Dark Melody (Dark Series)

The story was a bit disappointing, because the focal point is sickness and pregnancy. I was hoping music, the Dark Troubadours and touring the country would be in the center of the story, but it is not so. The love-story is also a bit extreme, dramatic and predictable in the end.

Dayan is not the typical Carpathian male. The music in his soul brings a lightness to his character that makes this book a refreshingly different read. Corrine calls him a poet, and Feehan does marvelous job of bringing a "dark" poet to life.

It was a good story and kept your interest, it had all the usual hot romance, I found I didn't want to put it down. I have just about read all of Christine Freehan's Dark books and have enjoyed them all.

I have read it over and over… Heart wrenching, full of love and excitement. You can feel Corrine's joy after her conversion and knowing the baby was okay. I love all Christine's books but I'm particularly fond of this one. ;~)

I would say that having read all available Carpathian novels, Dark Melody is the one I love most. Dayan is my favorite character out of all the Carpathian men. He's the perfect hero, and CJ Wentworth is a brave and wonderful heroine. They are fabulously matched. Keep up the wonderful work Ms. Feehan!

I have read 23 of the 26 in this series and I would say this one had me more emotionally involved than any!! I could almost feel the lost and then the joy of the recovery! Kudos to Christine absolutely outstanding work..

This is one of my favorite books In the Dark Series. Although I enjoy each and every one of the them, I put this one at the top. I am reading them in order and look forward to going back over them again in the future.

Dayan is willing to step into her world fully without thought of pulling away because of the baby or her heart condition. Much respect went out to him. It was great seeing the other carpathians coming together to help.

This book is just one in a long series by Christine Feehan. It has everything you need to stay interested and thirsting for the next book. Dark Melody can stand alone or be read with the rest of the series.

Goodness! Will the horror never end. And, I just don't mean in Christine Feehan's latest contribution to her Carpathians.
Seriously, I love this series. The first seven books were fabulous! I would recommend them to anyone. But, the last two books, Dark Symphony and Dark Melody, are just downright idiotic. I wish I could say one good thing about this book, but I can't. The writing is horrible. The plot is horrible. The h/h are horrible. To put it plainly, the entire book is horrible.
In Dark Melody, Dayan, a hero from a previous books finds his lifemate, Corrine. And, from there it's the same old trite villians seeking to destroy the pyschic female. The is the return of previous characters but even their addition seems lackluster and uninspiring.
Ultimately, the plot and storyline were a bit convulted. And, if you haven't read the other books you would be totally lost. This is not a stand alone novel.
Everthing about this book suffered. Do yourself a favor and check this out at the library.

4 stars

**Fair warning - I'm going to tell 2 facts about Corinne that would be considered spoilers**

This was a very good story. I liked both Dayan and Corinne and their story was enjoyable and kept me engaged in the story.

Corinne is a writer of both books and songs. Corinne had a bad childhood but it teamed her up with her BFF Lisa and Lisa's brother John. Corinne didn't love John as more than a brother but she's very unselfish and even seems to feel a need to make others happy so she married John because of pressure from both John and Lisa. John was killed 6 months ago and shortly after, Corinne found that she's pregnant. Since Corinne has a bad heart and wasn't supposed to live past the age of 14, her pregnancy is likely to kill her.

Dayan is an ancient Carpathian male; Carpathians are born vampires with abilities like shape shifting (to any form, even mist), magic spells and psychic powers. The males of the Carpathians have a darkness in them and if they don't find their lifemates, they can lose their souls and become evil. Dayan grew up with a group of Carpathian children that got separated from their elders and ended up growing up on their own. They became musicians and have a popular band that they tour around the country as. All the other members of Dayan's group have found their life mates and this has made things even harder for Dayan.

Corinne is a fan of Dayan's band, the Dark Troubadours. Lisa found out that Dayan was in the area and would be playing at a club so she took Corinne out to the bar. Dayan notices Corinne as soon as she walks in the door and knows she's his lifemate. They meet and a connection is made but when they try to continue things after leaving the bar, they find men at Corinne and Lisa's house waiting to kill them. Dayan soon finds out that Corinne has mind powers and her late husband, John, had them too. Right before he was killed, John had gone to an organization that was supposed to study people with mind powers to talk to them about his abilities. Then, Dayan figures out that John was killed by the group of "vampire hunters" that hunt the Carpathians or any other people they think might be different.

Dayan is determined to save Corinne, not only from the hunters but also from her bad heart and the risk of dying because of the pregnancy. He can save her by transforming her but that could have adverse affects on her child. He calls in a lot of the Carpathians to help, especially the best healers. Dayan is doing his best to keep Corinne and Lisa safe but it isn't helped by Lisa's idiocy. Supposedly Lisa is so good that she can't handle the idea of anything bad. She prefers not to confront anything that doesn't fit her view of the world but will say she does to avoid dealing with reality. TBH, I thought she was vacuous, inconsiderate, weak-minded but maybe that's just me... Regardless, Dayan does pretty good at keeping Corinne alive while juggling what she can know and how soon he can actually change her over while still saving the baby. It's not easy, but Dayan and Corinne work things out and end the story with a HEA.

This was a very enjoyable story. I liked Corinne pretty well. I got a bit frustrated with her coddling of Lisa and being so intent on doing things for others she almost killed herself. Thankfully, that wasn't too bad and Dayan was there to save her from herself. Dayan was great...nice and patient when it was needed but determined to save his woman above all else. Overall, I liked this story very much and would recommend it.

* note - I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator did a good job.

This is one of the books with a cover that actually feels gothic. On the store, one of the categories for this dark series is gothic. To me, this cover actually gives off the feel of being gothic and it’s just plain beautiful.

