Originally Published: 06-26-2018
Book Summary
Dark Legend by Christine Feehan is the 8th book in the Dark Series.
This book takes on a bit different spin than the other stories.
This story is about Gabriel Daratranzanoff and Francesca Del Ponce.
Gabriel is twins with Lucien in book 9. Both are ancient warriors that were loyal and devoted to Vladimir Dubrinsky, Mikhail’s father.
For centuries, these two battled with each other while battling to fight against the undead.
They are both legends of their time. They are both guardians that have dedicated their lives to protecting the world. This is why one book is called Dark Legend and the other is Dark Guardian.
But Gabriel feels (and thinks) that his brother has turned to become what they have hunted, he then can do nothing but hunt him. So in great battles, and in one final one in Paris, Gabriel locks Lucien in the ground for a really long time.
Then he puts himself to ground as well.
This book starts when Gabriel feels that Lucien has risen. So must Gabriel. And because he has been in ground for so long, he’s desperately hungry.
His appearance is that of an old, withered man, and he first meets Francesca and is drawn to her because of her light and compassion.
What you then find out is that Francesca is a Carpathian and she knew that Gabriel was her lifemate centures before, but he rejected her.
Gabriel, in his hunt of his brother, did not notice Francesca when they were young. He didn’t know that she was there.
She left the Carpathian people and struck out on her own not only for the safety of her people but also for herself. So she’s just as modern as any lifemate is in any of the previous novels.
As a Carpathian woman, she also has gifts and talents of her own.
She’s a healer. She has taken her love and skill of healing and woven it into designs into stain glass windows and quilts. Her designs are popular and she has a successful business, albeit under an assumed name.
So while Gabriel may be old-school and ancient, he has to adjust to Francesca being a modern woman.
She was tired of her life and planned on ending her existence. In order to not let that happen, Gabriel bound her to him and then gave her one thing she desperately wanted – a child. Their first joining results in a child, a female child that is precious and loved already.
Because she’s a healer, she’s called upon to heal at the hospital. She’s well known and is well loved.
And this is where you meet Skylar. Skylar is a young teenager that was horribly abuse by her demonic father. When Francesca meets her, she had retreated from existing and Francesca has to seek her spirit to convince her to stay.
Promising her love and safety, Skylar decides to become a part of their lives. Skylar gets her own story in book 25, Dark Wolf.
So while there are aspects of this story are different, there are also quite a bit that is the same as the other novels.
Gabriel must change and adapt to become one with his lifemate. And so must Francesca. They both must learn and grow together to become one together.
And then there is the whole thing with Gabriel’s twin, Lucien. You will find his story in book 9, Dark Guardian.
He isn’t actually turned vampire. He acted if he was turned in order to keep Gabriel from turning. He saw, when they were just flegglings, that Gabriel was close to turning even then, so he made it look like he was the undead to give his brother a purpose to keep fighting. Lucien could sense that Gabriel’s lifemate existed, so he kept leading him back to Paris.
Francesca just happened to land in Paris and made a life for herself there.
So by the end of the book you find out that this is what Lucien has been doing. And his sole objective is to get Gabriel to end his existence.
And then Francesca tells him that his lifemate is alive in this lifetime and she’s young and is in terrible danger. And that he needs to go to ground to heal so that he can be there for her. So now Lucien has a reason to keep going.
So check out Lucien’s story in book 9, Dark Guardian.
