Shadowfever

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Mac is alone in one of the many worlds of Fae. Barrons is dead – by her hand. Now she must do whatever it takes in order to find – and control – the Sinsar Dubh before it destroys the world. Unable to trust anyone around her, Mac decides to play the game her way. Secrets will be revealed and prophecies will be uncovered. Deadly games will be played, but who will win in the end?

Likes

I love this series. Really. The book is nearly 600 pages long and I read it in two days. Would have been less, but that pesky job (that I really do adore) was getting in the way.

Mac is a great protagonist. Witty. Smart. Real. She has her doubts about who she is and what she must do. She is passionate about those she considers family and what she thinks is right. She is willing to learn and adapt to whatever crap is being thrown her way.

Barrons is hot. Really hot. He may seem like an ass most of the time, but deep down the beast really is human (of a sort). I think he might be up there with Jaime (from Outlander) as a book crush.

I might have to buy all of the books in this series (including the Highlander books) and reread them. That is how much I love the series.



Dislikes

The last line. The end…or is it. Ack! Don’t do that to me!

The previous books had Mac’s journal in the back. I missed that information being available.

Spell of the Highlander - Karen Marie Moning

This review is by guest reviewer/blogger Sharon.

Spell of the Highlander - Karen Marie Moning

Steamy – This is the first word that comes to mind with this book. If you like the hotter romance scenes in your book, this should do it. They are not down and dirty, but enough to make you wonder where your significant other is.

The plot of this book revolves around the relationship between Jessi and Cian, as they work together to foil Cian’s enemy and free him of his curse. Cian is a typical old fashioned Highlander, who feels it is his job to protect the woman who he perceives as belonging to him (where have all these men gone?). Jessi is a typical modern woman who longs to be independent. You can imagine the sparks that fly as they work together.

I enjoyed this book. It didn’t have the Faery element as in the last book I reviewed, which I appreciated it. There was still Magyck involved and it was involved in regards to the plot, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

The author promises that there will be more books in the series, and I am looking forward to reading them.

The Immortal Highlander - Karen Marie Moning

The Immortal Highlander

Karen Marie Moning

I started reading these books due to a recommendation from a friend.  I have a penchant for reading romance novels as they tend to be easy reading, which is always nice after a hard day of work, or on a Saturday evening.

This book had all elements of a good romance.  A devilishy handsome male who is intent on seducing the woman and does not seem to have limits on what he will do.  A women who does all she can to resist him, but knowing that she will likely give in at some point.  And then we just sit back and wait and see what happens and when it happens.

I enjoyed this book as it was an easy read.  A few days on the bus to and from work, and a few hours on my Saturday afternoon and I was done.  I will admit I did have a bit of difficulty with the fantasy/Faery bit, just because I had a bit of hard time understanding some of the elements, but overall it did not take away from the book.

This book does promote that is a book involving highlanders, but this was not really a large point of the book.  The male character has spent a lot of time there, but we don’t really spend a lot of time in that realm learning about it.

When Sharon isn't reading she enjoys spending time with her cats or working on her crafts.  Find out more about them at http://allaboutme-sharon.blogspot.com/

I've got a fever...

It’s been a few weeks since I last posted. As I noted previously, I was out of state for my sister’s wedding. While I was away, I finished reading several books. The one I finished most recently is:

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning
This was a surprise when I returned to work. While I knew that the book was coming out soon, I didn’t expect to have it waiting on my desk! Wow! What a read! I’ve decided that while I wait for the next – and final – book in this series to be published, I need to reread the books in both the Highlander and the Fever series.

At the end of the previous book, Mac had ventured out on October 31 - and ended up running in to the LM and his Dark Fae Princes. She's now Pri-ya - something that no human has been known to recover from. She's also been captured by the LM. Out of her mind with sexual desire, Mac is unable to escape without the help of others. Thankfully, the superfast, superpowerful Dani is the help Mac needs.

The book takes us over several months as Mac and company try to restore the massive disorder the world has suffered since October 31.

I think Moning's writing keeps getting better and better with each book - amazing since her previous published works are all excellent.

I've a few more to share, but I still need to type up those reviews. Perhaps by the end of the week I can have that finished.

