
—Donna
This takes place in Seattle. Destiny has adopted this town and the downtrodden people living in the poorer parts of town and placed it under her protection from whoever threatens them. Especially vampires. But again we have a story that’s not purely vampire against Carpathian (which can get boring), but take a different twist. Ms. Feehan is a genius at weaving her story characters together. I love how the two main series story lines: 1)vampires gathering together to destroy the Carpathians and 2)the Carpathian reproduction problem, are advanced book by book. This one especially has some intriguing new ideas. It’s interesting how the previous book meshes with this one through Gregori. He’s turning into a pretty nice guy. And insignificant characters just keep popping up. Like the priest from the ‘Dark Prince’ Nicolae & Virkirnoff. Another pair of ancient Carpathian vampire hunters like Gabriel & Lucien. But Virkirnoff has almost lost his hold on his sanity, only his loyalty to Nicolae keeping him from crossing the line. I think I like Virkirnoff the best. Nicolae is wonderfully understanding and helpful to Destiny. But Virkirnoff has a subtle way about him that is intriguing. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s the humor that he’s not supposed to have. The way he cares to Nicolae, his code of honor and then this determination after he sees the mysterious woman’s photo. I can’t wait to read his story. Destiny is another strong woman. A survivor from a horrible childhood where she was changed by a vampire, then tortured and raped. Nicolae’s telepathic instructions were all that got her through. He has trained her to be a vampire hunter like himself. Now she’s determined to live eternity alone, independent of anyone. We’ve had several lifemates capable of fighting alongside each other. It’s nice to see after the ‘wimpy’ females earlier, though they do come in handy to help with healing, etc. I’ve never liked females who watch and scream, while their mate is fighting for their lives. These women ‘handle’ their men. Quick thoughts: 1)Pater was an interesting opponent. If he’s an example of the new vampires, the Carpathians are in for a fight. 2)I love, love, love Inez and Zelda. 3)Flowers, chocolate and dancing. And the warm pools in a hidden crystal cave. Get a clue guys. Fave scenes: the fight in the cave with the cocooned vampire, the rat fight and finding Sam.
—Theresa
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 childhood and it took a while for her to trust anyone let alone Nicholae, who really was her rock from the beginnning. She was a courageous heroine and I liked their pairing, they were well suited. I enjoyed seeing Gregori and Savannah as well and their acceptance was a nice touch. I loved the cast of eccentric locals that weave throughout this story and that, as a couple, Destiny and Nicholae blended so well and felt comfortable in that community by the end. A nice read. Oh and by the by, flying united was very nice indeed!!
—Kazza