This has got to be the sweetest book, from beginning to end it just melts your heart and makes you want to say aww. I really loved that Cullen got his happy ending as well but I really wanted to smack Lisa sometimes. She’s a grown woman who acts like a child who can’t handle anything.

I know she went through a trauma when she was a kid but that doesn’t mean you completely ignore all the bad stuff. If she had listened and stayed put, Dayan could have brought Corrine over much more safely and they could have given the baby some more time.

I would have loved to see Cullen and Gary meet but it’s never been brought up in any of the other books. Maybe in Dark Promises?

The way this book is written, I thought I was going to be so bored with it but it has a great emotional quality to it. There wasn’t any fighting really, just Dayan doing some silent killing and when there was fighting, it was very brief.

The story basically focused on Dayan and Corinne, which I am very happy about because I could really feel a strong connection between them.

Though I am glad the story is written the way it is, I do wish that there wasn’t a step back from the major series long plot. I know it picks back up in Dark Destiny but it feels like the pause button was hit so that this story could take place.

I would recommend this to those are, of course reading the series but, wanting a sweet, actually romantic vampire love story that completely focuses on the couple with tense, emotional moments.

Loved it, loved it! He is from another race and has given up all hope of finding the one that will complete him and stop him turning into a vampire. She is pregnant, has a defective heart and is on the run from men who killed her husband. Can the two ever be together? Can they defeat the hunters, when any strain can kill her? Will labour be too much for her? Will the baby survive to be born? A beautifully written book that will pull on your heartstrings. Fabulous plot and with great, strong characters. I had to replace my original copy due to how worn out it is now.

I've read many books of this series and have been disappointed with only two. This one was one of them. This is not to say that there are not issues with the others too, but in the end they were good reads.

I had high expectations for this book, one because the reviews but two the story sounded really interesting. Well the story was really interesting, very interesting, and anyone reading the series should read it for the story alone. It was nice to see the other characters come back in, though some of it seemed forced. Over all the story WAS good, hence the 2 1/2 stars.

So what's the problem? The problem was that it should have been a 200 page read, a novella. It almost feels that the parts were written separately and then put together. Conversations happen over and over. They explain to Corinne 4 or 5 times that "Shea" a doctor and great healer with experience with babies, is coming. No kidding four or five times this is explained. The first time is repetitive for any familiar with the series, but for clarification to others can be understood, but the next times? It feels like the author forgot, thing is this wasn't the only thing to repeat! Dayan explains things over and over to Corinne and I cannot believe that the editor let this through. Each time is like he is explaining for the first. OK, so Christine Feehan's Dark series is repetitive enough without having it in the same book.

Usually books in this series are a good solid 4 but not this one. I was relieved to get through this book because it felt like it wasted a bunch of my time. With most of her books I am searching for stories of the other characters or the next interesting story and will pick up another book, like I couldn't wait for Gregori's book to arrive. But I feeling like letting the series rest a while after reading this one.

The books I've read in this are, Dark Prince, Dark Desire, Dark Gold, Dark Slayer, Dark Magic, Dark Symphony, Dark Challenge, and Dark Melody. My other disappointing one was Dark Gold, 3 stars, and the ones I like best were Dark Desire, Dark Challenge and Dark Slayer (hated the Carpathian language thing though. I end up skipping over it as it was a distraction) I find my opinion is different then many others so I share for those that might have my thoughts.

I love dark and dangerous Carpathian male and want each one to find his light, his lifemate. I can devour one of these books in one reading. Sadly for me, this one was another terrible disappointment.

First, there is the contrived plot revolving around the female lead who is not only dying of heart disease but also six months pregnant by her dead husband, a very unsexy premise for a sensual and exciting romance. The heroine just lies on her back the whole book, sick, pregnant, and dying. The hero just wails and moans over his sickly "lifemate." Boring.

Second, I was not at all convinced that Corinne would fall instantly for Dayan, she was just recently widowed and her husband was someone she had grown up with, loved, and shared a common psychic ability with. I had thought that lifemates did not connect with anyone but their chosen one.

Finally, there was just no spark with this couple. The spectres of her impending baby, failing heart, and irritating sister-in law stripped away any semblance a excitement, action, or adventure, not mention there is no sex until the end of the book which falls flat and anti-climatic.

The only pleasure I took away from this book was the reunion of the lost Daratrazanoff siblings Gregori, Darius, and Desari. The appearance of several Carpathian favorites arriving to help heal Corrine was a nice touch. These tidbits are the reasons I give Dark Melody two stars.

Still, I plan to keep buying and reading this Dark series because I love the Carpathian mythology and every author misses, even Da Vinci had his "off" days.

At the age of four, he was forced to flee the Carpathian Mountains with five other kids, when their village was nearly razed down the ground by the Ottoman Turks, and many humans and Carpathians alike were massacred. Many centuries later and his group has remained together and formed a band called the Dark Troubadours, with him playing lead guitar. Now as typical of the males of their race, he has lost his ability to see in color and feel any emotions, and his family is the only thing that kept him from succumbing to darkness and becoming the undead. Never has it occurred to him that it is his love of playing and the haunting melody that he is able to produce that would eventually lead him to his lifemate for while jamming with a local group in a bar, in walks his salvation.

Corinne Wentworth has always kept her life private. Born with the extraordinary gift of telekinesis, only two people are aware of this ability - John, her husband who also had a psychic gift, and his sister Lisa. Six months after John was murdered after disclosing his ability to the wrong people, Corinne is also targeted by her husband's murderers and carries the burden of a weak heart that has plagued her since birth, and the knowledge that she's pregnant and likely to die giving birth. So why is she so drawn to the musician who talks in a strange way and claims that she's his lifemate when she has always shared so little of herself with other people? What is the mesmerizing pull that makes her want to spend her remaining days with him?

