Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

"In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh --a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can't trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V'lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them."
(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

Bloodfever, Book 2 in the dark and sexy Fever series, continues Mac's quest to discover more about the world of Fae and the objects of power and leads her into more terrifying danger as she seeks revenge for her sister's murder.

The Unseelie, or dark forces, are being released by the Lord Master through a portal into the human world causing an increase in the amount of murders, rapes, and crime in the city of Dublin. Mac is in constant danger from the dark forces, but is protected by both Jericho Barrons (who is he? what is he?) and the relative security of his cozy bookstore. (I love this aspect of the story -- Mac is now spending her days working at the bookstore, snug by a warm fire in the evenings, reading and writing in her journal, safe from the Dark outside.) JB is such an enigma...disappearing for long stretches of time, evading Mac's questions, and offering little information about himself. It is evident, though, the Barrons needs Mac's ability to sense the objects of power and will do anything to protect her. But why does HE want these objects of power? What will he do with them when he possesses them? Barrons constantly surprises Mac by seeming to have inside knowledge and taking her to places where the Fae world's magical objects are hidden...but an unbelievable climatic event at the end almost ends Mac's life. It's a gruesome scene, quite shocking and not for the faint hearted, but this Unseelie world that Mac is fighting against is the vilest, most base of all creatures.

Mac is a much more mature character in Bloodfever, gaining knowledge and confidence in her ability to survive in this hideous world of dark creatures and the Fae. She's still not quite sure which of her companions to trust (V'lane gives her a glimpse of bittersweet memories with her sister) and Barrons has revealed his sexual desire for Mac (yay!), but no one is above suspicion and everyone's motives are questionable.

On to Faefever!

And just for fun, I found that the characters in the Fever series have official Facebook pages! The photos are spot-on for the way I imagine the characters of MacKayla, Barrons, and V'lane. Click here for Mac's page, here for Barron's page, and here for V'lane's page.

3/5

Title: Bloodfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
2007
350 pages
genre: urban fantasy/paranormal romance

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

"When MacKayla's sister is murdered, she leaves a single clue to her death--a cryptic message on Mac's cellphone. Journeying to Ireland in search of answers, Mac is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to master a power she had no idea she posessed--a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of Man, into the dangerou realm of the Fae.

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister's death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, while at the same time, the ruthless V'lane--an immortal Fae who makes sex an addiction for human woman--closes in on her. As the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac's true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book--because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of both worlds in their hands."
(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

Quick review here, as I'm the last one (as usual) to join Moning's Fever party! However, the one thing that makes it extremely beneficial to come so late to a series is there is no wait in between installments -- with the recent release of Shadowfever, I have the complete set in hand and can read them one after another.

Moning's dark and sensual fae world filled with monsters, vampires, and creatures of the night is a big departure for me, and I'm really stepping outside of my comfort zone with this urban fantasy series. In Darkfever, we are introduced to MacKayla (Mac) Lane, a sassy Georgia peach who receives devastating news about her sister Alina in Dublin.....it's terrible to receive news of her death, but it is even more horrible when Mac later hears a panic-stricken voice message from Alina that she left right before she died. She tells Mac that she doesn't know if she can get out of the country, and that someone has been lying to her...she is frightened and they must try to find something before it's too late. Determined to find out details about her sister's death, Mac travels to Ireland on a quest for the truth.

Here's where it gets tricky...you see, Mac has powers she was not aware that she possessed until she arrives in Dublin. The city is inhabited by strange and dark creatures of the evil Fae world that coexist with the human world, and Mac actually sees these creatures as they really are instead of in the human form. She is a sidhe-seer that can see past the false glamour and illusion used by the Fae to deceive humans. She also has the ability to sense when magical objects of power are near. It's all a bit too much at times with silly descriptions of monsters and such, and there's even a sexy fae thrown in, V'lane, that I wouldn't dare tell you what happens when you run into him! You'll just have to take my word for it; he "to die for!" :)

I think the most intriguing part of the storyline is the character of Jericho Barrons, and I kept reading to find out if he was going to be Mac's friend or foe. He is intriguing and mysterious, besides being fabulously good-looking, and pairs up with Mac on her dangerous quest to find her sister's killer and the truth surrounding her cryptic phone message. But is he really helping her, using her, or leading her right into a trap? Their search for the killer involves also seeking the location of a powerful ancient book (a sinsar dubh) of the deadliest of all magic, which if it falls into the wrong hands, it will have devastating implications for all mankind. Hmmmmm.

I'm giving the first installment 2.5/5 stars, knowing the story will develop a more complex plot and the relationship between Barrons and Mac will probably become very interesting. I'm dying to find out what secrets (if any?) Barrons is hiding.


Title: Darkfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
2006
Bantam Books
347 pages
genre: Urban fantasy/paranormal romance

Karen Marie Moning in New Orleans

The "Moniacs" are in town, (as fans of Karen Marie Moning are called) and from what I've heard on tv and in the papers, they're having a great time here in N.O. while they anxiously wait to get their hands on the latest book in the Fever series, Shadowfever. There was a terrific article on Karen and her books in the newspaper, and this morning she stopped in at a local news show to do an interview. (I wouldn't have recognized her with her shorter hair style!) Click here for the newspaper article.



Wish I could attend her book signing events at the LaPavillon Hotel, but that's not to be. (I'd like her to sign one of my copies of her Highlander books.) If I see any news about her Launch Party, I'll pass it along.

To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning

"He was born to a clan of warriors of supernatural strength, but Gavrael McIllioch abandoned his name and his Highland castle, determined to escape the dark fate of his ancestors. Hiding his identity from the relentless rival clan that hunted him, he called himself Grimm to protect the people he cared for, vowing never to acknowledge his love for ravishing Jillian St. Clair. Yet even from afar he watched over her, and when her father sent an urgent summons, "Come for Jillian," he raced to her side -- into a competition to win her hand in marriage." (from the publisher)

my thoughts:

This will be a super quick write up! I've had Karen Moning's paranormal/highland romance series in my TBR pile since last summer, and I'm finally making time to work through them all. I wasn't terribly impressed with the first two (I read Beyond the Highland Mist last summer on a beach trip) but I've heard good things about the series as a whole so I'm interested in continuing through the books, knowing some will be hits and a few may be misses. The books contain elements that I enjoy such as time travel, myths, legends, magic, supernatural powers, and, of course, charismatic alpha heroes and beautiful heroines. Easy, breezy, pure escape reading...the kind of book I reach for when I head outside by the pool. (Plus I love the covers ;) On to #3, The Highlander's Touch.

3.5/5 stars

Title: To Tame a Highland Warrior
Author: Karen Marie Moning
1999
367 pages
genre: paranormal/highland romance