Waiting on Wednesday

How about a book related WoW?

This week I am waiting for the next book in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Dreamfever is due to hit shelves on August 18.

Product Description
(From Amazon.com)

He has stolen her past, but MacKayla will never allow her sister’s murderer to take her future. Yet even the uniquely gifted sidhe-seer is no match for the Lord Master, who has unleashed an insatiable sexual craving that consumes Mac’s every thought—and thrusts her into the seductive realm of two very dangerous men, both of whom she desires but dares not trust.

As the enigmatic Jericho Barrons and the sensual Fae prince V’lane vie for her body and soul, as cryptic entries from her sister’s diary mysteriously appear and the power of the Dark Book weaves its annihilating path through the city, Mac’s greatest enemy delivers a final challenge...

It’s an invitation Mac cannot refuse, one that sends her racing home to Georgia, where an even darker threat awaits. With her parents missing and the lives of her loved ones under siege, Mac is about to come face-to-face with a soul-shattering truth—about herself and her sister, about Jericho Barrons…and about the world she thought she knew. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Why I am waiting for the book?
I loved the previous three books in this series (and most of the books in her previous published Highlander series). The end of the previous book - Faefever - left the reader hanging and wanting to know more of MacKayla’s fate.

Dream a little dream...

Last night I read Into the Dreaming by Karen Marie Moning. This short tale was originally published as part of the anthology Tapestry.

Moning’s novella contains many of the same threads found in her other Highlander tales: Time travel. Faery influence. Memory loss. Yadda yadda yadda.

Jane Sillee is in love with a man who has been haunting her dreams since childhood. The handsome Highlander becomes the main character in the romance novels she has been trying – unsuccessfully – to get published.

One day a box appears at her door. The tapestry inside is an exact likeness of Jane’s dream lover. After falling asleep beside it, she awakens the next morning - not beside the tapestry, or even her own time – but in 1400s Scotland…where she sees the dreamy Highlander in the flesh.

Too bad he has no clue who he is…let alone Jane!

Can Jane spark his memory before it’s too late?

At just over 100 pages, this book was – obviously – a quick read. As noted, there were a ton of similarities to Moning’s other Highlander books. Regardless, I enjoyed the tale.

reading frenzy

I've finished several books recently, including all but one of the Highlander series. I'll start off with those books.

Firstly, this is the series in order:

1. Beyond the Highland Mist (1999) - see previous post for review
2. To Tame a Highland Warrior (1999) - see previous post for review
3. The Highlander's Touch (2000) - see below for review
4. Kiss of the Highlander (2001) - see below for review
5. The Dark Highlander (2002) - see below for review
6. The Immortal Highlander (2004) - see below for review
7. Spell of the Highlander (2005) - see below for review
8. Into the Dreaming (2006) - on hold for this one
   

The Highlander's Touch is another supernatural, time travel romance. Overworked Lisa accidentally falls asleep in the director's office at the museum where she works her second job as an afterhours cleaning woman. When she awakens to hear the director arriving to his office, she hides, hoping to not get caught. Before fleeing for safety - once she is able to - she takes a look at an old artifact that was just brought to the museum. Touching it, she finds herself transported to a different time.

Circenn Brodie is not your average Highlander. Entrusted by the Seelie Fae to keep watch over their hallows, Circenn's vow to kill the man who returns one that is lost - as well as his other vows - are all tested to the core when Lisa arrives from nearly seven hundred years in the future.

This is another quick read. There is a twist to the story and several things that tie in with future books. I enjoyed the story enough that I couldn't wait to read the next...

In Kiss of the Highlander, Gwen booked a trip to Scotland, trying to live life to the fullest (and to find herself a cherry picker). What she didn't bargain for was 1. to be younger than the rest of her group by at least 35 years or 2. to fall through a hole in the ground and land on a handsome, unconscious...and naked...Highlander. Will a trip back to his century save his clan, and will Lisa's life ever be the same again?

While a similar plot a few of her previous books - and one that will be seen again - this quick read (another one night book) was engaging. Moning's descriptions of the Scottish Highlands - regardless of what century - are lovely to read.