DARK MELODY is by far the most emotional in the Dark Series. Unlike the other books where the hero immediately binds the heroine early in the story, Dayan actually held back in fear of Corinne's health, worried that her heart condition will worsen even by a few hours of separation. I thought it was so wonderful how he controls himself and ever so ready to make the ultimate sacrifice should she lose her battle and die. The fact that even at the eleventh hour he was leaving the decision to Corinne and was ready to follow her into the next life made for some really tender moments. As for Corinne, I didn't think that she was weak regardless of her physical condition. I thought she was a woman who lived life to the full, did her best to understand Dayan's world without resorting to hysterics, and basically embraced everything and everyone that came with Dayan. And in the end, we do get to see her exuberance and full acceptance of her fate with Dayan.

Dayan, the lead guitarist for the Dark Troubadours, mesmerizes his audience with his passionate playing that has every female who watches him desire him. Still he waits for one woman, his lifemate, to appear though he begins to dread that he will never meet her. Still he desperately needs her to refill his empty soul or cross to the dark side.
At a gig in a bar he recognizes the one, but ironically her human heart cannot see that this Carpathian is her every reason for living live just like she is his. Dayan meets composer Corrine Wentworth, who is a widow with a heart condition and carrying her late husband's child that when combined threatens her existence. She knows nothing has been the same for her since a year ago, when her spouse John was tested for his psychic abilities at The Morrison Center for Psychic Research. Corrine has telekinetic skills. She would want nothing more than to surrender her life and soul to Dayan, but fears for him and her unborn if she does for she knows those who killed John are coming for her.
Though similar in many ways to several of her previous Carpathian-human tales, Christine Feehan provides several character traits to the female lead that adds suspense. Thus the brisk story line feels almost like this is the first novel in the long running series as Corrine struggles with health issues, a pregnancy, and the threat to her beloved, herself, and her unborn. DARK MELODY provides the right tune for fans of the author and anyone who enjoys a strong supernatural romance.
Harriet Klausner

4 out of 5 stars! This is the first book I've read from this series and I am a little addicted already to how the author shaped the tale. I hope the others are just as good. I loved Dayan & Corinne as a couple! They were soo cute! Great plot! I liked how the writing flowed from one persons thoughts to the next like you were watching a movie - very clever!

Review By: From Me to You ... Book Reviews
-- read more of this review on my blog: frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com --

This book is quite a bit different than the others. It focuses on Corinne and her heart condition and pregnancy. Dayan is a wonderful three dimensional character that exhibits love and compassion. This story's pace is much different than usual, but works well and is refreshing. Excellent!

Dark Melody is the reunion book. I have awaited this book with anticipation and dread. I feared that this book would not measure up to the older ones that I felt were Christine's best. Dark Melody was pure reading pleasure.
Dayan is lead guitarist for the Dark Troubadours. His voice seduces and mesmerizes all who listens. He is at a bar playing a melody that is dark and moody. His hunger and overwhelming yearning are poured forth into his song for he is calling to her. His lifemate. He despertely needs to be saved for the darkness within is growing enormously strong.
Corrine Wentworth enters the bar and immediately changes Dayan's bleak world forever. Yet, despite the fact that Corrie has telekenetic powers, she is pregnant and dying. Dayan cannot risk saving her until her child is born for her heart is too weak. At any moment, death could claim her.
Desperate to save her and himself from the darkness within, Dayan summons the rest of the healers together.
I loved reading about the reunion between Gregori and Darius. Gregori (my all time favorite) displayed awesome power as he tried to save Corrie and her child. It felt like the older Dark books where the all powerful males (Gregori, Mikhail, Jaques, etc.) joined together during times of peril. How I missed reading about them! I only wished that Mikhail was there.
This reader hopes that more reunions are planned for future Dark books. Those earlier Dark books have a special place on my bookshelf.

Dayan has walked through the darkness for centuries, waiting for the one woman that would bring him to the light. He has wrote thousands of songs, singing to her, trying to beguile her to coming to him. When he finally finds her, he is shocked by who she is and what she's been through. In all his years of exsistence, Dayan never considered the possibility that his lifemate would come to him dying and pregnant with another man's child.
Corinne Wentworth only has one more mission in her life before she dies. And that is to give her baby life. That is all she wants to do, until she meets Dayan. She has always been a person who embraces life, and she is determined to spend her remaining time left with Dayan.
Although it seemed as if some of the passages were redundant of her other books, I was touched by the story of Dayan and Corinne. I have waited for this book to come out for a long time, and I wasn't dissapointed. The courage that Corinne had will touch the reader, and the ordeal that they go through to save her and her baby's life brought tears to my eyes. I understand why the other reviews are critical of this book, but I don't agree. Each of Feehan's books have their own unique characters all centered around the same thing...being Carpathian. I don't think there was any way this book could have been better than it was!

I agree with some reviewers that Dark Melody was a little different in the series in that Corrine was pregnant & just widowed not 4 months when she meets Dayan and then they hook up pretty much immediately. In Corrine's defense, she did not love her first husband romantically and wasn't inclined to be with him physically except to try and please him so Dayan did provide that side of life for her..the romantic side. Dayan also seems to be the most passive Carpathian male in the series so far. He is sweet and attentive, a natural daddy type which was perfect for his insta-family. Plus, he never had to "push" much because Corrine was accepting of almost everything that went with a Carpathian lifestyle.
It was also nice to see a bit of a reunion with other Carpathian couples from past books. I am still hoping to read more about Barrack and Syndil. They seem to be just a thread in several novels.

