Living in a small Algerian coastal town, Safia Meziane has been taught from childhood along with extended family to defend against an evil enemy not of this Earth. She has honed her skills as a demon and vampire fighter beyond what an ordinary human can do. The family relies heavily on Safia being the one to lead them in their battles against a relentless evil. Safia is stunned to learn that she is the fated mate of Petru Cioban, an Ancient Carpathian, who has been living with a terrible guilt concerning Safia for most of his two thousand years.

Two centuries ago, Petru did something that is an anathema to the Carpathian race. He has been waiting that long for Safia to be born again. Petru has been a legend for all that time for his people and Safia’s. Since Safia’s family never told her that part of her destiny, she is less than pleased and very unsure why their mating is so essential.

Safia has always gone her own way often working mostly alone, or with the help a particular friend to defeat the demons and other vile creatures whose attacks have been escalating. Petru is not exactly part of the modern world as he and his fellow ascetics, who are searching for fated lifemates, have had no emotion or literal color in their lives until a mate is found. Safia is a modern young woman and is not pleased at the thought of a supernatural husband who also plans to convert Safia to his race. She has a big learning curve while the very evil Lilith starts throwing everything in her vile arsenal at them because a big war with Safia and her family is coming.

Petru has spent his life preparing for the strife to come as well as waiting to get back to his chosen one. Saphia goes through quite a bit of training gearing up for the evil storm on the near horizon. This book, number 33 in the series, culminates in one of the bigger battles while setting up the story arcs for several of Petru’s compatriots for finding their fated mates as they are also assisting Safia and her family to defeat Lilith’s army.

Enamoured of Safia's strength, intelligence, open mind and her compassion. Petru (our Carpathian) had me choked up a moment or two. For such an ancient he was willing to do what he could for Safia. Evil is growing in leaps and bounds as this series continues and I fear it is all coming to a catastrophic conclusion in a couple years. I am getting ahead here. When I started reading Dark Memory I thought wait, I read this. I almost stopped (I rarely read a book twice) it soon stepped out on its own. Love the little surprises here and there, the strength in family. I did turn the pages multiple times to get on by the physical - as always that is my least favorite part. Dark Memory brought more Ancient Carpathians to the front and will have you hurry up and waiting for their stories. Thank you for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #DarkMemory #ChristineFeehan #Berkely #NetGalley

I adore this particular series from Feehan, and this installment felt truly unique. I love the lore that she brought into this particular story, and our tortured hero was incredibly patient while our heroine got her feet and mind around the situation. I love me a man who is patient in a fated mates situation. This installment is beautiful, and I hope you will pick it up!

The Ancient ones in the brotherhood are slowly finding their mates, one painful fight at a time. This time, it is Petru who is finally able to find his soulmate. Since he is one of the best fighters, it only makes sense that his mate would be someone who can also fight. Boy can she fight! Safia was raised to be the defender of her people. Her abilities are off the chart and I like her all the more for her humble attitude.

What I enjoyed about this story is the community and family Safia grew up in. According to the author's notes, this is loosely based on a real life society that she had the pleasure learning about their culture and way of existence. This is how a functioning society and family unit should be. I like how even though it is a patriarchal society, they treated their women as equal partners. They had no issues with Safia being the chosen one in their family. Being a female didn't cause for any resentments from her brothers. Unfortunately, it did in the broader community and that is not surprising.

From a plot perspective in this long storyarc, it moved slowly. It is predictable and follows the same path as pretty much every book prior to this one. What makes this one more interesting for me is the rich culture of Safia's people. I liked learning about how they help each other. I like how the family members support each other and find what they were passionate about. This is an idealistic goal to strive towards. When it works, it is beautiful to witness.

The big showdown between Safia and the "big evil" was a bit anti-climatic. There is a lot of build up from the get go of this story. The integration between Petru and Safia into a couple was relatable and I liked how the fears were allayed. Safia's concerns about how her life would change once she married/mated with Petru were valid. Petru like all old male Carpathians tended to be high handed in his decisions and unable to use his words to communicate. Still, he tried and it all worked out in the end. This paranormal romance is recommended to readers who like strong heroines.