Of course, I couldn't wait to read the next book in the series, The Dark Highlander, which, in a way, is a continuation of Kiss of a Highlander. According to legend, if one of the MacKeltar clan used his powers for personal reasons, he would be cursed. Dageus MacKeltar found just how true that legend was. Could the love of a woman save him from his dark and deadly fate?

There's more time travel in this romance book. Again, another great, quick read.

The next story in this series, The Immortal Highlander, doesn't have the time travel found in the previous tales; however, a character from two previous books returns. Adam Black has been stripped of his fae powers by his Queen, and rendered human. To add insult to injury, he also cannot be seen by anyone. He travels - the long and tedious human way - by plane - to Cincinatti, where his son and family lives, hoping that Circenn can see and help him to contact the Fae Queen. Instead, he is seen by Gabrielle O'Callaghan, a third year law student with the hereditary ability to see Fae - and a fear of Fae to go with it. Once Adam realizes that she can see him, he is determined to have her help...though, neither would have guessed what happens as a result. Can Adam contact the Fae Queen in time to save not only Gabby and himself, but both of their worlds?

While previous books have some ties to the Fever series, I think it is with The Immortal Highlander that the real connections begin. At least as far as I've read so far!

The last book I've read in the Highlander series was Spell of the Highlander. The book returns us to the MacKelter clan. Cian MacKelter was only known in legend. Generations that followed him barely believed the tales of the Druid who turned dark were real. Jessi St. Clair finds the truth. Cian MacKelter is alive...having been imprisoned in an Unseelie Hallow - a mirror - for over 1000 years. Cian is depending on Jessi to save him - and to help keep the compact between the Fae and the Human Race from being broken.

Again, this book has many references that will be mentioned in the Fever series. It was also my favorite - thus far - of all the Highlander books.

There is a change apparent in the last few books of the Highlander series. While Moning sticks with some of the same small plots and themes of her previous books, the last two I read are different from the first few that screamed ROMANCE NOVEL.

Moning's other series is the Fever series. So far, three books have been published. I've now read all three of them. The titles in this series are as followed:

1. Darkfever (Oct. 2006) - see previous posts for review
2. Bloodfever (Oct. 2007) - see previous posts for review
3. Faefever (Sep. 2008) - see below for review
4. Dreamfever (Coming Soon) - not yet published
5. Shadowfever (Coming Soon) - not yet published

Faefever picks up where Bloodfever ends. Mac has just encountered the Sinsar Dubh, and, for the first time, did not pass out. She sees what happens to its victims, and the beast it has become. Mac continues her quest to find her sister's killer, playing her options between V'Lane and Barrons, and finally has that meeting with Christian MacKelter, and finds out his family's connections to the whole crazy mess. As Halloween approaches, Dublin is becomming more and more crowded with Unseelie Fae. What is the Lord Master's plan for the city...and all of mankind?

I cannot wait for the next book, especially with the cliffhanger type of ending that this one had! O.M.G. I hope it comes out soon!!

These are all books for adults.

i'm not a slacker. honest.

While I’ve been slacking in posting, I have been far from slacking in reading.

Ivy by Julie Hearn – One night I read about half of the book. Was bored by it, but didn’t feel like looking for something else in my house to read. I decided to not finish reading the book because Bloodfever arrived the next day. This is a teen novel.

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning – I finished this in one night. It was excellent! Mac is still in Dublin trying to find revenge for her sister’s murder. Things heat up as she battles Unseelie Fae, tries to figure out just who – and what – Barrons is, and learns more about her past and her gifts. This is an adult novel, but older teens may also enjoy.

Since I had to wait for the third book in the Fever series, I decided to start reading another series, and picked up Beyond the Highland Mist also by Karen Marie Moning – I read this over a day or two, but only because the husband was home (he’s gone most of the week). This is the first book in Moning’s Highlander series, and the first romance book I’ve read in nearly 15 years. While over the years I have read books that have romance in them, I haven’t read books that were specifically marketed as adult romance novels. This series is definitely marketed to adults.

Hawk was a man of legend, not only between the mortals, but also in the faerie realm. When the Seelie Queen remarks positively on his sexual prowess, her Consort and the Fool decide to get revenge.

