{Release Day Review & Excerpt} Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan (@AuthorCFeehan @BerkleyRomance)

A mage and a warrior must see beyond their facades and embrace the bond that links their souls in this powerful Carpathian novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

At any other time, Julija Brennan would find solace in the quiet of the Sierra Mountains, but now the mage is in the race of her life. Having broken free from her controlling family, Julija's attempts to warn the Carpathians of the coming threat has failed and put a target on her back—and those who hunt her are close behind... 

After centuries locked away in a monastery in the Carpathian Mountains, Isai Florea can't believe he's finally found his lifemate—the missing half of his soul. The second he sees Julija his world blazes with color. But despite their explosive connection Julija rebels against what she sees as Isai's intent to control her and rejects the bond that would prevent him from becoming a monster. 

As their unfulfilled bond continues to call to them both, Julija and Isai aim to complete the task that brought them together. They are used to facing danger alone, but now the mage and the ancient warrior must learn how to rely on each other in order to stop a plot that threatens all Carpathians...

Julija Brennan has no idea how powerful she really is.  She’s been utterly destroyed by her father and the cruel men that surround him. They think that she alone could never gather the strength to find and destroy the one book that they desire above all else. They are so wrong.
 
Isai Florea is searching for his brother.  Iulian, an ancient warrior, disappeared shortly after obtaining a book of spells rumored to be powerful enough to wipe out the entire Carpathian race. What he finds instead is a beautifully broken young mage who is not only headstrong beyond anything that he’s ever encountered – she’s also his lifemate.
 
Together they must find a way to blend the magic of the mage with the strength of the Carpathian if they are going to win this war.  But their bond is brand new and Julija’s traumatic past is ever present. Will their love end before it even has the chance to really begin?

“You have to stop. I can’t think when you’re staring at me like that.” 

“Like what?” 

“I don’t know. A hungry wolf. You look as if you might devour me any minute.” 

He flashed a small enigmatic smile at her. “It is a possibility.” 

“I’m sorry I doubted you, Isai. Or even acquainted you at all with the likes of Barnabas or my father. I should have believed in my own ability to tell truth from lie.” 
​
“Do not apologize to me, my little mage. They conditioned you to doubt everything. You will soon believe in yourself again and in us.”

In Dark Illusion, Christine Feehan once again introduces us to a lifemate who is just as fierce as her fated Carpathian! Julija is a study in contrasts.  She embodies the kind of strength and vulnerability that makes her the perfect equal to a hardened warrior like Isai.  The push and pull between them is an actual living force.  It flows flawlessly from tentative beginning to satisfying ending.  
​And fans of the Dark series – both old and new - will fall completely under its sensual spell…

Excerpt From Dark Illusion ~ 

Chapter 4

At first, he had thought to keep his distance from Julija so when he left it wouldn’t hurt so much, but for some reason he couldn’t fathom, he really wanted to get to know her. Already, everything she said and did just made him want her more. His interest was genuine, and his sincerity came through in his tone.

“I love to play the piano,” she offered without hesitation.

He lifted his head to look her directly in the eyes. Her face lit up, and her eyes went bright. Her immediate answer was the last thing he expected from her. He didn’t know why. Maybe because of all things, music brought him a semblance of peace when he was so alone. It didn’t make him feel anything, so it had never made sense, but when he heard music, everything wild in him stilled.

“The piano?” Deliberately, he provoked her. He found he didn’t like Julija subdued. He infused skepticism into his voice. “You play?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You do know what a piano is, don’t you?”

“I certainly do, but am having a difficult time believing you do. It takes discipline to master the keyboard. You do not have discipline in abundance.” The moment the words left his mouth, he felt the sting of an insect on his left cheek, low, by the corner of his mouth. He clapped his hand over what should have been a bug but was nothing but air. He glared at Julija. She sat there looking innocent. Too innocent.

“Did you just zap me?”

She lifted one hand and inspected her fingernails. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The moment the words left her mouth, she felt the smack of a hard hand on her bottom, which was impossible because she was sitting. She jumped and glared at him. “We are about to go to war.”

“You fired the first shot, little mage.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, fine, I surrender.”

He was almost disappointed. He liked sparring with her better than he should have. “I was teasing about you playing the piano,” he conceded. “You’re very . . .” He searched for the proper word. Adorable. Cute. He didn’t use words like that to describe his woman. Fiery. Passionate. Sexy. He finally settled on, “I like it, and I shouldn’t have baited you.” She looked pleased and he sighed with relief that he got something right with her.

“I actually was teasing you a little bit, too,” she admitted. “I didn’t mind. In fact, I kind of liked zapping you.”

“I knew you did it.”

She looked smug. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg in case you’re rethinking our truce.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Tell me what you like about playing the piano.”

“I love playing the piano because it gives me a sense of peace. I can go far away from everything and everyone and just fall into the music. It transports me to a safe place. At least it feels safe.”
​
He went still inside. Her statement revealed a lot about her. So far, he’d been more than respectful, not reading her mind but waiting for her to give consent. It didn’t appear as if that was going to happen anytime soon. He needed to know everything about Julija.
 

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