I read the preview of this book on Christine Feehan's web site and was really looking forward to reading the entire story of Dayan and Corinne. Their story is good but at times, somewhat slow and redundant. I like the faster pace and more action packed "Dark" stories, especially "Dark Prince" and "Dark Guardian" and "Dark Descent" (which should have been a full length story!). Maybe it is for this reason that the most interesting parts I found in this book were when the previous characters got involved. It was great to finally read about the reunion of Gregori with Darius, Desari and the other band members. It was also nice to read about Shea and Jacques again and the references to Lucian and Gabriel made me wish they also had parts in the story as well. I would still recommend everyone to buy this book since your "Dark" story collection can't be complete without it. I wish Feehan's publishers would put out her books a lot faster!

Dark Melody should also be called Dark Reunion, because many old friends from the previous "Dark" series finally came together to aide Dayan and his pregnant,dying lifemate, Corinne. This book arrived at my house yesterday and I finished it last night. It was everything I expected in a "Dark" book and more. The humorous interaction between the male Carpathians made me chuckle. The determination of the heroine Corinne to live long enough to give her baby a chance at life pulled at your heartstrings. Although all of the "Dark" books are well written, these characters had that something extra that had you rooting for them throughout the whole book. I must admit the secondary heroine, Lisa, with her inability to grasp reality made me want to shake her silly. Especially when because of her,she,Corinne and her baby, and even Cullen (from Dark Fire) were put in mortal danger. You rejoice that Cullen finds love again(even if it is with Lisa). The only bad thing about finishing a Christine Feehan "Dark" book, is having to wait until the next one comes out. But I suppose I can go back and reread the series from start to finish again. It will be like revisiting old friends.

I enjoyed this book, it was entertaining and Dayan was way less annoying and overbearing than some of the other Carpathian males have been. I like the storyline about the super secret organization that is hunting the Carpathians and the psychics because there can only be so many battles with vampires hunting the mates.
I like how Feehan is branching out and creating other things to hang books on like the research into why babies have such a hard time surviving the first year, etc. I'd hate to think that each successive book would just be strong Carpathian male finds his mate who loves him but resists him and then relents formula.
I would have given the book more stars were it not for the most annoying character I've ever read who you were supposed to like. Lisa should have been left on a hillside with her memory wiped! Better yet, I wish my memory of her character could have been wiped. Every time she came onto the page I rolled my eyes, worse yet, Corinne was made a thousand times more annoying by simply liking and trying to accede to the woman's ridiculous demands. Each time Lisa demanded something utterly stupid and reckless and Corinne ran to her "sure, whatever you want!" I began to loathe her too. I wanted Lisa to get kidnapped or killed or removed somehow and all of the wishy washy "oh she had such a hard life that she can't be expected to grasp reality" garbage just rubbed me the wrong way. I pray she doesn't show up in later books as Cullen's girlfriend.
In any case, I did enjoy Dayan as I enjoy the whole branch of the Carpathians he comes from. It would be nice though, to have more female characters who are really strong and not so stupid. It's hard, as a strong intelligent woman, not to run screaming into the night when we are supposed to actually believe some of the women in these books are strong (like Joie, who only got a short story in The Only One, but who was truly a strong woman.)

Dark Melody (DM) has definitely become one of my favorite Christine Feehan's (CF)Dark series. However, I suggest that before reading this book you read at least Dark Prince, Dark Magic, Dark Legend, & Dark Guardian. These four books will provide with enough information about the Carpathians and about their world. The other books I found to be entertaining but did not leave me with the same enthusiasm as those previously mentioned.

Without going into detail about DM since its story has been already explained... I found this story line very touching and heart-warming. Although the ending ends nicely and may seem to some people predictable. I think we all mostly read romance novels because to some degree we want that happy ending. The ending that is impossible to really happen in real life. This book is part of a series of books of which some may end nicely but there is a lot sad and dark parts to it. Different aspects of life is addressed not in this book specifically but for example in Dark Legend we learn of child abuse, abandonment and loneliness.

I have to mention that it was nice to see several of my favorite characters and the sense of community.

It goes without saying that although some may find the plot itself weak this book was well written with very little to no major quirks in it. Certainly a book to pick up and give a chance.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Finally, readers have the long-awaited story of Dayan, final male of the Dark Troubadours to find his lifemate. Rest assured, this story was well worth waiting for.

Dayan has been searching for centuries to find the one woman who can complete him, who can balance the darkness in his soul with the light of her love. He has recently watched each of the members of his family find their lifemates, and he was beginning to despair of ever finding his own. While running from some enemies determined to destroy him and those traveling with him, something drives him to stop at a bar and perform some of his music. While there, he feels a change, suddenly noticing she is there, and his world explodes into color.

Corinne Wentworth has been ill her entire life. She suffers from a degenerative heart disease, which is slowly eating away at her life. Additionally, she is pregnant with the child of her late husband, possibly killed by the same people hunting Dayan. She has been entranced with music, especially that of the Dark Troubadours, for a very long time. Their music speaks to her, taking her out of her troubled existence, freeing her from the constraints of her poor health. When her best friend, Lisa, decides to surprise her by taking her to a local bar where one of the famed Troubadours will be playing, she never expected her life would change so drastically.

Immediately, Dayan knows Corinne is his lifemate, but he has a dilemma no one of his kind has ever dealt with before. She is dying, along with her unborn child, of her heart disease, and there is nothing he can do to save her at this time. He must call on his family, and the greatest healers of the Carpathians to aid him in saving his lifemate, for if she dies, he will be lost as well. All must come together in the race against time and their common enemy, (a group of fanatics out to destroy anyone they believe to be vampire, human and Carpathian alike) to save Corinne's life and that of her unborn child.