Five hundred years in the future, Adrienne lives a life of fear. At the core of it is a fear of beautiful men. When the Seelie Fool hears her swear off all beautiful men, he transports her to sixteenth century Scotland to be used as pawn in revenge against the beautiful Hawk. Can Adrienne accept the love of Hawk, or will the faeries’ vengeance destroy the legendary laird?

To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning – Does that title scream ROMANCE NOVEL or what? Another book I finished in one evening, this is the second book in Moning’s Highlander series. I enjoyed this one as well. There were even parts where I laughed out loud.

The letter was short and to the point. “Come for Jillian.” Grimm had longed for Jillian for many years, but knew he could not have her. But now here was his chance…if only he will allow his heart to show his love, and accept who he really is.

Jillian had sworn off marriage, but her parents have other plans. While they are off visiting a son and new grandchild, they request three strong Scottish men to come and woo their beautiful daughter, vowing that when they return, Jillian will have either chosen one, or have been chosen. When Jillian finds out their plan – and realizes that one of the men is her childhood love Grimm – a man she vowed to hate – she must devise a plan to escape her fate. Or will she?

I also listened to both Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little and Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank You Notes by Peggy Gifford; read by Clea Lewis. This is a children’s series of books, geared for tweens. The two books are packaged in one audiobook set titled The Moxy Maxwell Collection. Both tales take place over one day. In the first story, it is the day before the school year begins, and Moxy, a born procrastinator who is great at telling people what to do, has yet to read the assigned book for the summer: Stuart Little. Moxy loves to read, but does not like being forced to read a book. Moxy’s mother send her to her room to read that book, while she runs errands before Moxy’s water ballet show. Moxy devises one reason after another to not start reading Stuart Little – even though she knows there will be consequences.

In the second tale, it is the day after Christmas. Moxy has promised her mother that she will finish all of her Christmas thank you notes before she and her twin brother leave to visit their dad in Hollywood. As usual, Moxy comes up with one crazy idea after another, including using her step-father’s Christmas copier, to keep from writing those notes just then.

Current reads:

• I’m currently listening to the children's book Kenny & the Dragon by Tony Diterlizzi; read by Alan Cumming. I’m not overly enthralled with Cumming’s narration, and am finding that I’m rather annoyed with the characters and how they sound. The story, however, is a fun one. I should finish listening to it tomorrow. It is only 2 discs.
• Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
• The Highlander’s Touch by Karen Marie Moning
• Ironside by Holly Black
  

I've got a fever...

A few weeks ago, some coworkers were discussing a series of books for adults. The 3rd (perhaps final…must check on that) book was recently published. I didn’t pay too much attention, as it was an adult book, and anymore it seems I read only books written for people 18 and younger.

Fast forward a week and another coworker recommend the series to me. So, I decide to go ahead a try it. We had the first book on the shelf, so I grabbed it and checked it out. A few days later, I started reading the book.

Two nights in a row, I read the book before going to bed. While laying in bed even.

And this morning, before leaving for work, I finished it. It took me all of 3 days to read. That’s while working every single day.

The book was that good. So good, in fact, that before I left for work this morning, I placed book number two on hold. I’m anxiously awaiting its arrival to my branch. Hopefully tomorrow.

And now would be the perfect time to tell you the title and author of the book. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning.

Twenty-two year old Mac is a typical Georgia Peach. Rarely swears. Perfect accessories for her pastel pallet of clothing. Long blonde tresses.

When her older sister is brutally murdered while studying in Dublin, Mac’s world falls apart. Her whole family is devastated and her parents withdraw into themselves. When the Irish police send the case to the unsolved files, Mac decides to head to Ireland to put a face to the grieving family, and to demand the police keep looking.

Her plan doesn’t quite work out that way. Instead, Mac is drawn into a world she never knew existed. Fae are real. Vampires might be real. And Mac – who was pretty based in what she thought was reality – has inherited the talent to see these mythical creatures for who they are.


Unhappily – but perhaps luckily – thrown together with the mysterious Jericho Barrons, Mac’s quest to find her sister’s killer takes her deep into the underbelly of Dublin, and drastically changes her life forever.


I really like this book. I have heard good things about the next one - Bloodfever. I hope they are true!


While this is a book for adults, I think that older teens may enjoy the series as well.