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BOOK REVIEW – Dreamfever (Fever #4) by Karen Marie Moning

January 19, 2015 / Anna

Dreamfever (Fever #4)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
MacKayla Lane lies naked on the cold stone floor of a church, at the mercy of the erotic Fae master she once swore to kill. Far from home, unable to control her sexual hungers, MacKayla is now fully under the Lord Master’s spell.…In New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning’s stunning new novel, the walls between human and Fae worlds have come crashing down. And as Mac fights for survival on Dublin’s battle-scarred streets, she will embark on the darkest—and most erotically charged—adventure of her life.

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.

Wow, hello, awesome book!

Where we stayed : in a King Size bed (yeah, I know, I know), an abbey ruled by a dumb bitch, a bus full of guns, a Fairy jungle hidden in the road, a hopeless cell, an asshole head (Now,that was pretty great), near dangerous cactus, in a circle of pee (yeah, I know, I know (2))… Mostly in Dublin.

Best part of the book : Emergence of Mac.4 Finally, the girl realizes that if everybody has an agenda, she has to follow hers. Whatever it takes.

Coolest thing we saw : Anytime Mac keeps the Alpha-Male in their place/fights like crazy/writes cool stuff in her journal like “Kick their fecking asses off our world!” (What? I was tired of the petunias)

Best food of the day : I’m not sure. Do they eat in this book? Wait, Unseelie? I miss V’lane’s chocolate that doesn’t make us gain weight.

Worst asshole comment : (What? These books are full of it, right?)

My Kindle just erased the quotes I had underlined. I might throw it on the wall after reading Shadowfever

(more) details?

– Characterization : Brilliant. All the characters are multi-layered, captivating, and make me feel both strong and mixed feelings. Yes I can’t bring myself to make excuses for Barrons’ sexually offensive behavior (no, that’s not okay for me, I don’t care if she’s Pri-ya, grow some restraint, asshole – and SHUT UP about it, what’s with the rape jokes? Seriously? Dude, you made me rage), yet that does not mean I’m not able to enjoy the excellence of his characterization and be captivated by his wicked way of thinking. I. am. In. Awe. of Karen Marie Moning for having created such riveting and complex characters – we’re lost in a blur, where Good and Evil are vain boundaries which don’t make any sense, and hell yeah I loved that.

– Plot & world-building : What a gripping story! I feel like I can’t get enough of this world and I adore the way KMM constantly surprises me. Each time I think I know where the story’s going I end completely stunned and that’s a wonderful feeling for sure!

To be continued… In Shadowfever

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Darkfever #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Bloodfever #2 Reviews:	Faefever #3 Reviews: Jen Anna
Dreamfever #4 Reviews: Jen Anna	Shadowfever #5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Iced #6
Burned #7	Feverborn #8

BOOK REVIEW – Faefever (Fever #3) by Karen Marie Moning

January 18, 2015 / Anna

Faefever (Fever #3)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
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.…

Tell me …

What enraptured me in Faefever was the fact it was waaay darker than the first twos. Excuse me when I’m doing a little dance before travelling to …

… Dublin.

Okay, so, what was I saying? Ah, yes, welcome to the dark side! Dublin’s turning into such a dreadful place, I’m telling you! With the expansion of the Dark Zone, the number of Unseelie which has been increasing since the beginning of Darkfever, ~~the multiplication of assholes~~ … It started to really get my goat, and that’s freaking great.

“Fae are monsters. But we humans hold our own. Fae might have incited this […], but we were the ones keeping it alive.”

Indeed while I really liked the first books they remained only entertaining, that is to say, enjoyable but not loveable : I was interested, hooked even, but I wasn’t completely emotionally invested. As I already said ~~several times~~, a book filled with flaws can be part of my favorite, as long as it makes me feel. As fucking great a book can be, if I have a hard time connecting with the characters and even more, feeling all the trouble they’re being put through, I’m not fully won.

On this matter, Faefever did a lot better than the first twos.

First of all, I loved Mac. Because I loved Buffy, and some sides of Mac remind me of her – Remember Buffy’s personality in the first seasons? She didn’t want to fight for others. She wanted to go to prom, for Pete’s sake! Indeed I always struggle to believe that people can be willing to save the world as soon as they’re asked for it. I mean, of course that’s an awful responsibility to take! Do you really think you would agree right away? If so, congratulations, you’re such a better person than I am!

So, Mac said it clearly : she doesn’t want to be the world’s savior. She wants revenge. And yet, little by little, she takes the job, because something has to do it you know? Now this evolution is believable.

