Title: Dark Secret
Author: Christine Feehan
Published in February 2005 by Jove Books
Genre: Paranormal Romance
IBSN: 0-515-13885-1
Even surrounded by her brother and sister, Colby Jansen feels like an outsider. She has had to conceal her special talents so that she will not be looked upon as if she were a freak. In her young life, Colby has had to deal with many tragedies. First, her father leaves her mother before her birth and she remains fatherless until her mother marries Armando Chevez. Next, her mother is killed in a small airplane crash. In the same crash, her loving stepfather is paralyzed. She is not given proper time to grieve for her mother before she must take over the responsibilities of running their ranch. Although, she might want to be a normal 17-year-old, her sense of duty does not allow her to shirk her responsibilities. Colby jumps right in and shoulders the job of not only making sure that the ranch runs smoothly, but she finds herself assuming a mother role to her half-brother Paul and her half-sister Ginny. A few years after the plane crash, Colby helps Armando write a letter to his family in Brazil on his deathbed requesting their help in caring for his children. No response is received from his family and after his death, Colby is truly alone. The ranch and her siblings have become her entire world. She learns to push her own wants and needs to the back burner. When Armando’s family shows up years after his death, Colby’s protective instincts are on full alert. There is no force on earth that will compel her to sign over the ranch and guardianship of her siblings to a bunch of strangers, whom did not have the decency to respond to a dying man’s last wishes. Even with having to deal with the Chevez brothers, Colby has things under control until Rafael walks on the scene.
Colby takes one look at Rafael and knows that she is in deep trouble. Her body responds to him against her wishes even while the words coming out of his mouth send her anger soaring. When Colby looks at him, she sees a spoiled playboy from Brazil that has never had to work a day in his life to survive. She bristles at the way he tries to take control of both her and the ranch. She has managed to run the ranch with only the help of her siblings and Pete, an old broken down cowboy. She does not appreciate some stranger waltzing in and telling her that she is too young and vulnerable to continue running the ranch. Every time that Colby turns around, she finds Rafael. He is like the proverbial thorn in her side. As tragedy strikes at the ranch, she reluctantly comes to rely on Rafael’s never ending strength. Pete turns up dead, she feels threatened by men from a neighboring ranch, and the stable burn to the ground all in the space of a few days. For a normal woman these tragedies would be more than enough for her to admit defeat. No one said Colby is a normal woman. She has nerves of steel and the word no is not in her vocabulary. She is your typical cowgirl that refuses to admit to anyone that she is in way over her head and will never stop until she if forced to.
Rafael De La Cruz and his five brothers are most comfortable in the relative isolation of the Brazilian rain forest. They have been residing there for more than a thousand years. They were sent out by their Prince to protect the world from their Carpathian brethren that had turned vampire. Rafael and his brothers rely on the Chevez family to protect and maintain their holdings during daylight hours when the De La Cruz brothers are vulnerable. The De La Cruzes and Chevezs have co-existed together so long that they have become one big family. When they finally learn of Armando’s death, Rafael and Nicolas De La Cruz accompany the Chevez brothers to the American ranch to ensure the cooperation of all involved to get Armando’s children back into the family fold. What Rafael does not realize is that during this trip, his entire world is going to come crashing to a halt and be changed for all time.
The sight of Colby in the corral breaking a horse stops Rafael dead in his tracks and brings back colors and feelings that he has not experienced in more than 1500 years. Realizing that his lifemate is doing such a dangerous task has the beast inside roaring for control. In typical Carpathian fashion, Rafael holds nothing back in the face of finding his lifemate after so many years of darkness. When he informs Colby that she should not be doing a man’s job, the sparks fly. He is informed in no uncertain terms where he can put his outdated ideas. As he starts to court Colby, he struggles to understand her point of view. When a Carpathian male finds his lifemate, he has no other choice but to stake his claim and bind her to him. Colby has other ideas, and is not shy about letting him know what she really thinks of him. As the courtship progresses, Rafael is stunned to realize that Colby does not feel the same way that he does. A little reluctance is expected, but downright refusal is something that he never expected and absolutely refuses to tolerate. Rafael might be able to make her body crave his, but he cannot command that she love him, although he gives it his best shot. Knowing that her love is not instantaneous and cannot be demanded is a lesson that this Carpathian man must come to terms with.
Christine Feehan has done a stupendous job with bringing the characters to life in her newest Carpathian novel. Dark Secret is the tale of two unique individuals that do not know the meaning of quitting. Colby Jansen is a rancher that works from sunup to sundown to ensure the continuation of the ranch and the wellbeing of her siblings. Colby has never met anyone with gifts and talents like hers until Rafael De La Cruz walks into the picture. Due to the circumstances of his arrival at the ranch, Colby is dead set against liking him, but she feels physically pulled to be with him. Her conflicting emotions are distressing to her since she has never experienced anything like what she is feeling before. For Rafael, he knows what is happening between them, but he struggles with giving Colby the time and room that she needs to understand that they are bound for all time. Rafael must deal with new emotions that he has never had to deal with before. He finds for the first time in his life, he is jealous. His jealousy and protectiveness even extend to not being able to handle his brother Nicolas being near Colby. Rafael knows the ways of lifemates and accepts the situation, while Colby bucks him at every turn. He demands everything from her and will not accept anything but her complete surrender. She is a modern day cowgirl that does not take crap from anyone, least of all an old-world Carpathian that has the alpha male syndrome bad. How Colby and Rafael learn to accept each other and the situation and deal with new vampire threats makes for a book that demands the reader keep turning the pages until the very end.
Dark Secret by Christine Feehan is another masterpiece. I am on my second reading of the book and have to say that Colby is a woman that makes Rafael stop and look at her view of their situation. Rafael does not back down from what he feels is right, but he tries to temper his handling of their binding so that she has time to come to terms with what is happening between them. While he might wish to convert her and drag her off to Brazil without her consent, the love that he feels for her will not allow him to treat her that callously. Rafael is a sexually demanding lover and forces a response from Colby that she has a difficult time dealing with. Colby struggles with how she is expected to surrender the very essence of herself, when she does not even really like Rafael and most definitely does not like his views on acceptable behavior from his lifemate. I found myself laughing at some of Rafael’s outdated ideas of a woman’s place and applauding the strength with which Colby stands up to him and his demands. Pick up a copy today of Dark Secret from Jove Books to find out who ends up doing the surrendering.
Yours Sincerely,
Annmarie
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