Not much more can be said about this story's plot, without giving away any key elements. This is a story to be savored, for it has so much more to it than many of the preceding books. This reviewer is very selective when rating books, not liking to give out the highest ratings possible to books unless they are truly deserving of it, near perfect in every way.

Ms. Feehan has filled this book with so much emotion, that one will be overwhelmed, becoming totally engrossed in the lives of the characters. The reader will laugh, cry, rage at fate, be overjoyed, and cry some more. Be forewarned, this is not a book to be taken lightly, nor to be read in a restaurant full of people, or a lot of strange looks will be received over the tears pouring down one's cheeks. This reviewer speaks from experience. Ms. Feehan is a master of drawing her readers into her world, feeling so much for her characters, but this book... this book is the most heart-wrenching to date. In addition to the emotional story of Corinne and Dayan, this is the long-awaited "reunion" story, bringing together so many of the beloved characters from past books, as they all work together to save Corinne. The final climactic scene, to save her life, is so well-done, so powerful, one is afraid to breathe until it is over, begging for the conclusion so longed for.

Every book in the Dark saga is character driven, though with a strong plot to support the characters. This one however, is even more so, due to the nature of Dayan and Corinne's relationship. She is restricted by her health, less able to have adventures, but there is still enough action to keep one captivated, driving on towards the desired happy ending. What else can be said about this story? Ms. Feehan is a master, her voice as fresh and new as it was with her first book. There can be no doubt in anyone's minds that she is bound for bigger and better things, guaranteed to please even the most particular of readers. Run out and buy a copy of this book today, and be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster ride into a spectacular world.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2003. All rights reserved.

Though as a Carpathian male Dayan long ago lost his own emotions, he is still able to make beautiful music, evoking passion in the hearts of many. Until he meets Corrine, he has none of his own. When he finds her at one of his concerts, he finds what is missing.
Corrine is unlike the other heroines who have saved the Carpathians. While many of them rival Wonder Woman, Corrine, though brave and strong, is pregnant, and barely clinging to life herself. This is a case where neither the man or woman can exist without the other. Saving Corrine's life is the only way to save his own for Dayan. When she tries to save a friend's life, though, Corrine may have put not only her life, but her unborn child and Dayan in peril.
**** This is the most moving of the Dark series. Ms. Feehan has created a world that exists only for love, and puts passion in its proper place. Dayan is much like Caleb, only gentler, for all Port Charles fans in withdrawal. ****
Reviewed by Amanda

Dayan, lead guitarist of the Dark Troubadours is a Carpathian male struggling with the beast within. Seeing his family one by one find their lifemates leaves him feeling very much alone. Knowing that he must find his lifemate soon, he and Cullen Tucker, a human,(from Dark Fire) are traveling incognito, staying one step ahead of the human hunters, while Dayan searches for the one woman who will make him complete.
Lisa Wentworth and her sister-in-law, Corrine enter the bar where Lisa heard Dayan will be playing, a treat that Lisa wanted to give her sister who has followed The Dark Troubadours for years. Dayan jamming with the local band playing for the lifemate he has yet to meet is stunned when Corrine walks in the door bringing colors and emotion to his dark and gray life. Troubled by the knowledge that his lifemates heart struggles to beat; knowing that her damaged heart will make their coming together a challenge, Dayan is forced to stall his natural instinct to claim her, her heart unable to handle the emotional turmoil. The demon within roars in denial when he discovers she is pregnant with another man's child, placing her in even more danger as her heart struggles to sustain life for the two of them.
Danger lurks everywhere in this emotion packed story as Dayan and Corrine work to find their way to becoming the lifemates they are destined to be. Corrine and Lisa are stalked by The Morrison Center who is targeting them since Corrine is a psychic; they were the ones who murdered her husband just after she got pregnant. Equally as dangerous is Corrine's pregnancy, an almost certain death sentence. Corrine does her best to hold on to life, determined to save her child even at the expense of her own life, while Dayan is equally determined to save her life and the life of the precious daughter that she carries.
Dark Melody tells the tale of deep familial love, the terror every mother feels when the life of her unborn child is in danger, the courage to carry on under the most trying difficulties and the love that allows true lifemates to beat even the most daunting odds. Ms Feehan has you on the edge of your seat in her latest Carpathian story. You will be terrified by the killers stalking the foursome, praying as they work to save Corrine and her child, crying as Dayan and Corrine face the very real possibility of her death and cheering for Darius, Gregori and Shea, the Carpathian's greatest healers to reach Corrine in time to save her and Dayan. Be prepared to stay up all night reading to the dramatic end of Dark Melody.

Not as good as some of her other books. It was really promising, really romantic, I loved the "eyes meeting across a crowded room" thing that she had in the first few chapters. But once the characters left the bar all the tension seemed to leave the book. Everything became about the baby the female character was carrying, her heart condition that made continuing to carry the baby so dangerous, and the best way to save both her and the baby. Then at the very end, after the baby was born, the tension from the beginning returned, but still, only in a smaller way.

I couldn't put this book down, the book was a nice fast read even though there was no steamy events until the end. I wish they could save every child. I'm glad that there was more than one happy ending. Gotta go so I can start book 13

As a fan of Christine Feehan, I have read all of her books and short stories--and I have to say this is the best one yet. While it is part of a formula series and has some redundancies for new readers (which other reviewers have complained about), the story line is nothing like the others in her dark series. I don't want to give away the story, especially since the description is given, but this story is nothing short of amazing.
I would recommend that if you want the whole story on all the Carpathians, to start at the beginning of the Dark series and work forward (as well as the Scarletti Curse and her novellas in Fantasy and in After Twilight).