“Lambs to the slaughter. My people.”

Moreover, do you know what I admire about her? She doesn’t trust anyone. She makes deals. She lies. She betrays. Why do I love such bad behavior? Because she fucking needs it! I mean, after all these books where heroines give their trust faster than I spell the word, I can’t help but strongly appreciate the fact she’s not dumb enough to forget herself in the name of ~~lust~~ love. She fights, and her evolution since Darkfever is truly amazing. Plus, the MacHalo thing? Loved that.

Yeah, Barrons hadn’t growing on me a bit and I’m pretty sure I won’t change my mind, because I don’t think he could do something to redeem himself in my mind. This being said, I can’t deny the fact his characterization is amazing : He is a fascinating character – a fascinating bastard, but still captivating and multi-layered to the core. Overall, I loved when he was punched, I don’t want to see him happy, I don’t like him, I’m pretty sure I hate him, but he kept me interested. Go figure.

Furthermore, I must confess that trying to read between the lines to discover who lies beneath the jerk face delighted me more than a police investigation. Don’t get me wrong, no matter what I’ll find it never will be an excuse for his behavior but I’m beginning to consider writing a journal about all my assumptions – even if one of them takes over the others for now.

I won’t talk about the plot, first because I’d spoil you, and secondly because I’d repeat myself, ~~finally because I want to start Dreamfever now~~ : fascinating…. something-something…. well-wrapped… something-something… intriguing…. something-something… I want more!

See you for Dreamfever.

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Darkfever #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Bloodfever #2 Reviews:	Faefever #3 Reviews: Jen Anna
Dreamfever #4 Reviews: Jen Anna	Shadowfever #5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Iced #6
Burned #7	Feverborn #8

BOOK REVIEW – Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning

January 17, 2015 / Jen / 0 Comments

Bloodfever (Fever #2)
by Karen Marie Moning
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets. . . .

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.

Review:

*spoilers for Darkfever (Fever #1)*

Bloodfever slowly morphed into a phenomenal second installment in the Fever Series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes! I was reading along, enjoying the ride and somewhere past the 50% mark I transitioned from like to love! Bloodfever sunk it’s claws deep into me. It stole my breath, it was impossible to put down, the tension and unknowns were through the roof and the peril was fantastic. When I reached the final page I screamed NO at my kindle because I knew I would take a little break to write out my thoughts. I am counting the minutes until I can start the third book in the series, Faefever.

In one short month I’ve managed to piss off virtually every being with magical power in this city. Half of those I’ve encountered want me dead; the other half want to use me to find the deadly, coveted Sinsar Dubh.
I could run home, I suppose. Try to forget. Try to hide.
Then I think of Alina, and how she died.

Mac finally has a face and a name to whom she believed killed her sister. Retribution has to be hers! Well, that is once she heals. After barely surviving a battle with the Lord Master and his minions, Mac is recuperating back at the bookstore. And she has Barrons to thank for saving her life. With the target in mind, Mac is even more determined to acquire the Sinsur Debar and finish what her sister had tried to start!

I wanted to stab every one of them with my spear as I walked by, but I refrained. I’m not in this for the little battles. I’m here for the war.

After being put through an endless supply of trials and tribulations, Mac is officially kick-ass in my eyes! I love her! She threatens others who try to destroy her, she puts up phenomenal fights, and she’s not afraid to take calculated risks. It is almost as though she has slowly been gathering all of Barrons good qualities and making them her own! Barrons and good qualities in the same sentence together? I know, shoot me now, but I kind of like him.

For a moment there he hadn’t looked dark, forbidding, and cold, but dark, forbidding, and …. warm. In fact, when he’d laughed he’d looked … well … kind of hot. I grimaced. Obviously I’d eaten something bad for lunch.

I feel guilty for liking Barrons! Is he controlling? Yes! Is he manipulative? Yes! Does he keep Mac in the dark and still use her as his personal OOP sniffer? Yes again. But we seem to be getting some glimpses beneath that exterior of his, and not only is he hot, but he does have a heart after all! Who would have thought?! The tenderness he displayed to Mac for 2.2 seconds at the end of Darkfever could not be forgotten. He cares for Mac. He values her safety and life. Or maybe I’m just reading into it too much? I don’t know and I don’t care because I need to have a little bit of romance and stolen touches and moments here and there in my books. It’s a weakness. But I think there may just be a future for Mac and Barrons in the upcoming books! Fingers crossed!

