Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: Dark Predator

By Sandy Amazeen Sep 22, 2011, 1:51 GMT

All New from the #1 New York Times bestselling author. As brutal as the undead he hunted, Zacarias De La Cruz was a master executioner. Now his stark and savage journey has ended. For his brothers, Zacarias had walked to 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 ...more

Within moments of his lifemate’s death, Zacarias’s father turned vampire thus forcing the eldest of five brothers to kill him. At that moment, Zacarias De La Cruz realized there was something broken about him but continued to hang on until each of his younger brothers were safely settled with a lifemate to anchor them. With darkness consuming what little remained of his soul, Zacharias sought to end his existence at a family ranch in Peru only to be thwarted by Marguarita who defied orders and brought him to safety.

For refusing to give up the location of the Carpathian’s resting place, a vampire savaged Marguarita’s throat, destroying her voice but not diminishing her spirit. A deep love of the rain forest and her beloved Peruvian Paso horses kept Marguarita busy on the ranch. She felt a connection to Zacharias and simply could not stand by and watch the honorable warrior meet the sun no matter the consequences to herself. As the two grow to accept each other, Zacharias fights off vampire hunters and has one chance at ridding the Carpathian race of an ancient adversary.

This story had to potential to be so much better then it is. The repeated references to Zaracrias’s being a broken, unfeeling hunter, Marguarita’s vampire attack and strong mental shields coupled with her blind acquiescence to most of his demands were tedious. It is difficult to comprehend how anyone could give up all they hold dear for a mate who clearly does not appreciate or understand them. After particularly brutal treatment by Zaracrias, Marguarita finally has enough and wants nothing more to do with him but the instant she is awakened after that incident, Marguarita gives him everything she has without question. This just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering Zaracrias’s ongoing suspicions and outright contempt for the lifemate he is supposed to cherish. The many loose ends still dangling at the end of what clearly wasn’t meant to be a cliffhanger add to the disappointment, especially when Feehan is capable of so much more.