In comparison the Feehan's previous novel, "Dark Melody" is a vast improvement. My biggest point of concern over this series is the eventuality that the author will run out of ways to bring the counterparts together. "Dark Melody" provides a new twist. Rather than concentrating on the evil menace of those who have embraced vampirism, the focus is on the couple themselves and how to overcome the physical ailments that Corinne has. Corinne, while psychic, has a very weak heart. It's tough enough to support her own system, but throw in a pregnancy and you have yourself a heady mix. It is heartwarming to see Dayan try to overcome his need to bond Corinne to him as his lifemate and still hold her best interests. In this case the bonding itself could destroy Corinne.
The one major weakness in this novel was a secondary character, Lisa. She is Corinne's best friend and sister-in-law. She is ultimately a weak, needy character that I had a hard time understanding. Her own selfishness causes pain to others and she doesn't appear to have learned her lesson by the end of the story. Instead her needy codependence is enabled by a marriage to Cullen. I can't even begin to imagine how she would deal with Corinne's change and inability to be with Lisa 24/7.

Well I was just blown away by this book. I agree with another review that the love scenes can be a bit long and very similar so I tend to skip the pages but this story was a refreshing change. I also get quite attached to the characters so I get annoyed when the Prince is meant to be the strongest and then the next story states Georgi is the strongest and then Gabrielle, Lucian not to mention Darius is unrivalled. I have a soft spot for the Prince and the twins so protest everytime a male is stronger than them. This book wasn't about Dayan's ability as a hunter at all the story line was completely different. I also like that for a fleeting moment Corinne spoke to Lisa as girlfriends do and talked about the sex appeal of Dayan and how attractive he was prior to her actually meeting him. In most of the books the interaction by the female is soley with the male and you don't get the giggly girly convesations with their friends. If you are getting the feeling that the story lines have been similar and the character names are just changing from book to book I would highly recommend this one as a welcome change. I couldn't believe how quickly the time flew by and I was at the end before I knew it.

This is the first of the Carpathian books by Christine Feehan that I have read; I've often come across comments about them and thought they sounded interesting.

This book was disappointing. Firstly because the plot was incredibly thin; the first really interesting thing happened halfway through the book (which was a lot to plough through). Secondly, I didn't really like the characters as they were pretty one-dimensional; Dayan is a Carpathian (a sort-of proto Vampire, but a good one) and he has discovered Corinne, his lifemate, whilst singing in a bar. Unfortunately for him Corinne has a serious heart defect and is also pregnant with her now dead husband's child. Dayan could heal her himself but it would cause the death of the child, so he needs to find some other way of helping.

The relationship between Dayan and Corinne is unsatisfactory in this book. Not because they don't like each other - they do - but because it's instant liking. There's no tension, no disagreement, no confusion; romance novels work much better when the hero and heroine have to overcome misunderstandings to find true love. Dayan and Corinne just fall headlong into it. I also found a lot of his behaviour pretty questionable - he gives psychic suggestions to anyone around and that includes Corinne and her sister-in-law Lisa; half the time it read like a mind rape to me.

I thought the character of Lisa was one of the most successful - she spends the first half of the book burying her head in the sand about the problems they are facing because she doesn't like change and wants security. This was believable, as was her horror when her attitude caused serious problems to Cullen, her lover, and to Corinne. I didn't particularly like her as a person but at least she added a little spice to the narrative.

Corinne is whisked away to a place of safety to be worked on by Dayan's fellow Carpathians in order to attempt to heal her and here we get a roll call of all the other Carpathian books' heroes and heroines. Perhaps this was meant to encourage me to buy the rest of the books but instead it made me a bit irritated by all the happy partnerships being paraded around. Yes, the romance genre hopes for happy endings but too many together at once remind you that you really are in the world of fiction. Sometimes a bit of dissent, sparky antagonism and alpha males getting bested by their women is far more interesting to read - but you don't get much of that in this novel.

It wasn't particularly badly written and there weren't any colossal clangers such as plot holes (after all, the plot was scanty!) but the book just read to me like the author's fantasy fulfilment of poetic dishy men with superpowers who want to look after their weaker women. This book has not inspired me to read any of the others by this author.

A young woman has a damaged heart and is holding on until her baby is born. Darius is all but given up on finding his life mate. This is a story where love and trust will be all they will need and some miracles thrown in

Dayan and Corrine are really, really touching. I think some of the driving themes overwhelm the books sometimes. "You are my lifemate, we must be together, we are two halves of the same whole" and that is repeated over and over again. Christine still manages to create compelling characters and change up the themes enough to bring me back however.... and Dayan and Corrine are a prime example. I found this book particularly resonated and well worth the read.

A beautiful love story.

Dayan may not be the in-your-face-domineering personality like his fellow Carpathians , but he is equally as enthralling and all together, overwhelming.
The only thing I didn't like was that Corinne had been married before, which kind of clashes with the one love per life concept, but that's just a personal preference. Something different about Dark Melody--the main threat to Corinne wasn't vampires or hunters, but a heart condition made worse by her pregnancy. The meeting of Darius and Gregori, of course, was thrilling--but then I'm a sucker for those two.
But the best part of this story, in my opinion, was the very real connection between Dayan and Corinne at first sight, and the yearning each must endure until they can save her. It's that type of angst--bittersweet and almost desperate--that makes the heart ache so sweetly.

One of my favorites.

