Dark Secret (Carpathian Series #15)

by Christine Feehan Narrated by Richard Ferrone

Overview

New York Times best-selling author Christine Feehan has thrilled countless readers with her Dark series. In Dark Secret, stubborn cowgirl Colby Jansen has spent five years toiling to maintain the ranch her stepfather willed to her and her step-siblings. But suddenly her stepfather's family appears from Brazil to take custody of Colby's sister and brother, with the aid of the powerful De La Cruz brothers. Colby doesn't trust Rafael De La Cruz, but she can't deny her attraction to him. For his part, Rafael is determined to make Colby his lifemate before it's too late.

Editorial Reviews

bn.com

The Barnes & Noble Review
Alpha males don't come more alpha than Christine Feehan's Carpathian hero, Rafael De La Cruz. Everything about this elegant vampire hunter screams sin and sex, but he meets his match in proud and independent cowgirl Colby Jensen. Colby is struggling to keep her family farm afloat and take care of her younger stepsiblings when two long-lost relatives, the De La Cruz brothers, turn up looking to take the children back to their family in Brazil. Rafael quickly recognizes Colby as his soulmate, but despite their powerful mutual attraction, getting Colby to talk to him, dance with him, and trust him will take a lot more effort than he has ever encountered. Meantime, there's the matter of discovering who is trying to sabotage the ranch and harm Colby and her family. Feehan delivers her potent trademark blend of passion and adventure in this suspenseful, sensual paranormal thriller. Ginger Curwen

Library Journal

When the wealthy Brazilian Chevez family enlists the aid of the powerful Carpathian De La Cruz brothers to reclaim the children of a brother who had been cruelly disowned years earlier, Colby Jansen, the children's stepsister, is determined to prevent this action. But having recognized the fiery Colby as his lifemate, Rafael De La Cruze is not about to let anything keep them apart. A truly dangerous hero and an intrepid heroine who is more powerful than she knows are drawn together in the latest installment of Feehan's Carpathian vampire tales. Lush prose, stunning sensuality, and an emotional intensity that nearly sends the pages up in flames are classic features of Feehan's works and are here in full measure. Feehan (Hot Blooded) lives in Cobb, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

From the Publisher

Praise for Christine Feehan and her Carpathian novels

“The queen of paranormal romance! The one who started it all! The erotic, gripping series that has defined an entire genre. I love everything she does.”—J. R. Ward, #1 New York Times bestselling author 

“After Bram Stoker, Anne Rice and Joss Whedon (who created the venerated Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Christine Feehan is the person most credited with popularizing the neck gripper.”—Time

“Feehan has a knack for bringing vampiric Carpathians to vivid, virile life in her Dark Carpathian novels.”—Publishers Weekly

“Red-hot romance and great storytelling...a treat you can’t refuse...Thrill-a-minute fantasy with complex characters and a story that captivates from beginning to end.”—Fresh Fiction

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170470877
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	10/26/2006
Series:	Carpathian Series
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	702,787

Read an Excerpt

There was an edge to Rafael tonight, a distinct warning in the very way he held her. His body was as hard as a rock, his skin hot. There was raw possession in the depths of his eyes, in the enormous strength of his arms. Colby was used to men who were ranchers, strong men who thought nothing of tossing hay bales around. Rafael De La Cruz was deceptive in his looks. Long and lean, steel ran through his blood and bones. As soon as Colby felt the heat of his chest through the thin silk of his shirt where her cheek brushed his body, she knew dancing with him was a big mistake. Her heart gave a crazy lurch and she stiffened, tried to hold herself away from him.

Rafael simply pulled her that much closer, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath against her temple. Felt the hard thick thrust of his arousal pressed against her. Honestly. Casually. As if it didn't matter in the least that she knew the urgency of his body's demand for hers. His fingers curled around her wrist, held her hand tight against his heart. "Sssh," he cautioned, his accent very deep, his voice so husky her entire body trembled with need. "You would not want these men to rush to your rescue."

"They would, too." She forced the words out of her mouth. For one terrible moment she thought her vocal cords were paralyzed. He was too potent up close like this. She had never seen such a sensual man. But it was more than good looks. More than his raw sex appeal. There was a dangerous untamed aura clinging to him. She smelled it on him, felt it up close to him. Like an animal, a wild marauder. He was very dangerous, not only to her, but also to others. The knowledge was deep inside her, elemental, certain. She didn't know where it came from, but she trusted her instincts.

He leaned his dark head toward hers while the music beat through their bodies and rushed through their bloodstream. "What if I told you I could read your mind?" He whispered the words, his lips against the pulse beating so frantically in her neck. Little flames began licking along her neck and shoulder.

Colby closed her eyes. The music surrounded them, encasing them like satin sheets so that she burned with need. They burned together, she felt it in his body. Dancing with him was a kind of sexual torment. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears and her body felt molten with liquid fire. "I would have to call you a liar, Mr. De La Cruz. If there is one thing I know for certain, you can't read my mind." And for that she was eternally grateful. Because she wanted him with every cell in her body. She wanted to feel that perfectly sculpted mouth crushing hers, his hands moving over her, needing her, possessing her.

Rafael held her close, his body painful in its new demands. This woman was the one who belonged to him. He would have her. He had never denied himself a single thing he wanted in centuries of living. Nothing, no one, had aroused his interest in well over a thousand years, longer even. Now his every waking moment was occupied with thoughts of her. Torment. Pure and simply she was torment. Colby Jansen was his and no one would take her from him. Not now, not ever.

Copyright © 2005 by Christine Feehan.

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