Oh, this book was such a fantastic read! I just love this series, and the direction these recent books have taken with the tarot reading, gate protectors, has been really enjoyable to read! In the previous books, we've gotten readings of the Brother, so Petru has an idea of their relationship, of betrayal, but oh man, yeah, that wasn't what I was expecting!

Safia was trained to the the Guardian of her people, to fight the demons. She knew she was promised to someone, but she didn't know who-or that he wasn't of her culture-until right before he arrived, which they did have to deal with. So that, along with his reputation, made for some fun reading of their relationship dynamics! Plus there was humour that I adored!

It was really interesting to see her skills, of searching out demons and overcoming them. Combined with his ability as a tactician, they make a good team. Watching them battle Lilith and her hoards was so entertaining, and I'm so excited for what comes next!

The reading that she gave at the end pretty much listed out the order of coming heroes in this series, because the triplet's stories seem to be intertwined. I'm so excited to see how things are going to play out with what they're facing!

This was such a great read, and I can't wait for whatever is next in the series!

Another wonderful installation in the Dark series. Christine continues to expand her world and I always look forward to her books! Fated mates/soulmates is one of my favorite tropes!

Safia is a strong warrior and defender of her area. Her family has been training for two thousand years, waiting for the return of Lillith and her demon horde. Petru is an ancient Carpathian who realizes that two thousand years ago he made a decision to choose destroying Lillith and saving his lifemate. These dark memories (ha, title drop) concern him about meeting her again in this time.

Christine does a great job of making time for Safia and Petru to make real connections with each other, while also preparing for a war with demons and vampires. Looking forward to the next installment, which will hopefully be either Benedek or Nicu.

Dark Memory is another great addition to the Carpathian world. Feehan does an amazing job of continuing to expand on an already complex world with interesting characters and a well developed story. I loved how independent and capable Safia is before she ever meets Petru and refuses to sit back and let him save her, while at the same time letting Petru still be the strong Carpathian we expect. And the chemistry between them is hot! Dark Memory did not disappoint!

I always enjoy reading books from Christine Feehan and this was another great entry in the Carpathian series. It had a strong storyline going on and I enjoyed getting to read this. The characters had everything that I enjoyed from this series. It left me excited to read more in both this series and from Christine Feehan.

Dark Memory by Christine Feehan is both fascinating and thrilling. This captivating novel never fails to keep readers engaged, as it skillfully weaves wicked tension and delicious romance at a steady pace. Within this dark yet passionate world, the beautifully extraordinary characters add an enchanting touch. Personally, I have never been disappointed by Feehan's work, always left craving for more.

Dark Memory is as fascinating as it is thrilling. There is truly never a dull moment as the wicked tension and delicious romance continually builds at a steady rate. You never know what to expect from this dark yet passionate world with its beautifully extraordinary characters. I know I am never disappointed, and I am always left wanting more.

Sofia knows her time of finding her mate is at hand. However, the revelation of who he is shocks her to the breaking point. While knowing she is unique; she never realized just how special she is. Petru knows one thing above all others; his life mate is in danger. He will move Heaven and Hell to ensure her safety, but no one said how hard it would to watch her play out her role in the coming battle with Lillth. Can Petru allow Safia to take her role on the deadly chessboard, or will he lose his sacred light forever?

Safia was a joy to get to know. She was very independent, completely devoted to her family, and passionate about her role in keeping her city safe. All of her rough edges as other saw only served to soothe the pain and fill the empty spaces in his very soul. Petru may be an ancient, but there is a reason that a woman completes a man. They are the softness that tends the barren soil in order to make it fertile and brighten their life.

Christine Feehan stretched out hearts to make room for two very important and crucial couples in her world. While I wait with bated breath for her next book in this series, I will never forget them, and I will think often of how their differences fit together just right. Her world helps me to realize that each of us have a purpose in this life, and once we find it, nothing will ever be the same again.