Author: Karen Marie Moning (Page 1 of 2)

Synopsis:

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.
Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

Review:

*Spoilers for the previous books in the series*

Shadowfever was rich, imaginative and perfectly wove characters and questions, from the four previous books, throughout.  At nearly 700 pages, this book was excruciatingly painful to put down!  The trials they faced are always taken to that next level, leaving you on the edge of your seat. The mystery completely inundates your senses.  And the Mac that unfolds in front of our eyes is horrifying and enticing all at the same time.  How could we ever expect her to be the same after what she did?  We can’t.

Every time I think I’m getting wiser, more in control of my actions, I go slamming into a situation that makes me excruciatingly aware that all I’ve succeeded in doing is swapping one set of delusions for a more elaborate, attractive set of delusions – that’s me, the Queen of Self-Deception.

She did it.  She killed Barrons.  Her protector.  The one who would never let her die.  And she has no one to blame but herself.  Mac has to leave Barrons’ body.  The GM is on the hunt for her and she has to figure out how to get back to her world and find the Sinsar Dubh.  But along the way, she keeps coming across situations, places and even people that she knows.  Yet as far as she can recall, she’s never been there or met them in the past.  How is that possible?  And as Barron once asked, who is she really?

Call me anything you like-I sleep fine at night.  But you will look at me when you say it.  Or I’ll get so far in your face you’ll be seeing me with your eyes closed.  You’ll be seeing me in your nightmares.  I’ll scorch myself on the backs of your eyelids.  Get off my back and stay off it.  I’m not the woman I used to be.  If you want a war with me, you’ll get one.  Just try me.  Give me an excuse to go play in that dark place inside my head.

Mac is cold, deadly and she has a plan.  Nothing and no one is going to get in her way.  The risks she takes and the games she plays are phenomenal.  She was fascinating and so much fun to watch!  And then when something humongous happens….Oh. My. Gosh!  I’m going to put the next section in a spoiler, so please don’t peek if you haven’t read Shadowfever yet, because it’s a HUGE spoiler!!

With Barrons, you aren’t sure if you’re going to get fucked or turned inside out and left a new, unrecognizable person, adrift with no moorings, on a sea with no bottom and no rules.
I was never immune to him.  There were merely degrees of denial.

There was something very cold inside of me.  Always had been.  I wanted to welcome it now.  Let it chill my blood and frost my emotions until there was nothing left in me that was haunted because there was nothing left of me.

Betrayals, lies, secrets and an unstoppable amount of action made for an epic book!  AND I am beyond overjoyed that the majority of my questions got answered!  Each time I reached another page that checked off one of my previous questions, I was elated.  I was not going to be left in the dark!  I still can not believe how much I enjoyed this series, how much I fell for the characters and how my mind is already working on all of the possibilities of what can happen in the future books.  I will definitely be finishing this series, but most likely when the remaining books are all released because her cliffhangers are amazing and torturous.   For now, Shadowfever leaves you at a place where you can step away and not be struggling to breathe.  It’s a perfect place to stop and take a break before you continue on with the series. I am so happy that my lovely friend got me addicted to this series and I can’t wait to read the remaining books in the future!

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

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.

Review:

No, no, no, no, NO!  That did NOT just happen!  I started the book sobbing, and well now the same can be said about the end.  Here I thought the beginning was petrifying and that nothing could be more devastating and crushing.  I was wrong, SO unbelievably wrong.  Ironically after everything I’ve been put through, I finally get the obsession.  Through all of the tears, sweaty palms, smiles and laughter, I finally transitioned from like to love.  And now, I’m beyond terrified that I could lose that foothold in Shadowfever.  But rest assured, the majority of this book was a lot of fun to read!  Be prepared for a whole lot of craziness, gasping out loud, and being crushed into the ground while reading Dreamfever.

Who’d’ve thought destruction could be so beautiful?  Seductive.  Consuming.

I don’t want to revisit the beginning of Dreamfever.  It’s just too depressing.  How about I touch on my favorite things instead?  Yes?  Ok, here we go…..

★ Barrons.  THIS is the Barrons I have been begging to see.  I was driven insane with torturous hints and glances of his caring side in the previous books.  Lucky for us, many of his inhibitions and dickheadedness (Yes, I swear that is a word when one is talking about Barrons!) are down for a period of time.  Happy Barrons, silly Barrons, sexy Barrons…..Yes please!  I want and need more!  I don’t believe that he’s just trying to find a means to an end. View Spoiler »Come on Mac!  I don’t see how she can think that either?!  Someone doesn’t paint your nails, put your loved ones pictures everywhere and dance like a fool with you unless they really truly care about you! « Hide Spoiler  Barrons has a heart, I just know it has to be true!

★Who Mac becomes.  As I’ve said, she is kick ass, ferocious, and powerful.  I loved that about her. But what she becomes in Dreamfever is even more than that.  Knowing what to sacrifice, how to gain exactly what she wants, and how to control are now tools that she uses with ease.  She is magnificent, beyond brave and bold.  Mac is a sight to see and a truly terrifying opponent for her enemies.