Dark Melody Readers Review
Dayan is a lead guitarist of the Dark Troubadours and a gifted musician. His voice and the gift of music enthrall the listeners. Women adore him, but he lives in a world void of feelings and emotions. World of black and gray. Living in hope that he will meet her, the one that will bring him out of the darkness into the light. His life mate. When Dayan finds himself playing with the local band, his friend and traveling companion Cullen Tucker wonders why.
Corrine Wentworth loves music. She is a music writer and a musician in her own right. A very talented person with powers of her own. Telekinetic powers. Her dear friend and sister-in-law talks her into going to the local club for some fun. A fan of the Dark Troubadours, she is taken by surprise to see Dayan, the lead guitarist playing with the local band. What surprises her even more, is the attraction she has toward Dayan, and his very personal interest in her.
For Corrine things have not been easy to say the least in the last year. Her husband has been murdered. She is now a widow and pregnant. The pregnancy that may very well cost her, her life.
Now that he has found her Dayan is determent to keep her safe at all costs. With determination, born of desperation and love, he will not let even death take her away from him. The Carpathian healers come together to help Dayan and his life mate, and their unborn child.
I found this "Dark" book very emotional. A true love story, with mystery and suspense, even a touch of humor at times. The characters are strong and very real. The author's style of writing brings the characters to life, so much, so that the reader is experiencing the feelings and emotions along with them. The story line flows and grabs the reader's attention to the end.
This is a long awaited book for this reader, and I was not disappointed.
A wonderful creation, a treat for lovers of paranormal romance.
I highly recommend this book. Find a comfortable chair, your copy of Dark Melody, and a box of tissues, then sit back and enjoy. Happy Reading!

I have read all the books in the Dark series and I'm a big fan. This last one is good, like the others, and has an ingenious plot, but it had a few flaws, in my opinion. First, it concentrated on one of the secondary characters way too much. It was as if the author was trying to convince the reader over and over again on why we should like the character. By the end I really didn't like that character at all. Secondly, the people in this book talk much more than in the other books. I like it when they discuss things, but in this one they discuss the same things over and over again, and usually it's about that secondary character I already mentioned. Aside from those two things, this was an excellent book and I definitely recommend anyone who is following the Dark series to read it. But if you haven't read the other books in the series, definitely don't start with this one. Start with Dark Prince and then work your way to this one.

I would never have believed that I'd actually like a heroine who is pregnant and has a heart condition. I would normally be calling her an idiot for getting herself into such a situation. But Corinne has more than obvious pathos going for her. She loves music, writes songs and is not a wimp. Seeing how her life blossoms through her relationship with Dayan was very moving. There are some very dramatic and powerful situations in this novel.

Of the many words I might use to describe a Feehan book, boring would not be one of them until I read Dark Melody. Perhaps I've read too many of her novels, or perhaps I've just grown bored of the formula: domineering guy, wimpy girl, a psychic bond 'lifemates' etc. But Dark Melody bored me to tears.

The heroine Corrine (6 months pregnant), irritated me. She was way too perfect and saintly. The hero Dayan seemed to be a carbon copy of all the other Carpathian guys: ie, over-the-top, possessive, and while protesting that 'he doesn't like to manipulate and control others using his mental powers' somehow managing to do so anyway. The endless exposition about Carpathian men and Carpathian culture was also quite tedious. And just once, just once, I'd like to see a psychic female refuse to 'mate' with one of these controlling jerks (let alone agree to become an instant baby-factory).

1 Star. Worse than the last if such a thing were possible.

I have read all the dark books, and I didn't like this one as well as the others. Although it was a good book, it wasn't as well written and didn't seem to go as smoothly as some of her other books. I wouldn't recomend somebody getting this particular book and judging her writing style on it. Shadow Games or any of her many other Dark books is much better written. Maybe she is getting tired of the characters? Dayan seemed to just go on and on, he was too one dimensional. Still, I give it 4 stars because it is a good book, just not up to Feehan's usual standards.

I have read many of the Dark Series books, and this one has been my favorite. I really enjoyed Dayan's personality and his love for Corinne. Like a few others, I didn't like Lisa at all, but the book really isn't about her so it was easy to ignore. It also irrated me when Dayan called Corinne "honey", however, not enough to affect how much I love this book, Dayan, and Corinne. I have read this book twice and plan on reading it again in the future.

When we first encountered Dayan I wondered how long it would be before he showed up in his own book and who his lifemate would be and what she would be like. While I liked the way the lifemates were challenged and the way that characters from previous books were brought in, I didn't really care for the Lisa character. For someone that professed to care so much about Corinne, she was in the way too much.

Overall, I loved the book, there were just a few irritants that you have to wade thru to get to the good stuff. And let's start delving more into the reasons why there are so many fertility problems and infant deaths for the Carpathians.

Dark Melody is boring, mainly because I kept thinking that I had read entire passages lifted directly from her other books, and while I didn't actually get check book to book; I'm pretty sure that about half of the book was her regular spiel about Carpathinians - much like her last two Dark books. And I'm tired of it. She was one of the most exciting new writers to come out in the last couple of years, and now I don't think I will bother to pick her up again because though her story could be interesting -- her telling of it no longer is. I wish Feehan would take a break so that she could write something original and fresh again rather than giving us the same hero and heroine over and over again.

This is my number one book on the list of the Dark Series. I loved this story and have ready it several times. I loved the way the characters developed, their growing love for one another, his tendernes with her is such a turn on. I am just inlove with this book! The best one!

I've been waiting to read this book for a long time. Dayan and Corinne are complex characters. I especially liked the bonding between the couple and the chance to find out about other couples from past books. I'd recommend new readers start with Dark Prince and move forward. A must read for fans of the Dark series.