He brushed a curl from my forehead and I shivered. Barrons had strong hands with long, beautiful fingers, and I think he carries some kind of electrical charge because every time he touches me it shoots an unwelcome thrill through my body, I took the keys from his hand, being careful not to make contact with skin. If he noticed, he let it pass unremarked.

Bloodfever was a fun and fast paced read! I love who Mac and Barrons are turning into and the direction the story is taking. I love how my questions are slowly being answered……although not the main ones I’m desperately seeking answers for! And I’m looking forward to following Mac’s adventure and slowly taking on the world with her one puzzle piece at a time!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Darkfever #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea	Bloodfever #2 Reviews:	Faefever #3 Reviews: Jen Anna
Dreamfever #4 Reviews: Jen Anna	Shadowfever #5 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Iced #6
Burned #7	Feverborn #8

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FRIDAY STARS–Your Weekly Must Knows 01/16/15

January 16, 2015 / Jen / 0 Comments

Friday Stars

Click book covers for ordering.

Next week Chelsea will be back and posting reviews again! She’s been missing in action these last two weeks because she got married and is currently on her honeymoon, yay! We are over the moon happy for her! xoxo ♥

Giveaways

Enter to win 5 signed copies of Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine → Click Here

Just Finished and Loved

The Dream Thieves (Raven Cycle, #2) & Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater – 5 Stars! The first book The Raven Boys – Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them–until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her. His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn’t believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. Laura’s Review #2 Laura’s Review #3

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han– 5 Stars! Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. Laura’s Review

✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮

Reading Next

Faefever (Fever #3) by Karen Marie Moning – I officially got sucked into this series by the end of the 2nd book, yay! The first book – Darkfever is about when Mac’s 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…

✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮✩✮

Upcoming Releases

01/20

To see more upcoming releases Click Here

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LAUNCH DAY BLITZ + INTERVIEW + EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY – Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine

January 13, 2015 / Jen / 0 Comments

We are SO excited to bring you the Launch Day Blitz for Chelsea Fine’s Best Kind of Broken. It is now available in Paperback! Below you will find an excerpt, interview and a giveaway for 5 signed copies!

This. Was. Incredible. Seriously. It had just the right amount of drama without being annoying and just the right amount of sadness without suffocating me. The ending gave me hope and left me with a feeling of peace and love, and tears in my eyes. The good kind of tears. It was beautiful.

Synopsis:

SOMETIMES MOVING ON MEANS MOVING IN

Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can’t. And the damage is done. She’s hoping that a summer of free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there’s a problem: the resident handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more-until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid him, possibly forever. Now he’s right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she’d long buried . . .

Levi can’t believe he’s living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple “sorry” won’t suffice-not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie’s better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she’s so close, Pixie’s heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear-he can’t live without her.

Amazon ** B&N ** iBooks ** IndieBound ** GooglePlay ** Kobo ** BAM!

Interview:

What is something we would be surprised to learn about Pixie and Levi?

Even though they grew up together and were practically best friends, at the beginning of Best Kind Of Broken, Pixie and Levi haven’t spoken for nearly a year. A tragic event sent them spinning in different directions, each wracked with guilt. But now they’re forced to live under the same roof and share a bathroom for the entire summer, which means they’re probably going to have to talk to each other and things might get awkward. Or sexy. Or both.

If you had to cast Pixie and Levi, would you prefer them to be known or unknown actors? Anyone in mind?

I kind of picture Levi looking like Stephen Amell and Pixie looking like Amanda Seyfried. Here’s my dream cast for all the main characters of Best Kind Of Broken:

I saw that music can be inspirational to your writing. Are there any specific songs that resonated with you while creating Best Kind of Broken?

Music is my number one inspiration for writing! I always have a song blasting in the background when I’m working on a chapter. Always. J I had “Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey on repeat while writing most of the middle chapters of Best Kind Of Broken, and “Lightning Strike” by Snow Patrol was my battle cry for the ending chapters. Here’s a complete list of my favorite tunes while writing BKOB:

The Lightning Strike by Snow Patrol
Young Blood by Birdy
Say Your Name by Plumb
Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey
Anna Sun by Walk The Moon
King and Lionheart by Of Monsters And Men
Endlessly by Green River Ordinance
Heart of Me by Green River Ordinance
New Shoes by Paolo Nutini
Teardrop by Massive Attack

What is your favorite quality to write in a character?

Oh man. What a great question! Hmm…I would have to say fearlessness—which is a different thing than bravery (in my opinion). Being fearless means doing something regardless of the risks. Bravery is doing something even though you know the risks. Fearlessness is born of a passionate pursuit, while bravery is born of a deliberate desire. I think fearlessness is very rare so I enjoy writing characters that are so passionate about their cause or their loved ones that they fight with reckless abandon.