★Dani.  Shockingly, she’s in this list.  We get to be in her head for some of the chapters and my goodness, Dani is immature, naive, crass and would do actions without thinking of what the ramifications could be.  Of course she annoyed me.  BUT, when I tore off my annoyances for 2  seconds, I realized that the girl isn’t even 14 years old.  If I think back to how I was at that age, she is doing a hell of a lot better than I ever would have been able to do!  Dani then became funny, a tremendous amount of help and a good friend to Mac.  She became like the little annoying sister that I never had and couldn’t help love.

★The peril!  It was shocking and nothing could strip me away from these pages. I was terrified, fascinated and then overwhelmed. It was perfection. It was everything I was desperately hoping to find in the first three books. And I’m so glad it finally made an appearance in this series!

And I had to wonder: Was this the whole point?  Was it about taking everything from me there was to take?  Was that what life did?  Made you lose everything you cared about and believed in, then killed you?

Truly beautiful things can come out of such horrific situations.  Mac is one of the lucky ones.  So keep continuing on with this series.  Even though you may go through the emotional wringer and have a huge long list of questions, it is more than worth it.

P.S. I was beyond ecstatic when  View Spoiler »Mac choose Barrons to be her wave.  To stick with him and no one else!  I loved when she had that moment of realization! « Hide Spoiler

P.P.S. After sleeping on that ending, I woke up in the morning with a HUGE realization.  I think that View Spoiler »Barrons can NOT be dead!  When they were in Ireland you could hear that beast below his garage.  It is not like Barrons is a werewolf and transitions from wolf to man.  That beast existed separately from him.  I can no longer believe that he is dead.  How many times did he tell Mac to watch out because even if you believe something is dead, it truly may not be dead.  Barrons HAS to be alive.  And if not, then you’ll find me sobbing in a corner. « Hide Spoiler

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

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 page torn 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 that it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shapeshifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, a lethal Fae prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man of deadly secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

Review:

*Spoilers for Fever #1 & #2*

Addictive?  Yes!  Infuriating?  Yes!  Will I continue on?  Of course!

Faefever was intense, action-packed and I tore through the pages as fast as possible!  As in the past, we finally get to learn a little bit more about some of the questions that are unanswered.  History and a few tidbits for some of the characters, finally have some light shed on them.  Thank goodness!  I soaked up every single tiny detail that was delivered, but ultimately I felt as though I was lost in the dark.  I still only have a handful of puzzle pieces laid out in front of me.  And in all honesty, I’m not entirely sure they are even correct.  Learning who characters are inside and out is shockingly not something that is going to happen to you by the third book.  My list of questions continues to grow exponentially and it’s kind of driving me insane.  I want to know exactly who each character is and what they stand for!  But as I was nearing the end of the book, those annoyances got blown far from my mind with that ending.  Twenty-four hours later and I am still terrified to open up the 4th book, Dreamfever!  Deep breaths!  I’m going to need them!

Nobody looks good in their darkest hour.  But it’s those hours that make us what we are.  We stand strong, or we cower.  We emerge victorious, tempered by our trials, or fractured by a permanent, damning fault line.

Mac is on her way to meet Christian MacKeltar.  He claims to have known her sister, and Mac is thrilled with the possibility of learning anything she can.  But on her way to meet him, she crosses  paths with the Sinsar Dubh.  Horrifyingly, she watches and learns what the book truly is.  From here, you get taken on a wild ride of  lies, threats, deceit, hotness and of course more ass kicking!

When Barrons looks at me like that, it rattles me.  Lust, in those ancient, obsidian eyes, offers no trace of humanity.  Doesn’t even bother trying. Savage Mac wants to invite it to come out and play, I think she’s nuts. Nuts, I tell you.

I still love Mac, but you know what I’ve come to realize?  She’s a little crazy.  Hmmm, actually she’s ferociously brave.  Let’s go with both.  I love that Mac is a crazy, ferociously brave woman!  The things she did SHOCKED me.  They were ingenious moves on her part that I never once saw coming.  Whether she realizes it or not, she is becoming a powerful, manipulative, controlling being like Barrons.  It’s funny because I can rationalize every which way for all of Mac’s actions.  But when Barrons does the exact same thing, I just call him an ass.

Why, oh why, do we find the most dangerous, forbidden men the most irresistible?

Barron is still a sexy, mysterious man that runs from hot to cold in the blink of an eye.  V’lane is still a sexy, mysterious man errr Faery that runs from hot to cold in the blink of an eye.  Ha!  They do have more distinctions and differences, but for now that is how I am going to view both of them.  While I’m not falling for any of V’lane’s little tricks or lies YAY, I no longer feel guilty for liking Barrons BOO.  The boo exists because I don’t like his barbaric actions and I still want to punch him in the face.

If you enjoyed the two previous books, you can easily count on being entertained in this one as well.  Mac continues to be our favorite kick-ass heroine and Barrons is still a sexy, brutal, jerk (that may be too kind of a word) that keeps racking up even more questions.  Fingers crossed I’ll learn some more answers in Dreamfever.  Now don’t mind me as I go hold my breath and wish that I could just close my eyes and skim over the first few pages or chapter in the next book!

P.S. I LOVE the View Spoiler »MacHalo….picturing Mac wearing that contraption on her head, wrists and ankles made it impossible to stop laughing!  An ingenious, hilarious contraption! « Hide Spoiler

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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