Fever Series Double Review | Book 3: FAEFEVER by Karen Marie Moning

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Romance published September 16, 2008
Delacorte Press
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too.  When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.… 

Shelly's Thoughts... (Minor Spoilers)

S*&# is about to get real in this series and this book will keep you on the edge of your seat and then you get to the end and you thank all things holy that you didn't start reading these books when they first came out so you don't have to wait a WHOLE year for the next one!  PHEW...that was one long run on sentence and even as an English Ed major, I DON'T CARE!  There is nothing better than finishing one book and immediately picking up the next one, that's for sure.

Fever Series Double Review | Book 2: BLOODFEVER by Karen Marie Moning

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Romance published October 16, 2007
Delacorte Press
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

I used to think my sister and I were just two nice southern girls who’d get married in a few years and settle down to a quiet life. Then I discovered that Alina and I descend, not from good wholesome southern stock, but from an ancient Celtic bloodline of powerful sidhe-seers, people who can see the Fae. Not only can I see the terrifying otherworldly race, but I can sense the sacred Fae relics that hold the deadliest of their magic.

When my sister was found dead in a trash-filled alley in Dublin, I came over to get answers. Now all I want is revenge. And after everything I’ve learned about myself, I know I have the power to get it….

MacKayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets. 

In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh–a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious. 

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.…

Shelly's Thoughts... (Minor Spoilers)

For me, this series gets better with each book.  This one takes us a little deeper into the world of the Fae.  Pink Mac has been left behind and now we have Mac 2.0.  She still likes her pink nail polish and all her fun rainbow colored clothes, but she realizes that her reality is much darker and she makes the adjustment.  Mac has come across another clue that Alina left for her in the alley and when she follows the clue what she finds is not what she expected.  

Fever Series Double Review | Book 1: DARKFEVER by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Romance published October 1, 2006
Delacorte Press
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks... until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death—a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed—a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous 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, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless V'lane—an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women—closes in on her. And 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 the very fabric of both worlds in their hands...

Shelly's Thoughts...

First off it's only fair to tell you that this is one of my all time favorite series.  It's absolutely in my top 2 and Jericho Barrons, or JZB if you will, is probably my favorite male character ever, followed closesly (VERY closely) by Jamie Fraser.  These reviews are based on my 4th time reading all of these books but Shadowfever.  That one I have only read once up to this point.  The reason being, that I read all of them multiple times while waiting for Shadowfever to be released!

Paranormal/Urban Romance Review "Lover at Last" by J.R. Ward

Title:  Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood #11)
Author: J.R. Ward
Publisher:  Hatchette 
Publication Date: March 28, 2013
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Format:  Hardcover 608 pages  |  Kindle 962 KB

Buy this book on Amazon:  Hardcover  |  Kindle Edition
Author's Website:  http://www.jrward.com/
Author's Goodreads Profile:  J.R. Ward 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another.... 

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young—just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand. 

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions... but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together... finally become one.

My Thoughts...

Honestly, I wasn't going to review this book, but I decided that I need to at least do a mini review since this is a series that I really do like a lot.  That said, this book was a HUGE disappointment to me.  

This has been one of those stories that has been building for literally years now since only one book comes out a year.  The tension between Qhuinn and Blay has been building over time and when they finally get their own book it's totally hijacked by the beginnings of nearly half a dozen new story lines.  That made this book feel like a filler book and that really sucks for Qhuinn and Blay, who are lucky to be bit players in their own book.   

I realize that because of the content that is involved with a m/m love story,  there are some even faithful readers that won't want to give this one a go and maybe that's why she did the story this way.  I gotta be honest, I think J.R. Ward did a good job with the tension between them up to this book.  It was hot and sexy, but when it came right down to it, I wasn't thrilled with how she handled the scenes in this book.  I think that the build up was great, but the actual execution was a big let down.  

Overall, I was disappointed with how she told their story.  I hated that they lied to each other the entire book and I feel like when you have 600+ pages to tell a story, there is NO need to rush the ending.  She totally rushed their ending by dragging out the lies and deception to the end and she did them a great disservice by tying up their "HEA" in a short epilogue.

I am getting to a point where I really dislike the way she writes this series, but I know there are those out there that love it.  I don't like brand dropping and I hate the made up verbs even more!  With every book that comes out I swear that I am not going to read another one because this annoys me so much, but I just can't do it!  I have invested YEARS into this series and I just can't stand not knowing what happens...Plus, I am kinda liking Assail and Xcor and I want to see what happens to them.  

Warning to those of you who prefer clean romance, you aren't going to find that in this series!  There is a fair amount of profanity and the main characters in this particular story are male, so if that's not something you care to read then give this one a pass for sure.  I know that even some fans of this series are passing on this one because of this.  The only problem with passing on it, is the set up for so many future books.  I am  convinced that's why she wrote it this way...