I am so excited (and a little scared, since I’m a baby) to hear that you have a horror novel releasing this fall! Can you tell us a little bit more about the book?

You know, I never—ever—planned on writing anything remotely dark. But earlier this year, while listening to “Bones” by MSMR, I got this twisted idea in my head and I just had to start writing it. I can’t really give any details yet, but it has a gothic feel to it and most of the book takes place in the catacombs of an old church. It’s more creepy than it is scary, but it’s so much fun to write. Get ready… Mwah-ha-ha-ha!

Excerpt:

It’s late, and most of the inn guests are already asleep.

I wait until I hear the TV click on in Levi’s room before I start plugging everything I own into the wall.

We argued today. We avoided each other. And aside from the weird look we exchanged in the hallway this morning and our little spat in front of Zack, everything is back to normal.

Which means I owe Levi for the cold shower I had to take.

I turn everything on and the lights go out. I hear the TV die in the next room and crawl onto my bed with a smile.

“Pixie!” Levi’s irritated voice rings through the walls and I’m feeling happier than a mature person should.

I hear stomping, and then he opens my bedroom door. Just opens it. Like he has the right to just waltz into my room. I could be naked in here; he doesn’t know.

“You’re going out to the fuse box this time.” He steps inside, and now he’s standing just a few feet away, pointing his finger at me.

I’m on the bed, trying to look casual, like lying in the dark playing games on my phone is perfectly normal. The only light in the room is coming from the glow of my phone and the half-moon outside, so we both look blue and soft. And in the blue softness, I see he’s shirtless.

I see Levi without a shirt on almost every morning, but I’ve never seen him half-naked in the dark, and something about it makes my body feel electric.

“Not going to happen,” I say.

He steps closer. “Well, I sure as hell am not marching outside to turn the power back on.”

I shrug. “Fine with me. I don’t need electricity tonight. I can watch TV on my fully charged phone.” I wiggle said phone at him.

He sighs. “You don’t understand. I was looking up the contact information for an alarm company I found so I can call and schedule the installation tomorrow. I need the Internet, Pix.”

“Then use your phone.”

“My phone is dead.”

The boy never charges anything. He almost makes the whole fuse-blowing thing too easy.

“Well, that’s too bad. I guess you’re going to have to turn the electricity back on after all.” I pretend to be very interested in my game.

“Let me use your phone. Just for a minute.”

“No.”

“Come on. It’s for Ellen.” He implores me with a pouty face I’ve seen him use on his mom a dozen times.

I scoff. “Please.”

“Dammit, Pixie.” The pout is gone.

“Maybe tomorrow you’ll remember to charge your own phone. Or hey, better yet, maybe you’ll let me have a hot shower.” I make a big production of pressing random buttons on my phone.

He slumps his shoulders like he’s accepting defeat, then whips out his arm and tries to swipe the phone from my hands. Sneaky bastard.

I pull my phone back and kick at him with my foot, but he grabs my ankle—because I’m not exactly a ninja with my kicking skills—and then we both freeze.

Because now I’m leaning back on the bed with my legs spread apart, and he’s got one hand on my ankle and the other on the bed next to my hip where he was reaching for my phone, and his body is in between my legs, which are completely bare except for the tiny gym shorts I have on, and my right arm is raised over my head with my cell phone still out of his reach, but my back is arched and my shirt has come up so my stomach is completely exposed and I’m hot all over.

Hot. Heat. Everywhere.

I mean, really. We look like we’re in the middle of having sex, but with clothes on. My body knows this. His body knows this. And our bodies are really, really happy about this.

He’s looking at me with nothing in his eyes except want. And I like it. No, I love it.

This must show on my face because his hand—still wrapped around my ankle—moves up my leg an inch, and he watches my reaction.

I try not to react because, hell, he can’t win. He can’t just be asshole Levi all day long and then climb into my bed at night and touch me wherever he pleases.

Ugh. Yes he can.

I part my lips and he slowly, slowly slides his warm hand up my calf and, holy hell, I could orgasm right here. I might, actually.

My calf.

My calf.

He’s touching my calf and I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life.

His hand shifts again, and the only thought in my head is, Go higher, go higher.

Please, dear God, go higher.

About Chelsea Fine:

Chelsea Fine Headshot 2

Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and avoiding housework at all costs. She’s ridiculously bad at doing dishes and claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee, sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of skill in the kitchen.

Social Media Links:

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Goodreads