It is a good book. It follows the series well, the plot stays with the ones that come before it.

The sex scenes are too drawn out, the story line is good though. I have become accustom to skipping the 3-4 page long sex and then starting to read again.

I'll continure to buy the dark series, just because I like the stories.

A few words about this book:

1) If it walks like a vampire, talks like a vampire, and sucks blood like a vampire, it is a vampire, whether it spouts deep philosophy and bad poetry or not.

2) Trying to fob responsibility for the fate of your immortal soul off onto another person is not attractive.

3) You get no brownie points for not getting blood on the carpet while killing a bad guy.

4) The fanatical vampire hunters trying to kill off the protagonists are the most misunderstood people in this book. Personally I think they are a group of ex-English teachers, trying valiantly to bring the protagonists to justice for brutally murdering the English language. If I never see the phrase "brush of butterfly wings" or the words "mesmerizing" or (especially) "honey" again, it will be too soon. For supposedly multilingual immortals, Dayan and his buddies would make truly atrocious Scrabble players.

5) I strongly advise that you do not actually spend money on this book; if you do, you will soon be hunting for a convenient stake to use on yourself.

Another masterpiece by Feehan. I loved it! I love paranormal/romance novels and her style reminds me of my second favorite author Sherry A. Mauro and her novel, Even Angels Fall. I do look forward to reading more books in the future by both these engaging storytellers.

Frequently, when I read reviews I wonder if everyone read the same book. After reading my first one out of sequence, I went back to the beginning. This book fit in very nicely. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to more.

If your interested in character development this is not the book for you. I was enjoying about the first 20 pages or so but fell into a drowsy stupor during overly dramatic lengthy descriptions about the two main characters romance. After 40 pages they were hooked on each other without any interesting conflict and the rest of the story is BLAH BLAH BLAH boring. Save your money, get a different book.

I found this book to be my favorite of all of Ms. Feehan's Dark Series. It had a thicker plot and a twist... the lead female has a failing heart. Also, unlike the others, this female has been married before, and isn't some quivering virgin. The romance between the main couple is both hot, and very sweet. This book is a great book for anyone who loves a romance novel with a twist.

This is Dayan's story of finding a lifemate.

Despite Feehan's avid description of Dayan being brooding and a manly man Carpathian, he held no attraction for me. Maybe it's because I'm loyal to Gabriel. I dunno'.

Corinne was too wishy-washy of a main character for me. I like my heroines with a little more fight and flavor. She was a bit plain, both in attitude and description.

Average book, with an average story.

I can't say this was my favorite book from the carpathian series but I liked it all the same. I thought it was very touching. I really enjoyed seeing the seeing the characters from previous books come together.

Dark Melody (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 10)

I was given one of the later Dark Series books back in April of this year and got sucked in immediately -- no pun intended. I have enjoyed reading every book in the series but I must admit, some of the events in this one brought tears to my eyes. An awesome example of how loved ones will do anything for those they care about.

"You can't tell me what to do!...Oh, what ever you think is right, honey..." What the hell? strong-but-weak? Mary-Sue all over the place...talk about Bi-polar personality!
"Look into my eyes...I am your lifemate, I know your thoughts, I am a God..." Pompous know-it-all.
Look, I have an open mind like no other, but the main dude in this story is a controling ass. Don't even get me started on the other Carpathian characters.

I used to think that the "dark" series was kinda cute, at least after the first 4 or so. This particular book I grabbed off the free table at an Amtrak depot and it became 1 of the 4 books I have never finished. Feehan should have stopped after 4 or 5. These books quickly went from cute to tedious carbon copy.

They can't all be good reviews...

This was actually my first read in this series and i have been hooked ever since...i have gone back and ordered all previous books..the way she depicts the carpathian males is very yummy!!!!

enjoy..you will not be disappointed!

I love this series and this book was especially enjoyable because it brought back characters from previous books and we were able to enjoy the progression of their relationships. The only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is that I am getting a bit bored with Ms. Feehan's entirely overused (in all of her books)metaphor "he/she took her/his breath away". Ms. Feehan is a fabously creative writer, surely she can come up with additional ways to describe being lovestruck. This "breath" metaphor is getting old.

Enough already!! The first 3 were really the best because they were different. Now I am pretty sick of the Carpathian males who are all carbon copies of each other. I think that is why they have problems breeding, these males have all been cloned. The women are the worst though. I don't know about everyone else but I have never met anyone I just wanted to have relations with the very moment I met them. Wouldn't it be nice to get to know each other first, even just a little?? I thought this one might be a little better because the last one, Dark Symphony, was much better than they had been. Then this one, Dark Melody, back to the same old same old. I don't think I will be buying anymore of these.

This was an adequate Feehan romance - readable, but not one of her best. Why? Not enough sex! Nothing happens until the last few pages. Of course, there's more to a good romance novel than the love scenes, but honestly!

I never read romance novels, but Feehan's Vampire series is very, very good! I stumbled upon the first book "Dark Prince" and plunged head first into the series afer that. It's got a little more sex in it than I am used to in my vamp books, but her writing skills are phenomenal. I highly reccommend her as an author!

I really liked all of the previous books that christine feehan had written but I was really disappointed with this book. It focused way to much on character who were in the previous books. It was very hard to read with alot of interest. Unlike any of the previous books in the dark series all of which I read in one sitting this one was just boring.

I have read every one of MS. Feehans dark series books(more than once)lol..She has done it again bringing you along for the ride with her lively characters, and moving story lines. I truly enjoyed it and am looking foreward to her next one.